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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1991)
w * • » * ♦ • ♦’••• »A» « « « l < • •• • / v < r< * V * V » » >*•«► *«T*V< * V » • 4 » * * *• . 9 »< *< ♦ * ’ * t * * « #<<# -f ♦-< M r s . F r a n c e s S< U n i v e r s i t y o -f ( E u g e n e , O re g o n 97403 [■T b i P O R T L fl Volume XXI, Number 6 ERVER 'The Eyes and Ears o f The Community" F e b ru a ry 6 , 1991 ; Gulf Crisis versus Education Crisis? BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT The Colors of War, Part Two By A. Lee Henderson PAGE 2 Religion O Freedom, Part Two By Mattie Ann Callier-Spears PAGE 3 Obituary Perlene White and Harry Cecil Ward PAGE 4 Entertainment Actor from Do the Right Thing to Speak on Racism PAGES Gloria Phillip Makes P.C.C.’s President List W ill they be different in impact? S ho u ld A frican Americans give pri ority to one of these issues over the other? O f w hat sig n ific a n c e in terms o f a very threatening entry into the 21st cen tury? P o s s ib ly , never before in our history have we faced such momen tous challenges to econom ic and cul tural survival. Then, quite clearly, the question o f how energies and resources should be allocated becomes paramount It is not nearly so clear as to how a national leadership, often fragmented in the past, can agree, now, on the best choices that would provide effective direction and solutions. Given that this is the way to go, such a process, if suc cessful, may prove to have been the integration o f approaches initiated by PAGE 7 V •<< INDEX News Religion News Entertainment News News News Classifieds Bids/Sub-Bids Black History 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9-10 11 12-14 Next Week More on Black History * M • * And I am in a somewhat tacit agree ment with a recent quote from the New York Times News Service; “ Military analysts and many blacks agree that the armed forces, w hile not a racial utopia, offer a more eqalitarian and wel com ing environ ment for blacks than perhaps any place in the civil ian w orld.” What a shameful confes sion. Equally inter esting is a quote attributed to Pro fe sso r C h arles M oskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University; “ There is probably A BETTER R A CIA L CLIM ATE IN THE M ILITARY THAN ON A COLLEGE CA M PU S.” T hat com m ent gives me an excel lent opportunity to bring in the “ edu cation crisis” . Given that we have re lated the two concepts which have been referred to as ‘crises’, can we exam ine them both from the perspective o f ‘in stitutional racism? O bviously, we can and perhaps the first order o f business should be that these veterans returning with newly acquired skills from their ‘military education’ do not face the same racist barriers to em ploym ent as did that other “ Viet Nam G eneration” . A m ong o th er things, this suggests that African A m eri can organizations should ‘already’ be a b o u t d ev e lo p in g programs to facilitate the integraron of the military profiles into the civilian modes of jo b d e sc rip tio n s, workplace term inol ogy and educational curricula. Such a ‘transition process’ and our commitment to its im plem en tation may constitute the real ‘crisis’ in this matter of “ G ulf vs Education” priorities. There is only one priority and that is a continued and determined effort to attain economic parity-sup ported by an equal determ ination that the same eneriges and resources will be expended in achieving an equitable education for their (all) children in our schools and universities. W e cannot have a repeat in the 21st century. Oregon Public Broadcasting Celebrates Black History Month With Special Programming During the month o f February, Oregon Public Broadcasting R adio will honor Black History Month with a series o f musical and public interest programs on topics ranging from traditional A fri can-American songs and jazz com posi tions to the history o f the civil rights m ovem ent "Songs Tell the Story: 1965- 190", is a feature on the diversity o f the A frican-A m erican experience over the past 25 years, using contem porary blues, jazz, gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, disco, rock, rap, and w orld-beat from Latin America, A frica, and the C arib bean. "Bass Lines: The Reflections o f M ilt Hinton" will air at 8 p.m . every night in February. M ilt H inton is a walking storybook o f jazz, from the early days o f big bands to today's sounds. Presented in 28 three-minute segments, Bass Lines is a collection o f fascinating stories from Hinton, chronicling his life and times, with introductions by saxo phonist Branford Marsalis. "Malcolm X: A Retrospec tive", runs on February 20 at 12:15 p.m. Distributed by American Public Radio, this program was produced by Chris Koch after the assassination o f Malcolm X in 1965. The program mixes narra tion, speeches and interviews to exam ine the life o f the man who personified black self-determination from 1960 to the tim e o f his death. "The Orangeburg Massacre", which is scheduled for February 27, is a look at the black civil rights movement , through various perspectives. Elzie Thomas III (Chuck) USS FIFI DD991 0 D 0 IV FPO San Francisco, CA 96665-1229 Chuck Thom as, a 1988 graduate of Jefferson High School, joined the Navy July 1, 1988. Im m ediately after Boot Camp in San Diego he was assigned to the USS FIFE based in Japan. In Janu ary 1991 he was reassigned to the Per sian Gulf. Chuck is the son o f Seona Baldwin, a local business owner. T d Valentine/^ Valentine’s Day is on the way... next Thursday American Friends Statement On The Warfare In The Persian Gulf PAGE 6 Robert Phillips Files for School Board organizations based either reg ionally or in m ajor metropolitan areas. Now, there is one thing for sure that all are agreed upon. The returning black veteran should return to BETTER TH A N HE LEFT (This, o f course ob tains for ‘a ll’ who survive this conflict; Blacks, other m inori ties, women, w h ite s , w hoever). In this context, we should exam ine the forces which have propelled so many of the above into the military in the first place-and this ties directly into the argum ent for the vet eran’s return to a scenario “ better than he left” . W e quote Benjamin Hooks, president o f the NAACP. “ This nation ought to be ashamed that the best and brightest o f our youth do n ’t volunteer because they love it so well, but because this nation can ’t pro vide them jo b s.” Amen! (This writer volunteered in W orld W ar II for the very same reason-a year ‘before’ Pearl Harbor). 