Page 2—The Portland Observer-June 26, 1991
The Politics of Race Threatens Black Progress
G eorge Bush and the R epublican
p a rty are at it a g a in . In 1988 the Repub-
lica n P a rty used W illie H o rto n as an
im age to e x p lo it the fears, anxieties
and p re ju d ice s o f w h ite voters. W ith an
eye on the 1992 e le ctio n , a “ k in d e r
g e n tle r " G eorge Bush is searching fo r
a n o th e r im age o r sym b o l w h ich can
p ro d u ce the W illie H o rto n e ffect. The
a chieving e q u ity and p a rity w ith in the
U.S. system. W ith the m ost vis ib le
in d ig n itie s o f segregation having been
w iped out and w ith the im pression that
B lacks have made substantial progress
in term s o f education, jobs and p o litic a l
pow er, m uch o f W h ite A m e ric a be­
lieves that any problem s w h ic h Blacks
now su ffe r are not the result o f racism
n ew code w o rd is ra cia l quotas. Bush is
vehem ently denouncing the revised and
o r structural in e q ua litie s but are due to
defects in the cu ltu re and character o f
w atered d o w n C iv il R ights A c t o f 1991
as a “ Q u o ta B i l l . ” Bush vetoed the
C iv il R ig h ts A c t o f 1990 and the 1991
B la c k people.
U nfortunately the U.S. educational
system, w h ic h is based on a “ c u rric u ­
lum o f e x c lu s io n ” and o m ission, in the
m ain, s till leaves w h ite A m ericans
ig n o ra n t o f the traum atic h isto ry o f
A fric a n s in A m e ric a . W h ite A m e rica
B ii i n o w faces a s im ila r fate. A tta c k in g
c iv il rig h ts and a ffirm a tiv e action has
becom e good p o litic s .
T h is latest episode o f p o litic a l
o p p o rtu n ism by President Bush is re­
fle c tiv e o f a g ro w in g erosion o f na­
tio n a l w il l as it relates to c iv il rig h ts fo r
A fric a n A m e rica n s and o ther m in o ri­
ties. The recent cam paigns o f D a v id
D u ke and Jesse H elm s showed s ig n ifi­
does not understand B la ck A m e rica . In
hard econom ic tim es when w hites and
B lacks are forced to com pete fo r scarce
jo b s and other o p p o rtu n itie s, th is lack
on understanding can re a d ily turn to
o u trig h t h o s tility .
ca n t evidence o f this trend. P o litic a l
analysts tactics and strategies m ig h t
p la y w e ll in the ’ 92 presidential elec­
tio n . W h a t they fo u n d is that a sizable
F o r m ore than a decade the U.S.
econom y has been in a state o f perpet­
ual crisis. The troubled U.S. econom y
has produced a fe rtile e n viro n m e n t to
segm ent o f W h ite A m e ric a has appar­
e n tly g ro w n w eary o f c iv il rights and
a ffirm a tiv e action. M a n y w hites now
fe e l th a t B la ck progress is being made
nurture the p o litic s o f race. R onald
Reagan e x p lo ite d this e n viro n m e n t to
th ro u g h p o licie s and program s w hich
u n fa irly give B la cks an advantage over
w h ite s. Hence the perception is that
capture the W hite House in 1980. Reagan
gave le g itim a c y to the p o litic s o f race
by v ic io u s ly a tta ckin g a ffirm a tiv e ac­
tio n and p ro m o tin g such concepts as
“ B lack racism ” and “ reverse d is c rim i­
The p ro -ric h p o lic ie s o f Reagan-
Bush a d m in istra tio n produced an un­
precedented concentration on w ealth
in the hands o f a few at the top o f the
econom ic pyra m id . The ric h got m uch
ric h e r w h ile the p o o r got m uch poorer.
It was/is qu ite convenient fo r the Re­
publicans to use B lacks and m in o ritie s
as scapegoats fo r econom ic p o licie s
w h ich resulted in gross pro sp e rity fo r a
few and m isery fo r m illio n s . The R e­
publicans can be expected to continue
to fan the flam es o f fear and reaction as
a means o f re taining p o w e r and p r iv i­
lege. The “ q u o ta ” issue plays w e ll
w ith beleaguered whites w ith misplaced
racial antagonism .
