Page 2, Portland Observer. March 18, 1987 Racism’s Ugly Reprise: Its Roots and Our Responses Strengthened Standards Improve College Work by N orm an Hill by W illia m E Davis iW 'l l u t m ( D f t v i* •» < H a m t h e O * e y o n $ t« » te S y s ie n , o f H < jh t« r ttlo t a lM H t I Nearly to u r years ayo , the new s m edia were re p o rtin g the fin d in g s and re co m m e n d a tio n s o f an in d ic tm e n t o , A m erican e d u ca tio n called A N a tion at Risk Even if you d o n 't rem em ber the rep ort, you m ay rem em ber w h a t it said " I f an u n frie n d ly fo re ig n po w e r had a tte m p te d to im pose on A m erica the m e d io cre e d u c a tio n a l p e rfo rm a n c e tfia t e xists tod ay, w e m ig h t w ell have vie w ed it as an act o f war Nine m o n th s earlier, the O regon S tate Board o f H igh er E du catio n had be gu n to attack the problem A n d in M ay 1983, board m em bers a d o p te d n e w s tre n g th e n e d adm issions standards for s,orie nts seek in g a d m issio n to O re g o n 's p u b lic , fo u r year co lle g e s and un iversities W e have |ust received tfie p a y o ff a re p o rt s h o w in g th .it last ye a r's freshm an, the first class a d m itte d under the new requirem ents, are d o in g b e tte r w ork • Their grades are be tte r • I h i ’ ir S r h o la s tir A p titu d e higher • A n d the y are ta kin g harder college classes The o ld adm issions re q u ire m e n ts w e re based solely on grades, regardless o f w h a t classes a stu d e n t too k By co n tra s ,, the n e w adm issions standards require fou r years o f English, three years each o f m ath and social science, tw o years o f science, a n il tw o years o f college prep electives The C ollege B oa rd rep orted , fo r exam ple that by 1984 85 m ore th a n 80 pe rcen t o f O regon stud ents had taken fou r years o f English, co m p a re d w ith only 64 p e r cent in 1979 80 High sch o o l prin cip a ls have to ld m e that be,on* the ne w adm issions requirem ents, they son etim es had tro u b le fillin g a single physics class, bu, n o w . the y say, the y can fill five or six classes I, stands to reason th a , if stud ents do m ore to pre pare them selves in hig h school, th e y w ill do be tte r in colleg e A n d they are C onsider • The r ollege w o rk o , freshm an a d m itte d under the new req uire m en ts did sig n ific a n tly be tte r w o rk espe cially in m ath fo reign languages and English com p osi tio n • Las, year s freshm an e n rollm en t in basic level Inter m ediate A lg eb ra declined 17 percent and by 33 per i err, am ong tho se freshm an w h o w ere gra d u a te d fro m O regon high sc ho ols M eanw hile, stu d e n ts en rolled in m ore i ollege level m ath. English c o m p o sitio n and for eigrr language classes • S A T scores rose 11 po in ts overall for 1985 e n terin g freshm en and rose 29 po in ts for m in o rity eth n ic groups, m ea nw hile, the 1986 sta te w id e scores were second o n ly to th o se o , N e w Ham pshire stud ents For 1986, in fa ct, O rego n's c o m b in e d verbal and m ath s t o r e 19301 on the S A T was 24 jx>in,s above the n a tio n al si ore (906) th e score of freshm en en terin g O regon State S ysem schools 19471 was oven better 41 p o in ts above th e na tio n a l st ore W e w ill share our re p o t, on the w o rk o , college fresh m en w ith all O regon high schools, w h o can use it to r e , a - w t t ie p e r f o r m u n t e o, their o w n graduates O re a n e l ik e theirs, is to stre n g th e n e d u ca tio n of O i e g i u ' s t u d e n t s a , b o th levels »'* I ' •• ••»*«•» <»f th e O 'e q n n St.it** S ystem o f H»yhe* 1»• fr,|. . EDITORIAL/OPINION G overnor Neil G o ld s c h m id t has established er o n om ic d e ve lo p m e n t as a nu m b e r one p rio rity for revita lizing O regon e co n o m y His ret ent and so m e w h a t sut t ess 1 Issue ,i m a n tla te to all state a d m in istra to rs to either co m p ly w ith A ffirm a tiv e A c tio n policies or resign The co u rts have ret