Page 2, Portland Observer, January 20, 1988 EDITORIAL / Civil Rights Journal EDITORIRL Beniamin F. Chavis Jr Media in the Wrong Without a doubt, Catherine O'Hara is a heroine. Saving the life of 7-month-old Denoris McClendon was honorable, commendable and worthy of the highest praise. To Ms. O'Hara, The Portland Observer says, “ Thank you for a job well done." The controversy that surrounded Ms. O'Hara's decision to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a Black child without first thinking about becoming infected with AIDS deserves more attention. We believe that all persons should be concerned about the AIDS epi demic. We believe that all persons should find out as much as they can about the disease and act accordingly. However, for anyone to suggest that O'Hara should have considered the question of AIDS before consider ing whether or not to save the life of 7-month-old Denoris is cold and callous. To create a moral dilemma when there is no need is to invite panic and isolation. To raise the question during the saving of a Black child by a white female borders on racism. When Channel 2 heard about Ms. O'Hara's heroism, it conducted a viewer call-in poll. The poll asked the viewers whether or not they would help a person in need, if they weren't sure that person was free of the AIDS virus. More than 500 callers said no. We will never know if these callers said no because of fear or because of the influence of what they saw and heard the morning they were asked to call in their opinion. To date, we can't recall another poll of that sort, although many lives have been saved by men and women who didn't think twice about doing it. Portlanders should be cautious of such polls. Most merely generate fear and panic among the general population. Portlanders should not allow the threat of AIDS to prevent them from helping others. Portlanders should take precautions to protect their faces and any broken skin when performing such life-saving acts, but they should not have to think twice. Ask yourself, would you refrain from giving mouth-to-mouth resuscita tion to your neighbor's child just because you were afraid you would catch AIDS? Would you refrain from giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to your neighbor because of the same reason? We must seriously examine our feel ings on the issue and make the appropriate decision. The P ortland Observer suggests that citizens who are concerned about this matter contact the American Red Cross or other like agencies. Such agencies will provide all the possible information available on the sub ject. Currently, some paramedics carry a machine that has replaced the need to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Some doctors suggest wearing gloves, masks and goggles when administering first aid. However, we urge all Portlanders to follow the example of Catherine O'Hara. Keep an open heart. Keep an open mind. Reach out to those who need your help. Someday it may be you. Observer Note: The question of the media's insensitivity in relating the threat of AIDS with the family devastated by death and fire was asked in the presence of most of the local media; yet none of the TV stations, radio stations or newspapers that made this an issue gave any air time or ink to the principled heroine's outrage. The Portland Observer commends Catherine O'Hara for speaking out. The Harassment of African American Leadership Physical threats against the lives of progressive African American leaders are an ever-present reality in the United States. However, this is not the only kind of attack which they risk when they speak out on the issues. A more veiled but equal ly incidious attack is the legal harassment of African American leadership. This was re-document ed in a study earlier this year, en titled: "Harassment of Black Elect ed Officials: Ten Years Later." The report was prepared by Dr. Mary R. Sawyer for Voter Education and Registration Action, Inc., a Wash ington-based research institute. An earlier report by Dr. Sawyer, conducted ten years ago, conclud ed: "The higher the level of office or the more outspoken the official, or the greater the influence and power — the higher the incident of harassment lof a Black elected of ficial)." From the evidence presented in the current study, not much has changed. The weight of the evi dence leads Dr. Sawyer to conclude that after much legal maneuvering by local and federal prosecutors, usually via a grand jury investiga tion, "[A n] indictment typically re sults in acquittal, or in a conviction which is ultimately overturned on appeal — which then receives a three inch announcement on page 17 after the story had been front page, healine news for months on end." And this is a major point of the study. Black elected officials under attack are not being tried by a jury of their peers. They are being tried in the press by prosecuting attor neys who selectively leak informa tion helpful to the prosecution. Cer tainly this has been true of the witch-hunt now being carried out by U.S. Attorney DiGenova against Washington, D C., Mayor Marion Barry. As hard as he has tried — and he's tried very hard — Di- Genova can't seem to substantiate any charges against Mayor Barry. Thus, he has stooped to trying Mr. Barry in the press. And papers like The Civil Rights Journal, written by Benjamin Church of Christ. Established in 1970 A lfre d L. Henderson Publisher Leon L. Harris/Gen Mgr PORTLAND OBSERVER < ontroiier is published weekly by Exie Publishing Company, Inc. 5011 N.E. 26th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97211 P.O. Box 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208 Phone Number: (503) 288 0033 Richard J. Brown Editor Gary Ann Garnett Business Manager Nyewusi Askari Richard J. Brown Writer Photographer M a ttie Ann Callier-Spears Leslie V. 