B lack H istory M onth • F ebruary 1 9 9 0 FEBRUARY 7,1990 “ The Eyes a n d The Ears o f the C om m unity” PCC: Is The Name Of The Game The Same? When Oil Sardinia left California in late 1989, to assume a position at Portland Community C ollege’s Sylvania Campus, he brought with him a Juris Doctorate from Hastings C ollege o f the Law, an M .A. in Social Work from San Francisco State and a B .A . in S ociology from the University o f California at Berkley. Offering these credentials, the 4 0 year old who migrated to the U .S. from Cuba when he was 13 thought that he was enter­ ing a work environment that was anxious to utilize his m ulti-faceted talents. In September, 1989, Sardinia applied for the position o f Literacy Coordinator at the Sylvania Campus. Although he w as not offered the p osi­ tion o f Literary Coordinator, Sardinia claims Sylvania Executive Dean Paul W illiams hired him on O c t 3, to teach English as a non-native language (ENNL) and sched­ uled him to m eet the follow ing day with a screening committee. In the meeting with the committee which included Administrators Peter Hirsch and D ale Edmonds, and Claudia N awas, ENNL Program Supervisor, Sardinia said Edmonds asked why he wanted the job. “ Are you having a m id-life crisis,” he asked. Sardinia further stated that the ques­ tion was based on discrimination o f race andage. “ It was obviously clear to m e that Dale Edmonds did not want m e to b e h in d at PCC far any position,” Sardinia said. “ H e (Edmonds) later admitted to m e that he w as unhappy because he had people waiting on half-time positions and Paul (W illiams) put you in ahead o f them .” The comm ittee found Sardinia unqualified for the position o f EN N L instructor. In late October, Sardinia claim s W il­ liams made another offer to him to become an Administrative Assistant to the Execu­ tive Dean and to teach tw o evening Sociol­ o g y classes. H e accepted the offer and began his duties on November 1st, 1989. On Novem ber 6, Sardinia alleges W il­ liams informed him that PCC President Dan Moriaty had called him (W illiams) over the w eekend at home and instructed him to terminate Sardinia’s employment due to budget considerations. But accord­ ing to Sardinia, W illiams told him he would try to find him something by January 1st, 1990. Sardinia informed W illiam s that he had m oved his fam ily from California and fully expected PCC to honor it’s agreement to hire him. On Novem ber 9, Sardinia claims Mori­ aty reversed his decision to terminate him and changed his job description to that o f Academic Advisor with a 40% teaching responsibility in Sociology. On November 20, Sardinia filed a complaint with the Affirmative Action Office at the campus and on November 24, sent a chronology o f the events leading up to the complaints to the PCC Board o f Directors. On Dec. 4 , Affirmative Action Direc­ tor Jorge Espinosa responded to the com ­ plaint in a letter to Sardinia, which in addi­ tion to dealing with the complaint, Espi­ nosa stated * T am concerned about the level o f stress and emotional upset that you have displayed in our recent conversations.’ ’ Espinosa offered to provide college assistance in arranging professional con­ sultation. The letter also requested Sardinia to sign an agreement which stated that neither (Espinosa) or other people involved in the investigation would be subject to beleginent or threatening behavior. Sar­ dinia refused to sign the agreem ent According to Sardinia, acts o f racism at Sylvania campus goes unpunished even though complaints are properly filed with PCC administration. In fact, he slates, many people who file complaints o f racism and racial harrassment are transferred to other PCC campuses. Sardinia believes that the intimidation and harrassment that he has experienced is due possibly to his activism in advocating Affirmative Action at PCC. Sardinia claim s that the procedure for filing Affirmative Action Complaints is designed to discourage the complaint from seeking redress other then internally. He cites as a prime example a PCC require­ ment that say complaints that is filed with any investigative body other the PCC does not warrant an investigation by the C ollege Affirmative Action officer. According to Sardinia, the lengthy investigation process by E.E.O.C. or Civil Rights agencies in the federal government most certainly encourages an individual to look to the C ollege Affirmative Action officer to respond to complaints in a proper and timely fashion. But Sardinia states that PCC has his­ torically refused to develop a workable Affirmative Action plan and has instead fostered an atmosphere on the Sylvania campus that encourages racial harrassment and intimidation. E d ito r Note; An January 31st, one hour after leaving the Observer's office Gil Sardivia was suspended by PCC C ollege President Dan Moriaty pending a hearing which w ill precede his termination. The Observer tried on numerous occassions to contact President Moriaty but was unsuc­ cessful. N ex t W eek: The threats against Halim Rashaan. Male/Female: Dialogue by Ullysses Tucker, J r. Y ou know, the dialogue created by my first story on Jan. 1 0 ,1 9 9 0 w ill just not go away. Actually, I am pleased that it is still generating so many comments and provok­ ing so much interaction. Recently, I was invited to a “ Super B ow l Party” by a Black, single, profes­ sional female and I had a good time. It was so n o f a networking party. C ouples, single Black men and women as w ell as other ethnic groups. I figured out that something was up when I walked in and the hostess handed m e a xeroxed copy o f the stories and then heard from the back room, * ’That's the one. There he is . . .