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Page 2, Portland Observer, July 27, 1988
EDITORIAL
ERVER
The World Is About Commerce
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
by Dr. Jamil Cherovee
Yet, over 30 percent of the
his year, the Republic of
Amerikan troops assigned to the
South Korea will host the
World Olympics, becoming only Demilitarized zone are Black
Amerikans. Without the presence
the second non-caucasoid nation-
of the Amerikan troops there
Japan was the first-to preside
would be no South Korea as we
over the games. To have been
know it today. Its economic
granted such an honor is solid
development has far surpassed
testament to a nation’s economic
that of the North. The per capita
progress and political stability.
income in the South is $2,000; in
I'm inclined to believe, this penin­
the North it’s only $760. the
sula nation in Southeast Asia has
Republic GNP is $81 billion, com­
come a long ways since it was a
pared to $15 billion for the North.
vassal state of Japan and a flash­
Established in 1970
Alfred L. Henderson/Pubiisher
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point of East-West conflict. Tech­
nically, the Korean War has not
reached a conclusion. The armis­
tice that ended the Korean War on
July 27, 1953, has been called the
“ longest truce in the world."
Negotiators from the communist
North and ca p ita list” South
Korea, supported by the U.S.,
meet regularly in the little farm
village of Pammunjom, which
straddles the Military Demarca­
tion line separating North from
South at the 38th parallel.
Interest in this part of the
world, or at least in the people
who have migrated from here to
the U.S., has grown in the last few
years with the steady influx of
Koreans into Black communities
across the U.S., cities like Los
Angeles, New York, Detroit and
Chicago, there is conflict in the
communities. One Korean mer­
chant who attended the Uptown
community meeting in Chicago,
arose to say that one of the major
reasons for the tensions is that
“ We Koreans feel that we are
superior to Blacks and inferior to
Caucasians. We were told prior to
c o m in g here by A m erikan
missionaries that Black people
were criminals and the source of
many problems in the country.”
Imagine that!
Comptroller
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York
Justice For Judge Hastings?
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
he fate of Federal District Judge Alcee L.
L Hastings, the first
African American federal judge in the state of Florida, appears to
be in considerable jeopardy. Recently a Subcommittee of the House
Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to recommend Hastings'
impeachment which would mean his removal from the federal bench
in Miami, Florida. This case has profound implications for all African
Americans and all others who are committed to justice and freedom.
Back in 1983 Judge Hastings was found not guilty by a jury in
Florida. He was found innocent of allegations of accepting a bribe
and other charges. Subsequent to H a stin g s' acquittal he was then
charged with ethical and judicial misconduct arriving out of the same
circumstances and allegations which were originally tried and found
not guilty.
It would be a gross understatement to state that the Hastings
case has followed the normal course of American jurisprudence. Last
year we called attention to what we believed was the making of a
political and racial lynching of Judge Hastings by a judicial system
gone mad with institutionalized racism.
Then there was a temporary sigh of relief when we learned that
the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee charged with the
responsibility of the Hastings case was to be chaired by Con­
gressman John Conyers of Detroit, Michigan. Congressman Conyers
is well known as one of the strongest advocates on Capital Hill for
civil and human rights. As an African American civil rights leader,
John Conyers has had a long distinguished and impressive career in
Congress.
I attended a day of the Hastings hearing before the subcommit­
tee. I felt uneasy at the way the procedures were unfolding. It was
very clear that some federal law enforcement officials, along with the
Reagan administration, have a vendetta against Hastings. Some have
said that the vendetta was because Hastings was the first judge to
openly oppose Reagan’s plan to deport thousands of Haitian
refugees from Florida. I have talked to many persons in the civil rights
movement about this matter and there appears to be a reluctance to
comment publicly on this latest development. This is because of pro­
found respect for Congressman Conyers. We share this respect for
Conyers, however we believe that the whole truth of the Hastings af
fair has yet to be revealed. This is not a case of Conyers vs Hastings
>;or a “ Black on Black struggle” as some have mistakenly intimated.