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Richardson Entertainment Editor Sales Representative Joyce W ashington Rebecca Robinson Sales Representative T ypesetter/ Production A rnold Pitre Lonnie Wells Sales Representative Distribution Deadlines for all submitted materials Ads Tuesday 5 p m The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photographs should he cieariy labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope Subscriptions 115 00 per year m the Tn County area The PO R TLA N D OBSERVER Oregon oldest African American Publication is a member of The National Newspaper Association Founded m 1885 The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc New York O«“ ''Á & Ú 7 o start the Portland Observer coming every week $15.00 for one year $25 00 for two years PORTLAND OBSERVER Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 N am e_______ ______ _____________________________ —-------- Address ____________________________________ —---------------- C it y -------------------------------------- S ta te _ _____________________ Zip------------------------------- ------ Black Cultural Impress Concerning "Saturday School Report Card" (1-13-88): I'm inclined to believe Black studies are a vital instrument in the determination of the quality of our future. As such, it is not a discipline to be limited to Black children, for they alone will have had direct and continuing ex posure to the critical learnings of the Black experience. The formal pedagogic exposure should be for others, for in so critical an endea vor, nothing should be taken for granted. The caucasoid child, whose social experience and whose value constructs have been deli berately contrived in most cases and inadvertently neglected in others, has been excluded from the reality of the Black impress. Hence, the caucasoid child should, at all costs, have the benefit of Black studies at some level in his acade mic career. Innocent of this exper ience, he faces the future with a dis tortion of the past which will ser iously compromise his fitness to perform acceptably in the world as it is — to say nothing of the world as it will be. Whatever the current level of re cognition, Black Amerikans [sicl are a very significant part of the pre vailing Afrikan (sicl heritage and from the peculiar learning of the Black experience in Amerika (sicl. Therefore, the effort to attempt par ticipatory modification of contem porary culture must continue, for the social order must be progres sively humanized. Blacks must con tinue the struggle to enlarge the im press of the Black experience as a pedagogic instrument in the interest of their own cultural continuity. The future of Amerika Isicl is not Along Aion the Color Line OL n Manning Marable Educational Genocide 1985 rose for whites, 26.9 of 28.7 Growing statistical evidence indi percent; but the percentage fell for cates that a type of educational Blacks, 20.7 percent down to 19.8 genocide is occurring against Black percent. Another effective method college students across the country. of viewing the problem is by focus An examination of recent data illu ing on the percentage of all high strates that the gap between the school students who went directly educational opportunities between on to colleges. For whites, the col whites and Blacks has widened lege matriculation rate was 51 per severely in the 1980s. cent in 1977, and increased to 59 Superficially, it appeared to many percent by 1984. During the same observers at first that the educa years, the rate of Black high school tional gains achieved by Black Ame students going directly to college ricans during the desegregation plummeted, from 50 percent down movement of the 1960s had con-14 to 42 percent. In short, Blacks tinued into more recent years. For are graduating from high school in instance, the proportion of high record numbers — but proportion school dropouts for Black youth ately fewer of them are enrolling aged 16 to 19 actually feel from 22 into colleges. percent in 1970 to 12 percent in The plight of the "disappearing 1983. Conversely, Black enrollment Black student" is particularly critical in universities, junior colleges, and in graduate and professional level in professional schools soared. In studies. In 1972, there were 21,000 1970, only about one in eight Afro- full-time Black graduate students. Americans over the age of 25 had By 1984, the figure had declined to finished college. Thirteen years 18,000 students. This trend was later. Black college enrollment had especially apparent in Southern doubled reaching 1.1 million. states, where the implementation of Blacks amounted to one tenth of college desegregation efforts had the total American collegiate popu lagged under the Reagan admini lation, according to the Bureau of stration. According to the research the Census. Many Black students of Black educators William Trent were the beneficiaries of affirma Another major difference bet and Elaine J. Copeland, the number tive action recruitment programs, ween the investigations of African of Black graduate students enrolled which broke down some of the American and white officials is the in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Virginia, traditional Jim Crow barriers which disproportionate number of investi Georgia, and Florida combined fell kept earlier generations of qualified gations aimed at African American from 1,783 in 1976 to 1,345 in 1982. Blacks out of elite, white institu elected officials. There are 490,770 First-time graduate enrollment for tions. white elected officials in the United Blacks also declined from 1,218 in But Blacks who gained admission States. Of that number only a small 1978 down to 757 six years later. to such colleges generally were well percentage are being investigated. prepared academically. Indeed, the Nationwide, Black enrollment at In stark contrast, only 6,400 (or gap between white and Black col all graduate schools declined by 1.5%) of elected officials are Afri lege entrance examination scores approximately one eighth since can American. Yet when William narrowed by more than 40 points 1980. Black enrollments in manage Webster was FBI Director he admit since the mid-1970s. ment and business schools dropped ted that 40% of African American However, these educational im from 7,511 students in 1980 to 7,330 elected officials were under investi provements partially masked other in 1984, barely 3.6 percent of all gation. more negative trends, which were business students. Despite in not fully appreciated until the mid- This is not a random occurrence. creases in Blacks’ test scores for 1980s. In previous years, the cost of It is a deliberate and systematic medical school admissions, the per a college education did not general scheme to prevent further political centage of Black medical students ly keep pace with the rate of infla empowerment of the African Ameri has also dropped since 1984. In a tion, which had the effect of reduc can community. In this nation, few fields, Afro-American doctoral ing the real cost of college for some when a people are singled out for students remain virtually nonexis working-class families. But during racial and political intimidation, the tent. For instance, in 1986 only 11 the Reagan administration, tuition