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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1987)
Dear Citizens of Roseburg Page 6, Portland Observer. December 9^2982, Education: Past & Present by Professor McKinley Burt As a lead article I would like to introduce the reader to this passage from a book by William L. Katz, "Eyewitness: The Negro in Ameri can History", Pittman, 1967, p. 115 (now out of print). My point is that, over a hundred years ago, Black educators (and students), the newly-freed slaves, were making excellent educational progress and were demonstrating cognitive abilities that defy, in most cases, a comparison with today’s innercities. And many will recall that in the preface of my book, ' Black Inventors of America", page 6, I cited General Saxton, Comman der of the United States Depart ment of the South, as he wrote in the official government military annals (1866-1869): On some of these islands off the coasts of Geor gia and South Carolina, the freed men have established civil govern ments with constitutions and laws. Further, they have set up all the different departments for schools, churches, building of roads, and other improvements.' (For a look at the current condition of these Black people, see the feature article of the December National Geographic Magazine.) Now, let me ask the reader a silly question: Are we turning out, to day, Black high school graduates who can perform at that level? Remember, now, that we have a $100 billion dollar educational esta blishment with more real estate and equipment than the U.S. General Services Administration, and with over 91 varieties of administrative. .a t the same time with geo graphy I studied and masteied Eng lish grammar. . . . I therefore added that to my curriculum. Having now the groundwork, I began to build the superstructure. A Black S choolm aster in the I commenced with "Playfair s Eu Deep South clid," and proceeded as far as the I Daniel A. Payne, a free Negro of first five books. The next thing Charleston, opened his first school that arrested my attention was bo in 1829 He taught three children tany. Descriptive chemistry, during the day and three adult natural philosophy, and descriptive slave«, at night. Each pupil paid astronomy followed in rapid succes 50 cents a month. As his expenses sion. . . . mounted he became discouraged Then, on a Thursday morning, I and quit. Then a white man told bought a Greek grammar, a lexicon, him that the difference between a and a Greek Testament. On the master and slave was "nothing but same day I mastered the Greek superior knowledge,' and Payne alphabet; on Friday I learned to decided to reopen his school.) write them; on Saturday morning I translated the first chapter of Math On the first of the year 1830 I ew s Gospel from Greek into Eng re-opened my school, which con lish. My very soul rejoiced and exul tinued to increase in numbers until ted in this glorious triumph. Next the room became too small, and I came the Latin and the French. was constrained to procure [a lar Meanwhile I was pushing my stu ger) place. This in turn became dies in drawing and coloring till I too small, and one was built for was able to produce a respectable me. . . . flower, fruit, or animal on paper During the three years of my and on velvet. attendance at the school of Mr. My researches in botany gave me Thomas S. Bonneau I learned how a relish for zoology; but as I could to read, write, and spell; also arith never get hold of any work on this metic as far as the "Rule of Three. science, I had to make booxs for Spelling was a delightful exercise of myself. This I did by killing such my boyhood. In this I excelled. . . ■ insects, toads, snakes, young alli History was my great delight. Of gators, fishes, and young sharks as geography and map-drawing, Eng I could catch. I then cleaned and lish grammar and composition I stuffed those that I could, and hung knew nothing, because they were them upon the walls of my school not taught in any of the schools room. . . . for colored children. . . . I He then My enthusiasm was the inspira managed to find a geography and tion of my pupils. I used to take atlas for his classes. I teaching and support-type person nel. My series of articles will exa mine and question this machine but for now, let us look at this ex cerpt from 'Eyewitness : my first class into the woods every Saturday in search of insects, rep tiles, and plants, and at the end of five years I had accumulated some fine specimens of each of these. . . it was also one of my methods in order to interest my- pupils to erect several gymnastic instruments, that they might deve lop their muscular systems and find amusement to break the monotony of the school room; but in all their sports I led them in person. . Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne, Recollec tions of Seventy Yeats'" (Nashville, 1888), pp 19-25 ___________ Very obviously this passage re presents the same level of Black educational expectation and com mitment that I described as still in existence as late as the 1930 s (in an October 28 interview by this news paper). It cannot be said that the Portland School District has been unaware of the historical depth and excellence presented by any of these earlier models. After all, as early as 1969 Dr. Helen Edmonds, Dean of the Graduate School at North Carolina Central University, was brought here to conduct a two- week Black History Session for Portland high school teenagers at Portland State University. What can be said is that there has been a consistent and traumatic failure on the part of this school system to related its chaotic taxonomy of edu cational objectives to a realistic ap preciation or understanding of the clientele, or of its history, or of its motivational modes. How long, oh Lord, how long? Garvey Scholar Honored by Black Students Dr. Tony Martin, well-known ex pert on the Marcus Garvey Move ment, was recently honored by the National Black Student Unity Con ference meeting at Howard Univer sity in Washington, D.C. A thou sand students from sixty universities and colleges around the United States spent three days in late Octo ber in workshops and discussions. At an awards banquet Dr. Martin was presented with a specially in scribed plaque "For truth and inte grity in historical research." Dr. Martin, professor and chairman of Black Studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, is the author or editor of eight books on the Garvey Movement, including "Race First," generally acknowledged as the clas sic study of the largest international Black mass movement of all time. Conference organizer Abdul Haqq Islam in introducing Dr. Mar tin noted that Black America has long honored its athletes and enter tainers. The time had come, he said, to show similar recognition for outstanding scholarship. The entire forward movement of Black peoples in the twentieth century owed a tremendous debt to Marcus Garvey, he said. Dr. Martin, through twenty years of unrelenting research and publication had made available to subsequent generations a record of Garvey's achievements that would always inspire the A fri can world. Also honored was Marcus Garvey himself, for "Dedication and service to African-American students. Garvey's award was accepted on behalf of Garvey's two sons by W il liam Jackson Bey of the Washing ton branch of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Other speakers at the conference included Minister Louis Farrakhan, national spokesman of the Nation of Islam and Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael). Presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson was scheduled to speak but had to can cel at the last moment. Dr. Martin delivered the keynote address at the awards banquet, on the subject of "Students as Lead ers." He pointed out that students had always played a crucial role in African-American history, from the first African American newspaper, Freedom's Journal in 1827 to the pioneer literary and historical socie ties of the nineteenth century, to Garvey's own movement during and after the First World War, and right up to the Civil Rights and Black Power struggles of recent times. Marcus Garvey was a part time stu dent in London immediately prior to starting his Universal Negro Im provement Association in 1914. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had only recently finished graduate school when he assumed leadership of the Montgomery Improvement Associa tion in 1955, thereby ushering in the Civil Rights Movement. The conference was sponsored by the National Black Student Unity Congress. Liam Callen. Executive D irector of the N o rth /N o rth e a s t C om niu nity M ental Health Center. Inc., s ittin g in a van tha t was donated by Pacific N o rth w e st Bell ( P N B .) . rece.ves the keys from Russ B row n. B row n. Chairm an of the N orthw est C o m m u n ity Rela tions Team of P N B. arranged the donation o f the van tha t w ill More than 40 years ago, Black poet-writer Countee Cullen wrote the following poem: "Once riding in old Baltimore, heart filled, head willed with glee, I saw a Baltimorean keep looking straight at me. Now I was eight and very small, and he was no whit bigger, and so I smiled, but he poked out his tongue and called me, "N igger." I saw the whole of Bal timore from May to December; of all the things that happened there that's all that I remember . . . " The poem describes human ugli ness, contempt and morbid human hostility: an up close and personal encounter of the worst kind. On the night of November 27, 1987, at the AAA football playoff game in your fair community of Roseburg, fans, cheerleaders and football players from Portland's Benson High School were greeted by a human ugliness of the worst kind: cheerleaders were pelted with rocks, the lives of Black students were threatened, and the most fre quently heard chant was "Nigger go home!" The scene was reminiscent of America during her heydays of racial ugliness. Prior to journeying to Roseburg, our African American community had great expectations of your com munity. It was felt, despite rumors to the contrary, that your commu nity would welcome our children with open arms. It was believed that the coming together of the two communities would be done in the best of American tradition. Our children looked forward to what they considered a "grand affair ; a competitive meeting between two of Oregon's top AAA football teams. Instead, they found them selves in