2;
. - •
ì li—>■*» ■
February 26. 1986. Portland Observer. Page 9
M om people believe that M rs Parks refused to give up her seat io a » h u e man
because she was tired and weary alter a long day at work They believe that her
voutage that day stemmed tro n i impulse This »as not at all the case l ike so many
Ireedom lighters. Mrs Parks had a long history o f rebelling against racial segrega
I lio n and inequality By the tim e o f het arrest in 1955. M is Parks had been
I
I
I
I sec retary o l the Ic x a l N \ -\L P lo r over a decade and she had been the adv iser to the
N \ \( I' Youth Council It should
be le iik in b e ie d that »hue Southenxts in the
•*nd
viewed the N A A t P as a m ilitant and dangerous organization and
■treated its membets accordingly Nevertheless. Mrs Pari» continued to fight
' i.icial segregation through the N A A C P
In tact, during the I94t)s. Mrs Parks had refused several lim es to com ply w ith
segregation rules on the buses In the early I944K. Mrs Parks »as elected from a
bus for fa llin g to com ply Iro n ic a lly . the very same bus driver » h o ejected her that
T unic »as ihc .me »ho had hat a im e d on D k m — ■ I , 1955 ic c o rd in g to M is
I Parks. My resistance to being mistreated on the buses and any »here else » as juM
a regular thing » u h me and not just that day *' C le a rly . then, the »Oman » h o
j I .m ix hed the modem c iv il rights movement » as a seasoned lighter lo r justice I his
Its why ihe black masses o l Montgomery readily follow e d her lead together ihev
! made historv
I
Ella Baker
Ms I Ila Baker »as another guiding figure behind Ihe c iv il lights movement
Ms Baker has (ought tor Black I ilv ra tio n throughout her adult life th e grand
daughter o l a proud, rebellious slave m inister. I lia Baker »as horn in Ihe South in
I ‘M il and received her undergraduate degree from Shaw I'n ive rsity m Raleigh.
North Carolina, »here she »as valedictonan o l her class In 1927 Baker moved Io
j New o ik t Uy » here she became involved » uh numerous organizations lightin g
lo i social change During 1941 and 1942 Baker served as the National I icld
■ Secretary lor the N \ \ t p Between 194 t and |9sc Baker continued het » o ik lor
soc lal change
\M ien the Montgomery bus boycott began in 1955. Ms Baker alone » u h \
( Plulip Randolph. Bayard Rusim and Stanley 1 evison iinniedialelv organized a
Northern support group that sent money and other re s o u rc e s to M ontgomcrv
fo llo w in g the boycott Ms B.ikei Randolph. I evison and Rusim eonl.ieted Di
King and urged Inin to establish a southwide organization lo i facial equ.ilitv In
this regard Ms Baker became one ol the founding members ot I>i K in g s
Southern Christian leadership Conference (SCI C l Soon as the SCI C »as
lorm ed in 1957 K. Baker moved to Atlanta and became the Associate Director o l
the organization Ms Baket »as the one » ho established St I ( \ central o ltice in
the late I9 5 tk Six- operated the mimeograph machines, » ro te much ol the early
correspondence, and performed the countless adm inistrative duties Ms Baker
»as also a genius »hen it came Io organizing people and inspiring them Io seek
change As an SCI C o ttie i.il. Baker organized the Black masses throughout the
South She- » as c s p c c lulls e lle clive at getting »om en and young people involved
m the movement
Baker became a role model tor the »om en and young people » h o joined the
movement When the student sit in protests spread across the South in I>)6t i M s
Baket became a guiding force behind them It »as Baker that organized tlx- student
