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Jackson and
the Rainbow
Blacks in Politics
“ Black Clout'
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U S P S 959 680 8555
Copyright Exie Publishing Co
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t
1984
February 17, 1988
"The Eyes and Ears of the Community"
Volume XVIII, Number 14
Saturday School Teachers Celebrated
by Nyewusi Askari
After four weeks of intensive
training, volunteer teachers for the
Black United Front's Saturday
School met at Portland Community
College Cascade Campus last Satur
day to celebrate the success of the
Teacher Training classes and to re
view final plans for the School's
opening, scheduled for Feb. 20,
1988.
The tone of the celebration was
set by Mr. Ron Herndon who thank
ed the teachers for their dedication
and involvement. "You could have
been home watching football or
basketball games.
Instead, you
gave up your precious Saturdays in
order to insure our children's future.
The Saturday School owes its exis
tence to you," Herndon said.
The upbeat mood of the teachers
set the stage for a rousing speech
by special guest Mr. James
DePreist, Conductor of The Oregon
Symphony. Mr. DePreist was intro
duced by Mr. Herndon.
"W hen you begin to talk about
role models for children, I really
can't think of a better one than Mr.
DePreist. He's always been active
in events in the community and
everywhere else. He has never hesi
tated to lend his support to a good
cause and most certainly we think
this is a good cause," said Herndon.
The response of those congre
gated to Mr. Herndon's introduction
made it clear that Mr. DePreist is
admired and respected throughout
the African-American community.
Many of the young children and
young adults who were seeing Mr.
DePreist for the first time, up close
and personal, were in awe. One
small child couldn't hold back her
joy. "I've seen him on television,
Mama. That's himl That's him!
James DePreist
You think he'll give me an auto
graph? The other kids at school
won't believe I saw him if I don't get
an autograph . . ."
When Mr. DePreist stepped to
the podium, he made it clear that he
was more than honored to be in
volved with the Saturday School.
"I am really happy to be here," he
said.
Mr. DePreist praised the teachers
Photo by Richard J. Brown
for their dedication and commit
ment to an idea whose time had
come. "This group gathering today
and the whole thrust of the Satur
day School program is something
that not only should make the rest
of the City proud of this community;
but also just think of the people who
preceded you:
our grandfathers
and
great-grandfathers,
our
mothers and grandmothers who did
Dr. Molefi Asante and Afrocentric Idea
by Kamau Anderson
Africa and her children, that is
people of African descent, have
been studies and written about for
centuries. The majority of these
studies and writings was done by
European scholars from an Euro
pean worldview or Eurocentric per
spective. A new breed of writers
and scholars among the children of
Africa is beginning to emerge again
with a different worldview, a dif
ferent perspective. This revitalized
African worldview is called afrocen-
tricity and it Is most articulate mo
dern spokesman is Dr. Molefi
Asante of Temple University in Phi
ladelphia.
Dr. Asante recently
shared with the Portland commu
nity his ideas on afrocentricity at
Portland State University as the
guest of the Black Cultural Affairs
Board.
„
What is afrocentricity? Dr. asan
te offered the following definition:
afrocentricity - n. 1. the putting of
African experiences, values, and
history at the center of all analysis
and interpretations. No phenome
non, no event, no aspect of human
development can be allowed to be
.seen as placing Africa in the mar
gins or on the periphery of human
development. We (African people)
must be placed in the center of
history. To be afrocentric is not to
be anti- anybody. It is a powerful
crazy. We all have a story to tell
history, achievements, and contri
in that regard.
butions unlike any comparable
Dr. Asante outlined ten ways in
period in history. The obliteration
which
the mis- education of Afri
and deletion of thousands of pages
can-
Americans
came about. The
of African history has caused Afri
first
he
called
temporal
tampering,
can- Americans to not know who
the
tampering
with
time
and chro
they are today. With the loss of
nology.
For
example,
calling
Hip
the historical memory of a people,
pocrates
the
father
of
medicine.
there are no models for achieve
Yet an African by the name of Im
ment and consequently there is no
hotep, a multi-genius, was deified
motivation to achieve.
as the father of medicine two thou
To be afrocentric is to identify
sand years before Hippocrates.
with the oldest knowledge database
Secondly, the process of text iso
in the world and a powerful value
lation, highlighting
insignificant
system, also. Dr. Asante pointed
data.
The
search
for
Livingston
out that once African- Americans
by Stanley is important in African
really understood this information
history.
and value system, the lessons that
Radical nomenclaturing is the
we would be teaching our children
Dr. M o le fi Asante
third tool in the mis- education pro
is that our history did not begin in
affirmation of onefe own history and
cess. Arbitrary changing African
1619 and our Africanness did not
culture. Dr. Asante stated that the
names to European names: Kin
end in 1619. In making his point he
most dangerous people in the world
shasa, Zaire to Leopoldville, Zim
quoted El Hajj Malik el Shabazz
are those that have no historical
babwe to Rhodesia, etc.
Malcolm X ). When someone told
context of themselves. Afrocentri-
The fourth in the process is in
Malcolm that they didnt leave any
city is an attitude, a way of life,
venting
illusions. Dr. Asante used
thing in Africa, Malcolm responded,
that provides economic, social and
the
term
"negro” as an illustration.
