Page 2 Portland Observer February 16, 1989
EDITORIAL
The Legacy of the Hidden American
History
by Dr, Jamil Cheravee
At Florida International University,
I w as asked to speak before a group
of Third W orld and Black students in
Journalist Very few students had read
The Black Free Views Am erikan
Im perialism , by George P. Marks, III.
Republican Doctrine, One w ho
steals a ham is a thief. One w ho
steals a fortune is a financier. One
who assists in stealing the Philip­
pines is a patriot. From the Chicago
Board Ax, Oct. 27, 1900, charges
“ Philippines” in the above quote to
“ Vietnam ” and it could easily be a
verse in any Left publication today.
The verse appropriately sums up a
decade of Black sentiment. From the
1890's through the turn-of-the-cen-
tury, Blacks were the most consistent
and vocal of those opposed to A m eri­
kan econom ic-m ilitary expansion in
the Third World. This little known
sidelight forms another pari of the
legacy of hidden Am erikan history.
Fortunately, the progressive w rit­
ings and speeches of Black spokes­
men on this question have been
compiled in the work, The Black Press
Views Am erikan Imperialism 1898-
1900, by George P. Marks, III. Part of
the New York Times collection on the
“ Am erikan Negro: His History and
Literature,” the book opens investi­
gation into the long neglected area of
Black involvement in the historic radical
movement. Other works on the Black
press include: The Negro Press in the
United States; The Negro New spa­
per; The Negro Press Re-Examined;
Fifth Years of Progress in Negro
Journalism ; W ho's W ho in the A m eri­
kan Negro Press and The Negro Press,
Past, Present and Future. All of these
works have chosen to ignore the early
press material on Black activism. I’m
inclined to believe, the articles and
editorials in M ark’s work are particu­
larly significant as a gauge of the
thinking of the Black Intellectuals in
that period. Most of the newspapers
had incomplete volum es of editions
making the task for the anthologist
more difficult. In 1900, the Black press
was in its em bryonic stage of devel­
opm ent and hadn’t yet becom e
es­
tablished institution in the Black
community.
Nearly all the papers faced prob­
lems of tow budgets, shortage of trained
personnel, and distribution. Often the
papers went under in a relatively short
period of time and were not preserved.
The period, 1898-1900. Marks treats,
was critical for the em ergence of
Am erika as a world force. The new
corporate industrialists demand for
new markets, raw materials, and cheap
labor supplies, pushed them into the
scram ble for territories.
Before the end of the 19th C en­
tury, Cuba, the Philippines, Hawaii,
and Puerto Rico fell into the circle of
Am erikan econom ic domination. To
push expansion, the national leaders
first had to convince a basically reluc­
tant and isolationist Amerikan public
to accept militarism as a priority.
This was no easy task. Many sena­
tors and congressm en initially voiced
strong reservations about Am erika’s
new direction. The National Anti-
Imperialist League political figures in
the country. Socialists and numerous
key labor leaders lined up against im ­
perialism. However, as expansion
increased the liberal opposition melted
away. The Black population though
was another matter.
The Black press believed that the
w ar being fought in Cuba and the
Philippines was a racist war aimed at
the subjugation o, other non-cauca-
soids. Keenly conscious of racism at
home, Blacks didn't fail to note the
sim ilarities between the way Cauca­
soids described the Filipinos ("d e ­
generate,” "uncivilized," “ lazy,” etc.)
and themselves.
Blacks reasoned that as long as
the governm ent didn’t provide civil
rights and equal protection in Amerika
then they shouldn't be asked to serve
in the military. Lewis Douglass, son of
the abolitionist leader Frederick
Douglass, in an article in the C leve­
land Gazette, Dec. 23, 1899, argued:
"The administration holds that this is
a caucasoid m an’s government and
that dark races have no rights which
caucasoid men are bound to respect.
