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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1986)
Page 2, Portland Observer, January 22, 1986 EDITORIAL/OPINION Dr. King’s unfinished business T h is n a tio n has just com pleted the firs t n a tio n a l o b se rva nce hon oring the la te Dr. M a rtin L u th e r King. Jr. Dr. King is the fir s t Black A m e ric a n to be honored w ith a n a tio n a l h o lid a y. Such an honor is b e fit tin g an in d iv id u a l o f D r. K ing's c a lib e r; he re p re se n te d e v e ry th in g good fo r w h ich w e as hum ans should tr y to a tta in . Dr. King devoted his e n tire a d u lt life to the cause o f ju s tic e and e q u a lity fo r all. He encouraged B lacks and o th e rs to fig h t fo r th e ir n a tu ra l rig h ts th ro u g h non-violent means. A lth o u g h Blacks have made progress since Dr. K in g 's d ea th, and overt acts of ra cism have a ll but d isa p p e a re d , Dr. K in g 's dre a m is fa r fro m fin ish e d . Today m illio n s of B lacks liv e in a sea o f p o ve rty in the w e a lth ie s t n a tio n in the h is to ry of the w o rld . T he p o v e rty ra te fo r B lack and H isp a n ic youths u n d e r 18 is 46.5 and 39 p e rce n t, re sp e ctive ly. A lm ost h a lf o f a ll B lack c h ild re n live below the p o ve rty level. Drug a d d ic tio n . Black on B lack crim e, toon pregnancies, and poor h e a lth among Blacks have reachod c ris is p ro p o rtio n s. To make m a tte rs w orse, the Reagan ad m in is tra tio n . lod by A tto rn e y G eneral E dw in M oose. W illia m B ra d fo rd Rey nolds. hoad o f the C ivil Rights D ivision of the Justice D e partm ent, and U.S. C ivil Rights Com m ission C h a irm a n C larence Pendleton have been w eakening th is c o u n try 's c iv il rig h ts law s. Reagan's c iv il rig h ts re c o rd is the w o rst of any p re sid e n t since R u th e rfo rd B. Hayes. His Justice D e partm ent is cla im in g th a t present A ffirm a tiv e A c tio n p rogram s d is c rim in a te aga inst w h ite males. In fa ct, m any believe th a t a d m in is tra tio n is w a it ing fo r Dr. K in g 's c e le b ra tio n to pass, so the President can m odify o r e lim in a te an executive o rd e r w h ic h p re ve n ts d is c rim i n atio n against m in o ritie s in a w a rd in g fe d e ra l c o n tra c ts . Blacks must exercise th e ir rig h ts to stop th is tre n d . The a d m in is tra tio n 's assault on c iv il rig h ts is ero d in g the social and econom ic co n d itio n s o f Blacks, and in the process, c re a tin g ra c ia l tension th ro ugho ut the n a tio n. Blacks s till la ck basic econom ic rig h ts, tho most im p o rta n t o f these a re essential e q u a lity in access to em ploym ent at a ll levels. Dr. King re a lize d th is; it w as w h ile p a rtic ip a tin g in a cam paign o f Black s a n ita tio n w o rk e rs fo r decont wagos that D r. King w as assassinated in M em phis. Econom ic e q u a lity is a necessary con d itio n fo r fu rth e rin g and sa fe g u a rd in g tho gains o f the c iv il rig h ts m ovem ent, fo r m aking re a l the fo rm a l p o litic a l and social e q u a lity now in s c rib e d in la w . U n til those problom s a re solved. Dr. K ing's dream w ill re m a in un fin ish e d . EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Justice is served in Seattle Recently a fodora, g ra n d ju ry in Seattle re tu rn e d a g u ilty v e rd ic t against 10 neo- Nazi defendants. The ju ry ru le d th a t each defend ant w as g u ilty o f c o n sp ira cy and ra cke to e rin g charges. A ll w e ro members o f a hate g ro u p know n as the O rd e r. A c c o rd in g to fo d o ra l prosecu tors, th is ra c is t g ro u p co m m itte d a v a rie ty of crim e s in c lu d in g c o u n te rfe itin g , m u rd e r and arm od ro b b e ry . M em bers o f the g roup w e ro also try in g to o v e rth ro w the U.S. governm ent and establish a w h ite hom oland in its place. The g u ilty v e rd ic t by tho S eattle ju ry should serve as a w a rn in g to o th e r hate g roup s th a t violence and ra c is t b o h a vio r w ill not bo to le ra to d in a c iv iliz e d society. E q ually im p o rta n t, tho g u ilty v e rd ic ts by tho ju ry w ill help re s to re fa ith in the ju s tic e systom; in tho past fe d e ra l pro se cu to rs w o ro re lu c ta n t to b rin g charges aga inst hate groups such as tho O rd e r and tho Ku K lu x Kian. D u rin g B lacks' stru g g le fo r c iv il rig h ts in th is c o u n try , B lack ch u rch e s and homos w o ro bom bed by the Kian. M a n y of I I I PORTLAND OBSERVER these bom bings w ent unsolved. Tho most heinous of those bom bings o c c u rre d Sept. 15. 