Page 2, Portland Observer, November 25, 19R7
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
/
O P IN IO N
Along the Color Line
Civil Rights Journal
In Tribute to John Oliver Killens
Message to Black Parents
As we prepare to roast the Thanksgiving turkey and bake the sweet
potato pie; as we prepare long awaited thank-you lists and love-you notes;
as we prepare for the all-night Thanksgiving party with out of-town friends
and relatives; as we prepare the thank God and friends for helping us to sur
vive another day of uncertainty; and as we prepare to look forward to the
coming of a new year, let's not forget to take some time to find out what's
happening with and to our children.
Here is a message that begins with a question. Can you remember what
you were doing on the nights of October 23 and 24, 1987? Can you remem
ber who you were with? Were you with your children?
I ask these questions because on the nights of October 23 and 24, the
following documented events happened:
• On October 23, 1987, at Madison High School's 30th reunion, approx
imately 150 Black youths and 50 to 60 Asian youths engaged in a serious life-
threatening racial confrontation at a Bowling Alley across the street from the
, school. This incident took place between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
• Between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. the same night, a Plaid Pantry
store at 82nd and Fremont Street reported that a group of Black youths had
taken items from the store and left without paying.
• Later that night when Tri-Met Bus No. 72 made its routine stop at
82nd and Fremont Street, a larae aroup of Black youths forced their way
«onto the bus and stole a book of transfers in the process.
• On Saturday, October 24, around 12:25 a.m., Tri-Met Bus No. 8
(Irvington) was making its last run from downtown when it stopped to pick
up approximately 40 Black youths. It is reported that several Black males
from this group attacked a white female passenger. When she fought back,
she was attacked repeatedly. After realizing that the bus driver had called for
police help, the youths got off the bus and threw rocks at it.
These events reflect why we must work much harder to prepare our
children to understand and deal with the outside world. For many of them,
any neighborhood outside our community is viewed as part of an outside
world — a foreign world — a world constructed of no-no's and taboos.
It is clear that many of our children are showing evidence of the damage
racism has done to them. When a 15-year-old Black child spits in the face of
a 42-year-old white bus driver, that child is exhibiting signs of anger and hate.
When a group of Black children attack a white female because she is white,
those children are expressing anger and hate. When Black youths walk into
a store and steal and then dare the white employee to defend himself, they
are displaying behaviors of anger and hate. These youths understand racism
by its relationship to white skin.
This Thanksgiving, let's take time out to be with our children. Let's
talk to them, hug them, play with them, inform them, teach them, love them,
and assure them that they are our number-one priority. Let’s talk to them
about love and courage and excellence and heritage and history and brother
hood and nationhood and communityhood. Let's take time to find out how
much they are hurting and what's causing the pain. Let's take time to ex
plore their world and discover the right and wrong of it.
By doing so, we have everything to gain.
By not doing so, we have everything to lose. On October 23 and 24,
we lost, and innocent people paid the price. We must not allow this kind of
history to repeat itself again.
Dr Manning Marable is Chairperson of the Black Studies Department. Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio
Along the Color Line appears in over 140 newspapers internationally
Reaganism Without Reagan
In the wake of his second failure in two weeks to place conservative
nominee on the Supreme Court, political pundits have a new tag for the Pre
sident: "Reagan the W im p."
Actually, Reagan's declining influence has bee a fact of political life for
more than a year. In the November, 1986 elections, the Democrats seized
control of the Senate, despite Reagan’s repeated campaign trips into the
South to promote reactionary Republican candidates. The Iran-Contra
Scandal highlighted the high degree of internal corruption and illegality inside
the Reagan administration, while the President himself was shown to
be either ignorant or incompetent. Attorney General Ed Meese and other
former administrative peons have been implicated in the Wedtech Scandal;
former White House deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver has been
charged with perjury, and former national security advisor Robert C. McFar
lane attempted to commit suicide. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger,
recognizing the declining powers of his old boss, has just resigned. Congress
bypasses the White House on key legislation, and the Senate rejected the
President's first Supreme Court nominee, Robert Bork, by the widest margin
in history. And when the media uncovered that Judge Douglas H Ginsburg,
the President's second nominee, had previously smoked dope and had pro
found problems regarding legal ethics, Reagan's stock fell to all-time lows.
The Gipper had lost his zip.
The Far Right, wounded and perplexed, now seems to be endulging in
a form of political sour grapes. The key elements of Reaganism - reducing
the size of federal government, deregulating markets, cutting taxes, reducing
inflation rates, diminishing the power of labor unions, and gutting affirmative
action laws — had failed precisely because they were not implemented and
effectively enforced. "The major failure of the Reagan Administration was
the failure to discipline spending," complains William A. Niskanen, a former
member of Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors. Niskanen points to the
continued growth of government and regulations as evidence that "there
was no Reagan revolution." A similar complaint is registered by Paul Craig
Roberts, Reagan’s former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Roberts still
advocates the President’s bogus belief that massive tax cuts and major in
creases in Pentagon expenditures would not produce record deficits. History
and common sense says otherwise. But instead, Roberts blames the current
economic mess on the policymakers and administrators, "people whose
whole political careers have told them to cut deals. The political manage
ment of Reaganomics should get a D-minus."