M e a n w h ile the D em ocratic Party
seems im p o te n t to cope w ith the Re­
publican advantage in term s o f the
p o litic s o f race. W h ile seeking to re ta in
the allegiance o f B lacks and m in o ritie s
by supporting c iv il rig h ts le g isla tio n ,
the D em ocrats have fa ile d to use th e ir
support fo r c iv il rig h ts to educate the
A m e rica n p u b lic on the adverse im p a ct
o f persistent racism on B lacks and
m in o ritie s and the entire nation. The
Dem ocrats fear that being too fo rth -
r ig h to n c iv il rig h ts co u ld alienate w h ite
voters w ho co u ld help the Dem ocrats in
th e ir bid fo r the W hite House in ’92.
In any event, the p o litic s o f race
w ill influence the considerations o f both
B la c k progress is being at the expense
o f w hites.
nation . ’ ’ The Reagan-Bush adm inistra-
tio n began to use the o ffic e o f the
parties and poison the atmosphere in
terms o f B la ck progress fo r the foresee­
able future. A fric a n A m ericans must
The massive problem s s till p la g u ­
A tto rn e y G eneral and other agencies
brace for some very dif ficu lt times ahead.
ing and re ta rd in g the progress o f large
not to prom ote and enforce c iv il rights
law s and statutes b u t to protect w hites
W ith w h ite “ good w i l l ” evaporating
against c iv il rig h ts enforcem ent. The
Reagan-Bush administration set the tone
fo r the resurgence o f ove rt racism and
p o litic a l dem agoguery, A fric a n A m e ri­
cans m ust be prepared to m a xim ize
B lac k pol i tic a l and cconom ic resources
to effectively promote and protect Black
interests and a progressive Black agenda
as never before.
num bers o f A fric a n A m e rica n s is no
lo n g e r seen as a circum stance that re­
quires le g isla tive rem edies. I t is in ­
cre a sin g ly clear that a m a jo rity w ith in
W h ite A m e rica does n o t v ie w the reso­
lu tio n o f A m e ric a ’ s longstanding crisis
in race relations in term s o f B lacks
racial antagonism . A n d this has w orked
to the advantage o f the R epublican
Party and th e ir w e a lth y allies.
in the face o f econom ic hard tim es and
Legislature Is To Blame
(The demise of alcohol, drug services)
ments: The p u b lic wants governm ent
to cut spending, not increase taxes; sin
EDITORIAL TAKEN FROM
STATESMAN JOURNAL
(MAY 23,1991)
L e t the 1991 Leg isla tu re stand
w arned; It is to blam e i f O re g o n ’ s alco ­
h o l and drug services co ntinue th e ir
plunge w h ile c rim e , health problem s,
and fa m ily tu rm o il rise.
W e jo in w ith Rep. K e v in M a n n ix ,
D -S alem , in condem ning the House
leadership fo r n o t a llo w in g a c o m m it­
taxes are too easy a target fo r anyone
w h o wants m oney fo r a special interest,
regardless o f its w orth.
B u t w h a t C am pbell and other c r it­
ics ignore is that M annix wants to impose
the tax on the very product that causes
the problem that we need m oney to fix .
the w ar on drugs and alcohol.
A lc o h o l and drug dependence
p ro b a b ly is the state’ s m ain social,
education, and c rim in a l ju s tice p ro b ­
lem .
tee to co n sid er a b ill that w o u ld raise
beer and w in e taxes to pay fo r drug and
a lco h o l and treatm ent program s.
A tax on a lco h ol is the ultim a te
user-or abuser-tax. I f we don ’ t tax alco ­
hol to p ro v id e a lco h ol and drug treat­
ment programs and to pay for the damage
a lco h ol does, w here do w e get the
T he m oney that O regon loses in
m ent benefits, and other services fo r
in d iv id u a ls and fa m ilie s caught in the
money? From the pu b lic’ s income taxes?
crim e , broken fa m ilie s , life lo n g health
problem s, and hum an m isery dw arfs by
T h a t’ s not fa ir. L e t those w ho
tu rm o il caused by alcohol and drug
a d d iction .
c o n trib u te to the problem help pay fo r
s o lv in g i t
Thou sands wan t he lp and can ’ t get
it. In 1990,1,806 adolescents and 7,409
that O regoninans w o u ld pay fo r a bottle
o f beer o r a glass o f w ine.