foreign, hostile land. However, Roseburg is not a land set apart. It belongs to a nation where the architects of our republic signed a promissory note to which every American is an heir. This note, the Constitution and the De claration of Independence, was the promise that all Americans would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The ugliness of racism and the absence of justice that prevailed in your community on the night of Nov. 27, leaves a deep, ugly scar on the heart and soul of African-Ameri can communities throughout the State of Oregon. The honor, the dignity and the humanity of your community was tarnished by foot ball fans who deliberately carved horrible memories onto the hearts, souls and minds of our children. Harassment Law be used to tra nsp o rt clients of the c e n te r The following is a copy of the current law on harassment in the State of Oregon: 166.065 Harassment. (1) A per son commits the crime of harass ment if the person intentionally: (a) Harasses or annoys another person by: (A) Subjecting such other person to offensive physical contact; or (B) Publicly insulting such other person by abusive words or ges tures in a manner intended and like ly to provoke a violent response; (b) Subjects another to alarm by conveying a false report, known by the conveyor to be false, concern ing death or serious physical injury MHCC Holiday Registration Set For Dec. 29, 30 For the first time since initiating a week-long Christmas holiday clo sure three years ago, Mt. Hood Community College will open its doors Dec. 29 and 30 for winter- term registration. Four key student service areas, admissions, the busi ness office, financial aid and the bookstore, will be open from 8 a m. to 4:30 p.m. on those days. All other MHCC offices will be closed Dec. 25 through Jan. 3. In previous years the calendar has allowed for at least one full day of registration after Jan. 1 and prior to the first day of winter term, said registrar Marilyn Kennedy. How ever, since Jan. 1 is a Friday and classes are due to start Monday, Jan. 4, college officials were con cerned students would be unduely inconvenienced by a lull holiday closure. For more information, contact Kennedy at 667-7368 PORTLAND OBSERVER The Eyes and Ears of the Community 9 R R -0 0 3 3 The State of Oregon's reputation as an ensurer and protector of the human rights and dignity of all its citizens has been atrociously stained and plunged into uncertainty. In our community of African- Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Ameri cans and white Americans, we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men, women and children are created equal. We believed it when we sent our children to your com munity and we still believe it now. We also believe that a threat to jusice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere — even in your com munity. And if your community can only guarantee the unalienable rights of self hood and self-dignity to certain Oregon citizens, rather than to all of its citizens, then your community has defaulted on its pro missory note of honoring this sacred obligation as far as Black Oregon ians are concerned. The football tans of your com munity stripped our children of their selfhood and dignity. In response, Black and white Oregonians form our community are gathering around the conference table to decide how they will respond to this injustice. It is their perspective that certain citizens of your com munity deliberately created life- threatening conditions based on a disrespect for the law, and a dis respect for the rights and safety of our children and the fans who accompanied them. This is a time for action. We ask that the law abiding, free dom-loving citizens from your com munity acknowledge the tragedy. We believe that most citizens there are descent, responsible people. And we believe that the majority of your citizens seek harmony with their neighbors regardless of their color. Thus in the spirit of equality, racial harmony, and democracy, we urge you to condemn the actions and behaviors of your citizens on the night of November 27. We urge you to take a stand against racial hatred, racial injustice, and racial violence. We urge you to erase the stains of dishonor your commu nity now bears. We urge you to gather together with us to heal the wounds our community, your com munity, our children, and your chil dren have suffered. By doing so, we will all learn how to rise and walk again. Sincerely, Nyewusi Askari to a person, which report reason ably would be expected to cause alarm; or (c) Subjects another to alarm by conveying a telephonic or written threat to inflict serious physical injury on that person or to commit a felony involving the person or pro perty of that person or any member of that person's family, which threat reasonably would be expected to cause alarm. (2) A person is criminally liable for harassment if the person know ingly permits any telephone under the person's control to be used in violation of subsection (1) of this section. (3) Harassment in a Class B mis demeanor. Quality Copies - 284-2129 ««OINITTH OPEN 7 DAYS DELIVERED! kinko'S 223-2056 t.w zvriMON im i OPEN 24 HOURS You a n gr p«. 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