Page 2, Portland Observer, March 30, 1988
EDITORIAL /
EDITORIAL
OPINI
Along the Color Line
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Alfred L. Henderson/Pubiisher
Leon Harris/Gen. Mgr.
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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
Beniamin F. Chavis Jr
Manning Marable
Run Jesse Run!
Whether the Democrats like it or not, Presidential candidate Jesse Jackson is
a force to be reckoned with. Running neck-and-neck with Michael Dukakis, Rev.
Jackson is symbolic of African-American participation in politics across Ameri
ca. Make no mistake about it, African-Americans are reshaping politics in Ameri
ca. Thirteen of America's big cities have African-American mayors. Four of Ame
rica's six largest cities are headed by African-American mayors. The ranks of
African-Americans in Congress has doubled and now we have the Rev. Jesse
Jackson running tor the Office of President of the United States.
During Rev. Jackson's bid for the Presidency in 1984. the Democrats treated
him like a stranger, and, when it appeared that Rev. Jackson was going to gain
more support than anticipated, the Democrats created obscure rules that made it
impossible for him to win a substantial number of important, needed delegates.
But how things have changed.
Democrats are now asking themselves “ What are we going to do about Jesse
Jackson?” They should be asking “ What can we do to support Rev. Jesse Jack-
son?” That Rev. Jackson is showing surprising political strength is no fluke.
First, the past and current crop of Democratic Presidential hopefuls, with the
exception of Rev. Jackson, are not speaking to the needs of the majority of the
American people. Many of these candidates lack a clear cut program and most
bore the public to death trying to explain just what their programs are.
Second, the Democrats are attempting to stop Rev. Jackson's momentum by
saying he isn't electable. Other foes are saying he lacks political experience and
still others are saying he doesn’t have a clear cut foreign policy. Good sounding
rhetoric for those who need to hear such mumblings. However, when we recheck
the records of Democratic and Republican Presidents over the past 25 years, it
causes us to wonder just how valid is political experience when it comes to run
ning the country. Take President Reagan for example. His experience as Governor
of California didn't prepare him to be an effective President. His administration
has been torn apart by greed, in-fighting, resignations of top officials, convic
tions, and ineffective policies. We won't even talk about the morbid regime of
former President Richard Nixon. And the list goes on and on.
Third, despite the mumblings of the media and the dire predictions of so-called
political analysts about the electability of Rev. Jackson, many Americans are
beginning to listen to what he has to say. They have proven it by giving him their
votes. Many white male politicans are discovering that a growing number of
white voters are thinking for themselves. These white voters no longer support
the politics of racism and they are giving their votes to the candidate they feel is
the most qualified. To try and make voters believe that America is not ready to elect
a Black man for President is to try to ignite the flames of racism. It is an appeal to
white Americans to withhold their support based on racism — the color of Rev.
Jackson’s skin. However, many white Americans are no longer willing to allow
the color of Rev. Jackson's skin determine whether or not they vote for him. They
are tired of the same ol' soup warmed over. They are tired of having white male
politicians tell them how to vote or who to vote for. They are also tired of ineffec
tive white male leadership. Like most Americans, many white Americans are
ready for a change and right now Jesse Jackson is their choice. They proved it in
Michigan, they’ve proved i, in other primaries and they will continue to prove it
right on up to the Democratic Convention.
Rev. Jackson believes as we do: If he goes into the convention with the most
delegates, then he should be the Democratic nominee for President. The big
shots in the Democratic Party seem to forget that Rev. Jackson didn t go out and
steal votes. He didn’t play some sort of underhanded game in order to get where
he is now. He has worked hard. He has reached out to m illions of Americans of all
colors. He has proven his worth, his dedication and his loyalty to the Democratic
Party. Thus, he should be given the highest respect and honor of the party.
Finally, the Democrats should know by now that African-American men and
women will continue to push for the Presidency of the United States. They should
also realize that white Americans are not going to continue to support ineffective
white male leadership.
The cry “ Run Jesse Run” will continue. This decade it’s Rev. Jackson. The next
decade it will be another African-American and another and another until one day
America will indeed witness the swearing in of its first African-American Presi
dent. It is bound to happen.
Run Jesse Run!
Civil Rights Journal
The Politics of Black Higher Education
Part II of a Two Part Series
Twenty years ago, in the wake
of Dr. Martin Luther King's assas
sination, thousands of outraged
Black students protested white
racism on their college cam
puses. They established new
m ilita n t organizations called
Black Student Unions, or BSUs. I
was more than an observer in this
political process. At Earlham
College in Indiana, I was the
Chairperson of our BSU in 1969.
As we explored the factors
behind racism at white colleges
today, we should also examine
the changing role and function of
BSUs.