House Speaker L a rry C a m p b e ll is
the man behind the ro a d b lo ck. In m any
w a y w e agree w ith some o f his argu-
The money raised by House B ill
2587 w o u ld go to treatm ent and pre­
vention program s conducted by state
agencies, counties, and cities, trip lin g
the am o u n t o f m oney available to fig h t
o u r p itifu l sh o w in g in the graduation
cerem onies at Oregon U n ive rsitie s,
e sp e cially in the sciences. L e t me re ­
peat that th o u g h t-p ro vo kin g cita tio n .
” 100 years ago blacks p u t on the
‘ A tlanta Cotton States and International
E x p o s itio n ’ , September 18, 1895 (see
the C ongressional record, 53rd C o n ­
gress, Second Session, p. 8382). People
fro m a ll ove r the w o rld came to see and
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Business Manager
O re g o n ’ s tax on beer and w in e has
not been increased in 14 years. Even
keeping up w ith in fla tio n w o u ld have
m ore than doubled the tax. I f we forced
the liq u o r industry to pay to ta lly fo r a ll
the damage its p ro d u ct does to society,
the tax per ounce w o u ld be counted in
d o lla rs, not in a few cents. M a n n ix ’ s
b ill lets the in d u stry o f f easy.
this b ill to the Senate and to G o v.
Barbara Roberts.
It can save m oney and lives.
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The Portland O bserver-- Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication - is a member
of The National Newspaper Association - Founded in 1885, and The National Advert s
ing Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc , New York, NY.
Commissioner To
Introduce Civil
Rights Advisory
Council
L a bor C om m issioner M a ry W endy
Roberts introduced her A d v is o ry C o u n ­
c il on C iv il R ights at a news conference
today, W ednesday, June 19. C o u n cil
C h a ir Dr. Rodney Page o f E cum enical
M in is trie s o f Oregon announced the
g ro u p ’ s goals.
Roberts form ed the statewide
Council to advise her on c iv il and human
can engineers, stoves locomotives, steam
engines, im provem ents to farm , fac­
DOW N Y O U R B U C K E T W HERE
Y O U A R E ,” and “ P ull y o u rs e lf up by
Patent O ffic e , show ing the in ve n tio n s
tory and railroad. Can it happen again?”
your bootstraps.” A lo n g w ith this ad­
vice that the races co u ld accom plish
w ith in the past fe w years...
m uch w h ile re m a in in g “ as separate as
the fingers on yo u r hand,’ ’ W ashington
men have taken o u t patents upon alm ost
e ve ryth in g , fro m a co o kin g stove to a
pleased the w hites bu t earned the u n d y­
ing e n m ity o f W .E .B . D u b o is and the
b lack in te lle c tu a l-in te g ra tio n is t m ove­
lo co m o tive . Patents have been granted
to colored men fo r in ve n tion s and im ­
provem ents in the w o rksh o p , on the
farm , in the fa cto ry, on the ra ilro a d , in
N o w , is n ’ t that unbelievable? That
a century ago w e were not o n ly ‘ dem ­
onstrating’ our technical genius but also
do in g an adept and sophisticated jo b o f
p u b licizin g our abilities to all the w orld.
N o t to m ention d e ve lop in g an effe ctive
structure fo r fin a n cia l gain. It was not
lo st upon our reader that were A frica n
Americans creating sim ilar ‘stages’ today
fo r th e ir wares and innovations, E C O ­
N O M IC D E V E L O P M E N T w o u ld take
on new m eaning fo r the race. H er fu r­
ther com m ent was that it w ent w ith o u t
saying, “ C om plete new avenues fo r
the technical education and m o tiva tio n
o f ou r youth w o u ld be opened u p .”
m ent (v o tin g and accom m odations).