e n tly clarified em p lo ym e n t goals for ful ju n ke t to the Far East lends t it-dence to his w e ll pu b licize d ' O regon C o m e b a c k " pam ph let w h ich ou, lines, irr p a r,, h o w he proposes to at com p lish this W h ile his predecessor form er G overnor Vic tor A n yeti, t i i t , lay the g ro u n d w o rk , Neil b ro u g h t ho m e the "b a c o n ’ To b o th , O rego n is th a n k fu l The Japanese firm th a , is p ro p o sin g to expand its o p e ra tio n s to O regon w ill he loi ale d in Clai kam as C o un ty H o p e fu lly, w h e n em p lo ym e n t o p p o rtu n itie s m in o ritie s and it lo n g aw aite d t l e t ision sho uld pro vide em p lo yers w ith tfie net essary too ls to hire the m w ith o u t fear o , legal rei nurse I, i ertainly w o u ld pro vide the o p p o rtu n ity to corret t one o f O regon s biggest m isi .im ages o , ,usln e 2 Establish an o ff» e o f m in o rity business ant, enter prise W ith the dins tor re p o rtin g diret tly to the o ffit e o f the G overnor This person w o u ld m o n ito r all c o n tra i Is aw arded by state agencies to ensure proper co m p lia n ce are a n n o u n ce d for th e new in d u s try N f P ortland w ill receive its la ir share This b rin g s us to the qu estio n in m in d W itfi a fo rty percerr, u n e m p lo ym e n t rate in no rtheast P ortland and a c o n tin u in g exodus o f business a n il in d u stry we w o nd er |us, w fi.i, th e G overnor has plan ned for this irea e, o no m ic reco very For starts w e suggest the fo llo w in g ant, m in o rity p a r, it pa ,io n This w o u ld elim in ate the m ot kery t u rre n tly un de rw ay in state go ve rn m e n t in so fai as a w a rd in g t on ,ra t ,s to eligible m in o rity firm s Perhaps leadership from the state t ou ld serve as an in sp ira tio n to the C ity o , P ortla nd w h ic h ret e n tly ttiu m bet, its nose a, th e m in o rity t o n tr.it tin g firm o , PF N NOR Inc Koch’s Ego Costing Taxpayers Las, W edn esd ay, the P ortla nd C ity Count il a u th o nzed sp e nd ing $10.000 for a p riva te a ttorn ey to d e t e n t , the c ity against an o th e r law suit hied by City C nm m is sioner B ob K och K och, a form er p o lice lie u te n a n t, has filed s u it t o o b ta in a leave o , absence fro m tfie Police Bureau w h i l e he serves o n the C ity C o un cil The $10.01X1 a lloca ted by the c ity for legal fees plus the $10.000 au thorized las, year in another suit filed by Koch has cos, P ortland taxpayers a to ta l o , $20.000 This am o u n t doesn t in elude the co sts o f legal fees for the appeals C om m issioner K och sho uld pu, aside fits ego ant, sto p sq u an de ring p u b lic m on ey try fo rc in g the c ity to d e fe n d itse lf against frivo lo u s la w suite s B oth la w suits , iled by K och have no m en, In th e firs, suit against the c ity of P ortland Kot fi cha lle ng ed a 10 day suspension he receivet, in 1985 m e te d by fo rm e r P o rtla n d Pole e Bureau Chief Penny I H a rrin g to n H a rrin g to n suspended K och w ith o u t pay after he dist usset, w ith Ron H erndon, co cha irm an o f the Black U n ite d F ront possible disciplin e at lio n s against tw o po lice o ffit ers in vo lve d in the in fa m o u s " D o n 't C h oke 'Em , S m oke 'E m " 1 fur, episode K o c h 's a c tio n s a lleg ed ly vio la,e t, a Police D e pa rtm e nt rule p ro h ib itin g po lice fro m c ritic iz in g Bureau o p e ra tio n s ant, po licies A lth o u g h the suspension was ruled valid by the M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty C ircuit C ourt Kot h has a ji pealet, th e de cisio n to the O regon C ourt o f Appeals In his latest suit against th e city, K och is p ro te s tin g th e P o rtla n d C ity C o un cil ruling tfia t de nied him a leave o f absence fro m the P ortla nd Police Bureau w h ile he serves on th e C ity C o u n cil K och w a n ts th e leave so he can re tu rn to w o rk after his C o un cil term ends and earn a p o lice pension K och challenge,, the C o u n cil's tle ci Sion in C ircu