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November 21,1990•••The Portland Observer • Page 5
Crisis In Education
BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT
he recent election in Ore
gon held the possibility that
a double whammy might
bcinflicted upon the edu
cation process in this state.
This is not an exaggeration. Specific ref
erence is to two extremely volatile propo
sitions: Measure 5 (Property Tax L im i
tation), and Measure 11 (School Choice).
There should be no sighs o f re lie f
among education activists because only
one o f these volatile measures passed.
That says more about the convulsive
nature o f participatory government and
the (In itia tive ) process than it reflects
some conciliatory compromise reached
by the citizenry, the (double) crunch
w ould have seen on the one hand a mas
sive reduction in school funds by tax
lim itation and on the other, school choice
w ould have brought about a logistical
nightmare for the financilly drained school
systems, and 5, the tax lim ita tio n did
pass.
So where does that leave us? W ell,
for one thing, over the years the Oregon
State Legislature has consistently refused
to come forth w ith any structured pro
gram to address the problem o f under
financed school systems in this state -
nor has it tackled the situation o f geo
graphical inequities in educational re
sources available. There have been, o f
course, sporadic forays in the area o f the
T
taxpayer'sand consurmer’s pocketbook,
vizaviz sales taxes — but these have been
consistently defeated by the voters.
Now, the defeat o f these “ revenue
enhacing” measures may stem from the
fact that disillusioned voters have only
past performance upon which to evalu
ate the 'good intentions’ their represen
tatives in the legislature or administra
tive bodies, they know from experience
it is the case that funds designated fo r an
announced purpose more often than not
are diverted for “ emergcncys” , or used
fo r hidden agendas, but more te llin gly,
the voters have demanded, in a ‘ read-
m y-lip s' style, an 'a d u lt’ approach to the
solution o f a problem that can further
devastate this p rim arily lumber-based
economy.
This state o f affairs does not bode
w ell fo r the host o f public servants who
are dashing about heller skelter in a
media frenzy to see who can come up the
fastest w ith New Tax Measures to plug
the dike, again, based upon previous
evalvations o f the voters, these produc
tions may not getto’ Broadway ’ either, so
what is the answer? can we, the citizens
o f this state interact any more effectively
with our representatives in the state house
than we have been able to do w ith our
congressional delegation - given the
economic and social debucles we have at
the national level?
It was in the Oregonian fo r Septem
ber 20, that w rite r B ill Graves furnished
the fo llo w in g quote: “ Oregon public
schools h it by a new round o f levy fa il
ures Tuesday and facing a court chal
lenge and initiatives to lim it property
taxes andexpand school choice, are S lip
ping Toward Chaos,” state leaders say.
I f tw o thirds o f this dire forecast has
come true - and it has - the creek has
indeed risen over its banks, and the pro
verbial alligators are right among us.
Now where does a ll o f this leave the
A frican Am erican parent and ch ild --
and the innercity school system, it is a
situation fraught w ith even more dan
gers than this newspaper has outlined in
its years-long examination o f the Port
land School System. How many o f the
‘disadvantaged’ and remedial programs
in mathematics and reading w ill be can
celed? What w ill be the im pact upon
special programs like MESA? How much
clandestine diversions and m anipulation
w ill occur as bureaucrats scurry to save
the ship?
This is a time when more than ever
A frican American parents must be ‘on
top o f things ‘ (all parents o f course)’ and
certainly they are going to need the spe
cial im put that A frican Am erican teach
ers, principals and administrators can
provide, and we have got to expect/
demand the support o f our com m unity
organizations - lest the educational level
o f the m ajority o f the kids goes down
ward rather than upward. It can be done.
It ‘ has’ to be done!
;,;1
• ♦ • i
Downtown
Nike Branch
Opens
Nike Tow n is N ik e ’s prototype
for the sporting goods store o f the fu
ture: part Disneyland, claims N ike, and
part sports and fitness center.
The oft-changing downtown
store opens today, Wednesday, at 11
a.m., after a prelim inary lour offered to
the press, held Tuesday and conducted
by the architect o f the building, Gordon
Thompson, as w ell as N ik e ’ s VP/M ar-
keter Tom Clarke and VP/Salesman Nick
Kartalis.
The new branch o f N ike, which
for months has been attracting attention
w ith its somewhat hidden television
screens and taped athletic noises, re
cently swapped the intriguing look for a
more updated, industrial look in tim e fo r
the opening. The branch is located on
the comer o f Sixth and Salmon in down
town Portland, across the street from the
slop for bus #6, M artin Luther K ing, Jr.
Boulevard, w ith parking available at the
C ity Center garage next door. Parking
passes for this garage are available through
Nike.
Further questions may be an
swered at N ike town, 930 S.W. Sixth
(telephone number 503-221-6453; F A X
number 503-223-8577) or by calling (503)
671-3507 (N ik e ’ s public relations num
ber) and asking fo r L iz Dolan or Barb
Audiss.