A s stated, this aspect o f the E x p o ­
sitio n is the one that has been impressed
upon the consciousness o f A m erican
blacks and w hites a like - and not the
yeoman e ffo rts o f A fric a n A m ericans
fro m every w a lk o f life to make the
spectacle possible in the firs t place. W e
need not w onder, do w e, w h y racists,
Uncle Tom s (and the brainwashed) have
not d w e lle d upon the w o n d e rfu l, p o s i­
tive nature o f the greatest “ Show and
A g a in , we are rem inded o f how
dependent wc are upon the perceptions
Vf
that have been made by co lo re d m en
T h is statement shows that colored
the m ine, in alm o ste ve ry departm ent o f
labor, and some o f the m ost im p o rta n t
im provem ents that go to m ake up that
great m o tive pow er o f m o d e m in d u s­
tria l m achinery, the steam engine, have
been produced by co lo re d m en...
...M r. Speaker, the co lo re d people
o f this c o u n try w ant an o p p o rtu n ity to
show that the progress, that the c iv iliz a ­
tio n w h ich is now adm ired the w o rld
over, that the c iv iliz a tio n w h ic h is now
leading the w o rld , that the c iv iliz a tio n
w hich a ll the nations o f the w o rld lo o k
we are to succeed in the struggle to
‘regain’ a credible position in the scheme
o f things. I w o u ld im m e d ia te ly rem ind
yo u o f the d escription I gave here sev­
eral years ago o f the 1978 W est Coast
T e ll” in o u r histo ry.
T h a t cita tio n to the C ongressional
Record is fo r the August 10,1894 speech
by
BLACK
CONGRESSMAN,
G E O R G E H . M U R R A Y fro m South
C a ro lin a , an ex-slave w h o spent tw o
say, w ant an o p p o rtu n ity to show that
they, too, are part and parcel o f that
great c iv iliz a tio n ...”
m eeting o f the B la ck Scientists and
E ngineers w h ich I attended as a repre­
sentative o f Portland State U n ive rsity.
The co n ve n tio n was designed and
years at the State U n iv e rs ity u n til a ll
blacks w ere exp e lle d in 1876. E lected
in 1892, we have h im here addressing
his colleagues in soliciting federal support
A n d there was also the “ Paris
E xp o sitio n ” o f 1906 and the “ E m a n ci­
pation E x p o s itio n ” at P h ila d e lp h ia in
1913.
and co m m itm e n t o f the black fem ale i f
up to an im ita te -the co lo re d people, I
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
we publish.
AMALGAMATED PUBLISHERS, INC.
PORTLANtTOBSERYER
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
in the
tions to her about possible le g isla tio n
Community
Older Adult Abuse
Now 1 am a man and I live with my granny,
And do to my granny what she did to me.
An old English rhyme
Taken from
“Omnibus,” Presbytery of the Cascades.
O lder A d u lt Abuse is a nation­
wide problem, touching all o f our lives.
Il is not a new problem, but it has a far
greater impact on our population than
many o f us would like to believe. The
signs o f neglect, abuse, and exploita­
tion, must be learned and used to pro­
tect older adults and perhaps -even
yourself.
What is Older Adult Abuse?
Abuse means the w illfu l in flic ­
tion o f physical pain or injury on an
elderly person. This includes unrea­
sonable confinement, sexual miscon-
ducL and oversedation, as well as many
other abuses.
Material Abuse means the m is­
use o f an elderly person’s property or
financial resources.
Neglect means a significant dan­
ger to an elderly person’s physical or
mental health because the person who
takes care o f the elder person is unable
or fails to provide adequate food, shel­
ter, clothing , or medical o r dental
care.
S elf Neglect means a significant
danger to an elderly person’s physical
or mental health because the elder per­
son is responsible fo r his or her own
care but is unable to provide food,
shelter, clothing, or medical or dental
care.
Who is Likely to be Abused?
•
C H IL D R E N M A Y BE O C R
Frail elderly above the age o f 70.
Suffer physical handicap. A lz ­
heim er’ s Disease or other dementia,
o r other medical condition.
C aregivers) suffers from drug
misuse, alcohol misuse, or depression.
What Services Are Available
for Preventive Intervention?
