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January 17,1990 • Portland Observer • Page 3
NATIONAL FORUM
C M Rights JoumaC
Articles and Essays by Ron Daniels
Eyes On The Prize
by calling for self-determination for the
Palestinian people. The Organization o f
African Unity has also been on record in
support o f Palestinian self-determination.
The Jackson campaigns were major
vehicles for the articulation o f a more bal­
anced U.S. policy in the Middle East. By
1988, largely do to he strength of the Jackson
campaigns and an emerging new consensus
on Middle East policy, the subject o f Pales­
tinian rights was openly debated at the
Democratic National Convention. The subject
would have been strictly taboo just a few
short years ago.
People like Bishop Tutu who have had
the courage to put forth a more truthful and
balanced view o f the Middle East conflict
have often paid a heavy price. Under the
Carter Administration, U.N. Ambassador
Andrew Young was forced to resign be­
cause he dared to have secret contacts with
a representative o f the Palestine liberation
Organization. These contacts were undoub-
tebly sanctioned by the State Department
and the President. However, once the con­
tacts were discovered, the Jewish Lobby
went after Andy Y oung’s head and got i t
Bishop Tutu therefore has boldly stepped
forth on a course that can be extremely
risky. During his Christmas pilgrimage one
outraged Israeli called him a “ Black Nazi
p ig .” Tutu is not likely to win a popularity
contest in Israel or among American Jews
from this point on. Fortunately not all Is­
raelis or American Jews are so intransient.
A sizeable minority o f Israelis and Ameri­
can Jews now support a two state policy,
and the concept o f land for peace. Many
Jews also are sharply critical o f Israel's
relations with South Africa.
Far too often television explores our
history through programs which are either
so poorly conceived that they put you to
sleep or so badly revised that they bear no
resemblance to the truth. One o f the few
programs to depart from the norm was
EYES ON THE PRIZE, AMERICA’S CIVIL
RIGHTS YEARS. When the series first
aired on television in 1987, it definitely
made its mark. Not only is the series used in
schools and churches throughout the coun­
try, it has also become one o f the m ost ac­
claimed documentaries in television his­
tory.
Using interviews with participants in
Movement events and film footage from
that time, the first series covered the years
from the murder o f young Emmett Till in
1955 to the Selma Montgomery March o f
1965. Now Blackside, Inc., d ie Black-owned
film company which produced the first se ­
ries, has given us a sequel. This next se ­
r ie s -8 hours in all—covers the years 1965
to the early 1980s. It promises to be as
historically revealing and as dramatically
powerful as the first series.
Certainly those segments which focus
on Martin Luther K ing's later years w ill do
much to show the broadening scope o f his
con cem s-an d , through him the broadening
of the entire Movement Though seme would
like to end dr. King's developm ent with his
‘ ‘I Have a Dream” speech, EYES O N THE
PRIZE II explores the activities initiated by
Dr. King and the staff o f his Southern
Christian Leadership Conference through
the mid-to-late 1980s. Their organizing
becomes much more targeted against eco­
nomic inequality and the Viet Nam War.
Speaking shortly before his assassination,
Dr. King pleaded for a greater commitment
to the poor, saying, “ This is America’s
S P O RT S
.y d i
b\ Ih 11 iinm / iiliin i
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
Bishop Tutu Backs
Palestinian State
During a recent five day Christmas
visit to the Holy Land South African Arch­
bishop Desmond Tutu strongly reiterated
his support for Palestinian rights. Bishop
Tutu asserted that until there is justice for
the * ‘native’' people o f Palestine, there w ill
be no peace in the Middle East. Standing
firm in the face o f intense criticism from
many Israeli leaders and citizens, Bishop
Tutu endorsed the recognition o f the Pales­
tinian state as the principal incredient for a
peaceful resolution o f the conflict in the
Middle East
In advocating recognition for the Pal­
estinian State, Tutu also was unequivocal
regarding the right o f Israel to exist within
safe and secure boundaries. However, the
South African Anti-Apartheid leader as­
sailed the Israeli government for its m ili­
tary and econom ic axis with South Africa.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner also called
the Israelis to task for past and present acts
o f terrorism against the Palestinian people.
