March 14. 1990
Portland Observer
Page 3
NATIONAL FORUM
V antage P oint
V
Ji
;
Articles and Essays by Ron Daniels
Hundreds Jam Harlem Church In
Tribute to Malcolm X
The National We Remember Malcolm
observance held on February 21 at the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem will
•,p be noted as one of the great events of our
history in this century. Twenty-five years
after the assassination of El Hajj Malik el
Shabazz, the hundreds who gathered at this
V? : historic Harlem church bore witness to the
■•C 1
remarkable resurrection to relevance of
Malcolm X. The church-which Adam Clay
ton Powell had pastored and where he had
invited Malcolm, the Muslim Minister to
speak-was jammed to capacity with a stand
ing room only audience of nearly 2,500
people, another 600 people were crowded
against the doorways outside, eager and
anxious to pay their respects to and honor
01 their fallen/risen hero, Malcolm X. Febru
ary 21, 1990 was a great day in our history.
At about 7:00 p.m. Dr. Betty Shabazz,
“ Sister Betty ” rose from a front row scat in
the audience to take her place on the dais.
The sanctuary erupted in a thunderous and
sustained standing ovation for this strong
African woman who has devoted her life to
W raising six children and vigorously inter-
preting, protecting and defending the life
‘ and legacy of her husband, El Hajj Malik el
Shabazz.
In his welcome remarks Rev. Calvin O.
Butts, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church
and a worthy successor to Adam Clayton
x Powell, reminded the audience that 25 years
ago, there was serious difficulty locating a
church that would even accept M alcolm's
body for the funeral services. But on this
... night. Rev. Butts made it crystally clear
that Sister Betty, the family and the friends
, and devotees of Malcolm were welcome at
Abyssinian Baptist C hurch. . . Sister Dona
Maremba Richards poured libations and
invited the spirit of Malcolm to join the
-p congregation . . . The choir led the singing
of the Black National Anthem followed by
God Bless Africa . . .
Then Dr. James Turner, the peerless
political analyst, scholar, social activist
and unapologetic disciple of Malcolm moved
to the podium. Staring straight into the
array of cameras assembled by various
representatives of the local, national and
international media, in a firm voice he, the
Coordinator of the National Malcolm X
Commemoration commission, proclaimed
to the world, “ we are here to set the record
straight. We have never ever forgotten
Malcolm X .” The audience exploded into
a roaring ovation at the sound of this elec
trifying affirmation.
There were so many highlights during
this great evening. There were testimonials
by Imam Siraj Wahhaj of Brooklyn, Rep.
A1 Vann, President of the New York State
Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Cau
cus, rap artists Chuckic Dee of Public Enemy
and Dougie Fresh and community activist
Lisa Williamson. Haki Madhabuti and Sonia
Sanchez, two of our finest and most consis
tent poets and political activists read mag
nificent pieces for the occasion.
One of the most moving testimonials
however, came from Percy Sutton, former
Manhattan Burrough President, and Presi
dent of the Inner City Broadcasting Co.
which operates the Apollo Theater and the
powerful W.L.I.B. radio station. Standing
tall and erect at the podium, one of the most
powerful Black men in America today re
flected on how he had repeatedly failed in
his numerous quests for public office until
he went to Malcolm X and asked for his
endorsement. Mr. Sutton recounted how
Malcolm, who had previously not been
inclined to become involved in electoral
politics, had given him his blessing. Armed
with M alcolm ’s endorsement and all of the
enormous influence that went with it, Percy
T h e N ew C o lo r Line
Sutton was elected to the New York State
Assembly. By his own admission, this began
his rise to influence in politics and subse
quent access to the corridors of economic
power. In a voice filled with conviction and
emotion Mr. Sutton said “ if there had been
no Malcolm X, there would be no Inner
City Broadcasting Co., no W.L.I.B., WDAS,
and there would be no Apollo Theater."
As the evening approached its climax
Rev. Ben Chavis presented the eulogy de
livered by Ossie Davis at M alcolm's fu
neral twenty-five years ago. Concluding
the eulogy with his own benediction, Ben
Chavis compared * 'our black shining Prince"
to Jesus Christ who suffered, bled and died
so that we might live. He challenged us to
let M alcolm’s light shine in our daily lives.
