Pag© 2, Portland Observer, September 11, 1905
Black colleges: endangered species?
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Along the Color Line b y Dr. Manning Marable
Part I o f a Two-Part Senes
Home exem ption—not sales ta x ­
is answer to property tax relief
On September 17, Oregonians w ill vote on
whether to pass a 5 percent retail sales tax on
goods. Proponents o f the sales tax say if the mea­
sure is passed, homeowners w ill see a 35 percent
decrease in property tax relief. What proponents
o f the sales tax are not mentioning is how the sales
tax measure is unfair to many Oregonians.
Here are some facts about the sales tax plan
that make it unfair. The sales tax would cost Ore­
gon taxpayers anywhere from $875 to $SMX) million
a year. Business property owners would get 64
percent o f the property tax relief. O f that amount,
out-of-state business will account for $ 1(X) to $210
million o f property tax relief leaving the state each
year. Very high income people would get most o f
the income tax relief.
I f passed, the sales tax would cause a yearly tax
shift o f over $106 million from businesses to indi­
viduals. Retailers would be paid for part o f their
sales tax collection costs. Unpaid retailers collec­
tion cost means cither lower profits, higher prices
or both. Out-of-stale business owners, stockhold­
ers, bankers, insurance companies would all get
property tax reductious and pay no sales tax.
The sales tax will also have a negative effective
upon small businesses. Under the tax plan, busi­
nesses are allowed two cents o f each dollar for
collecting the tax. This is far short o f covering the
cost. The American Association o f Small Business
estimates the cost at 4.6 percent.
I f passed, the sales tax would impose a tax o f
$346 on every man, woman and child in Oregon.
Individuals w ill pay 64 percent o f the sales tax
revenue and only get 39 percent property tax re­
lief. Business will pay only 33.2 percent o f the sales
tax and get 64 percent property tax relief.
Overall, the sales tax is u n fa ir to the average
Oregonian. Big corporations would take the larg­
est share o f the sales tax revenue for property tax
relief. Therefore, vote N o on September 17 on the
Sales Tax Ballot Measure.
A better alternative for property tax relief is the
Home Owners' Property Tax Exemption In itia ­
tive. I f approved by Oregon voters in November
1986, the Home Owners' Exem ption measure
exempts 50 percent o f the first $50,000 o f your
home’s value from property taxes. Eor most peo­
ple that means $25,(XX) o f your home will be prop­
erty tax free. The exemption rises with inflation.
An equivalent amount is provided fo r renters.
The Home Owners' Exem ption provides more
property tax relief and costs less than half the sales
tax. Oregonians would not pay to reduce taxes o f
out-of-state property owners.
Japanese/Am erican businessmen:
where are m inority businesses?
Over 100 Japanese businessmen and mayors
rode into Portland last week on the wave o f Ja­
pan's phenomenal economic success. They were
here to attend, along with many U.S. mayors and
businessmen, the 18th Conference o f Japanese-
American Mayors and Chamber o f Commerce
Presidents.
The red carpet was rolled out, all the stops were
pulled. Governor Atiyeh and M ayor Clark made
it abundantly clear to the Japanese that any extra
investment dollars they have, and they have b il­
lions, would be well-received here.
“ Portland welcomes you, and we’re ready to do
business," intoned a beaming m ayor C la rk.
Clark’s Goose Hollow Inn offered Japanese beers
at a special discount through the month leading up
to the conference.
During the glittering opening ceremony at the
Civic A ud ito riu m , some Americans stumbled ef­
fusively over their mispronunciations o f Japanese
greetings. A fter theccrmony, G irl Scouts holding
the American and Japanese Hags led the delegates
to the M arriott Hotel — Americans first, followed
by the Japanese.
O regon’ s larger corporations — T e ktron ix,
Pacificorp, the Eloyd Corporatin, Jant/en, Nike
— were well represented. Such corporations gob­
ble up the megabucks o f the Asian trade. But
where were m in o rity business people? Did the
conference organizers give a moment’s thought to
including them, that perhaps they too could have
a share in the "Century o f the Pacific?"
There is no reason why m in o rity businesses
shouldn’ t benefit from the Asian trade, which is
the brightest spot in Oregon’ s otherwise ravaged
economy. Even though caught in the grip o f re­
cession, w ith plant closures and continued high
unemployment, the state did over $4 billion worth
f io R T U N D OBSERVER
■
M.
