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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1985)
to to<V *1 " A» ■■ ■*■'»■ I W* ' ate r > ì— li mfiMii i. «a ire Franeca Cchoen-Lesapapcr Room University of Oregon Library '■■".one, Oregon 9/403 Newsflash: *b Th» Bank o f B uuon. N e . Fn gtaixl', l u t a i bank, announce! ih n »rck ibal 11 « ill u o p making loans lo penale Turns and banks m South Africa out o f oppoudon to apartheid It stopped making loans to the government itself or any o f its 0 460 U S ^ k' P<ohibii loans to the private sector in South A frica and three others refuse loans o he South African government, according to the Investor Responsibility Resource Center in Washington. D C. —CSziMM« Srtmor M on itor So. African showdown ^ 4 ^ PORTLAND OBSERVER Volume XV, Number 2 X March 27, 1965 25C Copy Two Sections South African activist urges US divestment by I anila Duke instead o f a civil war. " It's a struggle esl per capita priMin population in the against an oppressive system but, as world and the highest per capita exe G R A SSR fXJT N E W S . N W — Bishop Tutu predicts, it could lead to cution rate." Destroying all myths and apologies Blacks against whites," he noted. Mayor Bud Clark has issued a generated by those opposing divest- Mnumzana called for economic proclamation calling the weeks be tnait in South Africa, Neo Mnum- isolation against apartheid: “ Boycott tween March 21 and April 6 “ South zana. Chief Representative o f the anything and everything from South African W eeks." All citizens o f Port African National Congress to the land should study the issue and de Africa " He added that the Sullivan United Nations, said divestment will termine th a r personal position. principals employed by American not hurt South African Blacks multi-nationals have no effect on During the successful South A f "This is like saying to a man at rican protest to remove the honorary apartheid. "W e are talking about the bottom o f a hole not to fall. We 66,001) people out of a workforce o f consulate from Portland, many local have nothing to lose from America's 9 million. The Sullivan principals ad ministers refused to get involved be pullout of apartheid,” he said cause the South African government vocate certain Affirm ative Action Mnumzana was in Portland to would not grant them visas. "They standards where one's quality o f life is lend support to House Bill 2001 which will prohibit new investment of public funds in South Africa. Oregon cur rently has 1.26 billion invested in South Africa. John Blank, who joined Mnumzana in a press conference supporting divestment, said, “ Pas sage of HB200I would not only be a real blow against South African rac ism but would send a strong signal to home-grown racists that Oregon will oppose racism in deeds, not just (L-rl Jätend« Curry. 7 years, Tyrone Jamas. 8 years, King School, w arm up before joining tha rest of the words. Divested funds arc no riskier and Am inah Chambers. 6 years, all first graders at jum propa group that perform ed at King School <• nvcsimenit. than fundi iflvated in (Photo: Richard J. Brown) South Africa Hence, HB2(X)I. be Above. Neo M num zana meets w ith State Representatives (l-rl M ary sides bang morally right, makes good Alice Ford. Ray French. Cedric Hayden and Bob Shiprack. all member« financial sense." of House Hum an Resource« C om m ittee, w h o have not yet thrown Mnumzana added if American their support behind HB2001. Observing tha diacuesion era Debra Cook. companies divested, other companies Eugene, and Anthony Sparrow. Portland. (Photo: Richard J. Brown! from other countries would not lake by Robert Lothujn smoldering leftist rebellion. The object o f the tortures is to get their place. "F o r companies to coor determined by race.” nced to decide whether it’s more tin Turkey occupies a key position in prisoners to sign confessions fabricat Supposedly in order to fight the re- dinate a withdrawal from South A f Mnumzana said. “ Black unem portant to participate in the I r a U.S. cold war strategy. It is close ed by the authorities, according to belton, the government made a num rica would be the easiest thing for ployment is 50 percent and 85 per South Africa movement, or continu« to Russia, many U.S. missiles are Amnesty. ber o f martial law decrees. Prisoners them to d o.” cent o f those employed earn wages to attract importance to their ability planted there, and it is the third larg can be detained incommunicado for Political prtMiners include college He called the violence in South far below the international poverty to visit a modern slave plantation," esl recipient o f U.S. military and students and professors, union lead up to 45 days, during which time they Africa a national liberation struggle level. And South Africa has the htgh- Mnumzana concluded. economic aid. are often tortured, according to A m ers, leaders o f youth organizations, The Reagan administration has nesty. All trade union activity is communists and socialists. proposed $939 million in aid for T u r banned. In addition, suspects can be More than a third of the world’s key for fiscal '86, but the Turkish jailed for up lo two years for propa governments have used or permuted government wants more. Turgut gating "erroneous, unfounded or lorture during the 1980s, according to Ozal, the Turkish Prime Minister, will exaggerated information in a manner Amnesty. A surprising number of be in Washington, D .C ., April 2 - 5, intended to create alarm or excite those governments arc supported by to plea for additional aid. ment among the public.” the U.S. Amnesty International, the human Amnesty is calling foi legislation According to Turkish government rights group, says that if Turkey is to requiring the administration to ex figures, over 20,000 political prison be considered for aid, however, it plain why it is giving aid from U.S. ers were bag held in mililary prisons must engage in a dialogue about its taxpayers to gross human rights vio in June, 1984. Amnesty says that a human rights record and promise lators. The legislation would alMi majority o f political prisoners, as well some reforms. require the administration to explain as many criminal suspects, suffer Amnesty is focusing on Turkey in what it is doing to pressure violators Mime kind o f torture or ill-treatment, its international campaign to end to end lorture and other abuses of usually during the 45 day incommuni torture. “ The