Page 2 -T h e Portland Observer- July 3, 1991
This Wa^ For Black Empowerment,
ho Are Our People?
BY OR. LENORA FULANI
Last week I saw tw o movies by
Slack filmmakers. The first was Straight
o ui o f B ro oklyn, by 19 year old M atty
R ich. The other was Spike Lee’s Jungle
Fever,
M atty R ich is new on the film
scene; his m ovie about his life experi­
ences g row ing up in the Red Hook
section o f B ro o klyn was financed on a
shoestring budget and took five years
to make. Once it was released, it re­
ceived enough praise to land this tal­
ented young artist a contract w ith a
m ajor distribu to r. Spike, o f course, has
a series o f film s already to his credit,
each one an insig htful look at different
aspects o f our lives as A frica n A m eri­
cans (and often about themes many
other artists avoid, likesexism andclass
c o n flic t).
These tw o film s make some pretty
d efin ite statements by and about the
A fric a n Am erican com m unity, which
contains countless different (and strong)
points o f vie w ,in clu d in g m yo w n ! Both
o f these film s have provoked strong
responses about lots o f issues, and that’s
great; our com m unity must be free to
express a ll o f those responses in a posi­
tiv e and open way. I ’d like to share
some o f the things these film s got me
th inking about.
I saw Straight Out o f Brooklyn
w ith m y 14 year old son Am ani, and I
thought it was a realistic, uncleaned up,
straightforw ard account o f the lives o f
poor Black folks in this country. Hav­
ing grown up in a w orking class com ­
munity, I saw people 1 recognized, people
I could feel for, was touched by and
could be angry a t
I was also struck by the reactions
o f Am ani and m y 18 year old daughter
A in k a to the attempt by the three teen­
agers who are the central characters to
bypass the poverty, pain and h u m ili­
ation o f their lives by ripping o ff the
local drug dealer. Both o f my kids
laughed at how these young men could
be dumb enough to com m it so foolish
an act in a neighborhood where they’d
be easily recognized, found and most
likely murdered.
I actually thought that was one o f
the most pow erful aspects o f the movie.
Much o f the death that occurs in com ­
munities involving our young people
k illin g each other grows out o f scenar­
ios that are dangerous, deadly and very
dumb. And a lot o f the dumbness that
permeates w orking class culture is co v­
ered over by posturing, styling and
“ cool” talk. However, there is nothing
cool about w orking class youth. Black,
Latino or white, k illin g each other or
performing suicide missions to impress
each other even i f i t ’ s in an attempt to
escape the ugly racism and classism o f
their lives. A ctually, a tribute to the
young brother who made the m ovie is
that he presents w orking class youth
culture minus the sickness and the hype
while preserving the humanity o f these
young Black working class men. I loved
it!
As you no doubt know , the p lo t o f
Jungle Fever centers around the rela­
tionship between a married Black middle
class businessman who lives on Striv-
ers Row in Harlem and his Italian
American secretary, who comes from
Bensohhurst (the neighborhood where
young Y usuf Hawkins was murdered
by a mob o f white youth, and where the
Reverend A1 Sharpton was almost killed
by a would-be assassin who attacked
him just before we began a NO JUS­
TIC E, NO PEACE! march through the
com m unity; the m ovie is dedicated to
Yusuf).
There’s quite a difference in how
our comm unity is portrayed in Jungle
Fever and Straight Out o f Brooklyn.
M atty R ic h ’ s b rillia n t and m oving use
o f realism in capturing real w orking
class people in the Black com m unity
was rather astounding. I like realism in
the movies I watch and I don’ t m ind
squirming w ith its impact. Spike uses
his technique o f fantasy and caricatures
to portray class differences in the
com m unity in a whole d ifferent way. I
began thinking about the w hite male
fantasies and dreams o f what Black life
is about; infuriating and dehumanizing
portrayals like B ill M oyers’ commen­
tary on the “ vanishing Black fa m ily .”
I thought about some o f those fantasies
that many o f our folks learn to accept,
like what it means to be a “ ju n k ie .” I
think Spike’ s o ver-sim plified w orking
class characters, like the “ crack-head,”
serve to reinforce these fantasies.
I grew up in Chester, Pennsylva­
nia. O ver the years, Chester has be­
come the drug depot o f the state. A lc o ­
holism and drugs, racism and poverty
have swallowed up much o f the com ­
m unity (especially the young). I have
worked as a therapist in Harlem since
1983 and I ’ ve treated, inspired, fought
with and fought to empower many Black
and Latino folks who visit the Taj Mahals
o f our comm unities. But what does it
mean fo r the ‘ ‘ju n k ie ” in Jungle Fever
to keep insisting that he’ s a “ crack
head” sim ply because he likes to get
high? Do drug dealers rip o f f their
families and communities and steal from
their mamas and e xploit the pain and
humiliation o f our families? Absolutely
yes. But is that all o f who they are, or all
o f who poor people in our communities
are? Absolutely not! B u to urcom m un i-
ties, our people, are not the poor Black
folks we see on things like B ill M oyers’
commentary on the “ vanishing Black
fa m ily .”
