iM M k
" 2 p e r . ooai
on L i b r a r y
VOLUME XX NUMBER 8
FEBRUARY 21,1990
Hawaii Update: Who Pushed The Fast Forward
Button On History
By Professor McKinley Burt
While the media seeks to keep our
attention riveted upon Russia and East
ern Europe-and upon ephemeral Peace
Dividends which will surely turn out to
be as bankrupt as trickle down prom
ises of the past-perhaps we should
focus our attention on last week's eco
nomic model, "Hawaii ...Parking Lot."
This historic 'learning machine' has
serious implications for our own North
east Portland.
The model was not presented as
simply another recitation of past Afri
can glory, or to be viewed as sort of a
titillation segment of a nineteenth cen
tury "Lifestyles of the Rich and Fa
mous"—but as a critical lesson addressed
to those who seem determined to learn
nothing from history. What's going on
in those Pacific Islands right now? Noth
ing different at all from what went
down 'yesterday' in the lands formerly
owned by African Americans in the
Coliseum/Convention Center areas in
Northeast, nor from the Emanuel Hos-
pital/Taylor Act caper that cleared out
a vast acreage of Black land equities.
At this moment the City o f Portland is
attempting the same "Eminent Domain'
technique in order to acquire title to
property still vested in a major down
town church. Can you believe another
"Queen Lilliuokalani-Parking Lot"
acquisition?
Now, given a more perceptive mode
of thinking some readers may cry, Eu
reka! I can see right through the latest
recruits to the merry band of 'Dump
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.' enthusi
asts (Columnist Jonathan Nicholas in
his Monday's Oregonian piece). Mr.
Nicholas, "me thinkest thou doth pro
test too much." You appear to voice
your personal opinion, masked in what
might be taken as a direct quote of Park
Commisioner Charles Jordan-which I
seriously doubt-"Union Avenue, an
empty-storefronted, garbage-strewn,
hooker-patrolled, drug-infested avenue
is merely a symbol."
That 'symbol' is the stuff from which
millionaire's dreams are made. The
area is just as valuable as that of the
Coliseum or Convention Center, and if
not, it is a tale told by idiots who were
paid millions of dollars by Model Cities
and other federally-funded agencies to
develop commercial plans and projects
for Northeast (still viable); and whose
expertise has been successfully imple
mented on similarly expropriated Black
properties in many American cities. We
ask, who is waiting in the wings for the
right, 'cheap', disillusioned moment?
What banks, savings and loans,
or California and Jap an ese inves
tors, of pension fund planners, or politi
cians seeking a payoff in campaign con
tributions?
1___
It is a given that many "downtown"
do not want Union avenue to gain a new
name (and direction) around which
community leaders and nieghborhood
residents could focus Black (and white)
efforts to create economic development
for "their own local benefit," largesse
for the peons, no less. But, then let us
look again at those Pacific Islands.
Right now, thousands of miles west
of Albina, there is an ongoing and vi
cious corporate struggle to further ex
ploit and decimate lands of the indige
nous Hawaiians. The Rain Forest vs.
Geothermal Electrification confronta
tion on the island Palau-site of the famed
Kilauea Volcano-is over the plan to de
stroy the ancient Wao Kele Puna forest.
There is no difference at all between
this scheme and similar European- and
U.S.-sponsored projects being launched
throughout the world in those lands still
occupied by peoples of African de
scent. The Hawaiian fiasco has already
resulted in the 'transfer' o f 27,000 acres
of the people's valuable inheritance to a
privately-held corporation, in exchange
for 25,00 acres of 'volcano-devastated
lavaslopes.' There is a similar electri
cal generation scam in progress in the
South Sea Island of'Palau', a U.S. Trust
Territory.
For years at Portland State Univer
sity, no one could distinguish between
my Black students from Palau', Samoa,
Tahiti, Fiji, etc,-and the African Ameri
cans (except as white University staff
and local chapters of International Friend
ship Organizations diverted the former
to westside housing and fraternization).
It would take no anthropologist or phe-
notypist to perceive that which Dr.
W.E.B. Dubois documented 70 years
ago, that you were looking at one and
the same replication of the prehistorical
African diaspora that spread out all
over the Pacific Rim, so-called Middle
East, The Americas, and over to India.
