Page 2, Portland Observer, September 8, 1988
EDITORIAL
It’s Important
To Get Out And
VOTE!
f this November's presidential election follows the patterns of
recent national ballots, barely half of all eligible citizens will vote.
A major reason is structural barriers that make registration and
voting difficult enough to discourage all but the most determined.
Some states purge voter rolls just before an election. Others
restrict voter registration hours and require personal visits to
registration offices, almost always during working hours when most
people can’t show up.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Election officials have to see
their role as facilitating citizen participation in the electoral process,
not discouraging it.
Many states have laws that encourage broader participation.
Almost half have mail-in registration. Others allow state agencies to
register citizens that come to them for other services, such as
driveis’ licenses. And some deputize community groups to register
voters.
This last is an important key to generating citizen participa
tion, but it is too often neglected by local election authorities wary of
aggressive voter outreach programs.
The liklihood that the next president will be chosen by a slim
majority of eligible voters questions the legitimacy of our political
institutions. President Reagan, for example, made sweeping
changes in government policies without a clear mandate from the
people _ o n ly about a fourth of eligible voters cast their ballots for
him.
So American democracy needs a heavy dose of glasnost in the
form of voting reforms tnat make voting as simple and as convenient
as it is in other western democracies.
One big step forward would be universal postcard voter
registration, in which every citizen could simply mail in a postcard
and automatically be registered to vote.
Another would be to provide resources to community-based
groups to encourage citizens to vote. It takes friends and neighbors
to get people to the polls and to educate them to their citizenship
responsibilities as well as to their own self-interest in voting.
Most of the half of the electorate that doesn’t vote is drawn
from the poor, minorities and the dispossessed. Traditionally,
they’ve seen politics as a game for the affluent with little in it for
them. Many feel hopeless about the future and about the possibility
for meaningful change.
And many just don’t see the connection between voting and
their daily struggle for affordable housing, health care, and jobs.
Jesse Jackson helped break through the barriers of hopeless
ness and get people excited about his campaign, but the big task
now is to transfer that interest into participation in the process that
elects candidates at all levels of government.
People need to see that not voting is in itself a form of
voting _ i t ’s a vote for the status quo, for reduced minority
influence, for continued powerlessness.
The media are pretty good at informing citizens about
personality conflicts and some of the big issues in a campaign, but
they’re less good at showing the connections between voting and in
fluencing public policy. Community groups, churches, and neighbor
hood organizations have to fill that gap, and work hard between now
and November 8 to get every eligible voter registered and voting.
Creed Of The Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead
the world away from social and national antagonisms
when it accords to every person, regardless of race,
color, or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no
person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to
help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as
long as anyone is held back.
ERVER
PORTLA
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Photo-Composition
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O PINIO N
The Other Side
À
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
Stop The War
On Angola!
The
Green-Eyed Monster
by Harold C. Williams
w
by John E. Jacob, President
National Urban League _
/
' e have something in our
community more deadly
than heroin, crack, or any other
drug that one one obtain illegally
or legally. It is the green-eyed
monster.
The green-eyed monster has
been with us for the past four
hundred years. It has impeded the
progress of Black people more
than any single factor in our ex
istence The green-eyed monster
separated us as people during
slavery and it is separating us to
day. The green-eyed monster has
a resentment against success. It
believes success is a disease,
and it only takes pleasure when
one is down and out. The green-
eyed monster cannot stand to see
a Black lady or a Black man suc
ceed. It begins to claw at their
basic foundation of pride and
dignity.
If we could get rid of the green-
eyed monster, we would conquer
all other problems in our commu
nity. We wouldn't have a drug
problem to poison our systems
and destroy our minds. If we
would destroy the green-eyed
monster, we would have unity,
love, and commitment for one
another; the world would marvel
at our uniqueness. The green-
eyed monster is eating us inside
like a cancer and we seem to
refuse to seek ways to destroy
this deadly virus. We have fun
draisers for everything. We do
research for all other diseases,
but we ignore the green-eyed
monster.
The green-eyed m o n ste r’s
name is jealousy. Let’s find the
cure for this disease and see how
much progress we make in the
next year. I’m sure we would all
be amazed at what we can do
when we bury the green-eyed
monster.
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR:
Prison v. TaryAnne McIntosh
In the July 13, 1988, issue of
P o rtla n d
O b s e rv e r, J a m il
Cherovee, in an editorial opinion
called "TO Hell and Back ...