Bishop Tutu’s stand showed great
courage and conviction. All too often de­
bate about Middle East policy has been
severely stiffled by fierce resistance by
many Israelis and American Jews to any
suggestion that the Palestinians have a
legitimate right to a homeland and a state.
Deviations from the official policy o f the
Israeli government or the position o f pow ­
erful pro-Israel American Jewish organiza­
tions have frequently been characterized as
anti-semitic.
Bishop Tutu's position on the Middle
East closely parallels the policy recom ­
mendations advanced by Rev. Jesse L.
Jackson during the 1984 and 1988 presi­
dential campaigns. The historic Gary Black
Political Convention in 1972 broke the
silence on the subject o f Palestinian rights
This Way For Black Em powerm ent
The Locker Room
The Personal and the Political
opportunity to help bridge the gulf between
the haves and the have-nots . . . There is
nothing new about poverty. What is new is
we now have the techniques and the re­
sources to get rid o f poverty. But the real
question is whether we have the w ill."
Here, as elsewhere in the series, the events
presented speak not only to concerns o f the
past, but to problems which plague our
nation even today.
This relevance is obvious in the seg­
ment o f M alcolm X . Through his speeches
we come to understand the brilliance o f
Malcolm the teacher. But, equally impor­
tant, through interviews with actor Ossie
Davis, poet Sonia Sanchez, author Alex
Haley and others w e also come to under­
stand the humanity o f M alcolm, the man. In
fact, the first time w e see Malcom he is
smiling. Journalist Peter Bailey tells us that
Malcolm he is smiling. Journalist Peter
Bailey tells us that Malcolm was * *a master
teacher. And there is no greater loss to a
community than the loss of a master teacher.”
In this segm ent-and through the resonance
o f his influence throughout the series-w e
begin to understand the real depth o f that
loss. However, the impact o f his sequel is
based on just on one more story, but on the
overall effect o f the entire series: from the
personal courage o f Muhammad Ali to the
jubilation o f Chicago residents who suc­
ceed in electing Harold Washington as that
city's first African-American Mayor. The
theme o f community empowerment which
runs through EYES ON THE PRIZE II is
both uplifting and energizing. As a Puerto
Rican mother says, explaining the impor­
tance of the struggle for community control
of schools in Brooklyn, “ Power to the
People: I like this because I think that we
were going through, what any poor neigh­
borhood, regardless o f the ethnic makeup
was going through. . . People really needed
to have some power.”
This second series o f EYES ON THE
PRIZE couldn't have come at a better time.
N ow , as many o f our communities are
organizing to combat the growing prob­
lems o f unemployment, drugs and hom e­
lessness, we all need to be reminded o f the
power o f a united com m unity-whatever its
racial composition.
Recently I was invited to be on a panel
sponsored by the W om en's Center o f Co­
lumbia University in New York City. The
topic was “ Juggling Multiple Allegiances"-
how women balance their personal and
professional commitments.
To my way o f thinking, the underlying
premise o f the topic was problematic, be­
cause it assumed that “ juggling” is the
activity women must do when our families
and our work collide. But the whole con­
cept o f juggling gets women into trouble,
because it we're juggling and something
goes wrong then w e’re the ones who end up
getting blamed. What I wanted to talk about
wasn’t juggling, but bringing the personal
and the professional—in my case, p o litics-
together. I decided to do it by talking about
my children-m y daughter Ainka, who is
16, and my 12 year old son Am ani-and
how I have used my political commitment
to shape my relationship with them.
A s a young mother I had tried, along
with m y children's father, to create a posi­
tive Black environment for them: they had
Black dolls to play with and books about
Black people to read. W e were trying to re­
create Africa in our living room. Then we
sent Ainka to a daycare program. One day
she came home with a yellow sweater on
her head which she refused to take off. She
started criticizing all the Black people on
TV, calling this one ugly and that one
stupid. At first I didn’t realize what was
happening-and when I did I was horrified.
But I was also, suddenly, very liberated.
Because I began to realize that I couldn't
protect my daughter from racism. Even if I
could manage to keep it out o f our house, I
couldn’t keep her out o f the world. So if I
was going to do something about it in the
world.