He closed with ‘ ‘God Bless Malcolm X .” It
was a fitting close to a remarkable histori
cal event. As I indicated in my brief remarks
on this occasion, February 21, was not the
end, but the beginning. The celebration of
the life, the Legacy, the Lessons of M al
colm X will be consummated on May 19,
Malcolm’s birthday, when the African-
American Progressive Action Network and
the National Malcolm X Commemoration
Commission proclaim May 19, National
Malcolm X Day in a national ceremony in
Omaha, Nebraska (Malcolm’s birthplace).
The National Commission is hopeful that
representatives from African-American
communities all across the country will
send delegations to Omaha in addition to
holding proclamation ceremonies in their
own local communities on May 19.
May 19, will be another great day in
1990 the YEAR OF MALCOLM X. Mal
colm lives!
For further information about the May
19 National Malcolm X Day events, please
write to Dr. Deborah Robinson, P.O. Box
11174, Washington, D.C. 20008.
Hard-Hitting Issues On Black Mayors’ Agenda
ATLANTA, G A .-In 1974, a handful of
Black mayors organized the Southern Con
ference of Black Mayors to address prob
lems of exclusion and access for newly-
elected officials in the South. Shortly after
its formation, the name was changed to the
National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc.
(NCBM) after mayors from the Mid-west
requested membership.
Sixteen years later, NCBM reports that
many barriers have disappeared, the num-
, ber of Black mayors has increased dramati-
. cally, but Black-managed cities and towns
- are still plagued with racial inequities, esca
lating drug and substance abuse, and the
challenge of mainstreaming African-Ameri
cans economically.
These and other topics will receive high
priority on the organization’s agenda for its
16th Annual Convention in New Orleans at
the Clarion Hotel on April 4-7, 1990. Re
volving around the theme, AN NEW DEC
ADE: A NEW VISION FOR THE ’90s,
workshops and other sessions will cover
topics ranging from solid waste manage
ment to delivering campaign promises.
Most of NCBM ’s 316 members are
expected to be in attendance, including several
newly-elected Black mayors from cities such
as New York, Seattle, Cleveland, and New
Rainbow Lobby Steps
Up Campaign To Make
News Election Service
More Democratic
The Washington, D.C.-based Rainbow
Lobby has stepped up its campaign against
the undemocratic practices of the News
Election Service (NES), the entity created
by a consortium of the country’s major
television networks and the wire services to
collect and tabulate election results.
The Lobby first challenged the NES in
November, 1989 for its failure to report
accurately the election results in the pre
dominantly Black and Puerto Rican 11th
Councilmanic district of New York City,
where--despite the fact that 42% of the vote
«
I went to the independent New Alliance Party
candidate for City Council, Pedro Espada -
only the vote counts of the Democratic Party
and Conservative Party candidates were
reported.
The campaign being waged by the Rain
bow Lobby, which advocates for fair elec
tions and democracy in this country and
around the world, has two thrusts: it is
urging th NES to change its policies, which
unfairly discriminate against independents,
and it is calling for an investigation by the
Justice Department into the NES’ activities.
The Lobby's call for a Justice Depart
ment investigation is based on evidence that
the NES is in violation of the Sherman
Antitrust Act. The NES constitutes an agree
ment among the television networks and
wire services--which would normally be
prohibited by antitrust laws -that they will
not compete with each other in the collec
tion of election results. In 1966 the Justice
Department agreed to exempt the NFS from
prosecution under these laws—with the stipu
lation that it engage only in the purely
mechanical tasks of collecting and tabulat
ing the vote andmaking the results available
to th media. However, in violation of that
stipulation the NES has engaged in analyz
ing -even before the election-w hich candi
dates are “ new sw orthy" and which arc not,
leading to the almost universal failure to
cover the election results of independent
and minor party candidates.
' ‘The NES is engaging in censorship by
not making all information available to the
press,” charged Deborah Green, the Lobby’s
political director. “ The Justice Department
sanctioned the N ES’ argument that pooling
resources would result in more accurate,
complete and timely election results, thereby
serving the public interest. Since it clearly
no longer serves the public interest, the
justification for its existence is called into
question.”