As originally conceived, the
BSUs wanted to create a greater
social and political awareness
among African-Am erican stu
dents, and a desire to confront
and to challe nge w h ite ad
m inistrators on matters of educa
tional policy. They called for the
creation of the Black Studies
departments, M inority Student
Programs, Cultural Centers, and
other institutions. The BSUs ad
vanced the cause of affirmative
action by demanding the recruit
ment and appointment of Black
faculty and administrators. The
BSUs represented a vital link bet
ween the struggles being waged
in urban streets and our com
m unities with the politics of
higher education which existed
at white academic institutions.
The politicized character of
the BSUs always depended upon
two basic factors: the relative
strength or weakness of the na
tional and local Black protest
movement at any given time, and
the specific type of Black stu
dents which were being recruited
by particular colleges in any year.
As the struggle markedly declin
ed in the mid-to-late 1970s, it
became increasingly d ifficu lt to
interest many Black students to
be personally involved in pro
tests, dem onstrations or even
com m unity-oriented programs.
Many colleg es also creased
recruiting Black and Hispanic
students from low-income neigh
borhoods and innercity areas,
and deliberately focused their ef
forts on m inority youth at private
high schools or mid-to-upper in
come school districts. The Rea
gan Adm inistration reinforced
this strategic shift in student
recruitment by drastically cu t
ting student loan and aid pro
grams, which meant that low in
come Black fam ilies could no
longer affo rd to accum ulate
modest amounts of money to
send their sons and daughters to
college. It should not be surpris
ing, therefore, that many BSUs
became more conservative in the
1980s. On some campuses, the
BSU became the functional equi
valent of a sorority or fraternity.
They became heavily involve in
social activities, and disengaged
in political and academic in stitu
tions. At many schools, the BSU
disappeared entirely; its records
and archives were lost forever.
And at other institutions, there
was a renaissance of Black frater
nities and sororities as the cen
tral agencies of student interest
and collective activity.
In this environment of political
retrenchment and reaction, in the
tw ilig ht of the Civil Rights era, it
was d iffic u lt for many Black Stu
dies departments and programs
to survive, much less develop
and expand. W ithin BSUs, in
terest in maintaining student in
volvement and support for all
B la c k a c a d e m ic p ro g ra m s
declined.
In order to reverse the trend
toward institutional racism in
white higher education, Blacks
must recognize the connection
between political struggle, in sti
tution-building and educational
change. W ithout strong Black
student organizations, there is
no viable constituency which can
re in fo rc e B la c k e d u c a to rs .
W ithout strong and assertive
Black academic and student sup
portive services institutions on
white campuses, affirm ative ac
tion programs are meaningless.
It makes little sense to recruit
Black students into white univer
sities, only to see them drop out
within months because of the
absence of strong, supportive in
stitutions within their campus.
Black educational progress for
Black youth depends fundamen
ta lly upon the p o litic a l and
academic awareness and self
organization.
Easter in South Africa
Easter is the season of cruci
fixion and resurrection. It is the
time in the Christian faith for spi
ritual rejuvenation when we cele
brate the liberation and salvation
of humankind through Jesus
Christ. Nowhere in the world to
day is there a greater affront to
the meaning of Easter than the
racist apartheid regime of South
Africa.
The oppressive government of
P.W. Botha has embarked on its
last, desperate attempt to remain
in power. Not only have all of the
anti-apartheid organizations in
South African now been banned,
but this brutal regime has also
announced its intention to se
verely lim it the activities of the
church as a voice of protest
against the co n tin u in g holo
caust.
A n glican A rc h b is h o p Des
mond Tutu and the Rev. Dr. Allan
Boesak, President of the World
Alliance of Reformed Churches,
together with other church lead
ers in South Africa, have called
for a massive, nationwide cele
bration of liberation on Easter
Sunday this year. The govern
ment of South Africa intends to
prevent the services.
The church is the last nonvio
lent voice that has not yet been
extinguished by South A frica’s
repression. Bishop Tutu empha
sizes, “ Does the Government of
South Africa really think it can
dictate to the people of God in
our quest for justice and free
dom? We w ill not bow down and
worship Botha. The idolatry and
sin of apartheid must be ended
now !” Rev. Boesak agreed, warn
ing, “ W ith these latest acts of
repression against the church
and the freedom movement, the
Government of South Africa has
signed its own death warrant.”
As our sisters and brothers in
South Africa continue to wage a
valiant struggle for freedom, the
glaring absence of sustained
voices and actions on the part of
Am erica's church leaders be
comes more obvious. Here in the
United States, it is our prayer that
during this Easter season church
leaders and church members w ill
resurrect their active solidarity
with the struggle to bring new life
and freedom to South Africa. On
a broader scale, the governments
of the United States, Great Bri
tain and Israel, in particular, have
a great deal for which to repent.
They have maintained their unho
ly support of the evil of apartheid
in South Africa and Namibia,
which South Africa illegally oc
cupies.