Judge Hastings still deserves the best possible defense and
the support of the African American community as he moves to
another day in court. The vote by the House Subcommittee amounts
to the initiation of an indictment. The trial is yet to come before the
Senate. Of course the question now arises: Can the controversial
Judge Hastings get a fair trial before the United States Senate? The
:Hastiangs case is complicated, but we must not shy away from
public expression on this matter. The Hastings case exposes the
contradictions of the present system of justice. Justice must be for
all or there will be no justice for anyone.
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Mrs. NaimahShamsud Din
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The Bentsen
by Dr. Manning Marable
middle class and the poor. With
lthough Jesse Jackson man­
the possible exception of Sam
aged to dominate the news
at the recent Democratic National Nunn, Bentsen was surely the
most conservative Democrat in
Convention in Atlanta, the most
the U.S. Senate. Although he had
significant event to transpire oc­
defeated
Bush back in 1970 dur­
curred several days before the
ing
his
initial
race for the Senate,
gathering. Massachusetts Gover­
there
was
absolutely
no guaran­
nor Michael Dukakis’s selection
tee
that
Bentsen
could
carry
of conservative Texas Senator
Texas
for
the
Democrats
in
1988.
Lloyd Bentsen for the Vice Presi­
Moreover, Bentsen was little
dential slot represents a potential
known
across the South, unlike
watershed for the progressive
Nunn
or even Al Gore of
wing of the Democratic Party, and
Tennessee.
a fundamental challenge for the
But Dukakis’s staff gave sever­
Rainbow Coalition.
al
basic
reasons for the selection
In the days shortly before the
of
Bentsen.
The first was rooted
Vice Presidential selection, there
in
history:
no
Democratic candi­
was considerable speculation
date
for
president
in the twentieth
that Ohio Senator John Glenn
century
had
ever
won
without car­
would get the nod. A popular Mid­
rying
the
state
of
Texas.
Second­
western politician, the choice of
ly,
Bentsen
is
fluent
in
Spanish,
the former astronaut would have
and would be able to assist Duka­
guaranteed O hio's electoral
kis in reaching the growing elec­
votes, and possibly the votes of
toral bloc of Hispanics across the
Michigan and Illinois. Glenn was
Southwest. But the most impor­
also strong in the South on ideo­
tant factor considered by Dukakis
logical grounds. But there was
was
the ideological perspective.
also speculation within all the
The
addition
of Bentsen to the tic­
confusion in the Dukakis camp
ket
sent
a
message
to the Party’s
that the V.P. selection would not
powerbrokers,
to
Wall
Street, and
be made at the expense of main­
to
executives
in
petrochemicals,
taining cordial relations with the
construction, real estate, high
Rainbow Coalition.
tech, and other growth sectors of
A few observers thought that
the economy. It proclaimed, in no
Lloyd Bentsen had an outside
uncertain terms, the return to
shot at the Vice Presidential offer,
power and prestige of the Rea­
but many dismissed the pros­
gan
Democrats” within the corri­
pects of Dukakis moving so far to
dors
of power. Dukakis was stat-
the right on his national ticket.
ing:
“
I’m a man you can do busi­
After all, Bentsen represented the
ness
with.
I’m not an ideologue of
“ Tory Wing” of the conservative
the
left,
but
a pragmatist of the
faction of Democrats in the Con­
center.”
More
to the point, Duka­
gress. He was a passionate sup­
kis
was
issuing
a racial statement
porter of aid to the Nicaraguan
by
selecting
Bentsen:
"Despite
Contras, a motley crew of anti­
Jesse’s
unprecedented
victories
communists, terrorists and drug
in the caucuses and primaries,
smugglers. Bentsen advocated
the controls of the Party are firmly
prayer in the public schools; Du­
in the hands of the right and
kakis was opposed to this. Bent­
center.”
sen supported the B-1 Bomber;
■ Continued Next Week
Dukakis was against the bomber.
Or Manning Marable is Chairperson of the
Bentsen embrace, and Dukakis
Black Studies Department, Ohio State Uni
opposed, the 1981 Reagan Tax
versity, Columbus, Ohio Along the Color
Cut, which gave billions to the
Line” appears in over 140 newspapers
internationally.
rich from the paychecks of the
A
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
Racially Motivated
Violence Increases
L
My thoughts following the shooting by gang members of my
daughter in retrospect are these:
Parents, we must rally together to save our children. We must
re-claim our youth! Yes, they are our children on loan to us for awhile
from God himself.