I had similar experiences with Amani.
I believe that anyone who is not a Black,
Latina, Asian or Native American working
class woman raising a male child in Amer­
ica cannot really know what that experi­
ence is like. Every time Amani left the
house I was sure he would be shot by a cop.
If he was five minutes late coming home
from school or from the store, I was sure
that som e racist had beaten him up or killed
him. I wanted to find a way to protect him
against the violence and viciousness of
racism.
After my husband and I separated, my
home and family life centered around the
kids. My eventual decision to become ac­
tive politically provoked a tw o and half
year fight with Ainka and Amani; they
insisted that they should "com e first.’’
My independent campaign for the
Presidency put me on the road for 18 months.
I spoke to Ainka and Amani nearly every
day by phone, but I was hardly ever home.
When the campaign ended and I got back,
it took me several weeks to realize that
something in the house was very different.
The kids had stopped fighting with each
other. I asked Ainka what had happened.
She explained that when I went on the road
she and her brother had decided that they
needed to be supportive o f me; since they
knew that I always worried about their
fighting with each other, they had made a
pact to stop in order to support the cam ­
paign. I was deeply, deeply moved by that.
You see, I have not practiced politics in
such a way as to balance my political life
with my responsibilities as a mother, or as
a development psychologist I have struggled
to organize the w hole o f m y life-p olitical,
professional, personal-around my funda­
mental commitment to bringing about radi­
cal social change in this country. That’s one
reason I'm so controversial. As a therapist
who practices the radically humanistic clini­
cal psychology known as social therapy-
created by my very close friend and politi­
cal mentor Dr. Fred Newman, a Jewish
M arxist-1 have been accused along with
him o f “ brainwashing” people into be­
coming active in the N ew Alliance Party.
But it is our understanding o f the rela­
tionship between psychology and politics,
our struggle to bring the personal and the
political together, that is central to our
success as a powerful progressive force in
American politics. “ Juggling” is not the
answer, because it leads to women being
blamed. And w e don’t need to be blamed.
W e need to be powerful.
■
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
H e’s here, finally, and early returns
indicate David Robinson was w ell worth
the wait.
“ David Robinson is a glass-eater,”
declared Michael Cooper o f the Los A nge­
les Lakers following Robinson's 23-point,
17-rebound NBA debut, a 106-98 San Antonio
Spurs victory over the Lakers before a
rollicking sellout crowd o f 15,868 at the
HemisFair Arena N ov. 4.
" H e's simply a great player.
H e’s a presence, and they haven’t
had that,” said Lakers Coach Pat
Riley.
After winning the 1987 N B A
Draft Lottery and picking the 7-
foot-1 Robinson, the Spurs en­
dured 31-51 and 21-61 seasons
while he fulfilled his Naval com ­
mitment. N ow he's committed to
anchoring the Spurs* defense,
sweeping the boards, scoring some
points and making the Spurs the
most improved team in the N B A .
Already he’s averaging 24.3 points
(15th in the N B A ), 14.8 rebounds
(third) and 4.0 blocked shots (third).
It's not all Robinson, to be
sure. H e’s one of nine newcomers
on the Spurs’ 12-man roster, the
only holdovers being second-year
pros W illie Anderson and V em on
M axwell and frontcourt reserve
Frank Brickowski.
"W hat we did goes against
every principle I’ve held dear in
the 17 years I ’ve been an owner,”
said Spurs owner Red McCombs.
“ I always felt if you added more than a
couple players, you were treading on thin
ice. But som e unusual opportunities came
to pass, and w e jumped on them.”
The Spurs seem to have all the right
ingredients-an agile, defensive-m inded
center and rebounder in Robinson, a savvy
floor leader in Maurice Cheeks, a proven
’ ’go-to-guy'' in Terry Cummings, exciting
young talent in Anderson and Sean Elliott
and good depth.
"I don’t know when it’s going to hap­
pen, but I know w e’re going to be a really
good team ,” said Coach Larry Brown. "I
don’t anticipate it happening overnight, but
I know there’s going to com e a time when
we becom e really good.”
“ You always dream o f playing for a
team like this one," said Anderson, run-
nerup to Mitch Richmond in last year’s
Minute Maid Orange Soda N BA Rookie o f
the Year voting. “ When I go hom e at night.