** I grabbed a cocktail and braced m yself for the pounding or expected pounding such as the Denver Broncos later received. It w as not bad, thank God, as the perception I had walking through the door. Sure, I was asked questions about what type o f person I looked for in a mate, where were som e o f the brothers I said I knew who wanted to m eet Black wom en, and m y underlining motivation for writing the story by many o f the single Black w om en there. The whole party was buzzing about the story. I enjoyed talking about the story more than the gam e, but more importantly, the perspectives shared by all. Through it all, one thing remains crys­ tal clear, there is a great deal o f bitterness and hurt hidden away inside each o f us. Sometimes, this can affect comm unica­ tions as documented last week. W e all have emotional baggage from our childhood, past relationships, or family trauma that overtly affects how we deal with others. If personal growth is desired, one must purged this baggage from our conscious/uncon- sciousness and get on to happier and health­ ier days psychologically. In short, don't let what was prevent you from what could be or is . . . I sensed a great deal o f frustration, even som e within me, among black males and females regarding their inability to find the perfect mate. Everyone wants that Jayne Kennedy 10 or that B illy D ee W illiams - Eddie Murphy type. One sister noted som e­ thing at the party that is worth repeating. She a sk ed ," . . . how can he want a perfect ten when he is not a 10 himself? Good question, huh?l I think that her point is a that I was a snake when you brought me in here, didn't you? The hunter died with his expectation o f reform and the snake eased on down the road. Expectations can kill a dream or a relationship. I f people could all shut their eyes and just listen to others, many would probably be surprised at who they were attracted to spiri­ tually or intellectually. Every good person in the world is not a ten on the outside, but maybe there is a 10 inside o f the heart. legitimate one, w ell taken by those who were listening. D o expectations set folks up for disappointment or better still, do we think that we can make som eone into something they are not? Should the hus­ band o f ten years be disappointed when his w ife still does not want kids when she told him while dating that she never wanted children? She was open, honest about her feelings and expectations, but he figured that he could change her mind. N ow , he wants a divorce and blames her because she does not want children. A great revelation on his p a rt. . . I was even reminded about the hunter and the snake story by one young lady when it com es to expectations. It so happened that a hunter came across a snake in the road who was very ill. Being somewhat compas­ sionate, the hunter picked up the snake and carried it back to his cabin to nurse it. They became the best o f friends. They talked about old flames, loves in their lives, and about being hurt by others. As time went by, their friendship got stronger and the snake regained his strength. One day, while the hunter gazed out from the porch o f his cabin at a beautiful sunset, the snake bit him and let loose a fair amount o f poison. The hunter fell to his knees in disbelief, dying and looking at the snake in total confusion, he asked why? The snake looked the hunter right square in the eyes an said, you knew There’s nothing wrong with having expectations if two people are on the same page. The thrill o f sharing a collective vision, dream, or understanding has eluded many people. Being on the same page and in the same book is so very important to relationships. People have to want what each wants. It definitely has to be mutual. Lastly, do you ever think that there will com e a time where people, especially Black men and women, will accept someone or each other for their character, inner-beauty, dreams, values, morals, social responsibil­ ity, or vision as oppose to their physical makeup or BMW /BENZ? Unfortunately not in my opinion. Eyes have a tendency to be attracted to pretty things or beautiful people. If people could all shut their eyes and just listen to others, many would probably be surprised at who they were attracted to spiritually or intellectually. Every good person in the world is not a ten on the outside, but maybe there is a 10 inside o f the heart. Instead, people like the way those jeans fit or how handsome he may be even though he is a “ knucklehead" or she might bean “ airhead.” I guest all people have something to offer, whether someone is attracted to them or not. Close your eyes and listen. Sharon Gary-Sm ith (left) intro­ duces her daughter M ario tta (far right) and Stacey Pernell at Satur­ day's Pathways Youth Conference, "O n Becoming A W om an." The tow young women shared what they learned during the day with other conference participants, who ranged in age from seven to 91. 