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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1989)
■rs.»'* ♦ r • * ♦ Page 2 Portland Observer April 27, 1989 O P IN IO N EDITORIAL CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL STOP SOUTH AFRICA’S WAR ON NAMIBIA by Benjamnin F. Chavis, Jr. The closer Namibia gels to the date for its official independence from the racist and violent stranglehold o f apartheid South Africa, the more South A frica continues to com m it brutal atrocities against the people o f Namibia. In particular, in recent days m em bers o f the South-W est Africa People’s O rganization (SW APO) have been hunted down and attacked by South African m ilitary units and police forces. The United Nations plan for the implem entation o f U.N. Resolution 435 sets the tim etable for N am ibia’s independence. Since this resolution went into effect on April 1,1989, nearly 300 SW APO soldiers and an undisclosed num ber o f Namibia civilians have been m urdered by the South African military. W hat South A frica Fails to understand is the undying love and support that SW A PO has among the vast majority o f Namibians. O ur concern is that the vast m ajority o f thirty m illion African Americans here in the United States, as well as millions o f others who support the freedom and independence o f Namibia, should not remain silent as South A frica increases its terrorist campaign to deny Namibia its freedom and sovereignty. It is interesting that there are not m any loud voices being raised in the Congress o f the United States concerning the situation in Africa in general and in particular concerning Angola and Namibia. Too often those o f us who live in the United States, assume a comfortable distance to what is happening in other parts o f the world.The only caution now is not to start celebrating the victory before it is actually won.South A frica has now shown its determ ination to try to hold on to Namibia. It is our responsibility to join in support of S W APO as this struggle enters the crucial stage. L et history show that SW A PO ’s eventual victory will be our victory as well. To the Editor: At 6:30 a.m„ several hundred Oregon State Penitentiary inmates start out to their respective work areas five days a week, For 40 hours these men work for wages that would discourage most outsiders from getting up in the morning, let alone maintaining their employment. Yet prison inmate em ploym ent has its benefits: it keeps away boredom, helps one to do o nes’ time, teaches a trade, and in som e cases, allows a person to s a y - maybe for the first time in his/her life—that th ey ’ve done a jo b to the best o f their ability. The sad thing is that the best prison is generally more quality oriented than the best in the community. Prisoners have opportunities to be em ployed in vocational positions which teach welding, data processing, clerical skills, product design and m anufacturing, and a wide range o f other marketable skills. Many prisoners leave prison with the thought that they can get a job when released only to find that, more often than not, the door o f opportunity is closed to them due to the unattractive label “ ex-offender” . If crim inal activity is a result o f lack of economic opportunity- in some cases, and personal irresponsibility, W ouldn’t it be logical to assume that providing employment to an ex-felon upon release would be a progressive solution to some of the crimes committed in this country? W ouldn’t it also be logical to assume that, if you give a man a jo b when h e ’s done his time, he will not sneak into your house while your’re asleep and “ liberate” your appliances? New prisons, private for profit endeavors, and the prom ulgation of ignorance, are not the answ ers to the crim e problem in this country. Neither is showing a man that he can succeed if he applies him self- and when he does (in prison) kick him every step of the way when he’s released. In many respects, parolees newly released from prison find themseleves in a much more hostile enviom m ent than the one they ju st left. In prison, he was simply one o f the men...in the com m unity he becom es traum atized with the labels k * ‘ex-felon, * ‘ex-convict’ ’, or* ‘ex-offender’ ’. The jobs open to him are those with very little potential. O nce a lead man in a shop (an inmate supervisor), he finds that he can easily qualify as being a janitor or a short order cook when he’s released. Nowdays, an ex-felon can’t even successfully be employed as a gas station attendant. And, if he does find a good job, he is visited at his workplace by a parole officer, w ho makes sure everyone knows that the “ ex-con” is a “ ex-felon” , especially if the job is more prestigious than that of the parole officer. Situations such as the above do not help attitudes which are already severely frayed at the edges. