Page 2, Portland Observer, October 15, 1986
EDITORIAL/OPINION
P erkins S hould R efuse A m b a s sa d o r Position
Edward J Perkins, President Ronald Rea
yan's choice to become the new U S Ambas
sador to South Africa, should refuse that
diplomatic position. Perkins, a graduate of
Portland s Jefferson High School who is
Black, is presently the ambassador to Liberia
The reason Mr. Perkins should not accept
the ambassador post is a simple one. By
naming an African American as ambassador
to South Africa, President Reagan is trying to
trick critics of his failed constructive engage
ment policy into believing he is sincere about
forcing the South African government to dis
mantle its system of apartheid
However, the President's recent veto of
legislation imposing stiff economic sanctions
Call To
against the government of Pretoria further
illustrates his support for that repressive
regime.
By accepting the South African ambassador
position, Mr. Perkins is allowing himself to be
used by the President to carry out his immoral
policy of constructive engagement, which has
helped that racist government deny millions
of blacks and mixed race citizens basic human
rights.
Until President Reagan abandons his con
structive engagement policy towards South
Africa and replaces it with a new policy that
will put pressure on South Africa, it w on't
matter if the messenger is Black, Yellow,
Brown, or White.
Letters to the Editor
"E co n o m ic In e q u a lity "
The em ployer's preconceived impression of the ability
o f the Black man has closed many a door to the Black
workers For the Black mother, her functioning is that
dictated more by necessity than through choice
As
a major breadwinner if not the only breadwinner of
the fam ily, she assumes roles and responsibilities far
beyond her ability to porforrn any of them too well
But, contrary to w hat most social scientists and oven
some social workers speculate about, she knows quite
well and resents very deeply the forces responsible for
her fate
As for the children, they, too, often suffer
from tho absence of a strong male image and a mother
too tired and bitter to give time, supervision and,
sometimes, though not often, love
They experience
on the one hand bitterness and hostility tow ard a so
ciety w hich mistreated their parents
On the other
hand, they feel hum iliation, shame and w ounded pride
They feel frustration and hopelessness
I'm inclined
to believe, it is this situation w hich has presented us
w ith a tension unprecidonted in our history
Time is
not our ally
The Time has passed for studios and
com m ittees Unless there is a major crash program now
to drastically change this situation, we shall all be sorry
as human beings and shall all suffer as Amenkan
citizens
It a tim e our leaders put their acts together Us poor
folk spend our money and yet do not reap a comparable
share of return from our m ulti billion buying power
This is comparable to England buying products from the
United States, while the United States refuses to buy
products from England
You can imagine w hat this
type of situation w ould to to England's econom y if it
continued over a protracted period o f time
To get
balance, tariffs are imposed and balance is achieved
and sometim es a com m on market arises I believe that
A fro Amerikans must impose tariffs if we hope to insure
ourselves an equitable return from our purchase of
goods and services
Tho attack must tie broad and
all inclusive The piece meal approach of the past must
be forg o tte n
We are dealing w ith "p ro s ” and,
therefore, we must act and think like "p ro s
I'm not
calling upon A fro Amerikans to give up food
I am
merely saying do w ith o u t those things w inch have
been created by bigotry and bias Imagine w hat w ould
happen to the television industry if ttie television sets
in every A fro Amenkan home throughout this country
were not used for th irty days Television is a comm ute
cation medium and needs an audience in order to sur
O N SO U TH AFRIC A
vive Prejudice and bias go w hen the bigot is hurt in
the pocketbook The sponsor does not buy tim e from
a station that doesn't have a guaranteed audience
No audience, no sponsor, no television
Prejudice in
an industry can tie broken if the A fro Am erikans in
this country will sacrifice just a few of those com forts
we all have been accustom ed to.
Tho attitude of the collective caucasoid employer is
is basic .is bias in education and housing The com m on
denominator is the misguided concept of caucasoid
supremacy which permeates the mores of this country
I can't agree w ith those w ho contend that the problem,
supra, result from the behavior of the subordinate of
a firm w ith o u t the know ledge of the corporate hierar
chy A large corporation sets the hiring policy, and if
disi nnination exists it is either by malfeasance or non
feasance and never by accident
W ho is so naive as
to believe that the namagement o f an industry located
in a larqe urban area, while making an inspection of
its plant operation and never seeing a Black face,
doesn t know w hat's going on? L e t’s face it, manage
ment by silence condones tfie action of the bigoted
personnel manager W ith all the industries located in
Clackamas and M ultnom ah county, it ’s hard to find a
Black person w orking in those industries warehouses.