Turkish government human rights. cado detention. has permitted widespread and sys In addition. Amnesty is leading A released prtumer described his Mnumzana. ANC representative to tha U N gonians about South Africa. Ha warned that at tha rata tematic lorture o f its citizens through- an internaiionai campaign to pres treaiment in prison as "absolutely O ld from toft), apaaks at a proas conference at King white South Africans ere puMng their wealth out of oul the 1980s,” says the Amnesty Bul ruthless and pitiless, inhumane.” sure Turkey to end the incommuni Neighborhood Facility Seated with him are (l-rl John South Africa, whan white rule cotopsaa. American letin of June. 1984 His lorture included being beaten on cado detention and torture, to pro Blank. Oregon Rainbow Organizing Committee. Rev businesses will be the big losers Mnumzana spoke to Turkey is similar to many Third the Miles o f his feet and eiectrx shocks. hibit the use of confessions extracted John Jackson, co-chair Black United Front. Portland, the Black United Front, community members at AKen World countries receiving U.S. aid: a The Turkish government has ad under torture, and to establish inde and Aval Gordlay. Portlanders Organized for Southam Temple Church, and had interviews on KBOO. Ha also right-leaning authoritarian regime mitted that some prisoners have died pendent commissions to investigate African Freedom IPOSAF) During his brief stay in Ore attended a lunch gathering at tha Capital and had Inter rules a very poor country with a gon. Mnumzana used moat of tha time to educate Ora- while bag tortured. the abuses. views et the Statesman Journal in Salem nJ * Turkish leader wants more US aid (Photo: Richard J. Brown) M inority journalists give Portland media poor rating on coverage by Robert Lothian A panel o f minority journalists de scribed a sad record o f minority cov erage by Oregon's media Saturday. The journalists, speaking at the re gional conference o f the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delia Chi, at Kah-Nee-Ta resort in Central Oregon, cited problems ranging from domination of the media by white male management to lack o f initiative by reporters. Their suggestions for improvement included scholarships and affirmative action to encourage minority journal ists, breaking the white editorial dom ination, and more sensitivity and cross-cultural awareness on the part of white editors and reporters. Lanita Duke, staff writer for the Portland Observer, went so far as to suggest a minority media boycott if things don't change. I f Jesse Jackson was to walk on water, the media would report that he couldn't swim,” said Duke, who is also a radio-television broadcasler and owner o f Grassrool News North west. She gave the Portland media a rat ing o f ihree for minority coverage and a minus one for equal employ ment. "T he news media in Portland is white male controlled and news comes from that perspective,” Duke said. Women editors, in her experience, replaced an "o ld boy network” with an "old girl netw ork." "F or Blacks, we must either sing, dance or play sports to get media at tention,” she said. "F o r Native Americans, it's salmon fishing or cul tural events, and for Hispanics, it’s either immigration or the language barrier." The panelists agreed ¡hat such me dia coverage o f minorities tends to ward stereotyping. Jobs, hobbies and other activities which make whites newsworthy should also make mi norities newsworthy, but those as pects o f minority life are largely ignored by the media, they said. Duke criticized The Oregonian for charging former city commissioner Charles Jordan with reverse discrimination when he suggested that it might be appropriate for a person o f color to take his place. “ Other white pro fessionals are given a send-off with praise while commissioner Jordan was criticized,” she said. The Oregonian also lost it, she said, when it printed a review o f an exhibit by the Members Gallery, a group of Black artists, on the day the exhibit closed. One bright spot in The Oregonian, however, is Ihe Portland section, which features minorities fairly con sistently, sard Duke She cited former Oregonian report er Linda Williams as a model for minority journalists. Rather than be cowed by the white establishment, said Duke, Williams persisted. Her series on police corruption led to reforms and possibly lo the appoint ment o f Penny Haringtnn as the first woman police chief in a major city, she said. Williams now works for ihe Wall Street Journal in Atlanta. Sidney M iller, managing editor o f the Coyote News, the paper for the W arm Springs reservation, also criti cized D ie Oregonian An Oregonian correspondent reporting on a confer ence o f Native American journalists at Kah-Nee-Ta the week before had garbled the story so badly that it was unintelligible, he said. " I wouldn't have understood the story if I hadn’t m been at the conference," said Miller. He said it was just one example of the misreporting which causes his readers to ignore the major media His paper, on the other hand, which is dose to the small community it serves, must be accountable. “ We have to do a good, complete jo b ,” he said. Asian-Amcricans haven’t been as assimilated into society’s mainstream as the myth would have it, and they are underreported by the media, said K G W -T V reporter Cathy Ktyomura. She played a moving video tape of a visit she and h a aunt had made to the remains o f the relocation camp in Idaho where her aunt spent W orld W a r ll. " I feel a responsibility to act as a watchdog and a pathfinder. . .it is an affirm ative action to cover minori ties," she said. , Linda Monroe, science editor for -’ . ' / / i . ' ' • ' -• ... * tC M The Oregonian, helped organize a group o f journalists in Tucson for fair media treaiment o f minorities. Hispanics don’t have the organiza tions that might make them more risible and they tend to blend into the population, said Monroe. She sug gested that interviewing Hispanic and other minority lenders for their reactions to national stories would help. "U n til you mainstream minorities into the paper you really aren't serv ing your readers," she said. W ith an overriding commitment to minority coverage. Monroe said, journalists can help the community change by changing the way the community is reflected in the media. The Oregonian has a staff o f about 300, with three minority editors and 13 minority reporters, according to Monroe.