Rather than m illions of people
spending m illions of dollars on
new Easter outfits this year, it
would be far better to help pur
chase medical supplies and out
fits for the freedom fighters of
the African National Congress
and the South West African Peo
ples’ Organization. The M inisters
for Racial and Social Justice, an
organization of African American
clergy of the United Church of
Christ, has established a special
African Freedom Fighters Fund
for this purpose.
One thing is certain: a victory
for the sake of righteousness and
justice will be won in South
Africa. Our responsibility is to
not let the joy of Easter be just a
m om e nta ry c e le b ra tio n . We
must let all of our lights so shine
in struggle that God’s justice w ill
continue to unfold in South
Africa and everywhere in the
world where the evils of racism
and oppression lurk.
The Civil Rights Journal, written by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., is a publication of the United
Church of Christ
XWANT'rtPURSS!
Dr. Manning Marable is Chairperson of
the Black Studies Department, Ohio State
University. “ Along the Color Line" ap
pears in over 140 newspapers interna
tionally.
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Astronomy isn’t my cup of tea.
However, the more one studies,
the more one realizes how little
one knows. While in Africa, I did a
little research on Dogon of Mali:
Master Astronomers. Far more
remarkable than the megalithic
observatory found in Kenya
before Christ is the discovery of
extremely complex knowledgeof
astronom y among people in
West Africa known as the Dogon.
These Black people live in a
mountainous area of the Repub
lic of Mali, about 200 miles from
where the legendary University
of Tim buctoo once lay. The
astronomer-priest of the Dogon
had for centuries, it seems, a very
modern view of our solar system
and of the universe — the rings of
Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and
the spiral structure of the Milky
Way galaxy in which our planet
lies. They knew a billion worlds
spiralled in space like the circula
tion of blood w ithin the body of
God. They knew that the moon
was a barren world. They said it
was “ dry and dead,” like dried
blood. They knew also of the
things far in advance of their
time, in tricatedetailsaboutastar
which no one can see except with
the most powerful of telescopes
I'm inclined to believe the
Sirius Question has thrown the
most recent light on the scien-
tific breakthrough of these A fri
cans. The gross prejudices of Eu
rocentric scientists have been
exposed. The so-called Christian
caucasoids simply would not ac
cept that any African astro
nomer-priest could have deve
loped a science of the heavens so
advanced that is could yield
knowledge which, until the 20th
century, escaped European ob
servation.
I was informed only a Black
person was allowed to enter the
inner sanctum of their most
secret knowledge. Now I realize
why there is a profound con
te m p t of A fric a n s c ie n tific
capabilities which s till dom i
nates world scholarship. Robert
Temple, a member of the Royal
Astronom ical Society of Great
Britian, in a highly acclaimed
book, “ The S irius M ystery,"
speculates that space-beings
from the Sirius Star system must
have brought this marvelous
knowledge down to the Africans.
The arro g a n t ra c is t cla im s:
“ Civilization, as we know it, was
an im portation from another star
in the first place . . . the linked
culture of Egypt and Sumer in the
Meditteranean area simply came
out of nowhere Imagine that!
The Russians have found cry
stal lenses — perfectly spherical
and of great presicion — from An
cient Egypt during the African-
dominated period. Galileo al
ways insisted that the Ancients
had telescopes.
Carl Sagan, superstar of the TV
series “ Cosmos", goes one step
further. His solution to the my
stery is some clever European
traveller who appeared among
the Dogon before the anthropolo
gist came to study them. This
scientifically literate European,
proposes Sagan, exchanged his
sophisticated knowledge of the
stars in return for the savage sim
ple lore. Sagan has not even stop
ped to consider that no scien
tifically literate European, even
today, much less before 1931,
can speak with the certainty of
Dogon elders of the one-year or
bit of Sirius B on its own axis. Nor
has it occured to him that this
obsession with that star system
expressed itself in ceremonies
among the Dogon centuries ago,
nor that the tradition they were
supposed to have imbibed from
an itinerate caucasoid genius
and regurgitated to the anthropo
logists like parrots never sur
faced until after sixteen years of
continuous probing.
Caucasians must stop preten
ding they have all the answers,
when the sun still is a mystery —
a ball of fire fueled by an unen
ding supply of gas. They have no
idea what goes on inside the sun.
American scientists are as far
away from reaching conclusions
about the interior of the sun and
its history as the Earth is from the
sun. Caucasoid astronomers and
physiologists still argue about
the existence and properties of
“ neutrinos" which are produced
in the core of the sun. I’m inclined
to believe, if conclusive data
could be found on the neutrinos,
it would give science a peek into
the creation of the Universe.
Solar physics may have gotten a
new lease on life from seis
mology. However, a major sun
observation experiment was de
stroyed with the shuttle Challen
ger explosion in 1986