CITY
program
Hobo
Parade
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M inim um wage
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PORTLAND OBSERVER
DARWIN R EAGLETON
by l.anita Duke
GRASSRLXJT NEWS. N W. —
Darwin R Eagleton. a 16-year-old
Jefferson High School student, has
drummed his way into five national
awards and may march his way in
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New
Administration rejection
of IFAD funding
may mean collapse of
agricultural aid to Africa
A grassroots Christian campaign to
save an international program aid
ing farmers in famine-stricken Africa
is meeting stiff opposition from the
Reagan Administration.
The national Christian citizens’
lobby, Bread for the World, has been
joined by over a thousand churches
and community groups across the
country in a campaign calling for
long-term development aid to Africa
through the International fund for
Agricultural Development (IEAD).
IEAD has established a special fund
to aid small farmers and landless
laborers in African nations where
drought and famine have halted food
production.
"Across the country we’ve seen an
incredible increase in awareness
among church people of the need for
long-term agricultural assistance in
Africa,” said Kimble Eornstcr, a
Bread for the World regional organ
izer "W e’re thrilled at the way peo,
pie have responded to the campaign
They're telling the Administration
what church relief workers have
known for years — fix'd only goes so
far We should be helping African
farmers to raise crops in the face of
drought and famine.”
While churches nationwide lobby
to extend U.S. support of IFAD, the
Reagan Administration is contribut
ing to the collapse of the multilateral
agency. The United States is the only
donor among the 32 Western and
OPEC countries which fund IEAD to
reject the latest funding proposal.
IEAD officially ran out of funds to
begin new projects in April and will
nin out of funds for current projects
in September.
"Every indication we have is that
the Reagan Administration would
like to end any future support for
IEAD,” said John Tucker, a Bread
for the World policy analyst on for
eign aid "If the Administration suc
cessfully undermines new funding for
IFAD by continuing to reject the
funding arrangement, it must be held
agricultural projects in Africa when
its people are crying out for help."
Bread lor the World's “ Offering of
Letters" campaign to generate sup
port for H AD and long-term agricul
tural assistance to Africa will con
tinue at least through September
when the Senate is expected to vote on
foreign aid legislation. More than a
quarter of a million letters have al
ready been written by concerned
Christians who are lobbying for legis
lation which would extend U.S. sup
port of IEAD (The E»xxl Assistance
and Africa Agriculture Act, H R
2080).
Members of Congress have re
sponded favorably to the campaign.
A bipartisan letter written by Rep.
Silvio Conte (R-Mass.) and Sen.
Mark Hatfield (R O re.) to Secretary
of State Shultz urging continued U.S.
funding of IEAD was signed by more
than 125 members of Congress.
The most recent sign of support
came July 16 when an amendment by
Rep. Conte asking for a 19K6 U.S.
contribution to IEAD of $50 million
was passed by a House Foreign Opcr
ations subcommittee.
"Congressional support for IEAD
is clearly building," said Tucker. "The
Conte amendment shows that Con
gress is not willing to sit back and
watch IEAD fall through the cracks.
Now there is a mood that the United
States should take a lead in the role
of agricultural assistance in Africa.”
Tucker said that while support for
IFAD is growing in Congress, the fu
ture of IFAD may now rest in the
hands of a few key Administration
policymakers Bread for the World is
urging churches and individuals to
write Undersecretary of State John
Whitehead to urge continued U.S.
support of IFAD. The address is
2201 C St. NW, Washington, D C .
20520.
For more information about IFAD
and how you can join in the cam
paign, call Bread for the World, at
(202)269-0200.
Two Sections
POSAF demonstrations
Drumming into the
Hall o f Fame
York City, the Tournament ot Roses
Parade in Pasadena. California, and
the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix,
Arizona.
Eagleton has been nominated for
the McDonald All American High
School Band Every year 1(M musi
cians — two from each state, the
District of Columbia and U S. terri
tories — are chosen However, a little
less than half are needed and Eagleton
is among the finalists.
Eagleton has been invited to tour
Europe as a member of the U.S. Col
legiate Wind Band and as a recipient
of the American Musical foundation
Band honors.
His honors do not stop there. He is
also a winner of the United States
Achievement
Academy
National
Award, and the U.S. Band Award.