result impedes and strangles demo Blacks were granted doctoral de and fees have been much higher cracy for all citizens. grees in engineering. The total than inflation, and the requirements number of Blacks obtaining docto F Chavis, Jr., is a publication of the United for federal financial assistance have rates in computer science last year been severely constricted. Grants was three. formerly comprised over two-thirds What are the implications of this of all tuition costs for the average systemic destruction of Black higher Black student. By the mid-1980s, educational opportunity? Colleges the vast majority of aid was repre and professional schools are prime sented in the form of loans not institutions of socioeconomic up grants, and the total amount of better than the education of her ward mobility for millions of Ameri money given was sharply reduced. children, and the quality of educa cans — Black, Hispanic, and white. Since most Blacks' family income tion is no better than the quality By partially closing these avenues failed to keep pace with inflation, of information we share in getting for training, the size of the potential the amount of discretionary income at the truth. Black middle class will be severely which could be saved for an educa Looking also at countries which limited. Since the middle class has tion also declined. Working-class have recently emerged from colon traditionally produced the leader households earning $15,000 to ialism does not offer ready-made ship of Black America in electoral $25,000 annually could scarcely af solutions to the oppression of Ame- politics, economics, the clergy, edu ford to pay even one-third of the rikan Isicl Black people. In each of cation, and the arts, the ability of tuition, room, and board at most these cases, the oppressed peoples this strata to reproduce itself is c u r-; private and many public colleges. were the overwhelming majority of tailed. Thus one central racial tenet Thus between 1980 and 1984, the the population, while the oppres of Reaganism, which j s t o move total number of Black youth in four- sors were a small minority. In the Black America backward to its year colleges dropped by 3.3 per U.S., the situation is reversed, and subordinate status of the Plessy vs., cent, down to 613,000 students. the oppressors are the overwhelm Ferguson era, is well served through- The total percentage of students ing majority and the oppressed are this process of "educational geno between the ages of 18 and 24 en the small minority. These differ cide." _____ rolled in colleqe between 1975 and ences in numbers, of necessity, call Dr. Manning Marable is Chairperson of the Black Studies Department, Ohio State University, for different tactics. Columbus, Ohio. ' Along_t)w^x)loM jnejjHH ^s_ln_oveM 402Tewspapers_intem irtionalh^ I'm inclined to believe the ques tion facing Black people is: How developed countries in that it has a [sic] scene. The Jewish people in can we most effectively teach our centralized political system and a this country have made excellent; children the political facts of life«' decentralized educational system in use of both full- and part-time: It is obvious that we can dismiss the which the politicalization function is schools to inculcate a specific set of; media and caucasoid government very explicit, but the method of values and beliefs. In more recent: agencies. There remains three insti achieving that politicalization is not years the Black Moslims have made- tutions which could be of help in the very well defined. The develop a good beginning in developing; political socialization of Black child ment of "national curricula" in the schools for their members. They ren: the family, the peer group, physical sciences, social sciences, have developed a comprehensive and the church. I believe the weight language, reading, etc., provide a educational system to replace the of this racism has fallen most heavi means in these decentralized school caucasoid-dominated public school ly on the Black male. The Black districts. As a result of the de system. The Catholic church has church can serve the community in centralized school system, huge dif found a parallel school system, so a manner that is likely to be of ferences exist from one school dist expensive that they have been slow benefit to Black people. It still re rict to the next. As a result of ly closing down their private school mains the most durable of Black racism, the Black schools generally system (particularly in Black areas). institutions. A Martin Luther King receive less of everything than their With the help of the Saturday caucasoid counter parts. Perhaps could not have come from the north School, Black parents will be able to because the northern Black church the most desperate need in Black teach their children that they have a is still searching for its sense of self. schools is for the teachers to believe culture, a tradition and a past of In my travels around the world, that the children can learn. which they can be proud. Positive Remember, Sisters and Brothers, I've noticed, in most countries, the information can have a profound schools have been assigned a major the notion of deliberately socializing therapeutic effect on young child- role in the politicalization of child and politicizing children in this ren- Dr. Jamil Cherovee country is not new to the Amerikan ren. The U.S. differs from most the Washington Post and the Wash ington Times have been only too happy to oblige. Some have said, "So, what? They treat white officials the same way. Just look at what happened to Gary Hart." But the differences are context and proportion. Let us remember that the most recent in vestigations have been mounted against vocal African American poli ticians by U.S. Attorneys under the Reagan Administration. The Justice Department's abort ed attack against key African Ameri can elected officials in the Alabama Black Belt was patently political. These officials, civil rights leaders all, had been instrumental in in creasing African American voter re gistration and participation to one of the highest levels in the nation. They had also been constant critics of the Reagan Administration. Charges against the leadership were either dropped or those charged were eventually acquitted. But vin dication came only after a long, financially-draining trial, and after the Justice Department had haras sed scores of elderly Black voters. Letters to the Editor OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Articles M o n d a y 5 p m O PIN IO N