So w ho are our people? I adm it
that sometimes I have to guard against
my protectiveness o f Black poor and
w orking class folks p rim a rily because
their d ig nity is usually what is easily,
and unfairly, sacrificed. However, like
the youth in our com m unities, they
don’ t need to be protected; they need to
be challenged to do something more
w ith the pain and h um iliation o f grow ­
ing up Black and poor in Am erica!
Community Leaders Mobilize Against
Racism
In a press conference held during
the M ayo r’ s Forum cable program on
Wednesday, June 26, leaders from
throughout the com m unity came to­
gether to speak out against bias hate
crimes and to urge citizens to help stop
racism. The press conference, organ­
ized by C ity Commissioner M ike L in d ­
berg, served to send the message that
Portland’s citizens and leaders are united
in their efforts to prevent the spread o f
hate crimes. The press conference also
helped raise awareness o f racist S kin­
head and Neo-Nazi efforts to target
Portland as a base o f operations. C om ­
missioner Lindberg stated such groups
are “ part o f a national and interna­
tional movement” and that there has
been “ a dramatic increase in the num ­
ber o f hate crim es’ ’ in the firs t three
months o f this year.
Police Chief Tom Potter announced
that tw o detectives have been assigned
to investigate bias hate crimes. Re­
sources available to help citizens rec­
ognize, report and stop the spread o f
racism were also discussed at the press
conference. One such resource is a highly
recommended guide produced by the
Southeast U plift Neighborhood Program
and drafted by a multi-ethnic Task Force
o f grass-roots volunteers entitled, “ A
C itizens’ Guide on How To Establish
the Clim ate Where Racism Cannot
O ccur.” [To order copies, call S.E.
U p lift - 232-0010], The M etropolitan
Human relations Commission [Tele­
phone 796-5136] also has pamphlets
available printed in many different lan­
guages to assist citizens in reporting
hate crimes.
Those attending the press confer­
ence included M ayor C lark and a ll C ity
C ouncil members. Police C h ie f Tom
Potter, D istrict Attorney M ichael
Schrunk, Urban League President Dar­
ry l T ukufu, and Marsha Congdon,
Oregon Vice President and CEO o f
ERVER
PORTL
U.S. West Communications. Represen­
tatives from S.E. U p lift, Black United
Front, M etropolitan Human Relations
Commission, C oalition fo r Human
D ign ity, and the U.S. Department o f
Justice, Com m unity Relations, were
also in attendance.
"Silence in the fa ce o f b igotry and
racism means acceptance. By not speak­
ing out against it, you are speaking fo r
it. Go p u b lic w ith your commitment to
establish the climate where a ll citizens
can live in h a rm o n y ."*
"■Quoted from “ A C itizens’ Guide
On How to Establish the Climate Where
Racism Cannot O ccur,” produced by
Southeast U plift Neighborhood Program,
9/90.
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Business Manager
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I love it; the response o f those par­
ents, teachers and students who read
my article on the “ Atlanta Cotton Slates
and International Exposition ” o f 1895
(Perspectives, 6/26/91).You are quite
right, A frican Americans seem to have
forgotten (or ignored) the greatest o f
their contributions to w orld c iv iliz a ­
tion, both technical and cultural. And,
yes, we cannot go on in this way.
Never mind that we may have been
manipulated.
Let me round up a few more facts
about this exposition. They may an­
swer some o f your queries. There were
many such gifted and literate black
congressmen as George H. M urray, a
principal sponsor o f the exhibition and
who displayed eight (8) ‘patented’ in ­
ventions o f his own; there were 92
patented inventions by A frican A m e ri­
can men and women on the list he
submitted to the 53rd Congress, sec­
ond session. The stature o f M r. Murray
is extrem ely important because there
have been so many pejorative and
negative comments about the intellec­
tual and moral stature o f the blacks
who served in congress fo llo w in g the
C iv il War.
W e need to understand the rea­
sons for this perversion o f history which
continues to this very day. There is a
terrible and ugly dichotom y in the
Am erican psyche which demands at
the same time the concept o f a republic
which early on was the w o rld ’ s symbol
for freedom and liberalism , and the
resulting concommitant, S L A V E R Y
• A fire occurs every three m in ­
utes o f every day.
• This totals a national annual
average o f 560,000 fires resulting in
approxim ately 6,000 deaths.
