p<’y e 2 , Portland Observer, April 15, 1987
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
A
N IW S
SI « M C I
O» THI UNITED CHURCH CM CHRIST
C O M M IS S IO N
FOR
R A C IA L JUSTICE
The B la c k F a m ily : T h ro u g h W h o s e Eyes
R em em ber the sto ry a b o u t the 3 b lind m en w h o fe lt
Everyw here I go I see stro n g Black fam ilies, be they
d iffe re n t pa rts o f the sam e elephant
Each m a n 's de
s c rip ,io n seem ed to relate to a d iffe re n t anim al Such is
th e case w ith last year's C B S d o cu m e n ta ry. "The Vam
sh in g Fam ily Crisis in Black A m erica " The program ,
p ro d u c e d by Bill M oyers, was veh em e ntly criticize d by a
nu m b e r o f A fric a n A m erican s for its unbalanced view o f
th e A fric a n A m e rica n fa m ily N o w this TV special has
rich or po or, n o th e rn or sou thern
I see m o th e rs and
fathe rs in this na tion s inner cities w h o, agam s, great
received one o f tfie m ost p re stigious aw ards in broad
cast jo u rn a lism
the A lfre d d u P o n t C olum b ia Um ver
sity G old B ato n A w a rd "T h e V anishing Black Fam ily'
w as th u s "ju d g e d to have m ade the greatest c o n trib u
lio n to th e p u b lic 's u n d e rsta n d in g o , im p o rta n t issues or
n e w s events ' It w as suggested the pro gra m (Q UOTE)
. "m a y very w e ll tie the m ost im p o rta n t d o cu m e n ta ry in
recent m e m o ry " (UN Q U O TE)
Ju st w h a t part of the elephant did the fudges feel?
W h a t I an d m any o th e rs saw in this p ro gra m was a
m y o p ic , black th e v ic tim , in te rp re ta tio n of those Black
fam ilies w h o had been o ve rw h e lm e d by relentless
p o v e rty N o w fie re did w e get an exp la natio n o f the role
w h ic h th e g o ve rn m e n t plays in fo rcin g fa ,tie rs to be
co m e in visib le if their fam ilies are to co n tin u e receiving
fina ncial aid or th e role the go vern m ent plays in anni
fn la tin g jo b tra in in g p ro g ra m s, or in c h o p p in g d ru g
abuse fun ds, or in m aking a ffo rd a b le lo w in com e hous
m g an im p o s s ib ility for m ost y o u n g fam ilies The blam e
w as placed alm ost e n tire ly on the hack o f tfie already
bu rde ned , p o o r Black fam ily
A lth o u g h it is n o t fair to kill th e m essenger, it is also
n o , fair to b rin g in false m essage
C ertainly the deep
p o ve rty w h ic h has been laying seige to a num ber o f
Black c o m m u n itie s over tfie past fe w years has taken its
to ll on m an y Black fam ilies
But to title the pro gra m
" T h e V an ish ing Fam ily
Crisis in Blai k A m e ric a " and
the n to fo c u s on fam ilies in w h ic h the fathe rs have a
cavalier a ttitu d e ab ou t w o rk and ab ou t tfie ir fam ilies
and then fo cu s on fam ilies w h ic h are p rim arily depen
dent u p on th e w e lfare system is to im jily tfi.it a m ajority
o f Black fam ilies are in th e th ro e s o f d isso lu tio n
t h is
is simply no, true
• o d d s, are w o rk in g to in sure th a , th e ir c h ild re n y e , a
g o o d e d uca tion I see Black fathe rs w h o are w illin g to
w o rk a, any jo b ju s, to keep the fa m ily m tac,
And I
se extended fam ilies fu n c tio n in g in a w ay w h ich m any
non Black fam ilies w o u ld envy (if this were ever s h o w n