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o f trade with Japan in 1984 While businessmen in
other parts o f the country complain about a trade
imbalance with Japan and talk about restricting
Japanese imports, Oregon's Japan trade is evenly
divided between imports and exports. The trade is
expanding here locally, and the picture is bright­
ened by Japanese investment dollars coming into
the state. I he Japanese have invested in nearly 60
Oregon companies, and at least three major Japa­
nese electronics firm s have announced plans to
build plants in the Portland area. The first phase
o f those projects w ill create 2,500 jobs. Also,
Japanese tourism in Oregon has increased 60 per­
cent in the last year And Japan is only part ol the
picture — some economists predict that trade with
China in the next KX) years could bring prosperity
to Oregon like the state has never seen.
Small businesses in the U.S. have traditionally
neglected the foreign market in favor o f the home
market. But Oregon’s home market is stagnant, so
perhaps now is the tune to learn from the Japa­
nese.
Shunichi Suzuki, Governor o f Tokyo, talked
about the internationalization o f Japan's economy
that has been so successful. He described a pro­
gram called, "one item for one v illage."
"T his is a drive for each village to produce one
distinctive agricultural product that would be ac­
ceptable throughout the w o rld ," he said, "so that
such a product would raise the village’s productiv­
ity and invigorate the particular regional economy.”
Perhaps small and m inority-owned businesses
could benefit by such an ambitious, international
outlook and attract some funds from outside the
com m unity, including from Japan, that could
help solve the com m unity’s interrelated problems
o f unemployment, poverty, crime, prostitution,
drugs and neighborhood blight.
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Is there a conflict between the goal
o f full racial equality within American
society and the continued preserva­
tion and improvement o f historically
Black colleges, both private and pub­
lic? Some educators and c iv il rights
leaders stale that racial in te g ra tio n
must inevitably mean the recruitment
o f white administrators, faculty, and
majority while student bodies on Black
campuses. In a number o f instances,
Ihis has already occurred. But is this
strategy in the best interests o f Black
America?
Part o f the answers to our current
dilemma may be gleaned from history.
S ixty-tw o years ago, three thousand
Black people attended a public forum
to discuss the existence o f all-B lack
Cheyney State N orm al School. The
featured speaker, W . E. 8. DuBois,
the founder of the N AA C P, argued on
behalf o f Cheyney Slate Racial segre­
gation in principle was wrong, he de­
clared, but “ ignorance was worse
Ilian Jim C row .” Blacks had a moral
and p o litic a l o b lig a tio n to defend
Black higher education.
Many Blacks charged DuBois with
inconsistency. DuBois later described
the incident: " ‘ It will he a Negro col­
lege” shouted the audience, as though
such a thing had never been heard of.
‘ It will be Segregation,' said a woman,
who had given much of her life to fu r­
thering the light for Negro equality. I
can see her now, brown, tense, bitter,
as she lashed me with the accusation of
advocating the very segregation that I
had been fighting."
A group of Black Baptist ministers
contacted DuBois, questioning wheth
cr he was " f o r Jim Crow schools or
against them .” DuBois carefully o u t­
lined his position in his reply. “ I be­
lieve that a ‘ Jim C row ' school system
is the greatest possible menace to de­
mocracy. A t the same lim e ," DuBois
added, many all Black schools “ are
doing excelent w o rk. . I believe in
these schools in the sense that without
them we could not have gotten our
present educatin '' DuBois consistent
ly maintained this perspective the re­
mainder o f his public life In his July,
19.1$ essay. “ Does the Negro Need
Separate S ch o o ls? ", D uBois again
urged Afro-Americans to achieve aca­
demic excellence w ithin separate insti­
tutions, while supporting the long term
effort to abolish racism.