it C ourt and lost O nce again, his ego go, the best o , him K och refused to accept th e c o u rt s de cisio n, and, once again, filed an appeal to the O regon C o u rt o f A ppeals The O bserver respects the c o n s titu tio n a l rig h ts o , each citize n to cha lle ng e the legal system in an e ffo rt to -- J p ■■D W V Hm ■ • • t . im ' B \rm , P u lli. s l'e r s A s s o . H io n attain their due prot ess under th e law H ow ever the q u e stio n o f due pro t ess isn t ap plicab le in the la w suits file d by Kot h It s a case o f sour grapes In Ins firs, suit, Koch alleged th a , fits c o n s titu tio n a l rig h t to free sjieei h w .is vio la te d w h en form er Chief H a rrin g to n suspended him K och s assertion is non sens,; Every org a n iza tio n m ust have rules to ensure th a , th e o rg a n iza tio n operates e ffic ie n tly and to pre ven, in d ivid u a ls fro m o p e ra tin g o u , o f a vacuum K och m atte a m istake w h e n fie broke tle p a r,m e n ta l rules ant, sh o u ld a, t ep, his pu n ish m e n t like anyone else In his la te st suit against th e city, K och is p ro te stin g the i ity s tlet ision th a t denied him a leave o f absent e fro m the Police Bureau in order Io save his pension C ant,id.H e Kot fi sta te d d u rin g the ca m p a ig n th a , he w o u ld resign fro m the Bureau if he w o n the C ouncil p o sitio n fro m form er c o u n c ilw o m a n M argare, Stra chan H ow ever once he w o n the C o un cil sea, Com m issioner K och cha ng ed his nund I, the P ortland C ity C ouncil hat, gra n te d Koch a leave o f absent e fro m tfie P o lite Bureau, they w o u ld n 't have at l e t , in the bes, ínteres, o , the c ity or the p u blic As an elet ted o ffic ia l K och m us, m ake de cisions on police related m atters G rantin g him a leave w h ile he is a c ity t om m ission er w ill indeed in flu e n ce K o ch 's decisions on police business tie ,o re the C ouncil and is a d ire ct con flic , o , interests, especially given the fa c, th a , Koch acce pted m on ey fro m the p o w e rfu l P ortland Police Assot i.ilio n d u rin g his cam paign F urthe rm o re, it w o u ld be un fair to allow K och to reserve him self a p o s itio n on the P ortla nd Police Bureau w h en A frica n A m ericans and oth er m in o ritie s are n 't given an equal o p p o rtu n ity to becom e police o ffic e rs or a fair cha nce to advance w ith in the Bureau once the y re em p lo yed G iven the eco n o m ic hart,ships fa cin g the city, parti cularly in N ortheast P ortland, it's a disgrace tha, public m on ey is being w a ste d because o f C om m issioner K o ch 's refusal to p u , aside his ego Otaeever lUSPS Iftft *M)i Th u 'V tey by l a « **»*’ »» Portland PohfcVwng Com pany fkwyikz, 97?1 1 Inc The P tm O ffw « Box 3137 Portland fjfttm r r wa5 «ntahMheri m 197T) Sotrn ra tio n « MWArEf, » tto titi'o n ■ fouixtod IM S There are those w h o m a intain th a , the ne w mam te sta tio n s o , racial an im o sity are caused by long sim m e ring prejudices b o ilin g ,0 the surface Bu, w h ile knee ,erk d iscrim in a tio n and racial bias w ill likely re m ain a stu b b o rn rea lity in any m u lti cu ltu ra l society, there are p ro fo u n d d iffe re nce s be tw ee n the nature o , to d a y 's racism and the racism th a , existed in A m erica before th e e lim in a tio n o f segregationist law s in the m id 60s C o nsequently, new approaches ,0 un de rsta n d in g and dealing w ith the problem are essential The " o ld " fo rm o f racism w as based on p re ju dging all blacks as som e ho w in h e re n tly undeserving or un w o rth y o , equal tre a tm e n t Color w as the sole con sideration, no ,, as Dr King no ted, "c o n te n t o f charac ter This p e rce p tio n was c o d ifie d in law s tha , barred blacks fro m fu ll p a rtic ip a tio n in A m e ric a n so cie ty in such areas as pu blic a cco m m o d a tio n , tra n s p o rta tio n , ed u ca tio n and vo tin g W h a t m akes the new fo rm m ore in sidiou s is n o , its o u tw a rd m an ifestatio ns W e