Even the racist linguists recently have
had to abandon their white-centered
"Indo-European Language Thesis", and
NEW REHABILITATION PHYSICIAN
JOINS EMANUEL STAFF
Dr. Sharon Loomis nas joined the
staff of the Emanuel Rehabilitation Center
at Emanuel Hospital & Health Center in
Portland. She is a Rehabilitation spe
cialist with a special interest in spinal
cord injuries.
Dr. Loomis graduated from the Uni
versity of Montana and received her
medical degree from the University of
Washington School of Medicine. She
did her internship at Swedish Hospital in
Seattle and completed her residency at
the University of Washington Depart
ment of Rehab Medicine.
At Emanuel, Dr. Loomis plans to de
velop a team to work exclusively with
spinal cord injury patients, and develop
¡
an outpatient clinic for comprehensive
spinal cord care.
The spinal cord injury program at the
Emanuel Rehabilitation Center has re
cently received new accreditation from
the Commission on Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The
Emanuel Center is accredited for six
major program areas, making it the most
highly accredited physical rehabilitation
center in the northwestern United States.
In addition to her medical experi
ence, she has been active in a rape relief
center, helped organize a Hospice chap
ter, was a high school science teacher,
and even built her own home in Mon
tana.
in the face of overwhelming evidence
have had to retreat to a southerly ori
gin" of European languages-to parallel
the development there of all the rest of
mankind's culture and technology, from
mathematics to agriculture^ well-
rounded idiot could have told them
that). See related articles in the past
year's issues of Scientific American
Magazine; especially the latest (March).
At this moment I am watching a
video tape mailed to me by a former
student who is back home in Palau. I
wish to compare it with a documentary
on that situation which was aired last
year on Public Station KOAP; for rather
obvious reasons, and before providing
more details in next week's final "Park
ing Lot" monograph in this series of
Black History Month Specials. Do you
get the same feelings from this series
that others have remarked upon?
Marshall McLuhan's "Global Village"
may be closer at hand than we think.
We must consider the demographics
and world resource analyses available
in the computerized data banks at the
international banks and investment
houses based in Europe and America,
and at the U.S. Think Tanks' financed
by our government. And don't leave
out South Africa, whom the F.B.I. dis
covered to be the hidden owner of sev
eral Southern Cotton plantations where
Black sharecroppers were freed from a
new slavery as late as the 1940s. What
do they own in Northeast Portland?
Meanwhile back on the island of
Hawaii, I didn't mention that the 'Parker'
cattle ranch there is the largest in the
world, 225,000 acres, 400 horses, 276
paddocks, 347 miles of pipelines, 9 res
ervoirs, 162 water tanks, 437 water
troughs, and three dams- for openers.
A standard corporate brochure will tell
you o f a 'John Palmer Parker I', "a white
seafarer from Newton, Massachusetts
who settled down to raise a herd of
"Wild' cattle he rounded up." The truth
o f the matter is the first cattle on the
island were a bull and five cows given
to Black King Kamehameha by ex
plorer CapL George Vancouver in 1793.
We already have learned of the naivete
of this ruler, and by some manipula
tion, John Parker, the penniless adven
turer, "acquired both the King's wife
and his cattle." Espanolas (cowboys)
were brought in from Mexico and Spain,
and today their descendants trade at the
company store, live in company hous
ing, and if they are "industrious, are
given ten pounds of beef every month."
"The pictures here feature the naviga
tion modes of those who peopled the
Pacific Islands and the Americas as
early as 8000 years ago."
□UnULAhönlr
DEADLINE
High school students who are
Interested In applying fo r $1,000
college scholarships should request
applications by M arch 16,1990 for
Ed ucation al
C om m unications
Scholarship Foundation, 721 N,
M cK in ley Road, L ake Forest, I ll i
nois 60045. To receive an applica
tion, students should send a note
stating th eir name, address, city,
state and zip code, approximate
grade point average and year of
graduation. Slxty-flve winners will
he selected on the basis o f aca
demic perform ance, Involvement
in extra-cu rricu lar activities and
need fo r financial aid.
White Women: Attraction
or Distraction
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
The first tim e that I was approached by a w hite w om an for a date in college totally
shocked me. A junior at the U niversity o f P ortland at the tim e, the incident caused me great
confusion and stress.