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions. O ne cannot wave o nes’ magic wand and change peoples’ biases, prejudices, and attitudes. In order to do that you would have to stop time, go back and start all over again. Personally, I think it’s kind o f odd that taxpayers are w illing to spend millions o f dollars every year to keep some o f us in prison. I fully understand how you feel. There are prisoners here I w ouldn’t dare associate with on the street.let alone see you associate with u n d er d iffe re n t c irc u m sta n c e s . Thankgoodness, those kind of prisoners are in the minority. It would seem more logical to allow us the opportunity to com e into society with a clean slate. O ur time would be completed. For the m ost part, w e’re a costly burden to society by us vacationing in prisons around the country. Some o f that money could be spent on mass em ploym ent for released prisoners who are sincere about making progress th ro u g h the b e n e fits o f fu ll employment-The theme of this message could be “ JUST G IV E M E A JOB and 1 W O N ’T BE BA CK ” Submitted by, Clifton Wash ERVER P O R TLA OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established in 1970 Alfred L. Henderson/Pubiisher Leon Harrls/General Manager Gary Ann Garnett Joyce Washington Business Manager Sales/Marketing Director PO RTLA ND O BSERVER « published weekly by Exie Publishing Company, Inc. 525 N.E. Killingsworth St. Portland, Oregon 97211 P O. Box 3137 M • '•••• • Portland, Oregon 97208 (503) 288-0033 (Office) Deadlines for all submitted materials: Articles Monday, 5 p.m.; Ads Tuesday, 5 p.m. Th* PORTLANO OBSERVER wMeomm Irw lanc« .ubmiMion». M anu.oripli and photograph. ahould ba dearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a aelt-addreaaed envelope. All creeled designed display ads become the sole property ol thia rewspeper and can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent ol the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition ol such ad. 1989 PORTLANO OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE O R IN PART W ITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Subscriptions: $ 20 0 0 per year in the Tri-County area. h'* ' The PORTLANO OBSERVER - Oregon s oldest Alrican American Publication- is a member ol The National Newspaper Association - Founded in 1885. The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publehers, Ine., New Yodr , 1 :A ‘. v s .- $, REMEMBERING SCHWERNER, GOODMAN AND CHANEY Twenty-five years ago two young Jew ish-A m ericans and an African- Am erican were slain in Philadelphia, M ississippi. Schw em er, Goodman and Cheney had joined hundreds o f youthful idealists com m itted to the propostion that all human beings are created equal. Young Americans by the hundreds, even thousands put their lives on the line all across the world fighting to desegregate lunch counters, demanding dignified and equal treatm ent on public transportation and striving to rally a disenfranchised people to register to vote. Indeed Schw em er, Goodman and Cheney were killed because they were tam pering with the status-quo. They were involved in a dangerous and subversive activity; struggling to ensure the inalienable right o f every American citizen to exercise the right to vote as guaranteed by the constitution o f the United States. There was fierce and violent resistance to the vote in the south for good reason. Ballots in the hands of Black voters could shatter the system of segregation for all time. To paraphrase Jesse Jackson, those who picked cotton would be empowered to pick sheriffs, council persons, mayors, congress people, senators and presidents. Schw em er, Goodman and Cheney were killed to strike terror into the hearts of the oppressed and those who would dare to muster the courage to work with die oppressed in their struggle for liberation. It is good for us to remember the resolve o f these young civil rights m artyrs and Jimmy Lee Jackson, M edger Evers, Viola Luizzo, Rev. James Reeb... Because o f them, as the old folks put it, we sure a in ’t what we wanna be, we sure a in ’t w hat w e’re gonna be but we sure ain ’t w hat we were. Things have changed. Much work remains to be done how ever if we are to get to the “ prom ised land” that Martin Luther King talked about the night before that fateful day in Memphis. 1 recently talked with Dr. Carolyn G oodm an, the m other Andrew Goodm an. She expressed a fervent desire that the work that her son was involved in continue. She was near exhaustion from criss-crossing the country encouraging young people B lack and Wh ite to continue the struggle for human dignity, decency and democratic rights for every American citizen. She was deeply pained by the racial disharm ony, racial violence and anti-sem itism which still plague America. Yet she was still full of hope. She is optim istic that today’s youth will carry the torch passed on by the civil rights martyrs. M rs.Goodman turned to the plans for a series o f major events which will m ark the 25th anniversary of the M ississippi murders. The G overnor of M ississippi and a host of civil rights leaders past and present, student leaders and public officials will gather in Philadelphia, M ississippi on June 21 for a memorial ceremony, and a giant rally. Then a south-north (reverse freedom ride) will start the long trek northward. The organizers hope that the caravan will inspire thousands o f the unregistered people to sign up to vote. In W ashington, D.C., as is appropriate, there will be a major rally in support o f registration reform legislation being sponsored by Senators Kennedy and Cranston and Representative Conyers and Swift in the House. Indeed, the M emorial Coalition has