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 -- m A * ■ ■ ■ S S 1 '1 II * £3 ‘ 0reg. ■ A-.SI ■ -n K n W Th« P ia lla m i a» XX < MÍMB1R Aoocxrion PER foanOH IM S w *1, Th« f\*ifor><1 ( (USPS 9RB6W)i it {»utBntted iY * y Thundey by fas« Puhfcihmy Cof^npAny. Inc 1463 N ( K4I w » q i worth Pixtlw xi Oregon 97711 Pott f)fh*.« Bo» 3137 Portien^ Oregon 97ZW Second clatt pm tege perd • ’ PorttewJ Oregon w « t «ntetftV>ed «n ,970 S o t * nptm nt 1 ,5 00 i * «eer «n Ibe Tn County «ree B ott m e tte r Send eddreei bengm to the A xr/ee