25<P The outbreak o f w ar in the G ulf represents a massive failure of govern ments, political leaders and interna tional institutions. Aggression, ultim a tums, deadlines, demands for oil,and inflexibility became more significant than human lives and the welfare o f the human family. The overwhelming, US- led militarization of international ef forts to secure Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait took on a predictable logic of its own and has propelled the world community inexorably into actions that bear no relationship to original goals. The American Friends Service Com m ittee believes deeply that w ar could have been averted, and we be lieve now that it must be stopped now. before more blood is shed. It must be ended before the im peratives o f w ar fare become fully entrenched. Since A ugust 2 our voice has been one among m any in this country and around the world that have called for Iraqi withdrawal from K uw ait and for international economic and diplom atic efforts to secure that end. Ours has been one of the growing num ber o f voices calling for restraint as President Bush has led this country on a relentless course toward the war that now flames in the Middle East and threatens to engulf ever more peoples and nations. In this dire circum stance, we find hope in the voices o f people in this country and around the world that dem and that the killing stop. The Am erican Friends Service Committee is com m itted to educate, to organize and to advocate policies toward this end. O ur hope also is with those young people who, on grounds o f conscience, will not participate in this war. This Q uaker organization is committed to inform ing them of their rights and to supporting their resistance. As we seek an early end to the fighting, we also stand ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the w ar’s civilian victims, w herever we can. As we focus on the immediate effects of war, we are dismayed once again at the devastating impact of warfare on other issues that remain as unmet challenges to our own society and gov ernment. Political imagination is di verted from addressing the disgraceful fact o f homelessness in our com m uni ties; from the growing economic dis parities between rich and poor. Black and white, men and women; from the effects o f an ever-worsening economy on the most vulnerable in our society. Believing that the peaceful world we yearn for must be based on foundations o f justice we are committed to sustain and strengthen our efforts on these and other pressing issues o f social, racial and economic justice for our own soci ety. O ur prayers are with all who are Nike Announces New Minority Affairs Advisory Board preneurs -Grace G allegos-President IM PACT -Nady Tan-Executive Director, International Refugee Center of Oregon -Robert Phillips-Affirm ative A c tion O fficer for Multnomah County NIKE, Inc., announced the forma tion o f a new Minority Affairs Review Board composed o f community leaders from the Portland, Oregon metorpoli- tan area. The five individuals named to the Board are: -Darryl Tukufu-Prcsidcnt and CEO, Urban League o f Portland -Sam Brooks-Executive Director, Oregon Association o f Minority Entre The purpose o f the Board will be to periodically review N IK E’s progress toward the corporate goals which NIKE established for itself regarding workforce diversity and support o f external m i nority programs. The Board will meet regulary with N IK ES’s Human R e sources and Public Affairs departmnents. Richard Donahue, N IK E’s Presi dent and C hief Operating O fficer, indi cated that the Board would “ serve as our link to the com m unity to keep us abreast of new developm ents and local issues.” “ Ours is an international business and it clearly benefits us to strive for di versity w ithin,” Donahue said, “ but we also want to strengthen our bonds with com m unity leaders, not only to get their views on w hat’s going on locally but to share with them the excit ing programs we are involved in around the country. We do a tremendous amount o f com m unity support work in our hom etow n, but few people are aw are o f the extent o f the program s, both local and national, in which w e're involvedd.” Among those program s are: -a $5 Million natioinal “ Stay in S chool” ad campaign featuring sports superstars Michael Jordan, David Robin son and Bo Jackson; - a $ l Million “ Just Do It G rants” program aimed at dropout prevention; and -National sponsorships of the United Negro College Fund, the Boys & Girls Clubs o f America and the Com ic Relief effort to aid the nation’s homeless. NIKE also has an internal M inor ity Advisory Board o f m inorities and women who review the C om pany’s recruitm ent and training programs. The Company currently em ploys approxi m ately 4,300 people, the majority of whom are located at the C om pany’s W orld Campus in Beaverton. M inority em ployees comprise 16% o f N IK E ’s workforce, making the Company one o f the largest minority em ployers in the State of Oreogn. affected by this conflict:the people o f Iraq, of Kuwait, o f Israel, o f Saudi Arabia, o f Syria, o f Jordan, the Pales tinians and others in the region who will suffer most directly. Our prayers are with the men and women in the arm ies-of our own nation and o f the other nations involved and with their parents and loved ones. For all o f their sakes, we urge that the call for sanity in our political leadership and for an end to the killing be heeded. We call on all people o f good will and from all religious traditions to choose life in this time o f violence, and to demand o f political leaders the courage to reverse their policies o f death. Women's League To Hold Health Care Forum M id-life and older women arc invited to the Portland Chapter of the O lder W om en’s League (OW L) at the W illam ette Athletic Club, 4949 SW Landing Drive ( 1/2 block west o f Mac adam). The topic is “ Health Care for all O regonians” . Ms. Ellen Pinney, the Executive D irector for O regon’s Health Action Campaign, is the featured speaker. The m eeting is free, and open to the public; it takes place on Saturday, February 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. No host coffee will be available. There is am ple parking, as well as a Tri-M et and handicap access entrance on M acadam. Call O W L for directions or inform ation (245-4271). -