are all fam iliar w ith hood ed Klansm en and h o w lin g m ob s The d iffe re n ce is its basis in the m isuse and m isre ading o , observe d socio logical data I, is roo te d in th e p e rce p tio n th a , the social p a th o lo g y o f the black underclass u n e m p lo ym e n t, crim e, w e lfare dependency, fa m ily d isso lu tio n , the bre a kd o w n o , social values is a ttrib u ta b le ,0 race, no, p o ve rty Even m ore d is tu rb in g , society m isin te rp re ts statistics dealing w ith com p ara tive rates o f black crim e, prison p o p u la tio n , teenage p re gn ancy, single parent households, etc . as in d ica tin g racial in fe rio rity I, is no, only tha, the poor are being blam ed fo r their p o verty, but by m isreading the p lig h t 0 , the underclass as an issue o f color not p o ve rty society is p ro je c tin g social p a th o lo g y on a ll blacks, and sin gling blacks o u t as pro jects of dread and b ig o try This is a tru ly dangerous d e ve lo p m e n t T oday, a y o u n g casu ally dressed black m an lo r a H ispanic, for th a , m a tte r) be he a law yer, do cto r or m inister m ig h t n o , be buzzed in to an exclu sive b o u tiq u e in N e w York not because o f his color, per se. (as in the |,ast) b u , because in the curre nt soi i.tl atm osphere color has becom e a u to m a tica lly as sociated w ith crim in a l or anti social behavior Paradoxically these m isg u id e d and o d io us percep ,10ns have em erged at a tim e w h e n p ro fo u n d e co n o m ic in to le ra n c e and e th n ic s te re o ty p in g w ill increase As long as the A d m in is tra tio n ignores the p lig h t o f the poor underclass and as long as som e civil rig h ts leaders insist on special agenda for black p o ve rty rather than for p o ve rty in general, the fires o f the ne w racism w ill be furthe r fueled Those con cern ed w ith re d ucing racial an im o sity and secu rin g social and e co n o m ic eq u ity m ust co n tin u e to w o rk th ro u g h the p o litic a l process ,0 press the g o ve rn m e n t to ad op t an agenda c o m m ittin g billions o f dollars for e d u ca tio n , |ob tra in in g for th e un e m p lo ye d and d ispla ced w o rk e rs , and social p ro g ra m s ,0 help ease the s u ffe rin g o f all o f A m e ric a ’s poor E conom ic ju stice ca n n o t be legislated by the single stroke o f a pen or the ta kin g d o w n o f "C o lo re d O nly' signs Nor can it be achieved by a t,o p tin g the strateg y and ta c tic s o f th e 1960s Black e co n o m ic and social progress is in tim a te ly tied to th e na tio n a l eco no m y per fo rm in g w ell fo r all A m erican s T oday, w e are be com ing a polarized c o u n try o f haves and have n o ts. a situa tio n tha , is a fe rtile breeding g ro u n d fo r racism hate, and scap eg oa ting th a , pits the disad vanta ged or hard pressed against each other Unless the re is a c o n ce rte d e ffo rt by the g o ve rn m e n t to apply all its resources to alleviating th is c o u n try 's e co n o m ic pro blem s, the n fts in ou r society w ill g ro w ever w id e r, and w ill have om i nous consequences N o rm a n H ill is P re s id e n t of d ie A P h ilip R a n d o lp h In s titu t** 2 0 T a x T ip s T o H e lp Y o u F ile Your 1986 Tax Return Every year, filin g your in c o m e lax be com e s m ore com pile ated Over the pas, 12 m on th s, taxpayers have heart, m ore in fo rm a tio n ab ou t their in com e taxes, as c o m p a re d to recent years, because of the Tax Reform 11 Even if you d o no, item ize d e d u ctio n s, yo u can de due, one half o f ch a rita b le c o n trib u tio n s m ade in 1986 Under the ne w tax law , th is d e d u ctio n w ill o n ly be avail able to those w h o item ize A i t o f 1986 Bu, m any w ill tie glad to k n o w tha, this year for the las, tim e they can still file under the olt, rules ai t o n ,m g to the O regon S o cie ty o f CPAs Here are 20 tax tip s to refresh your m em o ry on the ol<1 tax law 1 The 1'IHIi Tax R eform A c, w ill have virtu a lly no 12 I, you d o n a te d to c h a rity m ore tha n $500 in form lu re, c lo th in g or other non cash item s, you m ust file a new IRS form N o 8283 e ffe t t on this year 's tax return 2 The IRS provides cop ie s o f o ld re tu rn s for $4 25 apiece 3 S ingle in vid id u a ls should item ize their d e d u ctio n s w h en they ext eed $2 480 N ext year th is w ill rise to $2.540 4 M a m e t, couples w h o file jo in tly sho uld item ize then d e d u ca tio n s w h en they exceed $3.670 This w ill use to $3. 