to the m )
Last Septem ber the N ational Black Leadership
R oundtable, an um brella org a n iza tio n o f over 300
na tion al Black org an izatio ns, headed by C ong W a lte r
F auntroy (D W ash
D C I, sen, a letter to CBS
The
letter raised very reasonable o b je ctio n s to the M oyers
program and requested a m eeting ,o discuss the pro
gram CBS refused to m eet and responded w ith a le,
ter w h ich w as bo th a rro ga nt and in s u ltin g The n e tw o rk
to society
Calvin Harper a bl.n k de fend an t, was sentent es
M on da y A pril 6D1 by Ju d g e EIlls to serve five years in
the S tate P en iten tiary
Mr Haqier lias never killed
anyone nor w as he d riv in g d ru n k, tin t be« ause of pre
vio us records and u n p a id ,t< kets Ju d g e Ellis replied
w h e n handiiH j d o w n Die sentent e Dial lie was a m enai e
to society
For the past six m o n th s, Mr H aqier has « hanged
fus a ttitu d e and life style m arried and has been em ploy
et) w o rk in g at the shipya rd and i urre ntly is w o rk in g for
Z arcon C orp try in g to lie a p ro d u ctive citizen paying
in to the c o m m u n ity instead o f taking aw ay fro m it I, is
q u ite o b v io u s w h en de< isions like these are m ade by
ou r judges, there is a bit of rat ism in vo lve d ant) m ore
than a little pre ju dice
I have criticize d the Police D e partm ent and Die Dist
tie , A tto rn e y s O ffice bu, nevei the ju dg es N o w I crib
Cize th e m , tie« ause o f the ir in sen sitivity w h en handing
retire You hear) for your lor al Social S ecu rity o ffic e to
Apply for b e n e fits But w h en you learn o f th e a m o u n t
o f your m o n th ly b e n e fit t heck the a m o u n t is m u ch less
tha n you a n tic ip a te d W h a t happened?
It c o u ld tiave been any num ber o f th in g s
Perhaps
you did n , give you r em p lo yer your co rre ct Social Secu
n ty nu m be r Or m ayb e your em ployer m ade a m istake
w h e n he re p o rte d your in co m e
Then again, m aybe i,
w a y th e S o cia l S e c u rity A d m in is tra tio n w h o c re d ite d
your ea rnings to som eone else s Social S ecu rity reco rd
Sheer n u m b e rs tell tfie sto ry The Social S e cu rity has
Fas, alw ays exeri is«' care w h en re jio rtin g your Social
S e cu rity nu m be r to an em p lo yer
Keep your Social
Set u rity card h a nd y and refer to it w tie n su p p lyin g your
gram w h ic h aired, after all las, year
Firs, given its
new ho no r it w ill pro),ably b e repeated m any m ore
tim es in the fu tu re S econd it is t u rre n tly being sho w n
in a num ber o f schools at toss Die c o u n try A n d th ird ,
i, is o n e m ore in cide nce o f h o w to ta lly m u ch o f Die
m e d ia d is to rts th e A fric a n A m e n t an c o m m u n ity ,
m aking o f it a m onster unrecognizable to its o w n
lf
w e see k to u n de rsta nd th e rat is, fear n o w in evident e in
m any w h ite com m u nitie s w e have on ly to look to such
TV pro gra m s as tins to fin d som e o f our answers
num ber to an e m p lo yer If you lose your card, c o n ta c t
your S in i.ll Sei u rity o ffic e for a re jila i em eu,
A n o th e r g o o d i hei k is to verify Die co rre i tness o , Die
W 2 you rei eive fro m your em p lo yer
Be sure your
r»..%
r « r.,.,
.