3 W "Women of Wisdom" (from left' Alicia M cKenzie, Lauretta Slaugh ter, Pearl Lewis and Joanne Suel Green shared their experience ant knowledge with Pathways members M ore than 80 Pathways members parents and friends attended thi American Red Cross youth group* first conference. ü jflC H Pathways now meets at a net time at the American Red Cross, 313 N. Vancouver, starting Thursday, Fet 8, from 3 - 5 p.m. Theme for Febru ary is "Black History M onth - Yes terday, Tomorrow, Future." Call 2K 1234 for more information. History As A Weapon Of Racists by Professor McKinley Burt Don't just free Nelson Mandela o f South Africa; Free the minds and psyches o f millions o f Black and white Americans. The American media is in the midst o f a fast food frenzy as it describes the golden arches o f a gigantic new McDonald’s, "right there in the middle o f M oscow , R u ssia- under the stony gaze of a statue o f Russia's most famous poet, Alexander Pushkin.” That's it! You are not to find out from these press dispatches or from your literature classes, or from anthologies, that Pushkin was an A frican who not only raised Rus­ sian literature to a world class status, but who used his passionate soul to provide the inspiration for a hundred m illion serfs to revolt and free themselves from the tyranny o f the Czar. The Russian's honor him in the great Pushkin Square, African visage and all, while our historians and professors quiver in their ivy towers lest som e student make the fatal inquiry. And while East Europeans mount the barricades, singing the phrases o f Martin Luther King, Jr. local rightwingers embarass Portland before the world over a Union Avenue name change. It was on November 7 o f last year that the Oregonian favored us with one o f their feather-light touches upon the Eurocentric revisions o f history (B.7). An article by Professor Martin Bernal o f Cornell Univer­ sity (author o f 'Black Athena’) with the subheading, “ Ancient Greek Culture was based on African, Asian influence, not Northern European.” W ell and good if we keep in mind that it was the Greeks alone who originated the barbaric practice o f scalping, and that the practice was in cor- porated into several thousand years o f Eu­ ropean warfare. The British and French brought this savagery to the Americas where they taught their Indian mercenaries to use this method o f documenting their kills (if they wished to be paid). Most o f Bernal's article simply cites a few o f the same Afri­ can preeminences I have been detailing in m y “ Perspectives” column the past two years. There follow s a few highlights from the piece under discussion. For the past 200 years, ancient Greece has been viewed as th epitome o f European culture. It is seen as setting artistic and intellectual standards fo r later Europeans to follow. At the same time, it is implied that This theory was frequently used to justify European and North American supremacy over the non-white peoples o f other conti­ nents—and their own. When colonialists argued, as they often did, that Africans or N ative Am ericans needed 2,000 years o f civilization before they cou ld reach Euro­ pean "standards," they were thinking less o f Jesus, who w as not a European, than they w ere o f P lato and Aristotle, w ho were a s­ sum ed to be Europeans. There is no doubt that G reece has been the largest single source o f the elem ents that compose modern European civiliza­ tion. The question whose answ er affects people, however, is: H ow European w as ancient G reece? In contrast to this A ryan model, I p r o ­ pose reviving what I am calling the ancient m odel o f G reek origins. It maintains that much o f the higher culture o f the classical an d H ellenistic periods (between 550 and 50 B.C.) cam e from Phoenician trading cities along the coast o f Lebanon and Syria and from Egypt, whose African people included many who w ould now be consid­ ered Black. The means o f transmission consisted o f G reek statesmen, scientists an d philoso­ phers who had studied in Egypt, o r traders from Egyptian and Phoenician cities or colonies established around 1500 B.C. in what is now G reece. The ancient m odel thus differs from the Aryan m odel in holding that G reek civiliza­ tion came not fro m Europe, but from Africa and western Asia. M artin Bernal It is to be noted in this article that Mr. Bem al has not completely divorced him ­ self from certain “ putative” predudices, a historiographic term I defined last week ("Com m only accepted-assumed” ). It is common practice on the part o f establish­ ment historians to omit the fact and the readily available documentation that these geographical areas and colonies were e i­ ther founded by, occupied by or under the hegemony o f African dynasties o f the time. * 'the Middle East' * is simply a term used to conceal the real ethnicity o f ancient peoples II j i n iwi Crete, Carthage and North Africa as I Part and parcel o f this obfuscation is the