• '
from front page
But I do not wish to see the pain and the
he charged the Honorable Elijah Muham
hatred continued. M a lc o lm ’ s children
mad, charged him . And a vicious en
have lost their father. M alcolm ’ s w idow
emy, sitting back watching this, w ith
has lost her husband. There is nothing
agents on both sides feeding the fire
anybody can say or do to bring M alcolm
w ith fuel, culm inating in M alcolm 's as
back, to ease the pain and the g rie f o f
sassination. AS a M uslim -th ere were
that fam ily. There is nothing we can do
many M u s lim ’s who that didn’ t bother.
to bring back M artin Luther K in g to his
B u lfo r m e - it bothered me[pause]. And
it bothers me to this day.
fa m ily and to his people. B ut the least
we can do is not pass on the generations
Farrakhan removed his glasses
the hatred, the pettiness, the things that
and placed them on the table. He wiped
a second round o f tears fro m his eyes.
we did in our im m aturity that helped to
He would later reveal that this was the
create the climate in w hich he could be
fir s t time he had ever cried in fro n t o f a
assassinated, that hopefully we w ill leant
reporter.
a lesson from his life and his death. God
Em erge: O bviously, this is s till a source
is allow ing it, and M a lc o lm 's name is
o f deep pain. Has it been w ith you the
being heard again, and people are going
whole w hile, a ll this time?
back and studying M a lc o lm ’ s words and
F a rra k h a n : I t ’s not just that. In the
waking up all over again. It speeds up
history o f religion, religious disputes
the general rise in the consciousness o f
have caused people to shed each other’ s
our people. I hope that you w ill forg ive
blood, k illin g one another over religion.
me [for crying], but I feel this pain, not
Some o f those disputes created d iv i
only fo r the dead but also fo r the liv in g
sions that are a thousand years old and
and the unborn generations that have to
hatreds that are a thousand years old.
read the history and w ill be affected by
And people are s till k illin g because o f
the history. And so whatever wrongs
the lack o f respect fo r life and our w ill
have been done, the wrongs have to be
ingness to settle our differences by tak
corrected so that we give our children a
ing the lives o f other human beings. So
better legacy to build on than the legacy
I ’ m looking a M alcolm ’ s assassination,
o f hatred and hypocrisy and injustice
and I see the pain in not ju s t those who
that we perpetuate one against the other.
love M alcolm but the painthat continues
Em erge: I did n ’ t realize u ntil this m o
from generation to generation, fueled by
ment that they had tried to use M alcolm
the enemy. The enemy sees Louis Far
in that way. I knew there was a resur
rakhan m ounting up on wings today,
gence o f interest in M alcolm , but I didn *t
rebuilding the Nation. There is no livin g
realize that they were trying to p it you
person they can bring against Louis
against him.
Farrakhan.
F a rra k h a n : N ot only is it now, but
So they say there is a resur
M alcolm ’ s autobiography was made re
gence o f m alcolm. But there is not a
quired reading in colleges throughout
resurgence. Somebody from the dead
the United States because the last chap
doesn’ tg e tu p fro m the dead; somebody
ter o f his book denounces the Honorable
liv in g has to raise somebody from the
Elijah Muhammad. And anybody that
dead. Kennedy is dead. There’s no re
becomes aware o f M alcolm through his
surgence o f Kennedy unless somebody
book falls in love w ith M alcolm , and
liv in g creates the resurgence. So there
then when they close the book they
are smart, wicked enemies who are trying
dislike the Honorable E lijah M uham
their best to bring M alcolm back to
mad and the Black M uslim s because
public attention, not because they want
they feel that the Black M uslim s de
people to honor M alcolm but [because]
prived the w orld o f this giant. So when
they want to bring M alcolm back to say
you make that required reading, get
subtly now things that they never said in
everybody to read it, what are doing that
’65 when M alcolm was assassinated.
for? You never made the w ritings o f
M y name was never brought up
[Marcus] Garvey required, the w ritings
as a conspirator o r as one who may have
o f [W .E .B .] D uBois required, the w rit
kille d or hurt M alcolm X. But because
ings o f any o f our great scholare re
o f the crest o f p op u la rity--I’m riding
quired. W hy Malcolm, when white folks
this great wave o f popular support-now
said he was a hater, he was this, he was
the enemy wants to make Louis Farra
that, he was a demogogue? That and all
khan the jealous, wicked heir o f M a l
the names that Playthell Benjamin at
colm , since I took over the mosue. I
tributed to me are the same names
d id n ’ t lake over the mosque from M a l
members o f the press attributed to M a l
colm ; I was ordered there by Elijah
colm , even at the time o f bis death.
Muhammad. I didn’ t scheme against
Em erge: The Playthell Benjamin ar
my brother to get that position; I was
ticle, which one are you referring to?
given that position. N or did I scheme
The one...
aainsl W arilh Deen [Muhammad] to get
F a rra k h a n : ...in Emerge [February
where I am. I ’ m not that kind o f human
1990].
being. But here I am in this position, and
Em erge: Let me ask you something.
so the w ickedly wise devils want to
This...
bring M alcolm back, to use the growing
F a rra k h a n : Man, I didn’ t expect m y
popularity o f M alcolm against the rise
emotions to be that strong. B ut I just
o f Farrakhan. But no weapon formed
want, in honesty-A s I said to Brother
against the righteous w ill prosper. The
Akbar, there are certain painful epi
more they elevate M alcolm , they cannot
sodes in my life that time doesn’ t heal,
help but elevate the teachings o f the
and every time I think that I ’ ve gotten
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which
away from it, something w ill bring me
were and are the base o f M alcolm X .
back to it and let me know that the
So we are a winner, regardless, " x a w l
ih^r^
NOW'
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