It is a sorry, though true, fact that
wherever this governm ent controls
injustice to dark races prevails. The
people of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,
and Manila know it as well as do the
wronged Indian and outraged Black
man in the United S tates.”
Other Blacks were not as polite,
and labeled those Blacks who chose
to enlist as "race-traitors." The Re­
porter, Feb. 1, 1900, bluntly stated:
“ Any Negro soldier that will cross the
ocean to help subjugate the Filipinos
is a fool or a villain, more fool, how­
ever, than villain, we trust. May every
one of them get ball-strung is our
sincere prayer."
W hen war loomed as possibility in
China during the so-called Boxer
rebellion in 1898, Bishop Turner in a
letter to the New York Age, July 27,
1900, vowed to do everything in his
power to prevent Blacks from enlist­
ing: “ This is not war, and the Black
man that puts a gun upon his shoul­
der to go and fight China should find
the bottom of the ocean before he
gets there." I’m inclined to believe,
the knowledge of racism was not the
only elem ent that fueled Black anti­
war sentiment. The growing labor
m ovem ent with its large Socialist
constituency had a m ajor impact on
Black thought. Black workers tended
to support labor against the em ploy­
ers despite the attem pt to use Blacks
as scabs and strike-breakers.
A few Blacks saw Henry G eorge’s
single tax theories as a possible alter­
native to capitalist exploitation. Many
more talked about labor and con­
sum er co-operatives; still others
considered com m unal land develop­
ment projects in the South and West.
A small but active sector posed So­
cialism as the best solution to im peri­
alism and war. Charles G. Baylor, a
Black Socialist Labor Party organ­
izer, in an analysis of th Amerikan oc­
cupation of Cuba in the Richmond
Planet, July 30, 1898, noted: “ The
central and important fact in this whole
m atter is that the revolution in Cuba
was, from the beginning, an Afro-
Cuban Socialist up-rising against
Spanish tyranny, capitalistic greed,
and priestly r u le ... this was not to be
tolerated by the Camegies, Pullmans,
Rockefellers of Am erika any more
than by the confederate so-called
Christian caucasoid aristocracy of the
South. In the next months edition of
the Richmond Planet, Boylar urged
Blacks to join either the SLP if pos­
sible or a labor union to secure eco­
nomic emancipation.
Much the same thinking went into
Black condem nation of the gold stan­
dard which was then being debated in
corporate circles. An editorial in the
Chicago Broad Ax, July 21, 1900,
reflected this: “The Negro is not an
investor of capital. Those who insist
that gold shall be the money of the
land give no employment to the Negro,
though em ploying thousands of la­
borers.” I believe, the Black opposi­
tion to monopoly capital was also in­
corporated into the platform of the
National Afro-Amerikan party outlined
in Howard’s Amerkan Magazine, June,
1900: “ W e are opposed to all m o­
nopolies and trusts, and favor the
ownership and control of the public
highways by the general government,
such as railroads, telegraph and tele­
phone.”
I'm inclined to believe, the paral­
lels suggested in the book with to­
day’s radical m ovement are certainly
immediate and important. The final
value of th Black Press Views A m eri­
kan Imperialism must lay in the first
hand glim pse it gives into the real
roots of Black radicalism.
/
O P IN IO N
To Be Equal
Econom ic State o f Black America
Each year the National Urban League
releases a book-length report on The
State o f Black Am erica. It features
articles by outstanding scholars who
examine the situation o f African-
Americans in key areas o f life.
The current report includes, among
many such valuable contributions, a
revealing portrait o f the Black economy
by Dr. David H. Swinton, Dean o f the
School o f Business at Jackson State
U niversity.
Dr. Swinton marshalls an impressive
array o f data proving not only that African-
Americans did not share in the recent
economic comeback, but that the black-
white gap is disastrously large.
For example, Dr. Swinton shows that
the per capita income fo r Blacks was
only $575 for every $1,000 for w hite--
and the gap has grown over the past
decade.