The first action we must take is to clean up our own lives. Our
children, in some cases, are following our lead. They see some of us
smoking crack, lying, stealing, getting drunk, and abusing ourselves
in many ways. Then some of us even go so far as to abuse our
children. We give them an inferiority complex and poor self image by
constant name calling and verbal put downs such as “ shut up! you
nappyheaded nigger. Be quiet before I kill your black a-s, you ugly
black b -h , you ain’t nothing you black monkey." These are just a few
examples of names I have heard parents call their children while
standing in grocery check out lines and laundromats, etc.
Parents let us return to the pure worship of God and Him alone.
We must show patience, love, understanding, firmness, and self
control when dealing with our children. Let us teach our children to
value knowledge (parent involvement is necessary), to be charitable
(helping those less fortunate), and to be honest in all their activities.
But above all to work for the pleasure of God. Our goal in life should
be to please God.
Also, please remember, God never changes the condition of a
people until they change what is in their hearts.
God also says in the Holy Quran: "Reverence the family ties.'
yuso to achieve in this life you must have "faith and good deeds.
I hope that you have gotten something out of what I have
shared with you dear Readers because it is the truth straight from my
heart.
* * * * t. • *
and chaotic condition requires
the most intense cooperation of
all groups of Blacks. The calamity
ranges from Gangs to Broken
Families.
Why is it so difficult today to
implement a similar process of
cooperation and support which
Part II
can be drawn from our history? It
would seem that it has been the
ast week, I left you in sus­
“ onslaught of the GANGS’ which
p e n s e — Why indeed are
‘upw ardly-m obile’ Blacks AT has caught the rapt attention (and
ACTION) of the Elite — Those
RISK? Haven’t we been told that
who belatedly realize that we are
this term is only used to describe
all of the same interconnected
the economic and educational sit­
group, no matter how far out one
uation of that “ vast UNDER­
may move. It occurs that the
CLASS of black poor?" And didn’t
basic structure of today's ‘new’
the great W.E.B. Dubois state that
middle class may be flawed. Too
the key to progress for the ‘entire’
many have adopted the sophisti­
race would be the continuous
cated (and overly-expensive)
emergence of a "Talented Tenth"
lifestyles portrayed in the full-
(Elite). So what’s the problem?
page color advertisements in
I cited a number of past ap­
Ebony and Essence magazines —
proaches ‘to the mountain top’ —
Ads sponsored in the most part
and in each case, a fall back to a
prior (often lower) position in
by purveyors of alcohol, tobacco
and expensive cars. How long has
economic condition or level of
it been since Veblen coined the
education; Chicago, St. Louis vs
phrase "Conspicuous Consump­
East St. Louis, the Baldwin
Hills/W indsor Hills Elementary
tion?”
Compare this economic nai­
School, and so on. This social
vete with the cooperative and very
phenomenon has been as regular
productive financial investments
as the ocean tid e s , also
being made in Black communi­
frustrating and disastrous. After
ties across the nation by the new­
the Civil War there was a tremen­
est immigration from Asia (among
dous surge of ambition and ac­
complishment led by a talented
others). These people are increas­
ingly filling the retail and service
group at the cutting edge — Key
needs of the urban Black under­
groups of ex-slaves set up
class— and like the European im­
schools, churches, roads and
governm ental in fru s tru c tu re ,
migrants before them, they are
while others became major con­
using the profits to EDUCATE
tributors of inventions and in­ THEIR NEXT GENERATION, and
novation that made the industrial
to finance commercial enterprise
far from the ‘Inner City.'
revolution possible.
It is my fervent hope that those
But, by the turn of the century,
this promising real-time "eman­ who are showing a new interest in
cipation” had fallen beneath the
the structure and families of the
Black community will lock them­
onslaught of Jim Crow laws, the
selves
into the process for the
Kian and rampant discrimination
LONG
TERM.
