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Page 2, Portland Observer, October 7, 1987_________________
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
by Benjam in F Chavis, J r.. Executive D irector
\ M \ \ S si K\ l< I
()l XTH[ UNITE b IttH M H O» I H R IS I
C O M M IS S IO N LOR RACIAl JUS1ICL
Human Rights for Alejandrina Torres
As I stood before the Federal Correctional Institution in Lexington,
Kentucky, one recent Sunday, I could barely hold back the tears and anger.
I had come to join with sisters and brothers from around the country, and
from several Latin American countries as well, to protest the inhumane
prison treatment of Alejandrina Torres and other political prisoners. Atten­
ding this demonstration was, for me, like attending an outdoor Sunday
church service of liberation.
Mrs. Torres, a 47 year old grandmother, has been imprisoned for her
advocacy work on behalf of Puerto Rican independence She is a political
prisoner. She is also the wife of a United Church of Christ minister, the
Rev. Jose Torres, pastor of First Congregational Church in Chicago.
In retaliation for Mrs. Torres' beliefs, prison authorities, for the past 5
years, have tried to make her life a living hell. At the Lexington facility,
where she is presently imprisoned, she is forced to live in a basement like
structure with no windows. For almost three months now she has not been
allowed outside, to walk around or even to breathe fresh air. Prison offi
cials say she and the other two political prisoners in this unit will have to re
main inside until a smail outside yard is built. The authorities seem in no
hurry to complete it.
i
Mrs. Torres has also been kept isolated from her family and friends.
Prison authorities allow visits of two hours per day, but for a total of only 10
hours a m o n th -a n d they select the hours. Mrs. Torres' family lives in Chi
cago, eight hours from the Lexington prison. To make outside contact
even more difficult, until December, visits were allowed only during the
week, never on week-ends.
Make no mistake: the point of this new high security unit is to break
the spirit of Mrs. Torres and her sister inmates. At the Lexington prison
this takes the form of psychological abuse. But Mrs. Torres has also been
subjected to extreme physical abuse. She was previously held in the Metro
Correctional Center in Tucson, Arizona. There, this middle aged grand
mother was subjected to vaginal and rectal searches by male staff mem­
bers. This violation of her body— this rape —was so brutal that she had to
be forcibly restrained by prison guards.
During the demonstration I looked through the chain link fence with its
barbed wire around the top, and I thought of the strength of this woman
and of other women like her who have sacrificed for the cause of justice.
I thought, too, how fitting it was that the protest should be taking place on
International Women's Day. And that so many women, of all races and
ages, had come to express their solidarity with her and to demand that
this inhumane federal unit be shut down. Those gathered that Sunday
understood that by imprisoning Alejandrina Torres, the government has
attempted to imprison the aspirations of the Puerto Rican people for inde­
pendence.
Having served 454 years as a member of the Wilmington 10, I know
only too well the pain of being imprisoned for one's political beliefs. Yet
Mrs. Torres' agony is even greater —for I was never raped, as she was, by
the prison staff. However, I was protected from this kind of brutality only
because prison officials feared the wrath of the people, organized on our
behalf by churches and organizations around the world. It is political pres
sure which puts political prisoners in jail; and it is only political pressure
which will get them released.
It is important for the African American community to reach out in
support of our Hispanic sisters and brothers who are also struggling for
freedom. Sister Torres understands this. She sent a message which was
read during the demonstration. In it she said, "I greet you in solidarity and
in the spirit and legacy of Harriet Tubman and Lolita Lebron
Then, echo
ing the words of International Women’s Day, she added, Glory to the
hands that w ork—to the Black hands, the Hispanic hands, the Asian hands
and the white h an d s-the hands that make it possible for women to be
free.”
MONEY MANAGEMENT
A w e e k ly c o lu m n on personal fina nce d is trib u te d by
the O regon S o cie ty o f C e rtifie d P ublic A c c o u n ta n ts
Can Two Live as
Cheaply as One?
Probably not, says the Oregon Society of CPAs. But, chances are
most newly-married couples really wouldn't know. That's because they
haven't devoted enough time to financial planning. Many young couples
think that financial planning is something for the very rich or very old. But
the truth of the matter, says CPAs, is that financial planning should be an
integral part of every family's life right from the beginning.
In planning their financial future, there are some financial matters a
couple should consider even before exchanging rings like questions about
the ownership of property brought into the marriage If one partner enters
the marriage with not much more than a sleeping bag and a guitar and the
other has an investment portfolio worth $300,000, a legal binding contract
(often called a premarital agreement) can outline what each partner owns
and what will become of the property in case of divorce or death.