I look at the structure o f this team and I'm
just thankful to be a part o f it.”
Brown, naturally, remains cautious.
"Potential is something that gets you
in trouble, because people expect too much,"
he said. * ’Our young kids don't know about
the bumping and the grinding and the way
you 've got to play night in and night out
with effort This league is tough. You don’t
win just by chance. Y ou've got to have
good, competitive guys who get along to­
gether. Y ou ’ve got to have leadership and
experience on the court.”
That leadership and experience is coming
from Cheeks, who quarterbacked the 76ers
to the 1983 N BA World Championship,
and Cummings, a career 22.1 ppg scorer.
Photo CradH: "A Sportlno New» Moguino"
“ Helping them to learn how to win is
the first thing,” Cheeks said o f his role.
“ Being able to teach them to play the game
to win, not just to go out there and play and
expect to get b ea t-I think that’s my role.”
Added Cummings, ‘ ‘The biggest thing
for me is leadership. I try to keep everyone
focused and keyed in on what w e need to
do—and that is w in.”
“ Mo and Terry really add experience,”
observed Lakers guard Byron Scott. “ They
have the balance you need in this league to
w in a title.”
"M o and Terry really add experience,”
observed Lakers guard Byron Scott. “ They
have the balance you need in this league to
win a title.”
If the Spurs do win, the main man
figures to be Robinson, the 1987 NCAA
Player o f the Year who spent two years in
dry dock before joining the Spurs this summer.
” 1 don't have any individual goals, I
just want us to be successful," he said. “ I
didn't expect to feel this comfortable this
quickly. That’s what has surprised me the
most. I com e out and I feel relaxed. In fact,
sometimes I’m almost too relaxed. I’ve got
to get out there and be a little more, w ell,
reckless, I guess.
i
“ I'm still adjusting to the pro style o f
defense. I've got to be more o f a factor in
the paint. I've got to be more active, block
some shots, get in there and dominate that
blue area. If I'm anywhere out on the floor,
I can't let them drive the lane with impu­
nity.”
N ot to worry, Robinson’s combination
o f size, agility and quickness already rate
him a place among the league’s best cen­
ters. Brown, for one, is not sur­
prised.
"W hen David was growing
up,” said Brown, “ he was so
good at everything he tried, he
didn't know if he wanted to be
Mozart, Thomas Edison or Bon
Jovi. But he's focusing on bas­
ketball now, and he’s getting better
every day.”
“ He's a good player,” said
All-Star center Patrick Ewing of
the N ew York Knicks after his
first match-up against Robinson
in preseason. " H e’s quick and
agile. He can run and jump. For
quickness and size in centers,
there are only three-m yself,
Akecm Olajuwon and Robinson.”
" H e's definitely going to be
an impact player in this league
right away,” said Boston's Kevin
McHale.
Paul Silas, the N BA veteran
who is now an assistant coach
with New York, was impressed
with Robinson's agility and dared
photograph
to mention him in the same sen­
tence with Bill Russell, the standard when
it com es to shot-blocking centers.
"His speed, that’s what really impresses
m e,” Silas said o f Robinson. “ He really
gets up and down the court. His timing on
shots, his jumping ability, the way he keeps
blocked shots in play, reminds me o f Russell.
H e’s one o f the quickest centers I’v e ever
seen.”
Perhaps Magic Johnson put it best in
describing Robinson: * ’It's hard to say he’s
a rookie, because he's a man. Some rookies
are just never rookies, and he's one o f
them."
Currently 23-10, Robinson and the Spun
will be in town to play the Trailblazers. It
should be an excellent con test
Short Shakes: Special thanks to Ivie R.
Lewellen o f the Sporting N ew s Magazine
in St. Louis, Missouri. I don't know what I
would do without your fine publication or
without you for that matter. Say hello to
your Photo Department for me . . . The
Lakers and Knicks are 17-1 at home. You
have got to hold down the home fort in this
league. David Robinson appears com pli­
ments o f N .B.A . N ew s. Cheri W hite, for­
mer BlazerAjoldcn State PR Director, works
on their staff. See you next week.
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