Prison v. Marian Reid,” dispelled
myths concerning the plight
which Afrikan-American (Black)
women are often forced to endure
during incarceration in penal
systems of America. Brother
Jamil Cherovee said, "Many
Sisters/Brothers were under the
impression that women’s prisons
are relatively “ pleasant’’ places
and that any problems they may
have are trivial when compared to
those of incarcerated men.” Jamil
spoke of the conditions at the
Maryland Correctional Institution
at Jessup, Md. To Brother Jamil
Cherovee, we commend you for
disputing, dispelling and clarify
ing some of the myths concern
ing our Afrikan-American (Black)
women in prison.
Recently on Aug. 8, 1988, I
received a letter from TaryAnne
McIntosh, an Afrikan-American
(Black) woman incarcerated at the
Oregon Women Correctional Cen
ter (OWCC), asking me for legal
assistance on a civil rights action
she had filed in the Federal
District Court of Oregon against
three Correctional employees:
Manfred Maass, Superintendent
of the Oregon State Penitentiary;
Robert Schiedler, Superintendent
of the Oregon Women Correction
al Center; and Gerald Boyd,
Educational D irector at the
Oregon Women Correctional Cen
ter, for discriminatorily denying
her to attend college classes (sic)
here at the Oregon State Peniten
tiary (OSP).
TaryAnne had attended college
classes here at OSP in 1987,
along with other European fe
males. Indeed TaryAnne had
visited her Brother who was here
at the OSP for quite a few months
without being considered a secu-
irty threat. In early May 1988,
TaryAnne, along with several
other European women prisoners
applied to attend college classes
here at OSP during the summer
term. TaryAnne, in the early part
of June 1988, was called to
register as other female prisoners
at OWCC and was under the full
understanding she would be
allowed to attend college classes.
However on June 16, 1988, the
educational director at OWCC in
formed TaryAnne that her college
class program had been cancell
ed by the Superintendent of OSP,
allegedly because of TaryAnne’s
extensive disciplinary reports.
TaryAnne has related to me that
she asked the educational direc
tor of OWCC why she has been
given the impression she had
been approved to attend college
classes when registering and
then all of a sudden told she
could not attend college classes.
TaryAnne has related to me, via
writing, that the OWCC educa
tional director changed what he
previously said and then told her
the decision to deny her was
made for the safety of OSP.
TaryAnne McIntosh has only
had one major disciplinary report
during her entire four year in
carceration at OWCC. I have
checked, and many of the Euro
pean (White) women prisoners
who were and are allowed to at
tend OSP college classes, and
still are coming, have had as
many, and in cases, more disci
plinary reports than TaryAnne
McIntosh, including disciplinary
reports for dirty urinalysis while at
OWCC.
TaryAnne has never had a dirty
urinalysis or refused to take a
urinalysis while at OWCC, and in
deed does not take drugs.
TaryAnne is a perfect example
why, in contradiction to state
ments or ideas, the community
should not get involved in
corrections. The community as a
whole, and p a rticu la rly the
Afrikan-American (Black) com
munity, should and better get in
volved in corrections, and defi
nitely so when corrections staff
blatantly deny “ educational pro
grams” to an Afrikan-American
female attempting to get educa
tion before release back into the
community.
I ask the community to ask
those in corrections here in
Salem why TaryAnne could not
attend college classes?
Asmar Habeeb-ullah Saleem
aka: Clarence Eugene Jones
Box 44215
2605 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97310
Seattle Black Community
Says Thanks
Thank you for your interest and
support of youth and scholarship
in the Seattle Black Community.
Your generous contribution to
the 1988 Miss Soul Community
Festival Oueens scholarship
pageant was greatly appreciated.
It provided us with the resources
necessary to materialize the
academic and social dreams of
our community’s young people.
Once again thank you for your
support, and we look forward to
working with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Virgie Harris, Pageant Director
Seattle, Washington
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
fter spending most of the
, month of August 1988 in the
African nation of Angola, 19
African-American church and civil
rights leaders have returned to
the United States with a renewed
sense of struggle and commit
ment. We all feel a sense of
urgency concerning the Reagan
a d m in is tr a tio n ’ s c o n tin u e d
military and financial support of
the brutal war that is being
perpetrated against the People’s
Republic of Angola.
We saw first hand the effects of
the continued atrocities being
committed against the people of
Angola by the terrorist group,
UNITA, led by Jonas Savimbi and
supported by the United States
and South Africa.
Now that South Africa has
been defeated by the valiant and
co u ra g e o u s c o m b a ta n ts of
Angola in defense of their
homeland from South Africa’s in
vasion, the eyes of the world are
watching the current peace pro
cess facilitate a complete with
drawal of all of South Africa's
armed forces from all remaining
angolan territory. The recent vic
tory of Angola has changed the
course of African history. The
crucial victory won by Angola
against South Africa at the battle
of Kuito Kuanavale in southern
Angola in March of this year set
the stage for the current peace
process now unfolding.