Jeum.ii
d o w n a sentence to our blai x males This has been a
p ra ctice nf m any of our judges for a lo n ij tim e g ivin g
stiffe r sentences for sm all « nines w h ic h jil.e es m any o f
our black m en in c o rre c tio n a l in s titu tio n s w hen Diey
are very yo u n g Om e a « rim inal record has tieen m am
fested against a person , is hard for Diem ,o (m il em
jllo y m e n , no m a lle i h o w sm all the « rim e
I do n o t con do ne «rim inal a ctivitie s bu, it angers me
w h en a m othe r w h o ti.n l a baby w h o was ill w a ll a tern
pe rature o f 103 took a b o ttle of baby Tylenol because
she had no m oney and was sentenced to ninety Days in
jail W here is Die value o f th .it lesson-’ The p u n is h m e n t
w as too harsh for Die « rim e Tins has alw ays tieen Die
lira« bee in O regon
w ell over 100 m illio n Social S ecu rity c o n trib u to rs on file
arid ear fi year re« etves som e 200 m illio n rep orts from
e m p lo yers and self • m jilo y e d persons
B u, n o t to w o rry
The O regon S ociety o f CPAs ad
vises th a t there are a num ber o f sim ple, p re ve n ta tive
nam e address a n il Social Set u rity nu m tie r appear cor
rei tly
Tfie tiox m arked FICA W a g e ', sho uld sho w
the to ta l earnings fro m w h ii h your em ployer w ith h e ld
Social Sei u rity taxes
Tins is Die am o u n t o f earnings
tti.i, are en tered on your S ocial S e cu rity reco rd
I, any o f Die in fo rm a tio n on you, W 2 is o o , co rre ct,
you m ust im m e d ia te ly n o tify you« em p lo yer w h o w o u ld
issure a i.m re i ted W 2 It s a g o o d idea to keep all (lay
slips i tiei k stubs and W 2 form s .is jiro o f o f your con
In tu itio n s
As a fu rth e r |ire i a u tio n you sho uld periodic ally re
q u its, a i tie, i a l your Soi ial Sei u n ly record a m easure
tin* Social Se< u n ty A d m in is tra tio n itself re co m m e n d s
you do at least every Diree years Ju s, i all visit ( i t w rite
your 1(11 al S o i ial S e cu rity o ffii e and ask tor fo rm S S A
?(X)4P(
Request tor S tatr •m en, o f Ea,rungs
Tfie
fo rm is Simple you ,11 in your nam e address. Social
Sei o n ly n u m tie r. date o f b irth , sig na tu re and, if a jijili
It, six to e ig h t w eeks after m a ilin g your card to the
So. i.il S e cu rity A d m in is tra tio n , y o u 'll receive a co m p u
te riz e d s ta te m e n t s h o w in g all th e e a rnings th a t have
been cre d ite d uj) to Die date sta te d There is generally
a one t o tw o year lag in p o s tin g e n tries The a m o u n ts
cre d ite d for Die three or tour m ost recent years w ill be
s h o w n as separate yearly totals, w h ile the a m o u n ts
e a rn e d h i pre vio us ye.us are s h o w n as a lu m p sum
All
earnings are added and sho w n as a gra n d to ta l
C om pare Die eatings sh o w n for the m ost recent years
w itfi tfie am o u n t re p orted on your W 2 s or self em p lo y
m e rit rei ords
I, you suspect an error, c o n ta c t your
Social Sei u rity o „ n e im m e dia te ly
In m ost cases, the
o f,it nil tin e lim it fo t correi tin g m istakes on your earn
m gs i. i o i d is three years three m o n th s and fifte e n
(fays after Die year in w h ich the w ages w e re paid or
self em p lo ye d in com e earned
A lth o u g h the re are ex
c e jitio n s to these tim e lim its i, is in your bes, in te rest to
, h e . k you rei o id on a jie rio d ii basis and p ro m p tly n o ti
,y Die So. ial S ecu rity A d m in is tra tio n o , any errors
I, w ill lie u |i to you to p ro vid e the records necessary
to s u b sta n tia te your claim o f an error
The Social Secu
nty A d m in is tra tio n w ill need your e m p lo ym e n t records,
mi lu dm g n a m e s o f e m p lo yers dates o , e m p lo ym e n t
and w ages received
You I fie asked to sh o w those
W 2 fo rm s y o u ’ve been saving
By fo llo w in g Diese sim ple m easures you can ensure
tha , w h e n Die tim e com es you w ill get Die benefits
y o u are e n title d to
N inety seven pe rcen t o f all A m e rica n w o rke rs are said
to have earnings cove red by S ocial S e cu rity
In recog
in ,m n o , N a tion al Consum ers W eek. A p ril 19 25, the
A m erican In s titu te o , CPAs in c o o p e ra tio n w ith the
U n ite d S tates 0 „ n e o , C onsum e, A ffa irs , has prepared
a pa m p h le t w h ic h answ ers m any c o m m o n qu e stio n s
ab ou t S o i ial S e i u rity W rite or call tfie O regon S ociety
o f CPAs for a free i o p y
10206 S .W Laurel, Beaver
t o n , OH 9 /0 0 5 3209 Phone (5031 6 4 , Z200
T he C h ic a g o E x p e rie n c e :
A Lesson in B la c k a nd B ro w n
Blai ks arid Htsjianic
s
throughout America
precincts giving the Mayor a broader power
should take note of tfie political transform ation
b.tse
tha, is currently underway in Chicago. Hope
found power w ith a ruling tha, called for the
fully, by doing so they can become more
"•a pp o rtio nm en t of the city's alderm anic dis,
ricts, both las, year and in resulting elections.