made elim inating barriers to registration and full voter participation a principal goal o f the four day commem oration. The final destination o f the South-North Caravan will be New York City, where organizers hope to register thousands o f the unregistered and conclude with a memorial service in St. John Devine C alheral. It will be a fitting series o f events. In the final analysis, however, it is we who m ust rem em ber what Schw em er, Goodman, Cheney and all the other martyrs gave their lives for. They died so that we might live. A Lasting memorial would be our resolve to com plete the work that they so valiantly pursued; we m ust finish the unfinished democracy. BLACKS AND JEWS by Dr. Lenora Fulani Earlier this month the New Jewish Agenda, which defines itself as an organization o f progressive Jew s, initiated expulsion proceedings against 18 o f their mem bers who also belong to the New Alliance Party. (NAP) “ Although N AP frames its anti-Semetic rem arks in the context o f an anti nationalist position, NAP is clearly not anti-nationalist , for it supports without criticism the nationalism o f Louis Farrakhan, who also preaches anti-Sem itism .” As the chairperson of the New Alliance Party, I wrote to protest the proposed expulsion of Jewish members of NAP who were also members of NJA. This is part o f what my letter said: “ what ‘crim es’ have these Jewish sisters and brothers committed to so outrage the NJA inquisitors as to precipitate a call for their expulsion? Beneath all the specific accusations, there is really only one charge o f substance-they are actively involved in the B lack-ledjndependent New Alliance Party. “ I have never been thrown out of any Black organization nor threatened with expulsion for working closely with Jews. That is because the African- A merican community is willing to work in broad, progressive non-partisan coalitions. No doubt much o f your objection to the New Alliance Party stems from my support o f and from M inister Louis Farrakhan. W hile I have differences with him, I am not willing to reject him. That you are willing to do so is a repudiation not just of M inister Farrakhan but of the millions o f black people-M uslim and non-M uslim -w h o follow him and respect him .” * ‘Liberal and progressive Jew s must learn that the Black com m unity will not be dictated to; we will choose our own leaders, and determ ine our own agenda, and w hether you like it or not you will have to respect it.” On April 8 the national steering committee o f the NJA held expulsion hearings in New York City. The Jewish members o f NAP who were about to be expelled had been told that they or a representative could appear at the hearings to sp e a k -fo r a maximum o f four minutes e a c h -in their defense. Since the real issues was not N A P’s “ anti-Sem itism ’ but N JA ’s racism, each o f the 18 Jewish sisters and brothers chose to be represented by an African- Am erican friend or colleague. Only one person at a time was allowed into the basem ent o f the small synagogue in G reenw ich Village where the hearings took place. None o f the “ accused” were permitted to be present. In some cases their Black representatives w ere asked questions; in others the steering committee members sat in stoney silence while Black lawyers, teachers, and community organizers expressed their outrage at the crim e that was being perpetrated by so-called progressive Jews in repudiating other Jews for the crime of following independent Black leadership. W ithin a few days, the NJA steering com m ittee had made its decision. In a letter dated April 11, the steering com m ittee’s national co-chairs announced their “ final solution” to each Jewish m em ber of NAP they were expelling: “ ...your actions...caused serious damage to the M anhattan NJA chapter and the national organization The NJA is seeking to intimidate genuine Jewish progressivism into silence and inaction by accusing those who speak out of being "tra ito rs” - not “ real” Jews, not “ good” Jews. It is, tragically, not the first time that progressive Jew s have been betrayed in this way. This is supposedly progressive Jewish organization has shown itself to be nothing more than a front for the racist, anti-Semitic and anti-progressive Democratic Party. They have brought shame to the progressive movement which Jews all over the world have helped to lead and build. I am deeply, deeply proud o f N A P’s Jewish leaders and b u ild e rs-if the leaders o f NJA w ere not blinded by their racism, they would be also. COMMON SENSE ON GUNS Unfinished Symphony by John E. Jacob M ilitary-style assault weapons have been used by drug dealers in shoot- outs with police and with rivals, and by a deranged man who invaded a California school. The public outcry over the increasing use o f those weapons led the President to ban their im portation and influenced C olt, a major gun producer, to stop production of at least one such weapon. Such a developm ent probably w on’t com e overnight. The gun lobby in W ashington is very powerful, and its chief spokesman, the National Rifle A ssociation, has managed to torpedo federal attem pts to pass state and local gun laws. But the NR A is fast losing support because the average citizen can’t see any reason to allow free and easy access