As a married couple, your tax liability is one of the first matters you'll
want to examine. If you're both working, CPAs say you can count on your
marriage to put you into a higher tax bracket And since the Tax Reform
Act eliminated the so-called marriage penalty deduction, beginning in 1987,
two-earner couples will no longer be able to deduct a portion of one
spouse’s income. In most cases, married couples pay less tax by filing joint­
ly but, in certain circumstances, filing separately may reduce your total tax
bill. A CPA can help determine which filing method will better suit your
particular situation.
Setting up a budget forms the groundwork for your financial plan.
But before undertaking this task, it is important that both partners work
together to formulate short and long term financial goals. You need to
know where you want to go before you can plan how to get there. So give
careful thought and discussion to determining your objectives.
Although there are countless ways to set up a budget, the basics of
every budget are the same. There are two sides -one for the money
coming in and one for the money going out. But the most important thing
to keep in mind is that, to be successful, a budget must reflect your life­
style. If you both love to ski, by all means, budget for it, paring down ex
penses in some other area, if necessary. If your budget is too rigid, you pro­
bably won't stick to it.
These days, when most married couples have two incomes, the " if"
and "how" of merging two paychecks is another question you'll have to
resolve. Some couples prefer to poll all their income together, using one
source from which to pay bills, save money and draw spending cash.
Others prefer to maintain two separate accounts with each partner taking
responsibility for certain expenses. Maybe he pays the mortgage and utility
bills while she takes care of food, household expenses and charge pay­
ments. Still others like to set up a joint account for fixed expenses and
separate accounts for other expenses and individual use.
Whatever way you decide is best, each spouse should maintain at
least a small separate account as well as some form of credit in his or her
own name. If you find that you and your partner have duplicate charge
accounts or just too many, you may want to close some. But when doing
so, be sure to structure your credit accounts so that each of you will have a
credit history to fall back on in the event of a divorce or a spouse's death.
Although, in the past, you may not have given a lot of thought to in­
surance, marriage tends to get you thinking about the effects of loss, dis­
ability or death. You'll want to be sure you have adequate insurance—
both on your iives and on your home or apartment.
You'll need to review the many types of life insurance that are avilable
before determining what is best for your circumstances. "H ow much do
we need?" and "How much can we afford?" are the two key questions
you'll want to address Cash value policies, like whole life or universal,
allow you to build up savings but cost considerably more than term insur­
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A Ginnie Mae is a certificate representing part ownership in a pool of
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investors and guarantees timely payments of principal and interest.
While GNMAs represent an excellent investment for those looking for
high yields and safety, the $25,000 minimum investment has kept some
investors from purchasing them. In addition, GNMAs pay out interest and
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This article was provided by A.G. Edwards & Sons of Salem, 1-800-523 1031.
t
PORTLAND OBSERVER
288 0033
Bo» 3137 Portland Oregon 97208
M ir a li Henderson. I ilitor/i'-ihli'h, r
A l Williams, General Manaper
INVESTMENT IDEAS
This year the country is celebrating the 200th birthday of the American
Constitution, a framework of liberties and rights for those living within the
borders of America. I, born as an African, now an American citizen, have
such mixed feelings when I am told this is a year to celebrate. For the last
20 years of my life, America has been good to me, and I have taken the
best from America. She has given me freedom to receive an education, to
work, to travel, to marry and raise a family. She has put few obstacles in
my way. But I am a relative new comer to this land and I came voluntarily.
And America has, for the most part, treated me as her guest.
When I observe, as I have done carefully, how America has treated my
brothers and sisters, taking them brutally from our homeland of Africa,
claiming for herself inaliable rights in the Constitution while they were yet
slaves, leaving them no choice but to physically and spiritually fight for their
rights under the government that had ruled their lives for over 300 years,
then I declare this is no time to celebrate a bicentennial. African Americans
cannot even celebrate 50 years of consitutional freedom, let alone 200.
Constitutional freedom is one thing. Actual, realized freedom is quite
another. As far as I am concerned African Americans do not even really
have a date from which to begin to count true freedom, full realization of
their rights in America All around us there is too much evidence that the
The Muz/urir/ TThtcrirr was estaUished in 1971)
( o . I*
Dr. Dapo Sobomehin
Member of the
Commission on Black Affairs
Executive Director
of Operation E.A.S.Y.
200th Birthday of the
American Constitution
The th.nlund Observer (USPS 96B580I is p.U ished every
Thurvtay by Erne Publishing Company. Inc , 1A63 N E Killinqs
worth. Portland. Oregon 97211. Post Office Bo» 3137. Portland
Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid el Portland Oregon
r f jir
act on the solutions that are raised.
The issues facing us are far too critical for us to leave them to the
efforts of a few. For over 300 years we have suffered. It's obvious no one
but us is going to take our problems seriously. We have to do it and we
must do it together. We cannot afford to cut each other down. We must
overcome the divisiveness, look beyond where we came from or our aca­
demic background, and for the sake of our longsuffering, join our forces,
support one another and each one do his or her part. For, whatever part
of the country of part of the world you came from, you have a part to take
in sQlving the problem unique to us as a race.