W hat has happened to Cheyney
Stale since this early debate? Thou
sands o f Black youth for three genera­
tions received a college education at
that in s titu tio n — and before the
I9WK, most o f these individuals would
not have obtained any post-secondary
training had Cheyney and other segre
gated schools not existed. But w ith
desegregation, the percentage o f Black
university students attending historical­
ly Black institutions declined from 8$
percent to barely one-fourth. With the
development o f com m unity colleges,
Black colleges were unable to compete
with lower tuitions By the early 1980s,
over o n e -h a lf o f a ll Black students
were enrolled in two year institutions
Cheyney's enrollment declined from
2.940 in 1977 io 1,79$ last academic
year. Neglected by state officials, the
school's physical plant rapidly deteri
orated. fin a n c ia l and adm inistrative
problems proliferated. In 1980, faculty
and students filed a suit against Penn­
sylvania. charging that “ disparities be
tween resources available at Cheyney
—library holdings, budget allocations,
and dormitory conditions — and those
available at the stale's other universi­
ties were par, o f a systematic scheme to
eliminate Cheyney." This March, the
Middle States Association's evaluation
team voted to remove the university's
accreditation. W inning an appeal in
June, Cheyney now has until Decem­
ber, 1986 to resolve its major budget­
ary and adm inistrative problems be­
fore its a ccre d ita tio n case is fin a lly
resolved.
Cheyney's p ro b le m a tic status is
shared by several other Black institu­
tions: since 1977, the enrollments o f
I isk University have fallen 16 percent;
at Knoxville, College, 22 percent; and
at Bishop College, 10 percent. A l
though many Black institutions remain
relatively stable financially, all are ulti­
mately threatened by the disturbing
trends evident at Cheyney. The real
issue al stake is whether Black A m eri­
cans can a ffo rd to lose any o f these
colleges, given the reaction against the
recruitment o f Black students, faculty
and administrators al many white in ­
stitutions. The pursuit o f equality de­
mands prompt measure to support all
existing Black academic institutions.
D r Manning Marable teaches p o ­
litical sociology at Colgate University,
Ham ilton, New York.
'*$2 ON SOUTH AFRICA
Legislative roundup:
Anti-apartheid Act of 1985
I he b ill approved by the House-
Senate conference com m ittee, and
passed by a vote o f 180 to 48 in the
House ot Representatives, while an
important and significant step towards
ending the failed policy o f "construc­
tive engagem ent" and tow ards the
disengagement o f the U.S. from rela­
tions with the apartheid regime, cannot
be considered a total victory lo r the
anti apartheid movement. The current
crisis m South A fric a calls tor much
stronger action by the Congress. I he
U.S response lo the increased repres­
sion o f apartheid should be compre­
hensive economic sanctions, or a, ihe
very least include the c u t-o ff o f new
U.S investment in South A frica. I his
step has alreadv been taken by several
Western nations in lig h t o l the de­
teriorating situation in that country.
However, we do recognize this legis
la tio n as an im p o rta n t m ilestone
achieved by anti apartheid activists
tow ards ending U.S. support fo r
apartheid. There can be no doubt
that the role o f the anti apartheid
movement in bringing us to this point
hits been critical. The high visibility o f
the issue ot apartheid generated by the
free South A frica Movement demon­
strations, and ihe constant pressure
m aintained by its grass-roots allies,
have forced the conservative, Republi­
can - dominated Senate to pass a bill
w ith lim ite d econom ic sanctions
against South A frica W hile this b ill
in fact docs little toward achieving the
overriding goal o f ending U.S. eco­
nomic support fo r apartheid, ii does
represent a significant p o litica l and
psychological blow to the apartheid
regime.
A number o f significant successes
were achieved by ihe anti-apartheid
movement during Ihe process leading
to this legislation:
1) An im m ediate ban on K ruger­
rand gold coin im p o rts was added
to ihe fin a l b ill in conference com
tnittec.
2) The conference com m ittee
strengthened the Senate b ill's rela
liv e ly weak language on com puter
exports and nuclear trade with South
Africa.
1) The Senate b ill’ s delay mechan­
ism on consideration o f further sanc­
tions, o rig in a lly 24 months, was re­
duced to 18 m onths on the Senate
flo o r, and fu rth e r reduced to 12
months in conference committee.
4 The final bill, as reported out o f
conference committee, did not contain
Overseas Private Investment Corpora­
tion (O P IC ) credits to South A frica ,
a provision contained in the Senate
version o f the bill.
5) Die Senate defeated the filibuster
attempted by Sen. Jesse Hefnis (R NC)
lo k ill the Senate version ol the b ill,
which w ould have forestalled co n ­
ference committee action.
6) Key opposition Republican Sen
ators, w ho had o rig in a lly opposed
an\ sanctions, moved to a position o f
support for some key sanctions.