So far the Lobby has met with some 60
members of Congress and organizations
such as Americans for Democratic Action
and the National Students Association as
part of its efforts to put pressure directly on
the NES.
In a letter to NES Executive Director
Robert Flaherty, Rep. Edward Markey (D-
MA) wrote, “ As a member of the Demo
cratic Party, I am always pleased to see a
Democrat win an election, but I cannot
condone intentionally distorting the margin
of victory. The NES’ thoroughly undemo
cratic reporting [in the 11th Councilmanic
District] misrepresented the will of 13,381
people. Such biased coverage has a very
negative effect on how people perceive
elections: it discourages them from voting
at all and contributes to their cynicism . . .
[ It] . . fails to register the measure of voter
discontent and/or the desire for a change in
leadership. Most of all, it fosters a percep
tion that voter participation in the election
has been ineffective and meaningless.”
Louis Nunez, president of the National
Puerto Rican Coalition, also wrote to Mr.
Flaherty, pointing out that “ candidates from
racial and ethnic minority groups some
times find that the only avenues to political
empowerment are outside the established
parties, particularly at the local level. "Failing
to include the votes cast for all candidates,
as the NES docs," Mr. Nunez argued,
“ effectively disenfranchises those who have
voted for third party or independent candi
dates.”
Haven. Representatives of the Bush admini
stration, educators, other elected officials,
community leaders, and corporate execu
tives are also scheduled to attend.
NCBM is a non-profit, nonpolitical,
nonpartisan organization that provides
management and technical assistance to its
members who represent primarily small and
rural municipalities.
At a press conference in Compton,
California earlier this month, NCBM ’s
president. Mayor James L. Usry of Atlantic
City, New Jersey, pointed out “ the nation's
Black mayors are optimistic about the dec
ade of the ’90s and beyond, as our conven
tion theme suggests.
(Part One of a Two Part Series)
W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder of the
N AACP and noted Black scholar, observed
prophetically in 1900: “ The problem of the
Twentieth Century is the problem of the
color line.” Du Bois meant by this observa
tion that the world seemed to be divided
between a powerful, industrialized, white
minority, in Europe and the United States,
and a powerless and exploited nonwhite
majority, the colonized people of Asia,
Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
By 1900, Africa had been divided between
Great Britain, France, imperial Germany
and Portugal. Queen Victoria was empress
of India, and as the jingoists proclaimed.
mountains. NaUve Americans who had once
roamed across the great plains were now
isolated and confined to reservations. Their
treaties with the American government—
which had promised to protect their rights
to the land—were repeatedly violated and
eventually ignored. At Wounded Knee,
hundreds were murdered, as an example to
the others. For Du Bois, who witnessed this
destruction of the cultures, institutions and
integrity of people of color, the world seemed
fundamentally fractured. Racism, coloni
alism, and economic exploitation confined
nonwhites behind a color line. Democracy
could never be achieved, Du Bois argued,
Angola and Mozambique. The Belgians
under Leopold had slaughtered more than
one million Africans in the Congo, and
many more would perish before the grant
ing of independence in 1960. In the Carib
bean, the British Colonial Office had out
lawed trade unions; Blacks had no direct or
indirect representation within the political
system. And in the great bastion of democ
racy, the United Slates, the aftermath of
reconstruction had degenerated into the
long travail of Jim Crow segregation. Blacks
had been outlawed from serving on juries.
More than one hundred African-Americans
were the victims of lynching every year.
Black males were denied the right to vote,
and were frequently arrested or murdered
for expressing their political opinions. In
the west, thousands of Chinese laborers
were the victims of brutal exploitation in
the construction of railroads across the
century, assessing where we have trav
elled, and where history seems to be taking
us, we may feel a tremendous sense of
optimism. The most overt forms of racial
domination and political tyranny appear to
be receding. Jim Crow segregation in the
United States has been legally outlawed for
more than a quarter century. Through the
efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
thousands of others who participated in the
civil rights movement, the most overt forms
of racial discrimination were abolished. A
black middle class developed and expanded.