meeting in 19txI Irom which the Student N onviolent Coordinating Com m ittee
tS N C C ) was lirs l conceived This is why Ms Baker is considered the mother ol
SNCC Ms Baker, then, was a central figure behind both Di King and the Black
MOTARY
«ONOCO
J A M TAYLOR A ASSOCIATES
BOOKKEEPING 4 INCOME ’ AX SERVICE
LICENSED TA«
■ ,U‘„ . TANT
TAX PLANNING •
PROFESSIONAL TYPING
JO f TAYLOR
Tax t unvullant
(503) 240-0023
by appointment
5421 N .T . i»Ht Ave.
PortlaaA. OR «7211
student movement Diane Nash Bevel captured B a ke r'\ importance »hen she
said. "B a k e r »as the p illa r o l strength and gm xl sense to lean on I Ila same as loss
as just being such an honest, open, wise peison » uh unending resources
Septiina Clark
M rs Septuna Clark was bom in Charleston. South C arolina on May I. IK9M
M rs C lark » ro te in Iter autobiography that Irom her early c h ild h txxl she »anted to
he a schoolteacher A lte r leaching in Southern public schools lo i lorty years she
w as h ie d because o th e r membership m Ihe N V VCP In |9»n M is I talk took a job
at ihe Highlander Polk School in M onteagle, lennessee
M rs Clark »as deeply concerned that a large proportion ot the- black masses
could not read or » rite in the late 1950s She knew thaï Southern whiles used blue k
illiteracy as an excuse to prevent blacks from voting Beginning in |9Sn she
designed an extremely successful grassroots literacy program She explained that
' ‘ in ’ 5b and '57 night alter night I sat down and »to te out a citizenship education
program which would help illiterates to leant to lead and w n te . so they could
register to vole " Her appro.xh was to teach adults based on then ow n exjveri
eiices She taught them how to » m e their names in the lam ily Bible » I n k others
learned to w rite their sons in the m ilitary She taught people to write »«»ids thev
had sung lo r years Shares ro jijx 'ts »ere taught mathematics by counting the
number o l seeds needed tor their crops In a short tmx- tlx- masses wete learning lo
read and write Phis w as astonishing because Ihe public sc hix>ls had tailed badly in
their ettorts to leach black adults Because ol it's success, tlx- ptxiglaili q u x k lv
spread throughout the South 1 ocal pcxiple set up these sclxxils in their own
com niunities » u h phenomenal success Once the adults learned to read and write
thc-v embarked on a trip to C ity H all where- thev attempted to register io vote
Bv |9(>| |)r King h.xl become aware ol the success ol Mrs C la rk's literacy
program He persuaded her lo move the program to tlx- SCI C Ihrou gh SCI C
M is Clark and her stall were able lo te.xh thousands these “ citizenship
sc In x ils .' as they were called, served as a community o ig a n iziiig base lo i Di King
and the m ovcn x'itl M . iiiv ot the students o l these classes K \ .une involved in
sii ms. demonstrations, and running tot public oITtce Ihe schools picparcd
Biasks io listen to people like D i King Acvotxling to M rs C la rk, manv blacks in
the 5(K aixl 6tK thought everv thing white was right M tei thev allé tided tlx- schools
they leal ned d ille re n lly Mrs Clark s grassroots appioac li lo e d ix at ion lias been so
successlul that it has been used by other countries in I urojx* and M e x x o But most
ot a ll. tlx- c llo rts o l A lls C l.uk paved the w.iv lo i the strong black eleclotale
C vident lixlav Recently Ihe city ol C li.iilesion, Souili C .uolina paid homage lo
M rs Clark bv naming a street Septuna I ’omsctic Clark Drive
beaten in Birm ingham , Alabama Her courage and leadership a b ility set an
evainplc tor those in the movcnx*nt H o » a id / in n wrote that, ‘ ‘ » h e n students
»ere being cross examined at the trials that fo llo w e d lo N ashville dem onstrations,
vine ot the standaid questxins »us IX» you know Diauc* Nash ’ I rie ud ship w ith
hei was ajipaienlly lu ll o l penis
Ms Nash was a g roundhicakct and a pacesetter
Im lay ’s Challenge for Women
Black women activists ol the c iv il rights movement served as role n n x le l' lo t
I he assertiveness, d c lc in iin a l inn and leadership stance ot
black wom en shattered tlx- image that women »ere sujvposed to ,x* passive and
fragile Manv o l the » h ue »om en who organized the- m odem w o m en 's m ovem ent
h.xl beenexj»»sed to these strong m ulti faceted Mask women and the jx is s ib ilitie s
they represented Today we can learn Irom the legacy provided hy black wom en
duung the c iv il lights uxivem ent By kxiking back, black wom en tvxlay can leant
lessons Irom the women discussed here Having learned those lessons, they can
continue- to prosule Ihe creative leadership so desperatelv needed in our com
munitic's at this itiiicture in history
b l.x ks and » hues alike
DELTA
SIGMA
THETA
SORORITY,
ts .