His personal biography will be print
ed in the 1985 U.S. Achievement
Yearbook. Eagleton also made the
Junior All American Hall of l ame
Band. March on. Darwin, march on!
Volume XV, Number 39
July 31, 1985
25C Copy
Pictured from left to right Levi Harris. V P . John Brown, president.
Samuel Pierce. HUD Joyce Brown secretary/treasurer Greg Smith
formerly of the Portland Trailblazers, and A Ruth Harris, director
Brofam expands w ith
public stock offering
by I anna Duke
C.RASSR(X)! NEWS, N t t
Brofam Oil. Inc , is among the first
Minority
Business
Enterprises
(MBEs) in Oregon to be sanctioned
by the National Association o( Secur
itv Dealers as they offer their stock in
an initial public offering.
I his goal of accessing resources, or
in Brofam’s case, investment bank
ing, is a component of the Brown
family philosophy. "Accessabilily Io
the mainstream is our family creed,"
explained John Brown, president ot
Brofam Oil. "W e arc a vehicle to a
resource base And that base is pc
trolcum,” he added.
Brofam operates a service station
on N E 15th and Fremont, They also
bid on contracts associated with the
Surface Transportation Assistance
Act and operates a licet ol three
dump trucks.
Brown said he believes the eco
nomic crisis experienced in the Black
community is a result ol poor plan
ning and participation. "Our com
uiunity suffers because there is a
shortage in our participation ol own
ership in resources," Brown noted
Blackwell Suchy Investments, Inc ,
are the underwriters foi Brofam
stock -Man Hol/aplel. a broker tor
the underwriter, predicted a profit
able future lor Brofam Oil, Inc "Il's
different from other companies be
cause they are already in business
Brolam is just gathering resources lor
expansion,” he added
Brown learned how to access the
financial market while he was a bi ok
er at Merrill I viich. Inc He wauls
Brofam lo access and leach sell
reliance, self esteem and entrepre
iieurship to our community.
“ It's our fault that we do not par
ticipale in the reallixation of re
sources We must put forth an ellort
to learn how to participate," Brown
added
by Xalhaniel Scott
Portlanders Organized for Sou
them African I reedom (POSAF) has
scheduled two demonstrations within
the next week
I’OSAE. which recently became
the umbrella group for a number ol
Portland’s anti apartheid groups, has
called a cultural boycott against jazz
organist Jimmy Smith, who is sched
uled to perform at the Mt. H»xxl
Jazz Festival at 2 p.m. Saturday,
August 3.
Smith is on the United Nation's
cultural boycott list for performing in
r.icisi South Africa
Anyone on the United Nation's
boycott list can have their names
removed by requesting that it be re
moved and promising not to perform
in South Africa as long as the coun
try practices its apartheid system ol
government
Mr. Smith has not done that, ac
cording to P< )SAI
I he Observer was unable lo contact
Mr Smith for a response.
Initiating what they called "The
Krugerrand Lonncction," POSAI
has scheduled a demonstration at
l olumbia ( oin, 514 S.W 6th Ave
nue. ednesday, August 7 at 4 p.m.
\ representative lot POSAI said,
the reason I olumbia t om was se
lected as the first demonstration site
was because “ Columbia Coin has
consistently advertised the sale ol
Krugerrand gold in the past.'
lolin I ixke, vice president ol Co
lumbia l oin, said the business docs
deal in the Krugerrand, "bill we deal
in all gold coins."
I ixke added that "if all sanctions
were to go unilaterally we |L olumbia
Coin) would discontinue selling
(Krugerrandl gold."
Furthermore, he said, “ II they
(POSAI | are going to target Kruger
rand and not diamonds we are going
to continue to operate.”
I ocke’s contends that South Afri
ca’s diamond mining plays a major
role in the stability ol the country s
economy.
Monv Keyantash from Active
Manufacturing Jewelers, 534 S.W.
3rd Avenue, supported I ocke's claim
about South Africa's world wide
diamond involvement.
He said. "DeBcers (no mention
whether it's a family or business)
control approximately 95 percent ol
the diamonds coming out of South
Africa land) approximately HO percent
of the world's diamonds come from
South Africa."
POSAI said they understixxl South
Africa was heavily into the mining
and importation of diamonds but
at the same time they felt, "II he
(Columbia Coin| doesn't want to be
picketed he can stop selling |the Kiug
errand]."