760 on your 1987 return 5 Item ized d e d u ctio n s in clud e un rennburset, expen ses for m et,teal and dental care, interest pa ym ents, state and local taxes, sales taxes, cha ritab le c o n tn b u tion s. casualty and th e f, losses and certain |ob and in vestm en t costs N ext year, som e o , these w ill be elim i natet, w h ile oth ers w ill be restricted 6 A m arried w o rk in g co u p le can d e d u c t 10 p e rce n t o , the low er paid spouse s earned in com e up to $3.000 w h ich can reduce a c o u p le 's tax bill as m uch as $1.500 This is the las, year you can take th is deduc tio n 7 S harp increases in annual in com e m ay q u a lify you for incom e averaging, a fo rm u la th a , gives you a tax break This w ill be im possible to lake ad van ta ge o f after this year 8 I, you pay som eone to care for a ch ild or another de pendent w h ile you w o rk, you m ay q u a lity for a tax cred it up to $720 for one ch ild and up to $1.440 for tw o or m ore dependents 9 lf you m ove to be closer to your jo b in 1986, you m ay be able to d e d u c, the m o vin g costs, in c lu d in g tem po rary housing, fro m your taxa ble incom e 10 lf you c o n trib u te to a p o litica l cam p aign in 1986 you can ge, a tax cred it o f up to $50 ($100 on a |oin, return) 13 If you do n a te d to ch a rity m ore tha n $5,000 in non cash c o n trib u tio n s or m ore tha n $10,000 in n o n p u b licly trader, securities, you m ust also report i, on fo rm No 8283. b u , you need to have it signed by a qualifier, ap praiser and the recipie nt o f the d o n a tio n 14 You can c o n trib u te to an Ind ivid ual R etirem ent A c c o u n t un til A pril 15. 1987 and lo w er your 1986 tax bill w h ile saving for retire m en t M an y pe op le w ill fin d th a , because th e ir in c o m e exceeds se, lim its , the y w ill no, be able to m ake a tax de d u cta b le c o n trib u tio n to an IRA for 1987 15 You can c o n trib u te up to $2.000 o f your 1986 earn m gs to an IRA and tw ic e as m u ch it you are m arried and b o th you and you r spouse w o rk M arried persons w h e n only one spouse w o rk s can c o n trib u te up to $2,250 This w ill rem ain true, b u , w ill also be re stricte d 16 Even if you apply for an exte nsio n to file your re turn, there are n o t e xte nsio ns to the IRA c o n trib u tio n deadline 17 Y ou can c o n trib u te to an IRA even after you begin m aking w ith d ra w a ls , as lo n g as you have earned in com e or received alim o n y and are under age 70 18 C u sto dial fees for IRA or Keogh a cc o u n ts art- d e d u ctib le if they are paid w ith fu n d s o u tsid e tfie at co u n t N ext year, th is w ill t»e part o f your m iscellan eous de d u ctio n s 19 You can ge, a fo u r m o n th e xte n sio n on filin g ant, incur no late pa ym en t or filin g penalties, if you pay at teas, 90 percent o f your 1986 tax bill by A p ril 15 1987 B ut, you w ill have to pay in te rest on any taxes you ow e 20 Y ou can still claim a d e d u c tio n for the cos, o f hit ing a CPA to prepare your tax re tu rn This is tru e untler the Tax R eform A c , o f 1986 as par, o f you r m iscella neous de d u ctio n s Those th a , exceed tw o pe rcen t of your adjusted gross in co m e w ill be d e d u c tib le H ow ever, even if you d o n ', q u a lify, you m ig h t fin d i, w ell w o rth the m oney Next Week: Special Three-Part Series puftfeVwri wvwry 1463 N I e .. i» » MEMBER But w h a t are th e u n d e rlyin g fa cto rs o f these o u t breaks? A n d w h a , sho uld be the response o f the