As a high school student in W ashington, D .C., dating W hite w om en was never an issue
because there w ere none around. All of the cheerleaders, band m em bers, school clubs, sports
team s, and people in m y com m unity w ere black. T here w ere nothing but black w om en all
around me.
Like many inner-city youngsters, I was active sexually at an early age and fortunately,
1 did not becom e a teen parent like m ost o f my friends. U ltim ately, this gave m e greater
m obility after high school and for m ore options or less responsibilities than m y peers. M any
o f my friends dropped out o f high school to take low paying jobs or turned to the quick
m oney life of the streets. I w ent to junior college.
Nebraska was a rude aw akening for m e considering my prom iscuous city lifestyle. It was
a total culture shock to say the least. I w ent from having my choice o f w om en in the
neighborhood to being culturally isolated as a college athlete in a rural en v iro n m en t It was
tough em otionally, psychologically, socially and sexually because I equated m y m anhood
with my sexuality. We w ere “ taboo” or bad new s to the w hite fem ale students. M any o f them
had never seen a black m an and they feared the dam age an encounter w ith one o f the six
brothers w ould cause to their sm all town reputation. So, they kept there distance.
Learning to do w ithout sexual intercourse was a real character builder for me, but that
w ould have never happened had it not been for the rejection by w hite w om en in N ebraska.
It also gave m e a greater appreciation for black w om en and believe m e, trips hom e at
C hristm as and sum m er break w ere m ore than w elcom ed.
Lastly, I becam e a better student in N ebraska, m ore reflective, and a deeper thinker.
T here was nothing else to do except study and play basketball. I felt like the biblical legend
L ott when I departed for O regon from N ebraska.
Portland w as different com pared to race relations in N ebraska and W ashington, D.C.
Inter racial dating and m arriages are very com m on. I was actually surprised w hen I cam her
thirteen years ago, the first, at how open people w ere about it and how it w as ju st a natural
part of the lifestyle. T here use to be a tim e, according to Eldridge C leaver (Soul on Ice),
where the w hite w om an w as the “ sign o f the hanging tree and the burning cross . . . ” Now,
brothers, to a great degree, free to date w hite w om en w ithout any threat or fear o f danger.
1 ike N ebraska, I again had to m ake em otional and psychological adjustm ents.
W hat is the attraction? Som e black m en say that it’s about money, that v-hite w om en are
m ore subm issive, and put less pressure on them than black women. O th e r' black men,
especially those w ho grew up in culturally isolated environm ents alw ays fantasized about
dating w hite w om en, but never had the opportunity or feared the social repercussions. M any
o f these brothers had never considered dating white w om en until they arrived to O regon. She
was the forbidden fruit in their old neighborhood or com m unity. M yself included.
T hen there is the W ilt C ham berlain excuse o f old. The excuse states that black m en who
exist on certain econom ic levels m eet m ore w hite women than they do blacks in the business/
socialization process. W hen you look at the A m erican standards o f beauty on television
com m ercials, all you see are blond and blue-eyed w om en, white w om en, or very light
com plexion blacks (a w hole another issue— check out the new Ebony M agazine). Som e
brothers chase the illusion.
B efore you ju m p to any conclusion, let m e confirm that I am not advocating against inter
racial m arriages. Som e o f m y best friends exist in this capacity. All I ’m asking for you to
do is check your reasons or m otives for w anting to interact w ith the w hite w om an. Should
a black m an date a black w om an for the sake o f dating a black w om an? S hould race even
be an issue? Is it real love, curiosity, just a stage you are going through, or are you ju st killing
time until you m eet a sister like one black m an m entioned? A ctually, it is a personal choice
and no o n e’s business w ho you m ight decide to date.
However, w hen you consider that black men are 43% o f the prison population, and that
98% o f all blacks k illed last year were by other blacks (m ost m ales), and consider that we
lost a generation o f black m ales to the 1960s / Vietnam or reflect on the current one to crack
/ drug-related violence, or one m ight conclude that he has a m oral/social obligation to help
stabilize the race. A t som e point, we need to get our black m en to assum e m ore responsibility
for their children, be m ore positive role m odels, take on leadership, and help direct our
com m unities forw ard. I com m end those w ho are com m itted to the m ission. Be it genocidal,
political, or econom ic, brothers are in short supply.
