Page 6 Portland Observer JUNE 1,1989
Perspectives,
M cK inley B u rt
“ GLASNOST”
FOR AMERICAN
EDUCATORS
AND
PUBLISHERS
The new Russian policy of
“ glasnost” is defined as openess.
May we lake this opportunity to
demand a forthright expedition of
this process at home as well as abroad?
For instance, we need to most im ­
mediately develop reading programs
and supporting m aterials that high­
light the great Black contributions to
the w orld’s finest literature. There is
o f course the vaunted works of By­
ron, Yeats, Tennyson, Longfellow
and Poe, but what about the magnifi­
cent works o f the a u th o rs of A fri­
can descent-w hose works (with no­
tations o f ancestry) would provide
motivation and self-imagery for A f­
rican-A m erican students: Pushkin
D um as(es), Sam uelC o lerid g e T ay ­
lor, R o b e rt B row ning, an d m any
o th ers.
A le x a n d e r P u sh k in (1 7 9 9 -
1837):Today’s article is about this
African-Russian literary giant who
changed the history of Russia (and
the world) for all time to com e with
the passionate humanity of his prose
and poetry. In direct relevance is
“ The C aptain’s D aughter” , a his­
torical novel o f epic proportions, a
story o f the peasant’s revolt. In this
country and as late as 1940, two of
Pushkin’s shorter works appeared in
many primary school readers; his
most popular poem , “ The Fisher­
man and the Fish” and ‘ ‘The Golden
Cockerel” , a fairy tale of great beauty
and fancy.
Two of his novels were converted
in to fa m o u s o p e r a s ; “ B oris
G odunov” (M ussorgski), and “ Eu­
gene Onegin” (Tchaikovsky). At the
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library you w ill find a most informa­
tive article in the “ Negro History
Bulletin, March 1948; The N egro’s
Literary Influence on M asterpieces
of Music (pp. 134-137)” . Also, if
you can find it, there is “ Poushkin,
the Shakespeare of R ussia” by Boris
Lee Brasol, N.Y., 1931. More recent
and o f special interest to English
teachers developing lesson plans (we
hope) is “ Pushkin: A Biography” ,
David Magarshack, N.Y., Grove Press,
1967, 1969.
As with many of Europe’s gen­
iuses o f African Descent who influ­
enced the destiny o f that continents’
affairs, there was in Pushkin a very
early m aturation o f talent. At the age
of 12 he entered the Imperial Lycee
at St. Petersbury where, incredibly,
his passionate out pourings led to his
becoming R u ssia’s leading poet at
the age of 15. His first poem “ Rem i­
niscences o f Tsarskoye Selo” was
not written in the conventional French
of the Russian intellectual circles,
but in Russian. Russia had at last a
great poet using her own language;
“ W ith one cut o f the sword Pushkin
had freed Russian literature from the
ties that were keeping it enslaved” .
The passage below from the * ‘Inter­
national Library o f Negro Life and
H istory (p. I l l ) indicates that
Pushkin’s’s powerful pen was a
powerful force in the overthrow of
the Czars o f tyranny, and was crucial
to the developm ent o f that mindset
which blossom ed into the Russian
Revolution. “ Placing the language
of his people among the w orlds’ most
important, Pushkin cried out for free­
dom and protested bondage and
serfdom ...becam e spokesman for the
poor and oppressed.”
M arx, Lenin, and Kerensky have
their due in Russian history, but most
of us know that it is first the soul of
m an which m ust be reached. A lex­
ander Pushkin did just this in shaping
the psyche o f the Russian masses
without sword or cannon-this great
grandson o f G eneral Hannibal, the
freed African slave who became chief
military engineer for Czar, Peter the
Great.
Several lines from Pushkins’ poem,
“ Ode to L iberty” , says it all:
“ Oh shake and shiver, tyrants
o f the world,
But lend an ear ye fallen slaves
Gain courage and rise.”
BLACK UNITED
SPEAK OUT FOR
FRONT to MEET
JUSTICE
The Coalition for Human D ig­
nity, formed following the m urder of
Mulugcta Seraw, has announced that
it will hold a “ Speakout for Justice”
in Lownsdalc Square across from the
Multnomah County Courthouse at
noon on Monday June 5,1989. Ken­
neth Meiske (aka Ken Death) is to be
sentenced this day following entry of
a plea of guilty to state munler charges
as a result of a plea bargain.
Members o f the Coalition have
expressed concern about the status of
federal charges in this case. They do
not w ant the federal charges
dropped.The Coalition wants to call
attention to the continuing problem
o f violence by organized racist
"sk in h ead s” and other hate groups
against members of our community
based on color, national origin, sex­
ual preference or religious beliefs.
They plan to provide an open micro­
phone so that those who wish to
express themselves on this com m u­
nity problem will have the opportu­
nity to do so. Alcohol, drugs, w eap­
ons or violence will not be permitted.
The Coalition is also planning to
distribute a flyer at the Speakout and
during Rose Festival week which
details recent incidents o f violence
and intimidation in the city and which
calls for action by City and State of­
ficials to halt this trend.
For information call, 287-6334.
Coalition for Human Dignity
P.O.Box 40344
Portland, OR 97240
BAN
APARTHEID!
On May 2, the first meeting of the
North-Northeast Economic Devel­
opment Task Force was held to fol­
low through on the wishes expressed
by the community. Six sub-com m it­
tees were formed to address Eco­
nomic Development, Jobs, Housing,
Land Use, Transportation and Fam ­
ily Services issues and to develop a
plan foreacharea. A comprehensive
plan was then put together using each
segm ent
On its 10th Anniversary
Idaho Timber Corporation wishes to thank
its Employees and the Community
for their Support!
Annual Production Shipped
You are invited to attend the next
community meeting on May 31
where the draft plan will be presented
to the community for its considera­
tion. The meeting will be held at
King Neighborhood Facility, 4815
NE 7th, beginning at 7:00pm.
On April 26 over 100 residents o f
inner-northeast Portland m et to focus
on the C ity’s Neighborhood Revitali­
zation Plan. After much debate the
plan was solidly rejected on the
grounds o f inadequate community
input. The community called for a
more open process. O rganizations
and individuals seeking to partici­
pate were indentified.
85
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87
88
89
(protected)
We are a company on the move with —
regionalized manufacturing and
service, dependable on-time delivery,
top quality, and competitive pricing.
The Idaho Timber Advantage.
Today, Idaho Timber Corporation is a
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We are right where you want us.
IDAHO TIMBER
CORPORATION
Alberta Street
Festival Scheduled
Corporate Offices (208) 377-3000
S u p p o rt O ur A d v ertisers!
Say Y ou S a w It In T h e
“ A lberta Street Festival, N.E. 16th
to 19th streets on Alberta Street, Sat­
urday, July 8th, from 10 a.m. to 11
p.m.
Food, Entertainment and Art.
Contact: Royal Esquire Club, Com ­
munity Service Dept. 288-8569.”
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