■Why you left your mind in Africa!
political empowerment and psycho
There is no "Negroland" or a negro
Dr. Asante also used a W olof pro
logical stability once the African-
language. Who you are should in
verb
of West Africa to insure that
American recognizes himself or
stantaneously identify you with
his point was clear:
' "You can
herself as an African person.
land, history, and culture.
leave wood in the river for ten years
Most of the early writings about
The fifth was creating negative
but it will never turn into an alliga
the history of Africa and Her child
terms like "Bushmen" and "Pyg
tor.’ We have been taught in Ame
ren was improperly interpreted, dis
mies'. These Africans call them
rica to hate our Africanness and to
torted, and in many cases just plain
selves Saan and Twa people, re
hate Africa and, Dr. Asante says, in
omitted. Dr. Asante spoke about
spectively.
so doing we lose our sanity, we go
the cultural maligning of African
'r '.
SK
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words.'
Throughout
the
celebration,
have a greater sense of community
parents
were
allowed
to
register
than those of us in this modern
Larry Kleinman, a white volunteer
their children for the Saturday
from the Woodburn area, said he
age.
School. Certificate of Awards were
"There is nothing that I can think
works for a farmworkers union that
given
to teachers and volunteers.
of that is going on in this City now
is very active in Woodburn's Mexi
The volunteers are a mix of
that is more important than this pro
can community and that they were
African-American, White, American
ject. And one of the reasons that I
very impressed and pleased to parti
Indian and Hispanic. Yvonne Mar
am here is to underline that fact.
cipate in a community-based orga
tinez, a resident of Woodburn, ex
You should be very proud of what
nizing effort like the Saturday
plained why she got involved. "We
you're doing.
School. "W e work in our commu
have two children who are Black
"It isn't any surprise that young
nity there, and it doesn't give us
and they don't get the kind of ex
kids turn to other forms of making
much time or opportunity to see
posure
to Black history and culture
money, because money becomes
other similar kinds of efforts in other
in Woodburn. They get a lot of ex
the goal. What we're talking about
areas; especially because this is an
posure to Mexican history because
is finding a level of education that is
area of education and that's not an
of our involvement, but we thought
equal to the potential that exists in
area we work in very much, so this
it would be good for them to come
every child. And that potential is
broadens our perspective," Klein
and learn with other children about
unlimited so the quality of the edu
man explained.
their people."
cation should match it. The only
The celebration ended with Aisha
Martinez said her family's involve
way to do that is to really have a
Irving, age 12, and those congre
ment with the Saturday School
vested interest in how the children
gated, reciting the Saturday School
training sessions has been an excit
turn out. We can't have a vested
Pledge of Excellence: "W e know
ing experience.
"I have been
interest in how the children turn out
we can learn. We know we are
brought to tears many times, and
if we don't become involved.
smart. Excellence is our purpose.
finally meeting the people who
"There can't be any cracks for
We are proud of ourselves, our
understand the importance of edu
our children to fall through. There
families and our community."
cation for our children is beyond
can't be any excuses like that. And
there won't be excuses or cracks if
parents realize that more than
mothers and fathers, they are
parents. Those are very different
responsibilities. Any dummy can
make a baby, but to be a parent,
a responsible parent, that is hard.
You're a parent for a lifetime.
"All of the children who've signed
up for the Saturday School and all
of the parents who have been re
sponsible for seeing that they've
signed up, deserve a lot of credit."
Mr. DePreist concluded by saying
that so many times when he thinks
about what is right with the City of
Portland, a part of the same sen
tence ends with the name Ron
Herndon. Those gathered respond
ed with a standing ovation.
Teenaqers the ir parents and friends enjoy bloopers from the. "W e
I r e You! Future" cable TV news show. A b o u t 35 people gathered
at Portland Cable Access fo r the prem ier show ing of the 3<Tminut
program "We Are Your Future" was w ritte n and hosted by PorHan
area teens (L-R) Karen Green, Dana M itch e ll and Zel.ka M ilto n are
area teens.
Photo by Richard J. B row n
talents fro m the production.
Number six was omitting signifi
cant data. Greece is the classical
historical reference for the western
world but it is rarely if ever stated
in western literature that Greek
philosophers such as Thales, Py-
thagorus, Solon, and others did
their schooling in Africa.
Distorting facts was number
seven. A case in point is South A fri
can history as taught by the mino
rity Europeans. They state in their
history text that there were no 'N e
groes’ in South Africa when they
arrived in the seventeenth century.
The other three points were crea
ting Europe- centered reference
points for Africa, inquiring from a
European perspective about African
phenomenon, and looking at Africa
as if it is static.
The result of this ten- point mis
education process is the creation of
an African person in America who
can not relate to their history, no
sense of themselves and history.
This process produces someone
who ' just wants to be human,"
someone who thinks that being
yourself ( African), honoring your
own motifs and culture, is some
thing foreign or weird.
Dr' Asante points out that all
humans have a culture and histori-
cal heritage. He related a story
about one of his students who que
stioned him about wearing African
clothing. The student said, 'I used
to dress like that when I was in my
ethnic phase.* The student was
wearing Scottish plaids and Dr.
Asante responded, "Look at your
self, you are still in your ethnic
phases, it all depends on whose
ethnicity youfe into, your own or
somebody else's!
Dr. Asante told the audience
what must be done to develop an
afrocentric attitude. We must tell
our own story and not depend on
others to do that for us. First, you
must have a positive attitude about
Africa and appreciate your culture.
Then have study sessions on Afri
can and African-American history
and culture. Participate in afrocen
tric rituals for your children by sim
ply decorating your home with
paintings and art from the culture.
By doing just this, it will have an
economic, social, and psychological
impact on the community.
Dr. Asante concluded by stating
that the development of an afro
centric attitude will force our insti
tutions to react and be supportive
* *1 X*
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See "A fro ce ntric Idea ' - Page 3
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