How Not To Get Sued for Christmas
Perspectives
by Professor McKinley Burt
Education: Bridge OverTroubled Waters-
At this point, I hope to have made
the case for identity and motivation
as prerequisites for a successful
learning process. Without these,
you are simply "trained" — trained
to carry out whatever or whoever's
purposes, dependent upon any cur
rent political or economic climate of
race or social engineering.
In no such case will one have an
EDUCATION or cultural literacy.
May I cite the 'welfare state' philo
sophy, or the 'crime and Black un
employment' themes. Education is
about being prepared to function in
your culture and to function well.
It is about being taught to define,
list and relate; to locate, identify
and report; to demonstrate, inter
pret and schedule; to analyze, ap
praise and assess.
EDUCATION
Surely it cannot be that difficult
for either a teacher or an admini
strator to relate their own perceived
success in their professional or eco
nomic sphere, thus having them
selves developed within a favorable
mode of motivation, identiy and as
role models. Or, in contrast, surely
they cannot fail to see that the
severe learning disabilities in the
n
minority population may, in great
part, result from the absence of
such a nurturing environment.
What is it, we may ask, that makes
it so difficult for even a committed
educator or a ' iberal' body politic to
structure into curriculum those ele
ments of Black contribution, moti
vation and identiy-role models that
are documented, historical fact.
I can answer that question from
years of experience in conducting
related workshops for teachers, ad
ministrators and other personnel in
education, industry and the public
sector. The feedback reveals that
there is a monumental barrier, a ter
rible chasm, which must be crossed
before a change can be brought
about in the perception of Black
capacity to achieve.
There is 'a Bridge Over These
Troubled Waters', but the answer is
found to be a long way from simply
second-guessing Terman and Binet
and their technocracy of mass
marketing I.Q.'s. In fact Terman
recanted (as a must, see Gould,
"The Mismeasure of Man", 1981).
This barrier — the chasm — is a
dark-waters composite of the stan
dard media presentation of race,
and the prejudices, omissions and
the deliberate misstatements of fact
found in American texts, histories
Opinions' : C o n tin u ed fro m
Page 1
In the Inner Northeast area, many citizens see the problem as a case of
simple neglect.
Clarence J., a
long-time Northeast resident, said
he is angry that the Portland Police
Bureau is just now focusing on the
problem.
"For many years, the
communities of North/Northeast
Portland have been engaged in try
ing to find ways to reduce crime.
In many ways, we sort of got the
feeling that as long as crime was be
ing committed in our neighborhood,
not too much was ever going to be
done about it. Now that Black and
White citizens have joined together
to fight the problem, we are getting
a little attention and a whole lotta
promises.
But, you see, under
these conditions, talk is useless.
I feel bad about the death of Joe
Holcomb. I feel bad that Joe Hol
comb was murdered by a Black
man. I feel bad anytime a human
being loses his or her life to sense
less violence. But, I am afraid that
it's going to continue until all of the
citizens of this whole area stand up
— ----------
and take immediate action," he said.
Photo by Richard J. Brown
Harvey Lockett, challenger for the post currently held by Commissioner
Dick Bogle, expressed similar feelings. "It is time to bring about creative,
strong measures to rid the community of crime. If a person is caught in the
act of a crime, he or she should be arrested, convicted and imprisoned. If
they are a drug abuser, and remain on drugs while they are in jail, they should
remain in jail," he explained.
Lockett believes that many citizens are fast losing faith. "People who
live in this community are frustrated. There is now an absence of trust, an
absence of faith. The Police Bureau and the community must engage in
some serious dialogue and work together to develop programs which will
address the problems. Drug dealers and other criminals work twenty-four
hours a day. So must we. But most of all, we must be about educating peo
ple to what's going o n ," he said.
Debbie Butzen, a 15-year resident of Inner Northeast, says the problem
must be addressed on many fronts. "There isn't enough police protection,
not enough positive activities for our children and not enough treatment
programs for drug and alcohol abusers."
Whatever the solutions, most residents agree that the time to act is
now. And, if the recent crime statistics are correct, and if law enforcement
agencies and Commissions continue to talk rather than act, then most neigh
borhoods in this city will experience a long wait before any relief is forth
coming.
By that time, it may indeed be "too little, too late.'
Wholesale
Pricing
On Groceries
Gone Public
Did you know that for almost 30 years you could have bought some of
your groceries at wholesale prices? The Bee Company, for over 30
years, has offered the public weekly snipments of name-brand
groceries at genuine wholesale prices.