W hat that means to the Black economy
can easily be seen - if Blacks had incomes
comparable to whites, African-Americans
would have an additional $162 b illio n in
purchasing power.
Dr. Swinton also documents the
different aspects inequality takes w ithin
the
A fric a n -A m e ric a n
and
w h ite
communities. Both saw a shrinkage in
the middle income brackets.
But among whiles, it was accounted
fo r by middle income fam ilies m oving
up into the high income category. Among
Blacks, the drop in the middle income
group was divided almost equally between
those m oving upand those moving down
into the lower income category.
Dr., Swinton calculates that die income
gap means that “ about 1.5 m illio n more
Black fam ilies had incomes less than
$10,000 than would have had such low
incomes i f parity existed, w hile about
1.7 m illio n fewer Black fam ilies had
incomes over $35,000.’
He finds that the increase in Black
poverty accelerated in the past decade
and that at every level, African-American
fam ilies earn less than comparable white
fam ilies. That goes for fam ilies w ith
several earners, for female-headed
households and for other disparities.
So the conventional argument that
Black income is lower because more
Black families are female-headed is blown
out o f the water. Dr. Swinton calculates
that “ differences in family headship could
account fo r no more than 11 percent o f
the racial disparity in income.”
ESTEEM
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He finds that i f Blacks has the same
poverty rates as whiles, there would be
6.6 m illio n fewer African-Am erican
poor people including almost 3 m illio n
fewer poor children.
P. O. Box 11072
Portland, Oregon, Oregon 97211
Telephone (503) 681-0874
Control
by Linda D. Wattley
I first experienced the reality that I
did not have total control over many
events in my life one evening just as
the sun was going down.
I had just experienced the sudden
death of my husband, I was lacking
the understanding of why this tragedy
had taken place.
While driving down a tree-lined
street at about 25 m.p.h., a cute little
fuzzy brown and white rabbit hopped
under my car from the passenger’s
side. The decision to stop, speed up
or slow down all raced through my
mind. I did a little bit of them all then
I felt a lump. The rabbit was instantly
killed.
At first, I thought about the rabbit's
m other and family. They would never
see him again. Tears slowly rolled out
of my eyes.
But then my spirit within brought it
to my attention that I had absolutely
no control. Not only did I not have
control, the rabbit had none either.
The only obvious control available
to me was what I was going to do
next. Either I would mourn the death
of the rabbit or rejoice in the revelation.
All of our experiences are ordered
by the god of our being. However, we
are granted certain authority over our
life. This specific authority usually
becomes obvious after the experi­
Perspectives
ence or event has taken place. We
either ascend or descend in our souls
and consciousness from each en­
counter.
W hat do you have control over?
You have control over your percep­
tion. But, if there is no knowledge fed
into your mind prior to the experience,
you are very limited in your authority
and ability to respond with the highest
quality for spiritural growth. Know l­
edge is the one thing that determ ines
how we will conduct ourselves in our
everyday lives. There is not under
standing without accumulated knowl
edge.
You have no control without knowl­
edge. You must feed your mind just
as you feed your body. Because it will
utilize every drop of knowledge you
feed it and grow weary when there is
no replacement.
Spiritual awareness is a result of
knowledge. Through spirituality, there
is power and where there is power
and spirituality, there is control even
when you do not have direct control
over the process that prom oted the
experience.
The god of your being welcomes
you as one with its all-knowingness.
Once this unity is established, control
means absolutely nothing because
you know you are the life flow that can
never be destroyed.
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How To ‘Use’
Black History
Part 11.
lead article.W e were able to obtain his
address and telephone number from the
journal and wrote him enclosing a copy
of Black Inventors o f America. Crosthwait
responded very prom ptly. That is the
kind o f man he was. He provided many
details o f his life and accomplishments.