Niskanen, Roberts and Company are anxious to rewrite recent economic
history, because they don't want to share the blame for the massive crisis
which Reaganomics will generate in the next few years. Contrary to their
assertions, Reagan was profoundly effective in remaking the national ideo
logical, political and economic map. The President's ruthless destruction of
PATCO in 1981, for instance, inspired a successful corporate offensive
against the unions. Reagan's utter contempt for affirmative action set back
the interests of women, Blacks and qJher people of color. His advocacy of
unregulated markets and state's rights is widely accepted among Repub
licans and Democrats alike. Tax cuts for the wealthy combined with keeping
a firm lid on the . .inimum wage for the poor accelerated income inequally.
But the economic "chickens" soon will come home to roost. The eco
nomic expansion of 1983-87 occurred largely because of deficit spending.
Americans' savings rates have plummetted, and the U S. owes the rest of
the world more than $400 billion. The recent stock market crash was just an
early warning that something is fundamentally wrong with the U.S. eco
nomy. And the most logical solution would be, in part, to cut the swollen
military budget significantly, and reallocating resources to jobs programs,
health care and related human services. Unfortunately, the probable solution
advanced by both parties and by almost all leading white Presidential can
didates will be to cut domestic consumption, reducing many entitlement
programs, and possibly adopting a value-added tax. Instead of taxing the
corporations and restricting corporate flight from state to state and outside
the U.S., we will see both parties try to transfer the crisis on the backs of
those who can least afford it. Although Reagan’s personal clout has all but
disappeared, the dangerous assumptions which dictate his policies are more
widely shared than ever before. A Democrat could win the White House
next year, but without a fundamental change in policies, we would have
Reaganism without Reagan.
The Congress w ill he able Io
reduce the deficit by 700 m il
lion dollars i f it holds out for
the highest price when selling
one o f it's properties: a rail
road.
When Congress approved
th e form ation of Conrail. the
g o v e rn m e n t-o w n e d fre ig h t
railroad, from th e rem ain s of
the Penn C entral and several
o th er railroads in 1973, it
held out the hope th a t Conrail
could be sold to the private
—
.
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Electrocuting the Elderly
sold to the highest bidder
African Seeks Pen Pal
|
Social Security
They’re already drugging our children in.school. Now the psychiatrists
want to drug and electro-shock our elderly into early graves, and they want
YOU to pay for it.
A proposed federal law, Senate Bill 1209, would give the psychiatric
industry an undeserved shot in the arm with your tax dollars by permitting
unlimited Medicare funding for electro shock treatments. Thousands of
elderly will have the winter of their lives degraded and shortened by this bru
tal practice, while the psychiatric industry rakes in millions.
Picture this scenario. Eighty-nine year old Melissa Brown has just lost
her husband of 60 years. She is very depressed. She gets referred to Dr.
Drug N. Shock, but can’t afford his outrageous prices. But, that's no pro
blem. Medicare will handle 80% of his bill.
Dr. Shock thus proceeds to give Melissa a series of several shock treat
ments over the next four weeks each time drugging her into unconscious
ness with potent drugs. He collects the cash. Melissa is left with brain
damage, memory loss, confusion, reduced quality of life, and perhaps a
much shorter one.
All this woman needed was a little love, and some sincere conversation,
things Dr. Shock knows little about.
« •
Neurologists have been complaining for over four decades that electro
shock causes brain damage, yet the psychiatric industry has turned a deaf
ear to these warnings. They can only hear the sound of money.
Now is the time to speak out against this abuse. We must not allow our
hard won tax dollars to be used to degrade and mistreat people who helped
to build our country. Write to your Senator in Washington, D.C., AND TELL
Taxpayers will be $700 million ahead if the railroad is HIM TO VOTE AGAINST Senate Bill 1209.
Letters to the Editor
|
The passing of John Oliver Killens is a historic loss for all African people
and for all freedom-loving peoples throughout the world. When I first head
the news that John had died I paused with a deep sense of grief. For the
last several years Brother Killens and I had worked on a manuscript for a
book on the case of the Wilmington Ten. During this time I had the rare
pleasure of getting to know him and his lovely and supportive wife, Grace.
John Killens was a freedom fighter. His weapon was his pen. Killens
was an outstanding novelist, playwright, college professor, activist, organi
zer and mentor. He led the way for a whole generation of writers who have
labored to present the African American experience authentically.
