May 7. 1986, Portland Observer, Page £
Problems With United Way
b \ H i'h Lothian
If United Way doesn't restore the
$6,0UUil dedusted from ilscontrihutuin
to the Urban League, the black com
munity w ill find ways to go around Un
ited Way and contribute directly to
agencies that serve Northeast Portland,
according to Ron Herndon
“ We w ill also encourage others in
the broader community to give money
directly to agencies serving the poor
and families in need rather than to Un
ited W ay.” he said
Herndon and Res John Jackson,
co-chairmen o f the Blac k United Front,
spoke Thursday at a press conference at
King Neighborhood Center
” The black community is outraged
at United Way's recent action toward
the Urban League o f Portland,”
Herndon said
He referred to the withholding of
funds from the Urban league because it
held a fundraising dinner during the Un
ited Way campaign last fall
The Urban League held its annual
Equal Opportunity Day dinner Oct 24.
1985 Keynote speaker was Sen Mark
United Way campaign
Ihe Interagency Food Bank was
penalized $ I HOI) by United Way for the
same reason
Urban league and F»*xl Bank o ffi
cials criticized the United Way action,
and both organizations are appealing
the cuts
Urban League president Herb
Caw (home called the penalty an insen
sitive move by United Way officials
jealous ol other agencies’ success in
tundraising
U nited Way president D avid
Paradme said, however, that the sane
lions were not penalties but deductions
to ottsei tunds raised by the Urban
league and the Food Bank
But Herndon described that as a
"w elfare mentality " "W hatever your
hoy nukes, we're going to take it out ot
your welfare It's that same kind ot
douhletalk." he said
I he SNMMi is desperately needed in
the community, Herndon continued
Yet even though the community 'v prob
lems are reaching crisis proportions.
United Way has cut funding Io agencies
that provide services to k>w income
blacks, he said
"Problems in the black community
are tar worse than they were tour years
ago when the Urban league's United
Way funding was I7*k higher,”
Herndon said
Only 3 1%. ot $392.567 out ot $12
m illion, went to agencies serving low
income blacks in Northeast Portland
this year, said Herndon, citing United
Way figures
According to United Way officials,
the dinner violated a contract that bars
member agencies from sponsoring fun
draising events that compete with the
Ron Herndon listens us Rev. John J. Jucksqn responds to questions d u rin g a
press conference lust week concerning I nited \ \ ay's cut in funds to the I t han
I eugue and Ihe Fond Bank. Juckson and Herndon ure co-chuirs o f the Black
I nited Front.
Photo by R ichard J. Brow n
Celebration
Washington Finally Has
Council Majority
b\ Jerry darner
When Harold Washington was dc
dared the democratic nominee for
Mayor o f Chicago in I983. he vowed
that if he became the C ity's first Black
Mayor, he would stop the C ity's system
o f patronage Under this system, jobs
are given to Democratic committeemen
according to their ward's production at
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UNITED WAY
60 th. ANNI TBSUr
Hatfield
the polls, and the committeemen in tum
give jobs to the precinct workers
Washington's plan to eliminate the
patronage system and the fact that he
was Black and led many White life
longed dem ocrats to abandon
Washington caused many to vote in
stead for Bernard Epton, a Republican
Washington defeated Epton in one of
this nation's most racist elections in his
tory In IMHf, Washington and Walter
Mondale attended a Palm Sunday mass
at St Pascal's Roman Catholic Church
on Chicago's Northwest side They
were confronted by an unruly crowd of
Epton supporters who shouted epithets
at them
Since his election as M ayor,
Washington's ability to govern the city
has been stymied by rebellious White
aldermen led by Edward Vrdolyak,
Chairman o f Cook County Democratic-
Party
A ll this changed last week when
Washington gained two more suppor
ters on the council seat after a special
election was held The election was the
result o f a 1981 law suit filed by Blacks
and Hispanics challenging the City
Council’ s map reflecting population
shifts found in the 1980 census The
suit charged that the map reflected ra
cial gerrymandering Gerry mandering
is a redistncting o f voting districts to
the advantage o f one party or race Re
suiting in a federal judge ordering the
remapping o f seven wards in the City
and special elections in each ward Ger
rymandering was a common practice
used by Whites throughout the United
States to keep Blacks out o f elected
office until the courts ruled the practice
illegal
The victory by Washington suppor
ters (a hispanic man and a Black wo
man) now gives the Mayor 25 suppor
ters on the 50-scat council The
Mayor’ s vote now is the tie breaker
The election o f the tw o pro-
Washington aldermen is another indica
tion that the once powerful Democratic-
machine built by the former Mayor J.
Daley was in ruins Daley used his post
lion as Mayor and Chairman o f the
Cook County Democratic Party as a
power base* for more than two decades
When White Democrats voted for
Epton the Republican, this alienated
many life long Black Democrats from
the party
This plus the failure o f Washington
and Vnlolyak to reach a compromise
during Washington's 3 years as Mayor
contributed to the weakening o f the
machine
Although Chicago is known for its
lough political battles, the political
problems Washington encountered
were new even to the City; once de
scribed by the late Dr Martin Luther
King, Jr as "th e most segregated large
city in the Nation
Hatred o f Washington was so great
that a m illion dollar contract was placed
on his life In 1983. a White millionaire
real estate broker was charged with try
ing to hire an undercover informant to
murder Washington
During this mayoral campaign,
Washington opponents distributed
posters with a picture o f a watermelon
with a Black line drawn through the
middle o f it At a banquet for Epton
during the 1983 Election, the band
played the tune "B ye-B ye Blackbird
They were refemng to Washington
Jackson, a former board member of
United Way. said the tunds were
needed tor teen pregnancy and youth
summer programs, and a sickle cell
anemia project
We have to beg to do these k inds of
things.” Jackson said
Having more black representatives
on the United Way hoard would help,
according to Jackson
Herndon
suggested a community meeting with
United Way officials and Northeast
Portland social service agency rep
resentatives
Herndon said a letter was sent to Un
ited Way explaining the community's
position
" I expect them to he rational.” he
said " I f they w anllopresstheissue.il
wouldn't be that hard Io come up with
an alternative organization
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