H o w « an Die « ity offn ials keep asking ta x jiayers for
m ore m oney to build m ore jails w tie n ,udges like Ellis
w ill c o n tin u e to fill Die tails w itfi p e tty ■ nm inals w hile
Die real law breakers walk Die streets Judges should
be able to look at the « rim e involved instead o f Die < olor
of a p e rso n 's skin w h e n ha nd ing d o w n senten« es
This goes to stiow th a t there should be , hanges m ade
in our J u d it i.il System
tw o ethnic groups can produce a pow erful
political machine
Vesia Loving
Harold W ashington recently won a second
know ledgable as to how unity among these
♦our year term as Mayor of Chicago, becom
The federal courts solidified tha, new
The ruling enabled W ashington to gam a 25 25
split on the 50 sea, Chicago City Council giving
him the power to break a tie vote.
In
V ictory m Chicago was made possible by a
95°i, Black vote, a 60% Hispanic vote, and a
1983, W ashington became the firs, African
15% w hite vote (there is no data available as
Support Our Advertisers!
Say you saw it in the
American to he elected Mayor to this n a tio n ’s
third larges, city
to how the Asians voted).
His firs, term in office was me, w ith rests
tha, no, only is he adm inistratively com petent,
Portland Observer!
tance, hostility and racism, forcing him to re
bu, politically astute its well, and provides a
sort to heroics to gain control of City Hall.
Refusing to buckle under the pressure tac
valuable lesson for those aspiring to public
office.
tics of a City Council imbedded in bigotry,
He opened a dialogue w ith other ethnic
■ PORTLAND OBSERVER
>15 for one year
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cable, any oth er nam e or num ber you m ay have used
As an added fea tu re you m ay also request an esti
m a te o f D i e m o n th ly tie n e ft, you w ill tie e n title d to w tie n
you re.u h 65 by w ritin g on the card
Please fu rn ish
b e ne fit e stim a te
0 , course th is e stim a te w ill o n ly be
based on the a m o u n t o f earnings you c u rre n tly have
i 'e d ite d
S o if your re tire m e n t is a long w ay o „ , this
in f o r m , i , i o n is n I g o in g t o tie v e r y m e a n in g fu l
EDITORIAL/OPINION
mg the firs, to do so since Richard Oaley
i:l
Y o u 're
the producers choose to in te rvie w ant) the e d itin g pro
cess as by w h a t Die interview ees reveal >
Som e m ig h t w onder w h y we are disi ussinij a pro
J u d g e E llis U nfair? ??
suspended b e fore m urd er burglary, rape dealing drugs
and other crim inal cittern es tha t are m ore of a mena« e
The tim e has fin a lly com e
A fte r 40 years o f hard w o rk yo u 're rearfy to
steps you m ay take to p ro te c t th e tie n e fits you are en
tille d to
Letters to the Editor
W ith Die cry o f n o , e n ou gh jail space fro m all our t ity
J officia ls, i, behooves m e to speak ou, w hen judges like
. Jud ge Elu» p u , m isdem eanor Charges like d rivin g w hile
P icture th is
alm ost 65
sug ge ste d tha , the1 R o u n d ta b le m e m b e rs had n o t seen
the pro gra m for, (Q UO TE) i f you saw the broad« as,
and if you analyzed it you kn o w that for the greatest
par, o f the film the people w e in te rvie w e d spoke for
the m se lve s " Does C B S really th in k th a , w e are so
naive as to believe that the shapers o f the p ro gra m were
those w h o were questioned, rather than those w h o
asked th e q u e s tio n s f Or th a t w e don , un de rsta nd that
a d o c u m e n ta ry 's c o n te n t is form ed as m u ch by w h o m
c'vi1
To the Editor
Do Y ou K n o w W h e re Y o u r Social S e cu rity B enefits Are?
b
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N a tio n a l A d v e r t is in g R e p r ä s e n ta tiv «
A m a l g a m a t e d P u b l is h « * «
N e w V o »h
In ,
Mayor W ashington has show n Chtcagotans
W ashington wisely sough, and received the
groups,
support of
w hich, along w ith his vast Black and w hite
action, and stood tall during the battles. For
his e ffo rts he was re elected w ith respect.........
liberal support, reached deep into key voting
w ith p rid e ..........convincingly.
Chicago's
Hispanic com m unity
presented an agenda
for
political