The four nation peace talks be
tween Angola, Cuba, United
States and South Africa will
hop efu lly also lead to the
withdrawal of the armed forces of
South Africa from Namibia. In fact
the future of southern Africa
hangs in the balance of the out
come of the current negotiations.
Throughout our tour of Angola
there was one predominant cen
tral theme that stood out:
Angola's Yearning and Quest for
Peace. Angola’s President, His
Excellency Jose Eduardo Dos
Santos, emphasized to our del
egation, “ We want peace and we
are willing to do all we can to
acheive peace." It appears,
however, that President Reagan
remains more committed to war
on Angola than for the cause of
peace in the region.
Our delegation was shocked
and outraged to hear reported in
the news while we were in Angola
that both President Reagan and
Vice President George Bush have
stated their intentions to con
tinue to finance UNITA’s terrorist
war against Angola even after
South Africa announced a cease
fire. It is our belief that Reagan’s
current policies and Bush’s inten
tions are flagant violations of in
ternational law. These policies
are immoral and unjust. These
policies are sinful before God.
We collected strong evidence
that shows the United States sup
port of UNITA has contributed
directly and indirectly to the
massacre and murder, rape and
torture, and displacement of hun
dreds of thousands of Angolans.
There is a long trail of African
blood that can be traced from
Angola directly to the White
House in Washington, D.C. Presi
dent Reagan’s hands are drench
ed in Angolan blood by his con
tinued support of the UNITA
mercenaries.
As citizens of the United States
who have seen first hand the pain
and suffering of the people of
Angola as a result of the atroci
ties committed by UNITA and
South Africa, we demand that the
United States stop all support to
UNITA immediately! We demand
an end to Reagan’s war on
Angola.
Perspectives
He (She) Who
Laughs Last
by Professor McKinley Burt
hundred years). But hear this.
person may not only “ laugh
Daniel Payne, a ‘free Negro’ of
last,” but may also be la s t.
Charleston,
opened his first
One may have smirked while
school
in
1829
— a rith m e tic,
reading the recent soliloquy on
Playfair’s
Euclid,
English gram
curriculum by that guru of educa
mar,
geography,
biology,
chemis
tio n , S e cre ta ry W illia m J.
try,
astronomy
and
Greek
(you’ve
Bennet, “ James Madison Elemen
been
peeking,
Mr.
Bennett).
tary School: A Curriculum for
No wonder, then, that in 1894,
American Students.”
ex-slave,
inventor and South
So what is new about his call
Carolina
Congressman,
George
ing for “ essential paticulars in
H.
Murray,
was
able
to
deliver
a
seven basic subjects through
passionate,
literary
gem
of
a
eighth grade; English, mathe
speech to his white colleagues.
matics, social studies, science,
He requested Federal support for
foreign language, physical and
the Atlanta Cotton States and In
health education and fine arts?”
ternational Exposition, Septem
Well, la-de-da and deja vu, but
ber 18,1895.
don’t laugh simply because you
“ There are still traducers and
may have advocated all of the
slanderers of our race ... I hold in
above from day one. Too many
my hand patents ... showing the
souls were lost on the high seas
inventions that have been made
of ’methodology’ that engulfed
by colored men ... stoves to loco
the teacher colleges.
motives, steam engines, motive
Do you remember my descrip
power of industrial machines, im
tion of Los Angeles’ Windsor
provements to farm, factory and
Hills Elementary School — a 95%
railroad.” (92 on the list, eight by
Black learning machine, struc
tured by Black teachers and par
Murray).
Find that in the Congressional
ents, and which won top city
Record, 53rd Congress, Second
honors for excellence with its
Session, p. 8382.
cla ssic cu rricu lu m (Parent's
Now, you can understand the
Magazine, 1969)? And I did cite
fear and horror that gripped the
my own ghetto-based curriculum
establishment when it was realiz
of fifty years ago, structured by
ed what Blacks could accomplish
the same folk: Again, math, sci
with schools of their own design.
ence, grammar, history, Latin,
You 'know' what underlay the fer
French. Come on! What’s new
ociousness of the lashback and
pussy cat?
re-segregation at the turn-of-the-
More pointedly, recall my cita
century, the Kian, the lynch mob.
tions of educational excellence
There should be more than a
among Black students and teach
germ of suspicion as to reasons
ers immediately following the
for more recent degeneration and
Civil War. Charlotte Forten and
neglect of the inner-city learning
other dedicated Black women
apparatus — for gangs, dropouts
were founding schools in the
and non-competitors, no laughing
Carolinas and Sea Islands (an
matter.
ticipating Secretary Bennett by a
A