Personally, it is my opinion that a black m an is but h a lf a m an w ithout a black woman
in his life, com er, or by his side— Yo black m an, com e hom e, wake up and be whole.
###
JORDAN,
LEARY DENY
OREGONIAN
QUOTES
Charles Jordon
Portland
Parks Superintendant
Charles Jordan, and Self-Enhancement
co-founder Ray Leary both adamantly
denied statements attributed to them in
an article published in Monday's Ore
gonian.
The article, written by Oregonian
columist Jonathan Nicholas, titled "Fight
for King Blvd.? Forget it", quotes Jor
dan as saying "that the Portland City
Council made a dumb mistake in re
naming Union Avenue, and should have
had the courage of its lack of conviction
and reversed its decision." Nicholas
also quotes Jordan as saying that the
Council should let "this sorry business
run its course".
In a statement released to the Ob
server today, Jordan claims his com
ments to Nicholas were, "If I were on
the Council today, I would propose to
the Council that we reverse our deci
sion to rename Union Ave. before it
goes to a vote. Reason being, a vote to
change MLK, Jr. Blvd. back to Union
Ave. could quite possibly signal once
again that Portland is a leading propo
nent of racism." Jordan cites the murder
of Mulugeta Seraw, the recent visit of
Mississippi racist Mike Barrett to re
cruit members for his racist movement
and the veto of the MLK, Jr. holiday in
Arizona as examples of how a city
acquires its racism stigma. Jordan states
Blacks should invest in the acquisition
of property on Union Ave. and then
they can name it anything they want to.
Hat s o ff to the m em bers o f O B P (O regon B lack Professionals) for their netw orking
function last w eekend at M ontgom ery Park. It w as nice! It takes quality functions like yours
to get people out o f the house . . . keep up the good w ork. H aving outlets, socially, is what
life is all about.
KOIN-TV, T h e Private Industry C oun
cil and Portland Public S chools announced
this week the creation o f “CELEB RA TIN G
YOUTH, CELEB RATINGYOU!-AFESTIVAL
OF POSSIBILITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.”
This m ajor com m unity ev en t w ill take place
10am-4pm Friday, M arch23,1990, at Portland's
Peninsula Park.
The purpose o f the festival is to c e le
brate the com m unity’s young people by
helping them learn about the array o f p o ssi
bilities that lie before them .
M usic, food and recreational activities
will share space w ith booths show casing
inform ation about sum m er jobs, alternative
academ ic program s, and post-high school
vocational and college opportunities. P res
ent at the event will be accom plished pro
fessionals to talk w ith young people about
how to enter various fields: business, trades,
m edicine, law, education, entertainm ent,
m edia, the arts, governm ent.
In addition, festiv al goers will have access
to inform ation on pertinent social issues
ranging from drugs to parenting.
“CELEBRATING YOUTH.CELEBRAT-
ING Y O U !" is sponsored by KOIN-TV,
T he Private Industry C ouncil and Portland
Public Schools.
K O IN -TV is a division o f Lee E nter
prises, Inc. Lee publ ishes directly or through
its affiliates daily new spapers in 18 cities
and ow ns five television stations. Lee E n
terprises also is involved in graphic arts
systems through its affiliated company, NAPP
System s (U SA).
YWCA HONORS OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN
THE PORTLAND-
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
.In keeping with distinguished tradition, the YWCA of Portland will honor
11 outstanding individuals whose career and volunteer achievements have
benefited the Portland metropolitan arts, education, science, volunteer and
minority communities. The fifth annual women of Achievement event is
underwritten by seven statewide and national corporations.
Ray Leary
Jordan s statements are substantiated
by Leary who claims he too was mis
quoted by the Oregonian on two sepa
rate occasions. According to Leary, the
article described S.E.I. erroneously by
implying that the program serves pri
marily low-income youth. Leary states
Self Enhancement serves a cross seg
ment of youth including high income
some of whom may need certain chal
lenges to broaden their career develop
ment.
According to Leary, the article
described S.E.I. erroneously by im
plying that theprogram serves primar
ily low-income youth. Leary states
Self Enhancement serves a cross seg
ment of youth including high income
some of whom may need certain chal
lenges to broaden their career devel
opment
Both Jordan and Leary expressed
regret that Nicholas took editorial lib
erties to express his own personal points
of view.
A