He also staled how d iffic u lt he found it
to deliver his role model theme to African-
American youths because o f what he
called “ the inertia o f educators and social
by M cK inle y Burt, Historian
As it was [pointed out in tis column
last week, one o f the most im portant
uses o f history is the reinforcem ent o f
identity. “ Not only am I somebody, but
I ways was somebody” ... somebody very
important to the development o f w orld
civiliza tion . L et us look at another
technique and a more recent phrase
“ A frican-Am erican. ’ ’
M ost reader are fam iliar w ith the
inventors portrayed in my book, Black agency people who don’ t seem to
Inventors o f Am erica. Given technology understand the value o f African-American
like the railw ay telegraph, the automatic technical accomplishments in the areas
air brake and the third rail by G ranville o f either careers or motivation in general.”
Woods...the refrigerated truck and box
One o f his most im portant revelations
car by Frederick M cK inle y Jones, many was when he told me that Norman Rillieux,
teachers and counselors around the country the inventor o f the sugar refiner
have used these materials to inspire and was a far greater contributor to die world’s
to motivate their pupils. In some cities technology in thermodynamics than the
educators have sponsored student clubs quote from the U.S. Department o f
named in honor o f the contributors to the Agriculture evinced in m y book, tow it:
technology o f Am erica and the W orld. “ R illie u x ’ s invention is the greatest in
This is far superior and quite competitive, the history o f Am erican Chemical
die involvement o f the talent and energies Engineering.” N described how this
o f African-Am erican youths than the “ triple stage evaporation” process (patent
gang activities o f Crips and Bloods!
#4879, 1846) completely changed the
L et us take several role model that basic concepts o f thermodynamics and
have not appeared in this column. David physics. They formed the basis fo r the
Crosthwait, the w orld’ s foremost heating great German Chemical Industry. Norm
and air conditioning engineer, was granted R illie u x was educated in Europe and
114 U.S. and foreign patents on this type there he wrote im portant technical and
o f machinery between 1923 and 1976. economic papers on steam applications
This African-Am erican graduate o f before returning to Louisiana to change
Purdue U niversity led the fie ld in design, the sugar refining industry forever.
installation, testing and servicing o f power
So great was the involuntary servitude
p la n ts , healing and ventilation systems. tradition o f the South in need for the
An authority on heat transfer, Crosthwait genius o f this African-Am erican in order
developed the systems and controls for for that industry to be com petitive w ith
heating and cooling major buildings and
Europe in sugar production that the gave
skyscrapers throughout the world,
R illieu x the status o f a free man. But
including the Rockefeller Center in New true to that tradition o f separatism, b u ilt
Y ork Center.
a home fo r him on each plantation
Have you ever thought about what w he re
ingenuity
and technical competence it must require
to develop a power plant and plum bing
system fo r the delivery o f heat and hot
water up to the 105th floor o f a skyscraper
and then maintain equal volume and
temperature levels over a 24 hour cycle
o f variable usage? O r have you ever
considered the mechanics fo r handling
sewage disposal requirements in huge
structures containing thousands o f offices
and lavatories?
This African-Am erican genius first
came to my attention in 1972 during my
leafing through a trade magazine o f the
air conditioning industry. Everyone in
the business section o f the library heard
me exclaim when I saw an African-
American man’ s picture featured in a
a I-
* • * z * * e
-, -
, t
he
s u p e rv is e d
the
in s ta lla tio n o f his systems which was
apart from both the quarters o f the workers
and those o f the owner. They became
known as the Rillieux Houses throughout
the Delta.
Once more we may speak about the
genius o f David Crosthwait. Throughout
America and the w orld, his authoritative
writings, manuals, standards and building
codes dominate the fields o f heating and
air conditioning. We arc reminded o f
Howard Latim er, the inventor o f the
ligh t filam ent in Thomas Edison’s
laboratories, whose work in the area o f
street lig h tin g rem ains standard
throughout the world. M r. Latim er died
in 1976. How much more do we need
educators and parents to motivate and
direct our youth?