1963. in B irm in gham . AL. A d yna m ite bomb oxplodod d u rin g services at the 16th S troet B a ptist C hurch, k illin g fo u r Black g irls in a dressing room in tho basem ent. This tra g ic in cid e n t w ent un solved u n til Nov. 18. 1977, when a Ku K lux K ian m om bor, Robert E. C ham bliss was co n victo d o f firs t-d e g re e m u rd e r. It was revealed d u rin g C ham bliss' tr ia l that fo rm e r FBI d ire c to r J. Edgar H oover sta lle d tho 16th S treet in ve stig a tio n by fa ilin g to give in fo rm a tio n to sta te prose cu to rs co n ce rn in g the bom bing. Fodoral p ro se cu to rs h a n d lin g the O rd e r case upheld the C o n stitu tio n by pre se n t ing evidence beyond a reason able doubt, th a t m em bors o f th is g ro u p w e re involved in violent acts d ire c te d against Blacks. Jews, o th e r m in o ritie s and U.S. govern ment o ffic ia ls . Tho ju ry h e a rd the e vi dence and re tu rn o d a p ro p e r v e rd ic t o f g u ilty , and in tho process, ju stice was served. 115 To» on« V««’ § < o § 3 í5 33 2 'C co -t > X > O r; 35 5 * * Ö m CUV state zip Portland Observer Ml MAI • Tha Portland (M n m a r IU SPS 98BOIOI ■ pubkahad «vary Thuraday by E i« Puhkahog Corrpany. Inc . 14K3 N ( KAriga « « rth Portland Oragon #7311. Pnal O flk a Boa 3137, Portland O a g o n 973CB Sacond claaa pnataga paid al Portland. Oragon .-o' i»- »' »i, Tha Portland ! »servar ara» aaiabfcahad a, 1970 m r u x iiX « MEMBER NW AL X ito c ith o n ■ Founded IMS by Steven Bailey N. D. Endometriosis—an alternative approach by Cheryl Smalley. N D Several years ago I had a friend who for many years had spent more than a week of every month with crippling pelvic cramps She was diagnosed ns having endometriosis, a disease in which uterine tissue spreads out of the uterus into other parts of that alxlomen. or even further, and leads to sites of internal menstrual bleeding. The symp toms vary from woman to woman, and can include severe and pro longed cramping, excessive or irregular bleeding, abdominal prossure, infertility, and pain during intercourse, it is most often found in childless women in thoir 30s. but is seen in other groups as well. Although there are several theories of possible causes of endometriosis, it is still one of the mysteries of modern medicine. My friend is a doctor herself, and had access to the whole range of treatments used in this disease. She had tried everything available, short of surgery, with no relief of her symptoms. As a last resort, making a real leap of faith, given her training, she went to see an acupuncturist. After several treatments by this Chin ese doctor, her symptoms dis- appea red. a nd after severe I yea rs. thev have never returned. The point of teiiing this story is not to suggest that acupuncture is a mega ( ure for this mysterious and aggravating disease. 1 want only to suggest that women have some options to < (insider before using powerful drugs and under going maior surgery Medical doctors now use three primary kinds of treatment for endo metriosis. Pregnancy has at least a short term, and sometimes a lasting effect in helping the prob lem. and is a good treatment for women desiring children. Hor mone pills and hormone suppres ing drugs are used to reduce the abnormal activity of the uterine tissue. Some women are helpod by these, but a complete and permanent cure is rare, and negutive side effects are felt by some women. Femalo hormone pills can cause mood changes and weight gain in some, and are risky for smokers over 35 years of age. and hormone suppressing drugs can have disturbing masculiniz ing effects, and can cause acne, weight gain, liver damage, and other problems. Surgery is used to remove the abnormal tissue, or to completely remove the uterus and ovaries (hysterectomy), which usually removes the symptoms, but in some cases even this radi cal therapy does not work Some 5°o of women with total hysterec tomies have a return of symptoms following surgery. Given