On I ebruary H of this year, POSAI
mailed a letter to all the Krugerrand
dealers in the Portland area, includ
ing Columbia Loin, which in part
said, “ We
ask that you perrnan
enlly terminate your sales of the Krug
errand It has become clear that the
only nonviolent means of persuading
the South African Government to
alter its system of legalized racial
segregation is through economic
pressure."
POSAF maintains that as of this
writing Colulmbia L oin has not re
sponded to the letter
Some of the organizations joining
POSAF are Portland State Univcr
sity's Students Against Apartheid,
lewis and t lark and Reed I ol leges'
anti-apartheid groups. Radical W'o-
inen, and representatives from sev
eral local unions.
L olumbia Loin, POSAI said, is
one of numerous Krugerrand gold
dealers they will be picketing
I’OSAE also announced that Ray
Charles, who is also on the United
Nation’s cultural boycott list, is
scheduled to appear in Portland
sometime within the next 60 days
Nike opens new market in Mainland China
bv Robert l olhian
Nike vice-president David L hang
was born in Shanghai His L'hinese
ancestry came in handy for Nike in
the company’s historic effort to open
a market in China.
Nike is one of the few western firms
that have actually invested in produc
tion facilities inside China. I he com
pany is doing better than expected,
said Lhang, who led Nike's pioneer
ing effort.
After four years, he said, Nike’s
L'hinese factories are turning out two
million shoes a month and they are
selling like hotcakcs.
Chinese consumers are eager for
the shoes, blue jeans and other west
ern clothes, sard L hang. Even the
L'hinese high jump record holder and
the national track and field team
now sport Nike shoes and uniforms,
he said.
Chang has visited China many
times and dealt with L'hinese lead
ers He outlined the story of Nike’s
entry into China during a class on
Ear East trade sponsored by Maryl
hurst College.
Both Chang and the company
have learned a lot, he said. "Before
I cam I really didn’t know what Nike
was. . . .1 thought it was a missile."
Nike did everything wrong that
western companies have done in the
past, according to L hang Top com
pany officials wanted to blaze the
trail and descended on the country in
droves, for instance, not realizing that
the L'hinese send in the assistants
first and reserve the final negotiations
for the leaders, he said.
Nike wanted things done last, said
Lhang, but negotiations with the
Chinese take about 10 tunes longer
than normal He received a communi
cation in I9HI that began, "Answer
ing your Telex ol 1978,” lor exam
pie, he said.
Communication inevitably posed
problems One of the big ones, said
Lhang, was that American slang
used by Nike executives was virtually
untranslatable When a Nike official
said, "Run it by me again," and it
was translated, his Chinese counter
part, eager to please, attempted to
literally run by the Nike man in the
conference room, said L hang
The L'hinese at first made avail
able to the company only the most
backward and run-down facrotires,
hoping they would be improved, said
L hang. The factories didn't work
out, and through some fast dealing in
areas away from the capital, the
company obtained better facilities.
At first, "China was seen as a pro
duction source and not a market,” in
other words, a source of cheap labor.
But the shoes are selling so well that
the phase two marketing plan was
moved up, he said.
The L'hinese opened up to the west
in the 70s to attract dollars for foreign
exchange, said L hang. Most western
goods arc turning over rapidly. "Stuff
just jumps off the shelves,” he said.
"You can almost make a watch with
one hand and it’ll sell." Coca Lola.
even though it was considered the
height of corruption just a lew years
ago and costs $1.50 a bottle, has met
with huge success. "They savor it
like fine wine,” he said.
"The L'hinese are very faddish,"
said Lhang, who described wrap
around sun glasses and vinyl boots as
hot items in the relatively sophisti
cated cities But in the interior, Chang
said he visited places that hadn't
seemed to have changed in a thou
sand years. "China is a million con
tradictions," he said.
Nike had early problems with the
sixialist work ethic, said L hang. L 111
nese workers didn't understand incen
tives and competition and weren't
putting out the way Nike wanted. So
the company offered bonuses for pro
duction over the quota. They had to
get the "gixxl housekeeping seal"
first from L'hinese officials. "W e real
ized we were treading on very danger
ous ground by tearing at the heart of
the socialist ethic." But the strategy
caught on with the workers and
proved successful, he said
Farmers Market opens
Farmer« Market Advisory Council member« «ample produce at Market
opening
(Photo: Kria Altucber)
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