You II firid canned and
packaged goods, pet foods, as well as frozen and close dated deli
products on the shelves. The best feature is that you do not have to
buy by the case. You buy just what you want to buy, just the amount
you need. Located at 800 N. Killingsworth, just east of I 5, they are
open Monday through Saturday 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. Isn't it about
time you save on your grocery bill?
PHONE 283-3171
W H Tell You Ml About It
and literature.
Remember Marshall McLuhan's
"The Medium Is The Message ”?
The first thing this 'message' does is
to separate Blacks from their glori
ous heritage: The great cultural
and scientific contributions that saw
civilization founded in AFRICA are,
through a deliberate manipulation of
geography, posited to have occur
red on some ephemeral MIDDLE
EAST.
Also, the great contributions of
the Moors (quite black in Shake-
spear's dramas) in creating the Re
naissance to bring Europe out of its
barbaric 'Dark' Ages is presented by
American media and texts as the ac
complishments of a people resem
bling, and undifferentiated from,
today's Iranians and Iraquis.
It is only recently that our tele
vision and magazines show that,
even today, so much of the popu
lace — Black and wooly-headed,
including oil ministers — could be
replicated on the streets of Harlem
or any other American ghetto. Isay
only culinary utensils, those who
made only agricultural implements,
and those who made only weapons.
Many have seen the beautiful iron
work in New Orleans, crafted by
the Black slaves.
Elsfewhere on those shores, we
find during slavery, and described
by the National Geographic Maga
zine, over 200 IRON PLANTA
TIONS! - not COTTON, but IRON
— ranging from Saugus, Massachu
setts, to the Cheasapeake Bay area.
Professor Arthur Bining, in his
book, "British Regulation of the
Colonial Iron Industry", has given
not only the names of each slave
craftsman and their individual pro
duction of iron ingots, but has sug
gested that the reason England for
bade the processing of iron into
finished goods was that the Amer
ican colonists, with the help of their
slaves, would not only destroy En
gland's monopoly, but also that the
colonists would gain the capacity
to build a formidable military
'Identity' is the message, the message that
will tell you who you were, who you are,
and who you will be.
that 'dentity' is the message, the
message that will tell you who you
were, who you are, and who you
will be.
There are other elements of this
"Bridge" wherein we answer the
classic canard — that of a shuffling,
bumbling slave, fit only to pick cot
ton or serve mint juleps. I have
written and lectured elsewhere of
the West Africans who, by the time
of slavery, had refined 6000 year-old
iron working techniques to a level
of sophistication such that the
blacksmith craft was divided into
singular groups — those who made
machine and REVOLT.
As we know, they did just that
and separated the mother country
from tens-of-millions of acres of real
estate.
And when the southern
section of this country revolted in
an effort to retain ownership of this
super-valuable technological pro
perty — the Black slave — they
managed to hang on as long as they
did in the Civil War, because the
slaves manufactured munitions and
uniforms, ran trains, navigated
boats, operated factories, and re
paired machinery — darn 'cotton-
pickers’ .
Reggie Blake - C o n tin u ed fro m
tine care to make them feel comfor
table and at ease. Patients some
times come back to show her their
progress in getting well.
"You don't realize what you do
for people until later sometimes.
It's really great when patients come
back to visit," she says.
When Blake isn't caring for
patients, she tries to do some things
that are fun for her — and she sees
them as ways to relive the stress
that nursing can sometimes bring.
She's taken ballet classes for two
years at Mt. Hood Community Col
lege, and she co-chairs the Gresham
Chuck Hinton’s
, = R IB EXPRESS
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Home entertaining is another area
to plan.
First, you can serve alcohol, but
stop before your guests become
visibly intoxicated. If you continue
pouring after your guests appear
impaired by the alcohol, you could
be facing a serious legal problem,
not to mention putting them, your
other guests and innocent drivers
at risk. Your party could be ruined
if a single guest is arrested for drunk
driving while returning from your
home.
Secondly, don't keep your food
out too long. Turkey poses a spe
cial problem. It often carries the
food poison, salmonella, so keep
foodstuffs in the refrigerator as
much as possible. And all foods
should be properly cooked, espe
cially chicken and pork. It's your
responsibility to know how to cook,
prepare and present food that is
safe for your guests.
You are expected to take all steps
that a reasonable, prudent person
would take, says Mr. Holloway,
noting that this is the standard for
assessing liability in most cases.
There's a difference between le
gal liability, and an accident, but
either can ruin a perfectly wonderful
holiday. The solution, in avoiding
both accidents and lawsuits are the
same: take time, think and plan
with the best health of your family
and guests in mind this holiday sea
son.
A little extra thought and care can
go a long way in making sure the
holiday season is a joy for every
one, especially your loved ones,
says Holloway.