I personally have struggled to find my role because I cannot sit still and
watch my people suffer. Since I have been in Oregon the past four years,
I have met with our brothers in the Oregon State Penitentiary, helping them
make the most of their time in prison and motivating them to prepare for
a productive life in society. But no matter what impact I could have there,
and sometimes I wonder how large it is, there are always more of our men
and women coming into the system, headed for years of wasted time. So
I determined to spend my energies on prevention instead of remediation.
And that is how Operation E.A.S.Y. began.
Operation E.A.S.Y. (Efforts Aimed at Sensitizing You) is a compre­
hensive program for elementary students already at-risk of failing academi­
cally and socially. These young people, if left alone, are the ones who will
be the prisoners of the future. If they are to have a bright future, they
need individualized education, so Operation E.A.S.Y. provides tutoring in
and after school, and trains their parents to tutor them at home. However,
many of their problems begin with a homelife unstabilized by unemploy­
ment, adult illiteracy, alcoholism, drug addiction and crime. So a unique
aspect of Operation E.A.S.Y. is it's intervention in the home with guided
referrals to community services.
Meanwhile the children need positive adult role models now, and that
is where you can participate. Each child in Operation E.A.S.Y. will have
a mentor to include him or her in the mentor's family, work and place of
worship and, thus, demonstrate a successful alternative to the destructive
path the child could be headed on. Operation E.A.S.Y. could be knocking
on your door soon to ask if you will provide hope for our youth.
No matter what you do, please search your souls and discover what
your part is in creating our destiny. The burden may be great, but as Oper­
ation E.A.S.Y.'s logo states — "When we carry the LOAD together, it
becomes EASY." The time is now. So much is at stake. Let's come to­
gether and work together.
Letters to the Editor
f
N a tio n a l A d v ertisin g R e p rä s e n ta tiv *
A m a lg a m a te d Publishers hit
N e w York
E ditor
racism that allowed America's founders to write "all men are created equal"
without even considering us as people, that racism is still embedded in the
heart and institutions of America even if it is not in her books of law.
Nationwide the penal system is filled with our men and women. This dis­
parity almost literally sickens me. We are oly 12% of the nation s popula­
tion but we are over 45% of the prison population. We are 1.4% of Oregon
but 10-15% of the Oregon State Penitentiary depending on the month.
Why? Are we so much more wicked than the rest of Americans? Or have
we as a people been so systematically stripped of our dignity and self
respect through generation upon generation of degradation and denial of a
decent, self-supporting life that we consider it our place in society to rape,
rob, steal and self destruct on alcohol and drugs?
It's not hard to see why and how too many of our brothers and sisters
have become who they are. The hard, terribly hard, question to answer is
what do we do about it? And who is supposed to do it? All over the city the
issues and problems of our men, our women, our children, our families
and our communities are being discussed, defined and bemoaned. But
precious few seem to have solutions, and even fewer the commitment to
ance which given you the greatest amount of protection at the lowest cost.
Consider, too, your need for disability insurance, which provides you with
an income should you be unable to work because of sickness or injury. In
making decisions on insurance, you have to balance your needs with your
resources
Homeowner’s insurance, and its equivalent for renters, protects your
home and its contents. The amount of coverage you should have depends
on the replacement cost of your home and your personal possessions. Like
life insurance, your choice of homeowner's insurance will require you to
study your particular situation and compare the policies available.
Overlapping employee benefits is an area many new couples overlook.
If both partners work, there's a good chance that both employers provide
health and other insurance benefits. By examining both policies carefully,
you can determine whether it might be advantageous to merge some bene­
fits If both policies provide free or low-cost coverage, it might be best to
keep both since many plans allow for coordination of benefits. This means
that after you submit your claim to the primary plan, you can submit the
claim, along with a record of how much the first plan paid, to the other
plan and you'll be reimbursed for some or all of the remaining amount. But
if the cost of health insurance to one partner is high and your medical ex­
penses are generally low, you might save by dropping that coverage and
covering both of you under the plan that costs the least.
To avoid duplicate coverage, many companies offer cafeteria style
benefits which allow employees to pick and choose the benefits they need.
For example, if your spouse's company provides health insurance for both
of you at a reasonable cost, you might choose to sign up for a dental plan
or additional life insurance with your company.
CPAs suggest that financial planning in the early years of your
marriage can lay the groundwork for the financial planning process that will
take you through your marriage on firm financial footing.
Looking for a CPA in your community? Call the Oregon Society of
CPAs at 1-800 255 1470 (Oregon toll-free) or 641 7200 (Portland Metro.)
Portland Observer
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