to weapons that are turning our streets into com bat zones. But who uses military assault weapons? The NRA says they’re used for deer hunting, but as Robert Huges recently wrote in Tim e Magazine: ” No serious hunter goes after a deer with an Uzi or an AK-47'; those w eapons are not made for picking off an anim al in the woods but for blowing people to chopped meat at close to-medium range, and anyone who needs a banana clip with 30 shells in it to hit a buck should not be hunting at all.” The gun lobby says it’s not condoning criminal use o f fire arms, just defending the constitutional right to bear arms. But the Constitution says nothing about any right to stock up on autom atic weapons or walk the streets with handguns. The public’s rights and the rights of legitimate gun ow ners can be protected by a federal gun regulation law whose provisions include: :a ban on m ilitary-type w eapons such as machine guns and assault rifles. ¡Licensing o f all guns. :Tough requirem ents for licenses, including checks and delays so that you can no longer buy guns over the counter in a m atter of minutes without even verifying identity. W e’re the only country in the industrial world where guns are so easily available and w e’re also the one with the highest crime rate. It’s time for domestic disarm am ent Support O ur Advertisers! Say You Saw It In The PortlandObserver! CALL PORTLAND OBSERVER FAX # 503)288-0015 by Stevie Wonder Reprint, Portland Observer, January 1983 OMEWHERE A CHILD is hungry. Somewhere a nomeless man is cold. S Many days people are without shelter and always mankind is in need of love. It is not an easy time, yet it is not a hopeless time We must uncover the for mula for survival that w ill refresh our souls and uplift our spirits. It is in God's plan for love to be life's eternal destiny. What better way to celebrate God’s plan than by rehearsing the music to the unfinished symphony? Dr. King knew the score. He had the music and many willing players. He inspired us to allow our spirits to touch our hearts. He encouraged us to seek greater tone, better clarity and higher range. He understood the formula to help the musicians perform. We need that now. We need that spirit more than ever. We took those spiritual energies for granted. Yeah, we have learned that spirits never dissipate, they only return in another space and time. Let me suggest that the spirit of Dr. King is here with us. It is here in another space and time, and it is pushing us toward positive peace and love. Remember how he marched. Know that that spirit still consoles us. Remember his words. Know that they are forever recorded in God's almanac,-and truly, they’re housed in God’s almanac of love's universe. Know that our responsibility is an awesome task. We are assigned to create positiveness where negativity reigns high. We are assigned to embrace our brothers when distrust pervades our souls. We are responsible for maintaining the legacy when many would prefer it to be gone. As we tune the instruments o, love we can make this symphony work. Our con ductor, Dr. King, left an uhfinished symphony. We must finish it for him by adding those notes and chores that create the harmony o, love and life. There is no doubt that we need a national holiday. We need it as much as we need nourishment for our bodies. We need a day to celebrate our work on the un finished symphony. We need a day where we can have a dress rehearsal of solidarity and understanding. We need a moment to come together in the spirit of a man who taught this world how to love. We need a day where the dignity of man is recognized by his character and not his profession. We need a day of unity because our symphony is music that all lost hearts will hear. This day is not just for Black people, because love is just not Black. This day is not just for white people, because love is not just white. This day is not just for yellow people, because love is just not yellow. This day is not just for brown peo ple, because love is just not brown. This day is not jus, for red people, because love is jus, no, red. This day does no, exclude anyone because of the color of their skin, because love is a rainbow of our souls. Take some time to re,lec» on how you can finish the symphony. Takea minute to assess wha, you can do. Let's accept the responsibility for being great musi cians. Let’s record our rhythms together. Teach your family about our culture of love. Celebrate this day so we can spread the infection’s germ of love. Celebrate with all of your heart, and celebrate with all of your soul. And celebrate with ac tion tha, carries you to new heights. Soar on these new heights through all the years. Le, ourfinal movement be tha, o, the dream o, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Le, us begin by celebrating the day tha, w ill be the beginning of endless days of human harmony, embellishing upon a universal chord tha, joins in with the eternal sym phony. Our firs, performance o, this symphony o, love w ill begin with our collective expression of respect and commitment ,o the conductor o, this great symphony, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and all those who in the name of love we honor here to day. We’ll make the dream come true because our hearts tell us so. ' *>/ i