Yet, you w ill find r ars in the paiking lots w ith Washing
ton license plates
W hat has been the result of this
systematu and contrived exclusion of Blacks from the
more desirable facets of the labor market? I rn inclined
to (relieve, the most adverse effect has been upon the
family life W hen the w ife must seek em ploym ent, she
is no longer able to fu n ctio n as the stabilizing influence
in the home, while caucasoid educators decry the < ul
toral deprivation of the Black child W e now see some
of the bitter fruit of the bigoted love affair of labor and
management
The sad com m entary is that many of
those nei essities w hich Blacks must buy are manufac
C onscience:
A n ti- A p a rth e id A c tio n N e tw o rk
There is at least one issue in w hich mean spirit of
Reaganism is being defeated The issue is U S. policy
tow ard apartheid South Africa And though we haven't
w on this issue yet. we are gaming ground. If Reagan
had had his way. U S. economic ties to South Africa
w ould still be business as usual But over the last tw o
years, bills im posing lim ited economic sanctions against
South A frica have passed Congress w ith so m uch sup
port that Reagan has not been able to use his veto to
prevent these lim ited sanctions
Public pressure on
Congress ow ing to the com bination of heightened
resistance in Southern Africa and heightened solidarity
action for divestm ent and sanctions in American uni
versities, cities, and states has proven irresistable
W hat is more im portant than the limited sanctions
against apartheid that have been w on so far is that the
anti apartheid movem ent has succeeded in putting this
issue on the national agenda to stay We are beginning
to change U S policy tow ard Southern A frica and now
have the opportunity to change it fundam entally The
task from here is to organize and follow through
There is still a long way to go, however W hile some
ground was gained on the economic front, the U S
entered into a m ilitary alliance w ith the apartheid regime
to help South A frica backed UNIT A overthrow the
governm ent of Angola
$15 m illion has already been
deployed by the U S for that purpose since last year
when Congress repealed the Clark Am endm ent, a law
w hich had prohibited U S military intervention in An
gola since 1975. Bills now before Congress w ould up
this funding for the UNITA contras to as m uch as $50
m illion this year and adm inistration officials have said
they w ould like to go for $200 300 m illion next year if
an Angolan contra aid bill passes this year
The Call to Conscience is an effort to link up and
coordinate the effo rts of groups active in the anti
apartheid m ovem ent The Call does not seek to form a
new organization, but rather to be a network through
w hich existing local, state, and national groups doing
anti apartheid w ork can consult and coordinate their
efforts on a continuing basis
National organizations
supporting this e ffo rt include the American Committee
on Africa American Friends Service Committee, Clergy
and Laity Concerned, Free South A frica M ovem ent,
National Black Caucus of State Legislators National
Black United Front, National Political Congress of Black
W omen, TransAfrica, and W ashington Office in Africa.