In 1952, Killens founded the Harlem Writers Guild in New York City.
As playwright Loften Mitchell affirmed, "Killens was its fire; he was its glue."
Under his leadership the Guild encouraged and nurtured hundreds of African
American writers. Authors such as Maya Angelou, John Henrik Clarke,
Alice Childress, Loften Mitchell, Lonne Elder III, Douglas Turner Ward, Ossie
Davis, Ruby Dee, Saundra Sharp, Paule Marshall, Audre Lourde, Julian
Mayfield, Rosa Guy, Elsa Dinwiddie, Virgil Logan, Wesley Brown, Amiri
Baraka, Arthur Flowers, Louise Merriweather, William Branch, Sarah
Wright, Nikki Giovanni, Geri Wilson, Richard Perry, Barbara Sommers and
many others all benefited from Killens' commitment and dedication. He had
what author Alice Childress called "a generosity of spirit."
Ossie Davis recently said of John Killens, "He has influenced more of
us, including Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., than anybody I can
think of. He was one of the greatest among us landl we will miss him
dearly."
Killens' first novel, "Youngblood," was published in 1954 and was
recently reissued. It portrays an African American community that is locked
in a life and death struggle in pursuit of basic human rights in a small Georgia
town. His second novel, "And Then We Heard the Thunder," published in
1963, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This ground-breaking novel was
about the struggle of African Americans against racism in the military during
World War II. His last book, "The Great Black Russian: The Life and Times
of Alexander Pushkin," is presently in publication by Wayne State Press.
In all, he wrote over a dozen books and plays, in addition to numerous essays
and other writings.
Killens' writings continue to have an international impact. His writings
have been translated into 14 different languages and his cultural influence
has been felt throughout the world. Keorapetse Kgositsile, South African
poet and spokesman for the African National Congress (ANC), sent a special
message from the ANC to the Killens' family: "John, in his quiet, unassum
ing, selfless almost shy but uncompromising and determined manner taught
us many lessons . . . We survive because of a John Oliver Killens and
his understanding and vision of our world."
We all must pay tribute to this man who gave so much of himself in the
struggle to rid the world of racism and oppression. The legacy of John
Killens challenges us to produce and nurture more writers committed to the
pursuit of truth and justice. The legacy of John Killens challenges us not to
waste precious time but to use every moment to advance the cause of
freedom.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a twenty-three year old African, to be precise a Ghanaian high
school graduate, who needs your help very badly. I would be grateful if you
would help me.
My problem is that I want a Black American pen friend. It was fortui
tous to have had my school situated near the office of the United States
Information Services. The American Centre, as the USIS offices are called,
has a library facility. So I spent some time there reading about the Amer
¡can people. I gradually fell in love with the Black American people At
the Centre, I read about great Black Americans like Ralph Bunche, Richard
Wright, James Baldwin, Muhammed Ali, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael
Jordan; Carl Lewis, Michael Jackson and many others. The American
Centre has helped me know more about Black Americans, and now I feel it
is about time I corresponded with one. I am, therefore, appealing to you to
help me get a Black American pen friend by publishing this letter in your
newspaper.
My particulars are: Name: Isaac Narh Ababio; Address: P.0 Box
0843, Osu, Accrs, Ghana, West Africa; Occupation: Student; Hobbies:
Reading and listening to music.
I would be grateful if you would make this dream of mine come true.
Your Sincerely,
Isaac Narh Ababio
Don't Overlook White Involvement
I read the article on reduction of prison terms with some interest. How
ever, since I and one other white inmate did most of the legal research on the
issue, I found it unusual that neither of us were part of the interview. One
can not help but think that the whole story was not brought out. Is there
some need to keep hidden the fact that whites and blacks work together or
that whites are doing something for the black inmate population?
I understand that your paper is directed toward the black community,
but I feel that in the interest of fairness, the whole truth should be brought
to light.
I am personally going to do the memorandum of law for George Gains
and I will do my very best to prove the issue for Mr. Gains and all inmates
that are affected.
It should be noted that the good time issue does not-appear to be avail
able to inmates who have a minimum sentence or are sentenced to a4ife
term. I believe these two areas should also have access to the reduction, but
at this time I do not know just how this will be achieved or, in fact, if we will
prevail on this issue in an Oregon State Court.
I have not read the article that was printed in the Oregonian, but I under
stand that it had racial overtones. This is not a racial issue; it's a point of law.
As long as blacks only talk about blacks and wrong done to brothers and not
all inmates, the racial issue will remain. But it will remain becayse the black
population wants it that way, not because it actually exists. If there are
wrongs done under the legal systems of at the Oregon State Penitentiary,
then those wrongs are done to all, not just blacks.
Richard G McCawlfty
Inmate Legal Assistani