black c o m m u n ity and oth e rs con cern ed ab ou t these repug nan, events? changes have h u rt a g ro w in g segm ent o f A m erican s o f all races U nder these circu m sta n ce s, racial c o n flic t is all th e m ore tra g ic since th e victim ize rs have m ore in co m m o n w ith th e ir v ic tim s The u n e m p lo ye d w h ite teenager in Q ueens and th e un e m p lo ye d black y o u th in Harlem should be class allies, n o , enem ies N either the dispossessed farm er, nor th e laid o ff w h ite fa c to ry w o rker in D e tro it, nor the idle black s te e lw o rke r in P itts b u rgh , can im p ro ve their c o n d itio n u n til th e y recognize th a , they m ust jo in in a c o m m o n stru g g le The social p a th o lo g y th a t g ro w in g elem e nts in society are a ttrib u tin g ,0 race exists e ve ryw h ere there is p o ve rty and eco no m ic d islo ca tio n , b o th here and abroad Social deter lo ra tio n is ram p an t a m o n g the w h ite jobless in England as w e ll as a m o n g u n e m p lo ye d black y o u th s in N ew York These c o n d itio n s can be fo u n d w ith increasing frequ en cy in p re d o m in e n tly w h ite to w n s in this c o u n try ravaged by d e in d u stria liza tio n To co m b a t b ig o try and in ju stice to d a y requires ta c tic s tha , w ill address the p ro fo u n d e co n o m ic changes th a , have had an adverse im p a ct on all o f A m e ric a 's poor a lth o u g h u n q u e stio n a b ly blacks have felt th a t im p act m ore B o y c o ttin g w h ite businesses th a t serve blacks is no, the answer Nor is m a rch in g in an all w h ite to w n th a , is segregated, no, by law , b u , by tra d itio n W hile such pro te sts m ay b rie fly fo cu s m edia a tte n tio n on a particular situ a tio n , the y hve little lo n g term im p act As long as th e g o ve rn m e n t fails ,0 o ffe r an eco n o m ic and social agenda th a , w ill help all A m ericans, racism , Portland Observer Th« M O a y n n 9 7 A f t Second tlaaa p rntaga pa«d at Portland OaQ»»n « U» Black H istory M o n th is a m o st fittin g tim e to exam ine the causes and consequences o , the rece nt spate o f racist in cid e n ts a ro un d th e c o u n try The w e ll publicized o u tc ro p s o f racial b ig o try the killin g in H o w a rd Beach, the te rro rizin g o f a black cade, by Kian garbed stud ents at the Citadel, an atta ck on black stud ents at the Uni versity o f M assachusetts (A m h e rst,, the assault on an m te rric ia l m arch in F o rtsyth C o u n ty, G eorgia should d istru b all A m ericans m a tte r U S 00 pat yaa* «n the I n < <«mty Sand addreaa f h a n g t» to tha f* * H * t* l t Bna 3137 Portland P o tt 288 0033 P 0 977OB iZZfif/Z Henderuw. I ihlnr/Publisher A! Wilhams. (irn c ru l M an ag r' • • N a tio n a l A d v e r tis in g R e p ris « « ,,,» i . wn A m a lg a m a t e d P u b h «h a» « N « w V o rh |,„ y B eginning next w eek. The O bserver w ill be ru n n in g a three par, series on the Etook. "C a p ito l Hill in Black and W h ite " by Rotter, Parker. In th e series, w e w ill describe M r Parker's "re ve la tio n s o f th e inside and underside o f po w e r p o litics as th e Black fo rm e r m at,re d ' o f the Senate d in in g ro o m ." B efriended by Lyn do n J o h n s o n and H u b e rt H um phrey, Parker served as m a itre d ' o f the Senate din in g roo m fro m 1964 to 1975 He m o o n lig h te d as a w a iter fo r som a o f W a s h in g to n 's m o st in flu e n tia l people at their p rivate pa rties He saw and heard a lo t (and a lo t o f w h a , he w a s n 't supposed to ), som e o f w h ic h w ill appear in th e series B otn a sh a re cro p p e r's son, he w as b e frie n d e d by LBJ (w ith w h o m he de veloped a lo v e /h a te re latio nship) in 1940. and becam e p rivy to im p o rta n t secrets as he arranged p rivate m e e tin g s b e tw e e n Dr M a rtin Luther King and senators afraid to be seen in p u b lic w ith him W a tc h fo r this e x c itin g series b e g in n in g M a rch 2 6 ,h in The Observer r.' < k I •