Nicaraguan Farmers Talk to Portlanders
bv Martin Gonzalez, Central America Program Director, AFSC
Page 1
Auxiliary of the Oregon Symphony
Association and attend the sym
phony when she can.
She would encourage anyone in
terested in working with people to
consider nursing as a career.
"If they really think they want to
work with people, and do the physi
cal labor of taking care of patients,
they will like nursing," she says.
She suggests young people work
first in a nursing home or as a
nurse's aide to get an idea of what
nursing can be like.
"If you choose nursing, the re
wards are wonderful."
•
•
•
•
Candles, Christmas trees, visiting
friends and family, giving gifts and
toys, entertaining loved ones . . .
these are the stuff of happy holi
days. . . But the merriest of holidays
can be ruined by an accident or a
lawsuit that follows. Portland attor
ney, Charles Holloway, points out
that these risks can be minimized
with some careful planning. As a
lawyer who works with insurance
companies and as a father of three,
he is especially concerned about
safety during the Christmas sea
son.
First, protect the children. Small
children should be kept away from
candles, and should be supervised
when near Christmas trees. There
are usually a lot of electrical out
lets and plugs, so make sure the
little ones don't play with the wires.
Also, pay attention to the toys
you give children. Make sure they
are age-appropriate by reading the
labels. Age limites are very impor
tant because if you give a child a toy
that she's too young to play with
and an injury follows, you may be
liable.
Also helpful in preventing injuries
are the dangerous toy lists publish
ed in newspapers and publicized by
television and radio.
When in
doubt, choose another toy.
Smaller children should not be
given any toys they can swallow.
And softer toys may make better
gifts: toys that won't injure a child
if thrown by another child. Parents
can be held liable up to $5000 for
property damage done by their
child, more if their child intentionally
harms another child by hitting him
with a toy.
la rtin G onzalez (L) in terp re ts fo r Luis Kuan A lta m ira n o «n».
On December 11th Portlanders
had the opportunity to hear and
meet Luis Kuan Altamirano, Cua-
Bocay zone representative for the
Nicaraguan Union of Peasants and
Cattlemen (UNAG in Spanish), at
the Oregon Grange Hall. UNAG is
a national organization of small and
medium independent farmers and
ranchers in Nicaragua.
Kuan Altamirano was accom
panied by Mira Brown, who stu
died appropriate technology at Ever
green State College and is currently
working for the Cua-Bocay Integra
ted Rural Development Project in
Northern Nicaragua, and Donald
McLeay, a journeyman machinist
and supervisor of the machine shop
and training center at El Cua.
The Cua-Bocay Project includes
plans for several small hydroelectric
power plants, the first of which was
built by Portland engineer Ben Lin
der, who was killed by the contras
while taking stream measurements
for a second plant. The project
also envisions reforestation, a saw
mill, a machine shop, housing,
health clinics, additional school
rooms and improved agriculture.
The goal is to raise the standard of
living and to make the isolated re
gion as economically self-dependent
as possible. This is an area that
has been hard-hit by the U.S. spon
sored Contra War.
Brown and McLeay opened the
presentation by showing slides of
their work and the region in which
they work. Kuan Altamirano pro
vided a more personal message
based on his experiences of having
lived in that area for more than 20
years. In sharing his experiences
he brought a message from the peo
pie of Nicaragua to the people in
Portland. He stated that the people
of Nicaragua are tired of war and
want more than anything else peace
to be able to raise their children.
He considers being able to raise
children in time of peace the most
wonderful thing in the world. His
hope is that Portlanders as well as
other people in the United States
lend a hand in this task by calling
on the U.S. government to end
Contra aid and the aggression
against Nicaragua.
If the standing ovations that Kuan
Altamirano, Brown and McLeay re
ceived is any indication of the re
sponse, the people of Nicaragua
can expect Portlanders to oppose
further aggression against Nicara
gua.
9 r w t rapMA R n ot RMDEi
Haiti Elections
From Congressman
Mervyn M. Dymally
31st District, CA
Chairman, Congressional
Black Caucus
Recently people interested in
democracy from all over the world
witnessed, with great disappoint
ment, violence which brought an
end to the presidential elections in
Haiti.
It is obvious from every concei
vable source that the army did not
want free and open elections. In
fact, it is reasonable to say that they
closed their eyes to the violence
which was executed by the Tontons
Macoute, the remnants of the de
posed dictatoi Duvalier.
The prospects for free elections in
Haiti do not look promising. This is
regrettable because the people of
Haiti, through a constitutional
amendment, had set a course of
action which would have resulted in
fair and open elections.
It is possible, with pressure from
the United States and freedom
loving people from all over the
world, that freedom will be restored
in Haiti.