Home nursing care aid, meal de­
live ry services, home repair services,
home visitor services, monetary assis­
tance, older adult care, respite care
centers, transportation services, coun­
seling, mental health services, and
others, depending on the area. These
services are provided sometimes by
church congregations, by the city,
Abuse can happen to anyone but
research has found that certain catego­
ries are more susceptible to it. Statis­ county or state Councils on Aging, by
tics sharply increase when a com bina­ The American Association o f Retired
tion o f these categories apply. The Persons, or by a combination o f all o f
categories are:
those listed.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
budding resource fo r the future, but it is our senior citizens who are truly the key to fam ily
heritage. They arc history; a livin g history that can be passed from generation to generation. Their lives are a constant
testimony to knowledge, c xperience, comm itment, wisdom, passion and patience. For all they have given and continue
to give, older adulLs deserve our respect and compassion. Make an e ffo rt to thank a grandmother, learn a s k ill from a
great uncle, sec that your son knows about his grandfather, be there to listen to your mother's opinions. Involve yourself
to enrich the livin g history we are making each day. O lder adults' hindsight is our foresight to the future.
T
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications throughout the USA.
r
{
how ever, traducers and slanderers o f
our race w h o cla im that we are n o t equal
to others because we have fa ile d to
...I h o ld in m y hand a statem ent
prepared by one o f the assistants in the
rig h ts issues and make recom m enda­
and enforcem ent practices.
>
other people, as was dem onstrated in
the late [C iv il] w ar. There are s till,
buy the inventions o f A fric a n A m e ri­
adults were turned aw ay fro m treat­
urge members o f the House Business
and C o m m u n ity A ffa irs C o m m itte e , or
the House its e lf, to take matters in to
th e ir ow n hands i f necessary and send
Deadlines for all submitted materials:
Articles: Monday, 5 p.m. -- Ads: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
other people. W e have p ro ve n that we
can leant as w e ll as o ther people. W e
have proven that we can fig h t as w e ll as
produce inventors...
m ent program s.
The m ost depressing statistic on
drug and a lco h ol abuse is not yet clear,
and th a t’ s the fate o f c h ild re n b o m to
mothers w ho used a lco h ol o r drugs.
O n ly now are w e seeing a surge in the
The p u b lic wants help, and H B
2587 is a good w ay o f p ro v id in g it. W e
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is
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seem that m ost o f o u r readers id e n tifie d
« that great event o n ly w ith that famous
speech opening day by B o o ke r T.
W ashington o f Tuskegee fam e - cer­
other people can do. W e have proven
that we can w o rk as m uch and as w e ll as
genius. T h is was the occasion o f the
frequently quoted a d m o n itio n , “ L E T
and special sch o o lin g fo r the rest o f
th e ir lives.
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
F o r the m om ent, le t us return to
that 1895 “ A tlanta Exposition.” It w ould
fo r the A tla n ta E xp o sitio n . He was s u e -.
cessful and his o w n e ig h t patented
a g ricu ltu ra l in ve n tion s w ere displayed.
“ We have proven in a lm o st every
lin e that we are capable o f do in g w h a t
ta in ly n o t w ith the greatest e xp o sition
ever o f black technical (and c u ltu ra l)
num ber o f drug-addicted babies. M any
o f them w ill need co stly m edical help
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN r UBLICATION
Established in 1970
im plem ented by tw o bla ck fem ale
engineers. It was a m arvel o f opera­
tional structure, lo g istics and telecom ­
m unications. A n d Y O U T H W A S
S E R V E D as scores upon scores o f black
youth w ere flo w n in to be entranced
and m o tiva te d by the inventions o f the
black engineers.
A reader supplied the title fo r this
w e e k’ s a rticle when m y b rie f m ention
o f the “ A tla n ta E x p o s itio n ” provoked
her com m ent that A fric a n A m ericans
ha ve to d o a better jo b o f * ‘ show i ng and
te llin g ou r ge n ius.” N obody is going to
do it fo r us.’ ’ She, too, was depressed at
N early 80 percent o f men and
w om en arrested on fe lo n y charges had
been using ill ic i t drugs. F a m ilie s w ith
addicted adults have e ig h t tim es the
health-care costs o f norm al fa m ilie s.
State agencies spend m illio n s o f d o l­
lars on w elfare payments, u n e m p lo y­
b illio n s o f d o lla rs the fe w extra cents
Show And Tell
• *•'***’ *
y .. .