The number of black elected officials in
creased from 104 in 1964 to over 6,700 by
1990. The gross annual receipts for African
American owned businesses soared from
$30 billion to over $200 billion. If Black
America was judged as a separate nation by
its gross domestic product today, it would
Remembering The Past
February is usually a busy month for
me—it is Black History Month, and my
heavy traveling and speaking schedule
becomes even busier as I go about the
country attending programs connected with
that event
It is a gratifying experience, for I get
the opportunity to see how people and
institutions respond to the richness of Afri
can-American culture and the proud heri
tage we have forged from a difficult past.
It is also troubling, for I am disturbed
about how little so many people-B lack and
white—know of the African American
contributions to our nation and of the role of
Black people in shaping the world’s his
tory.
Few Americans know of the powerful
Black African influence on ancient civili
zation, of the highly developed Black empires
of medieval Africa, or the multitude of
Black inventors, writers, artists and states
men of our own day.
The knowledge gap is particularly dis
turbing when it appears among young Afri
can-Americans.
Because of the nationwide observance
of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, most
are familiar with key aspects of the civil
rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
But relatively few are familiar with the
major roles in that movement played by
Whitney M. Young, Jr., who led the N a
tional Urban League and was instrumental
in getting corporations and government to
change their ways.
And the N A ACP’s leader of the period,
Roy Wilkins, who mobilized that organiza
tion to challenge segregation in the streets
and in the courts, is too little known today.
Other important figures from the re
cent past are also neglected, although many
are alive and well, and still active in the
struggle.
One of the great inspirations for my
generation was the late Jackie Robinson,
who broke the racial barriers of organized
baseball to become the first African-Amcri-
can player in the big leagues. A man of
courage and wisdom, he endured a barrage
of racial slurs from fans and players until he
shut them up with his outstanding perform
ance.
So it was disturbing to read that when
a national magazine recently asked 20 Black
players “ what does Jackie Robinson mean
to you?” few answers showed they under
stood his importance, and some, incredi
bly, knew next to nothing about him.
Two players, however, showed that
they understand the need to know more
about our past and honor the people on
whose shoulders we stand today.
One said: “ Robinson is the reason why
I ’m here today. Robinson gave us equal
opportunity.”
And Lee Smith of the Boston Red Sox
said: “ If Jackie Robinson hadn't stuck his
neck out form e, there would be no way I'd
be making over one million dollars.”
African Americans have made such
extraordinary progress over the past thirty
years or so because others stuck their necks
out to fight for equal rights, to demonstrate
against discriminatory hiring, and to press
for affirmative social policies.
While we must continually remind
America of disproportionate Black pov
erty, we must also remind ourselves that
African Americans’ total income is about
$4250 billion, or more than the gross na
tional product of all but ten nations in the
world.
We have achieved success in govern
ment and corporate positions of influence,
and young, educated, intact Black families
are rapidly moving into the middle class —
African American households earning
$50,000 and up have more than tripled in
the past 20 years.
But, similarly, the numbers of poor
African Americans increased. Our struggle
is very far from over. And we will have a far
better chance to win that struggle for fair
ness and equality if we know our rich past,
honor those who pioneered for us, and build
on their victories.
rope, the repressive regimes of Stalinist
communism have finally collapsed, creat
ing the possibility o f establishing truly
democratic institutions. Increasingly, the
prospect of peace for the future of the world
seems achievable.
But from a Du Boisian perspective, the
resolution of various political conflicts across
the globe have not addressed a fundamental
contradiction, which threatens to create
new and potentially bitter divisions be
tween people and societies in the future.
Increasingly, it is clear that the world o f the
twenty first century will not be divided into
two hostile and antagonistic camps of capi
talism vs. communism. The Soviet state
under Gorbachev's policy o f restructuring,
or peristroika, is moving gradually to a
multi-party political system, and an eco
nomic order which permits the existence of
private enterprise.
The major disputes at a global level
will occur between the industrialized, tech
nologically advanced Euro-American west
vs. the largely nonwhite, impoverished,
technologically backward Third World. And
within many western states, a two-tiered
social order is emerging, pitting the inter
ests of domestic minorities. Blacks, Asians,
Latinos, and others, against the continued
power and privilege of the white upper
middle class and more affluent elites. In
short, the problem of the twenty first cen
tury is the problem of the new color line.