The Call to Conscience takes no sides in the debates
among the different groupings of the liberation move
ment lie . , ANC. PAC, Black Consciousness, trade
unions, churches), but rather focuses on the demands
that all elements o f the liberation movem ent ask us to
put forw ard in our solidarity work The basis for joining
ttie netw ork is a com m itm ent to work for these
demands
• tho abolition of apartheid
• ttie independence of Namibia
• the »uii empowerment of Biecks in South A frica
and Namibia, beginning w ith one person, one vote
in a unitary state
• the im plem entation of total divestm ent disinvest
ment
• the im position of m andatory comprehensive eco
nom ic sanctions
• the p ro h ib itio n of all U S co lla b o ra tio n w ith apar
theid
• non interference and non intervention in the front
line states
The Call to Conscience is inspired in part by the Pled
ge o f Resistance and Big Mountain S u p jjo rt Group
emergency response networks
Like those networks,
individuals and groups are asked to make a pledge to
act (in public protest or civil disobedience) w hen the
Call to Conscience netw ork issues a call to action But
the Call to Conscience is a little different in that it in
tends to put an emphasis on initiating its ow n actions
to push forw ard its seven demands, in addition to being
ready to respond to actions by Reagan or Botha that
need to be resisted on short notice
Organizing to pull the Call to Conscience netw ork
together began earlier this year The intention has been
to structure the netw ork as democratically as possible
and to make sure that local groups in the netw ork can
get their ideas and concerns dealt w ith on the national
level
There is now an interim State Coordinator in
every state and the netw ork is ready to begin calling
actions this Fall The interim Coordinators at the local,
state, and regional levels will be replaced or reaffirmed
annually by the groups in the Call that make up their
area Ideas and initiatives from local groups for consi
deration by the Call to Conscience National Steering
C om m ittee are encouraged
Actions initiated by the
Call to Conscience will be decided by National Steering
Committee, w h ic h 's made up of the 11 Regional Coot
dinators, the national liaison, a student liaison, and
representatives from ACOA, AFSC. FSAM, NBUF,
TransAfrica, and W O A Emergency response sanction,
on the other hand, can be called by a smaller Call Group
that is a sub com m ittee of the National Steering Com
m ittee
Any individual or group that is doing, or wants to do,
anti apartheid work and supports the seven demands
listed above is urged to join the Call to Conscience and
make the pledge to act in concern w ith the netw ork
when calls go out. To get involved, contact: American
Friends Service Committee, Southern African Program,
2249 E Burnside, Portland, Oregon 97214, telephone.
1503) 230 9427
Howard Hawkins is one of the 11 Regional Coordina
tors for the Call to Conscience Network He resides in
W hite River Junction, Verm ont. (Avel Gordly is coor
dinator for Oregon, W ashington, Idaho, W yom ing,
M ontana and Alaska.)
Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom
IPOSAF) is an American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC) supported umbrella group for several anti
apartheid and peace groups in the Portland area
tured warehoused by firm s w hich refuse to (nre Blacks
Blacks
Our price of free trade is equality of opportunity
the operation of this plan is not as one m ight imagine
It w ould take time and ttie com plete coojreration of
religious denominations, every civil rights organization
and every A tro Amenkan Organization, whether frater
nal or sor i.il
The desire of individuals to be chief
w ould tiave to ( m » sublimated and a com m on goal be
considered the m otivating factor
Dr Jamil Cherovee
" In te rn a tio n a l W o m e n 's D a y "
Planning M e e tin g
H ie International W om en's Day planning meeting w ill take place at
Portland State University in the Smith Memorial Center, S W Broadway
and M ontgom ery, Wednesday, October 22, at 7 30 p m in Room 331
Free childr are will be provided There is parking after 7 00 in all PSU
Parking Structures This meeting is wheelchair accessible
This event is sponsored (>y PSU W om en's Union For more inform ation,
call 229 4452, ext 13
A t a p re ss c o n fe re n c e O ct 10, th e O re g o n B la ck
L a w y e rs ’ A ss n and th e N a tio n a l L a w ye rs G u ild
a n n o u n c e d jo in in g th e N a tio n a l C a m p a ig n to Free
N e lso n M a n d e la in th e o b se rv a n c e o f O ct 11
J o h n T o ra n s ta te d
"Today w e jo in to g e th e r w ith
la w y e rs a cro ss th e U n ite d S ta te s to ask fo r th e
lo n g o v e rd u e release o f o u r la w y e r c o lle a g u e Nel
son M a n d e la and o f th e o th e r p e rso n s n o w h eld
in S o u th A fric a n ja ils on th e basis o f th e ir p o litic a l
b e lie fs
(L R) F ro n t T om M a s o n . J o h n T o ra n ,
D o u g S w a n s o n . Eva K u ta s
B a ck M o n ic a L ittle .
J a n ic e W ils o n , K a te M c K e o n , K a th le e n H e rro n
P h o to by R ich a rd J B ro w n
N ortheast Church to Host A rts Festival
- Rrx-x—
• 3 S v s i x -riitc x i -
A clothing store in Georgia
hex run an ad in the la m e
place in its local news
paper since 1889
Augustana Lutheran Church at Northeast 15th and K nott is hosting an
Arts Festival November 8th from 1 30 to 4 30 p m This festival celebrates
creative g ifts and encompasses all types of art, including |ewelry making,
rosemalmg (lottery w ood w orking, water colors, ceramics, weaving, quil
ting, calligraphy In the liturgical area there w ill be church banners, chil
dren's banners, pottery baptismal bowls and pitchers, vestm ents, and com
m unkin ware The festival, ojien to ttie public and free o f charge, provides
a plat e to share and observe, and works w ill not be sold that day
Some artists well know n in the Portland area w ho w ill be show ing include
Vaunie Maier, pottery Joel Ogard, watercolors, Selma Case, rosemalmg,
and Roger Sogge, wood sculpturing
Other features w ill be a clowing
w orkstiop, performance by Portland Recorder Society, guides to viewing
art, and a Sacred Arts Society presentation
Portland Observer
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N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R e p re s e n ta tiv e
A m a lg a m a te d P u b lishers. Inc
N e w Y ork
in th e o b s e rv a n c e o f A n ti A p a rth e id D ay M a r
b R a lly The ra lly , h e ld S a tu rd a y a t T a rry S ch ru
Plaza, w a s p a rt o f th e U n ite d N a tio n s p ro c la rr
tio n o f O ct. 11 as In te rn a tio n a l D ay o f S o iid a r
w it h S o u th A fric a n P o litic a l P ris o n e rs The m ar
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