the unpredictable results of theso treatments and their possible risks, let's consider some of the alternatives. Nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, stress reduction and physiotherapy have all been used successfully by Portland practitioners on their patients. As with conventional drug and sur ge al therapy, patients respond differently to treatments, and cases must be assessed and treated individually. In most cases basic diet changes are made to lay the foundation for further treatment. A diet is pre scribed that is low in fats, refined foods, sugar, caffeine, and red meats; and high in foods and supplements that seem to help balance estrogen levels: vege tables. grains and beans, onions and garlic; and sometimes supple ments such as vitamins C and E and B complex, beta-carotene, magnesium, calcium, zinc, sele nium. and certain essential fatty- acids. Physiotherapy procedures include sitz baths, castor oil packs, internal herb packs, as well as ultrasound and electro therapy. Certain herbal medi cines are linked to the function of female reproductive organs, and combinations of theso can be used to soothe the monthly symptoms and to regulate the hormones. Homeopathy is a therapy which treats disease by using minute doses of natural substances to stimulate tho body to heal, much in the same way that vaccines can strengthen the immune sys tem to fight specific diseases. Homeopathic remedies are pre scribed individually depending on symptoms. Acupuncture can help to balance the function of the glands, and Chinese herbs are used to nourish the body and balance the hormones. Exercise and stress reduction maximizes the effects of all these treatments and has a positive effect on general health and outlook. These natural therapies can take some time to make changes, lust as it takes time for disease to develop, cure is not an overnight process. But the advantage is that the treatments are generally free of negative side effects and risks, and frequently have the positive effects that come with a healthier lifestyle. Cheryl Smalley is a n a tu ro p a th in private practice in Portland PETERS (tot«** Po»\ Letters to the Editor ♦25 tor two years Boa 3137 Ponian»i OR Apt Q Healthwatch Subacnptnna I I S 00 par raar n tha Tn County araa Poat m a a ta t Sand addraaa changaa K» tha Portland (» s e rre r. P O Boa 3137. Portland Oragon 97708 Alfred I.. Henderson, Editor/Publisher A! Williams, General Manager 288 0033 N a tio n a l A d v a rtla ln g R a p ra a a n ta tlv a A m a lg a m a ta d P u h tia h a n . Inc N a w York Ihc ( )bserver welcomes tellers to the editor, letters should be typed or neatly printed and signed with the author 's name and address (addresses are not usually published). We reserve the right to edit fo r length Mail to: Portland ( >bscr\cr, P. O. Box J137, Portland, OR 9720(1 Food Bank update To the Editor: We at Christ Memorial COGIC, 4237 N. Mississippi, wish to thank each and every one of you who has helped to make our food bank a big success. In just these few months since beginning food distribution, we. that is to say. all of you hove helped pu, much needed food in over 900 homos in our city. To some, it wasn't much, but to many it was just what was needed. Tho need for food is never end ing to many: The elderly; Those with limited income Those out of work; Those living on the street; Those in emergency situa tions. At present, those who have come hern see we are working in our small church, sorting and bagging the food and having only limited space to store things (one rofrigerator and freezer), and a short time to do it in due to our regular church services. We are in the process of start ing our building fund project. We hope to raise enough funds this year to build a new church and to continue in the Lord’s work. This w ill house a larger food bank with the much needed storage space I and adequate refrigeration sys tem. This w ill be a community center where everyone can come to worship, fellowship, and to learn about the Lord. This saving station w ill attempt to meet the total needs of the community. Anyone wishing to donate food, be a worker, donate funds, or just inquire about our church, please contact: Leon Limbrick fr Community Coordinator Christ Memorial COGIC 4237 N Mississippi Portland. OH 97212 288-1400