In the Netherlands, a color line has
emerged with the growth o f substantial
numbers of minorities from Curacao, Tur
key, Indonesia, and Surinam. In the United
Kingdom, an explosive situation exists with
the presence of three million Africans, Asians,
and Caribbean Blacks in major cities. A
debate over the issue of whether Chinese
from Hong Kong should be admitted into
the country as British citizens threatens to
escalate into a major racist movement led
by the Conservative Party to target people
of color domestically. In France, in the past
decade, there has been the growth of violent
neofascist movement, largely in opposition
to the spiralling nonwhite population of
Algerians, Blacks from Francophone Af
rica and the Caribbean, who now live in
Paris, Marseilles, and other cities.
Civil lig h ts Journal
To Be Equal
by John E. Jacob
be the ninth most productive state in the
world.
In South Africa, the brutal veil of apart
heid appears to be gradually lifting. Across
Asia and Africa, dozens o f states escaped
the yoke of colonialism and developed
governments of their own. In Eastern Eu
\.
by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
To Honor Malcolm X
Thousands of Harlem residents as well
as thousands of others tliroughout the na
tion and world took the time to commemo
rate the life and legacy of Malcolm X on
February 21,1990. This was the 25th anni
versary of M alcolm's assassination. In the
African-American community there is a
growing national opinion that the signifi
cance of Malcolm X needs to be taken more
seriously.
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm was
murdered in the Audubon Ballroom in the
Washington Heights section of Manhattan.
He was a respected leader who made an
international impact for the cause of human
freedom. Although today there are many in
the United States who still misunderstand
why the memory of Malcolm X is loved and
cherished by the African-American com
munity, there now appears to be more
openness to understand the importance of
Malcolm’s history and legacy.
We were present inside Abyssinian
Baptist Church in Harlem as part of the
overflow, and massive gathering of people
who paid tribute to Malcolm X on the day
marking 25 years since his voice was si
lenced by the bullets o f assassins. This
commemoration was jubilant and a m ag
nificent moment of unity. In particular it
was good to see a large number o f young
people who were anxious to hear more
about Malcolm X. The Rev. Dr. Calvin
Butts, pastor o f Abyssinian welcomed Dr.
Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X ’s widow, and
made note that 25 years ago it was difficult
to find a church even to have Malcolm’s
funeral. Four of M alcolm’s daughters were
also presented along with hundreds of
community activists and leaders. It was
very clear that the spirit of Malcolm lives
strongly.
Dr. James Turner is now leading the
National Malcolm X Commemoration
Commission which is calling for Malcolm
X ’s birthday. May 19th, to be a national day
for commemoration and celebration. Dur
ing the ceremony at Abyssinian Church,
part of the original eulogy for Malcolm,
which was given by Ossie Davis at Mal
colm ’s funeral, was read to remind every
one of how dear Malcolm was held by the
community.
Intheeulogy Davis stated, "M any will
be asked what Harlem finds to honor in this
stormy, controversial and bold young cap
tain . . . and we will smile . . . and we will
answer and say unto them: Did you ever
talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever
touch him, or have him smile at you? Did
you ever really listen to him? Did he ever do
a mean thing? Was he ever himself associ
ated with violence or any public distur
bance? For if you did you would know him.
And if you knew him you would know why
we must honor him: Malcolm was our
manhood, our living Black manhood! This
was his meaning to his people. And, in
honoring him, we honor the best in our
selves."
We support the efforts of the National
Malcolm X Commemoration Commission.
As we look forward to the 21st century, it is
clear that the human rights and freedom
movement of the 1960s needs to be resur
rected. To honor Malcolm X should mean
that by word and deed, we will make a
greater commitment to end exploitation
and oppression throughout the world. Peace
and justice for all people is what Malcolm
would demand!
CREED OF THE BLACK PRESS
The Black Press believe, that Am erica can best lead the world away from social and
national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color, or
creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, th. Black
Press strives to help every person In the firm belief that all are h u rt as long as anyone
Is held hack.