We can’t afford the
in every area. There remained,
processes
I
have cited where
however, a basic Black infrastruc­
there
is
a
continuous
phenom­
ture in business, education and
enon
of
a
rise
and
fall
in EX­
social agencies — and it is in this
context that we found a consider­ CELLENCE. The only way is for
all of us to be involved every day,
able cooperation and association
and in every way. "Our Windsor
between the two groups defined
Hills Schools" and all of our insti­
today' as the Black Elite and the
tutions— must be for the long
Black Underclass, respectively.
term. We had no problem with
We may say that this came about
this 4,000 years ago, nor a hun­
only as the result of intensive
dred years ago. History is there
segregation, but that begs the
for our guide.
point, when today our precarious
We Are All
‘At Risk’
A Mother’s Point Of View
L r - -t;
Two years ago, when I visited
South Korea, I was treated like
royalty. This does not mean,
however, that those of us who
made the tour are now spokes­
men for Korean merchants in
Chicago who have been accused
of mistreating Black consumers.
The tour gave me insight into
what Black people must do if they
are ever going to be respected as
equals in this world. The World Is
About Commerce, buying and
selling: producing something the
world needs.
That’s what Black people,
serious Black people, must be
about, or w ill forever find
themselves dismissed along with
the trinkets and trivial that are
sold by everyone else.
-Perspectives
OPEN LETTER TO MY COMMUNITY
*<•«
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• 1
Today there are major Ameri­
kan corporations in South Korea,
including Samsung Electronics, a
multi-national electronics firm
with branches in Europe and
Amerika, the Chang-won In­
dustrial Complex, which pro­
duces everything from Minolta
Cameras to heavy construction
equipment for a total of over 3,000
items; and the Hyundai and Doe-
wood automakers, both of which
are producing autos with all the
latest in high tech gadgetry.
by Professor McKinley Burt
OPINION
/
f
- * X »
* * * * //’
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
violence twenty years ago. Dr.
utbreaks of racially motivat­
Harris today suggests that the
ed violence perpetrated a-
problem of white racism is still
gainst the African-Am erican,
persistent.
Latin American, Asian American
The State of New York has just
and Native American communi­
released
the final report of a year­
ties are spreading across the
long
study
conducted by Gover­
United States at an alarming rate.
nor
Mario
Cuomo’s
Task Force on
This type of violent racism has
Bias
Related
Violence.
This report
become once again a serious na­
documents
the
rise
in
racially
mo­
tional problem.
tivated
violence
across
New
York.
Congressman Peter W. Rodino
The Task Force concluded, "Vio­
of New Jersey has introduced a
lence directed against persons or
legislative bill to establish a
groups because of their race,
special federal commission to
ethnicity, or national origin tears
investigate racially motivated vio­
at the very fabric of a democratic,
lence and to recommend preven­
pluralistic society. Such attacks
tive governmental action. The
can be neither ignored or
name of the bill is H R. 3914,
tolerated."
‘ ‘ C o m m is s io n on R a c ia lly
We are concerned that the is*
Motivated Violence Act of 1988.”
We support the passage of this
sues of race and violence have
been studied and restudied for
legislation.
decades. Yet there has not been a
Rodino, who is Chair of the
national priority placed on solving
House Judiciary Committee, ex­
this devastating social ill. After
plained his reason for introducing
the Kerner Commission issued its
the bill. Rodino stated, "If some
report 20 years ago, the recom­
Americans must live in fear for
mendations were never imple­
their safety, none of us is truly
mented. What actually occurred
safe. For this reason, I am in­
was that Richard Nixon was
troducing legislation to create a
elected President. Nixon's "law
bipartisan Commission on Racial­
and order" only comouflaged the
ly Motivated Violence.” Racial
reality of racial violence.
violence, Rodino concluded, "is
We know that during the last
an insidious cancer on our socie­
seven years of the Reagan Admin­
ty that must be eliminated."
istration, similarly to the Nixon
Professor Fred R. Harris of the
era, racial violence has had a
University of New Mexico and
dramatic increase.
former member of the U.S. Senate
Thus, our support of the Rodi­
gave testimony before Congress
no Bill calling for the estab­
supporting the Rodino Bill. Dr.
lishment of another Commission
Harris was a member of the Ker-
is within the context of express­
ner Commission that issued the
ing the need for all levels of
government to get serious and re£
1967 report documenting the cau­
sative factors of the urban riots of
direct priority funding to chal­
the 1960's. The Kerner Commis­
lenge racism. Anything less
sion concluded that white racism
would be engaging in just another
was a key factor that led to racial
study.
O
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