Dv’d k o lc d to P u b lic Sx’I V t i f
U in S "
y t
• •
Presents
A POLITICAL AWARENESS CONFERENCE
S a tu rd a y M arch K
H O I IDAY IN N
A IR P O R T
N t M2nd and C o lu m b ia B lvd
». t
I h<* P oi tiu i id A lum na e chaplet i i p ro u d to present a
to n le i e n te designed to itK iea^e awareness o l the |H ili(ual pnxesN
S C H I D IM E
9 3U It) LX) a m
10 -XI 11 1X1 a m
Diane \ash-Bevel
A i I »vai and last m in u te ic g iv lia liu n
Sessi..!, 1
11 IS a m 12 15 p m — Session 2
12 15 I 4 5 p m — L u ix li
Diane Nash, a Chicago native, a rm e d at T i'k I niveisily in N.ishville Ic m x s
see in the tall ot 195«) \ i first she was excited ahuul .mending the historic black
university However, the » alls o l Southern t.x i.il >c g<. u -u quic kly v .mi shed lici
cxcitc-nic-iil AA ilh in a short |x.'rxxl ol m ix-stx iew tired o l tlx t.x t o l K ing able to
go onlv to three restaurants and iHie UMivx-tlx-atre Accoidmg to het
I started
teeling Kvxed in .uxt lim ited
AS Ullin months Ms Nash Ix-g.in attending workshops on liovv to conduct
nonviolent vlemonstrations against Jim I row In tlx- spun- o l I ora i the student
sit in protests against segregated lunch counleis K -.a ii hi Nashville Ms Nash
lound heisell deeplv involved in protest .x liv Hies dc-spue bet catlx-i c laiitis that she
vc oul>I not go lo |.ul K'c ause she » as a ll aid \5 illim a sh o rt |x nod o t llllic ' Ms N adi
hccaiix- a i i i . iio i Ic-.xlcr ot the student piotvst iiiovcux-nt m Nashville In tact, six
K-c.inx- tlx- c ban |x-t son o l ihe I c n iia l lo m m iiie e which vs as tlx- Icadeiship oi can
o l tlx* uxivem ent In this capacity Nash led dem » iis tia iio n s .m .l .¡»eni lu iu n |.n l as
a result
Duung this eta I isk a d iliillls lia lo is » v ie op|X»sed h- students p.ulic ipaling in
sit ms I hey K-lievcd it » as not the pu»|x-i thin.' lot a I isk woman lo do 5 el I isk
.xlm inistrulors were not straight lorw ard K-eause earlici thev had taken a p< sit in
jxisiiio ii m an mtei v iew » illi Jet Magazine Nc certlx less. .» I isk dean .ippio.x bed
Nash in lo im in g het that it she did not desist tro ill lid piolcst activities she was
going to K- expelled Irom schvxil Ms Nash ics,x>u»lcd.
I said, you go tight
alx-.xl. and I II go straight to Jet Magazine and tell them what you did
I he
Nashville sit m iixivc-ment continued its piolc-sl and was able lo dcse I. -ale
Nashville s lu ix li counleis Ms Nash leniaiiic'd hi Ihc lo ic lio iil ol that sliugglc
Ms N.isli »cm on to Ix-coinc one ol tlx loundcis ol ihc Student Nonviolent
( ixiicliiia ting Com m ittee (S N C C l She »as also tlx- .-uidmg loice K ln n d tlx
continuation o l the 1‘W’ I Ireedom rides tfh-i-^he iyytti.il riders had been scverelv
K tYN O TI SI‘I ARI H
Ih c fto riu id b le M a ry a ie l C arter
H ejxgve ntdllve, Stale ol D te tjo n
I icjhteenlh Divtnct
2 (XI I IK)p m
3 IX) ‘> ixi p m
Session I
R eception
COST
t i l l il pre lecjisleied by M arch I
at the do or
I u ilc ti and R eception Included
1 15
C O N I I H l N C I T O P IC S
II
1 -»
B u iiiu m j lo r P u h lx O llx e
I lo w lo L o b b y lo r and lin jxic I I e-jislalion
I inaixilH ) A C am paign
P roblem s Blacks I ace ill Ihe P olitical A le n a
Accessing P olitical Uoaicls an d C om m issions
(ic ttin g I units tio m Y o u i Local G o ve rn m e n t
lie
U l f . .lit k ii i t .
iiT^TjTTt I a l
lo i
,s .l
I- » . i a
.» i j. a « „ i i a i z o j . 1 m u r i.I
Mum ZXI, Zl‘i ZB’***.
V.
F •
. z
i i s i l . i , .. .
itu in a
>.•
p *
We remember him as a
“drum
major
for
justice.
‘ I f you think I came to tell you
to hate white people,
you have the wrong man.
Our goal is not to defeat or humiliate
the white man,
but to win his friendship and love. ”
'i
• ••
-•z ..
t
’ •*. >
— T h e R e v . M a r tin L u th e r K in g , Jr.
« « *
v* ;
King— a modern
•A *
»
4 X 9» «f
\Moses fo r his people.
A f
j
\Ne Salute
lack History
Week
In observation of the devotion to peace
and special contributions to justice
made by Dr. King.
Albertsons
THE PEOPLE AT PACIFIC POWER
C Copyright 1M « tty Albortaon't, Inc. AH Rights RMarvod
'.*
•
z
*)s-f :•
.
' * ■ •
• ' ‘ ■•t-
•*. .< f • - m -
* * .
W
' * A.
r