7) Three immediate sanctions were
added to a Senate bill (banning public
sector bank loans, restricting computer
exports, and lim itin g nuclear trade),
which had o rig in a lly contained no
immediate sanctions, before it went to
conference
8) The passage ot a lim ited sanc­
tions b ill in the Senate, a fte r more
than nine hours o f flo o r debate, is in
itself a significant achievement S 99$
as limited as it was, was the first South
Africa sanctions bill ever passed by the
U.S Senate, and the first tree-standing
sanctions bill passes! by the House
Wlnle these important achievements
must be recognized, there rem ain a
number o f serious problems with this
compromise bill:
1) Mandatory Sullivan Principles
fo r all U.S. co rp o ra tion s in South
A fric a are included in the co m p ro ­
mise Such codes o f conduct in la d
protect U.S. corporate involvement in
South A fric a , and are com pletely
irrelevant to the fundam ental issues
o f ending apartheid and achieving full
democratic rights fo r all South A f r i­
cans. fu rth e r, the Sullivan Princples
have had no significant impact on the
structure ol apartheid since their intro­
duction ill 1978
2) The 12-month delay mechanism
included in the compromise remains
pro b le m a tic. There is no guarantee
that a ban on new U.S. investment in
South A fric a , or any other sanction,
w ill be imposed at the end o f that
period. I I k - compromise language only
provides for the consideration o f addi­
tional sanctions after 12 months; new
investment is only one o f several o p ­
tions. It must be noted, however, that
the Congress is free to consider any
sanctions it wishes after the expiration
o f the 12 m onth period and a presi­
dential report on progress in disman­
tling apartheid
3) The com prom ise includes $14
m illio n in U.S. government scholar­
ships for Blacks w ithin South Africa's
segregated aparjheid educational sys­
tem over three years. As the South
A lrica n educational system is one o f
Ihe backbones o f apartheid designed
to maintain white dominance, official
L S. support fo r that system is a sig­
n ific a n t backw ard step w hich w ill
reduce U.S c re d ib ility among the
mack co m m u n ity struggling fo r its
legitimate democratic rights
4) C redits to Black businesses
through the E xp o rt-Im p o rt Bank re­
main pan o f the compromise bill. By
encouraging such credits, the bill cre­
ates a very large loophole in a signifi­
cant economic sanction, fu rth e r, it
increases U.S. ties to apartheid busi­
ness structures which severely restrict
Black business opportunities.
$) Ih e economic im pact o f these
limited sanctions on the apartheid re­
gime w ill be minimal Apartheid w ill
be forced out o f existence only when
the purse-strings o f U .S. and other
foreign investment which allow it to
continue are finally severed.
While there remain many problems
with this legislation, it is important not
to underestim ate its im portance in
the context o f other international ac­
tion against apartheid Combined with
the decision by I rance. Denmark
and the Scandinavian countries to cut
ott new investments in South A frica,
the decision o f 11 European E conomic
C om m unity countries to recall their
ambassadors to discuss jo in t punitive
measures against South A fr ic a in
light o f the current “ state o f em er­
gency,” and the ever-increasing to ll
ot anti-apartheid actions around the
world, this b ill joins in dealing a seri­
ous political and psychological blow to
apartheid
It is now cleai that the racist apart­
heid system is beginning to crumble, as
a result o f both in te rn a l unrest and
external pressures. The struggle in
South Africa continues, and is intensi­
fying. The in te rn a tio n a l struggle o f
solidarity w ith the oppressed people
ot SOuth A frica is also continuing In
coming months, this struggle o f soli­
d a rity w ill continue in the U.S.
through pressing fo r more state and
local divestm ent, regardless o f the
presence o f mandatory Sullivan P rin ­
ciples in the local divestment, regard­
less o f the presence o f m andatory
S ullivan P rinciples in the Congres­
sional action, by making support for
apartheid into a m ajor election issue
for the 1986 campaign season, and by
pressing tor the introduction and pas­
sage o f to ta l disinvestm ent as U.S.
policy in 12 months.
POSAF, Portlanders Organized fo r
Southern .African Freedom, is a local
multi racial citizens action group that
supports Hluck majonts rule in sou
them Africa and an end to U.S. sup
port fo r apartheid. For more infor­
mation call 23O-V427.