• Smoke inhalation is responsible
fo r 75% to 80% o f those deaths, as w ell
as for contributing to long-lasting seri­
ous health problems and injuries sus­
tained by many survivors, such as can­
cer, asthma and other pulm onary prob­
Littler Ants Can
Be Big Trouble
A summer picnic w ou ldn ’t be
complete w ithout a parade o f ants. But
when ants parade indoors to our homes,
the picnic is over. Besides being an
annoyance, they can coniam inate foods
and spread plant disease.
U nlike some other bugs, ants are
active both day and night,w hich makes
them a double pest They are especially
attracted to moist and dark areas in the
h o m e . ____________ __________
LETTERS T 0 / = ^ g =
THE EDITOR S O s s b
Take A Walk
Sununu
Dear Editor,
John Sununu is like the federal
budget - f a t , overweight, and out o f
control. Sununu should do more w alk­
ing. W alking w ould be beneficial to his
health (less w eight). W alking would
also be beneficial to “ us po tax pay­
ers” who are already overburdened with
perks by public o fficia ls. As (C h ief of)
staff, Sununu is not accountable to any­
one. Where is George?
Julius Stokes
NE Portland
W AS JUSTIFIED. Ignorant, intellec­
tual children could not possibly in the
first generation have produced those
statesmen and competent legislators,
and the engineers, who gave America
among other things, the firs t legisla­
tion for Federal Aid for Education,
Land Grant Colleges that endure to­
day, and hundreds o f inventions that
supported America’s industrial advance
into the 20th century. B U T T H E Y
D ID , D ID N ’ T TH EY. So it is denied.
This example o f Il * many instances
o f perverted establishment folklore and
pseudo-history should provide further
understanding o f why I constantly
advance the cause of relevant ‘ Black
H istory’ as a key motivational force in
developing a desire and commitment
to education in our confused youth:
“ You arc somebody-YOU A L W A Y S
WERE SOMEBODY.” I certainly dem­
onstrated the worth o f this approach in
these eleven years on the faculty o f
Portland State University, where I in ­
tegrated the relevant historical compo­
nent into every course taught; Busi­
ness, Economics, Science, Hum ani­
ties. And it certainly worked: the gifted
were further inspired and the recalci­
trant and street persons were turned
around. And s till they come back to
v is it me, the C.P.A.s, the engineers,
the executives from industry and the
public sector, the business owners, and
the many professionals. “ HEY, LO O K
A T M E, M R. BU R T-I R E A L L Y W AS
S O M E B O D Y !”
(M y collection o f
baby pictures grows apace.)
So when I w rite articles addressed
to you, "W h o m shall we educate. Par­
ent or Student?” or “ Parents Must
Bridge The Gap,” it is this segment o f
the education process that is pushed
just as hard as a m eaningful and struc­
tured curriculum . A t the very same
tim e I constantly beseech the schools
and related com m unity programs to
bring me in to provide structured input
and methodologies fo r achieving such
real-time results (fo r sta ff and o r clien­
tele).
So don’ t “ lay back” this summer.
Fall w ill soon be here and your help is
needed i f I am going to get more o f this
w ork done. And by the way, continue
to build that library so necessary to this
structure. Get the fo llo w in g free tab­
loid-size catalog listing thousands o f
books on every subject imaginable from
race and science, to fictio n , do it your­
self, history, travel, health and busi­
ness: Edward R. H am ilton, Falls V il­
lage, C T 06031-5000 (most very rea­
sonable, from $2.95 up).
It occurs to me that some readers
may be interested in m aterial that deals
w ith that “ Atlanta Exposition” and for
related events like the black congress­
men and inventions o f the period. Try
the follow ing; Eyewitness to Black
History, Katz; Up From Slavery, Booker
T. Washington; R oll Jordan Roll,
Genovese; From Plantation To Ghetto,
M eier & Rudwick; A H istory o f Negro
Education In The South, B ullock; In
Black America Books Inc. 1970), and
Black Inventors o f Am erica, Burt.
Black Support Priority For Handgun Control Bill
A major campaign is on around
the country to heighten awareness
among African-Americans and to press
for their Senators to vote for the B R ADY
B IL L , said Kevin Jefferson, National
M in o rity A ffairs Coordinator for
Handgun C ontrol, Inc. (HC1), based in
Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Attorney General con­
cedes that it would take years before an
instant check system at a national level
can be in place. However, by that time,
at the rate o f horn ¡tides taking place in
the black com m unity so many lives
w ill have been taken away.
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
we publish.
AMALGAMATED PUBLISHERS, INC.
PORTLAr-ltTdBSfRVER
In the USA:
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(USPS 959-680)
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Don’t Lay Back ‘Cause It’s Summer!
A re • T h e • P roud • S p o n s o rs • O f
Reinvestments
Community
YOUTH GANG DIVERSION PROGRAM
SIGNALS SIGNS OF SUCCESS
YCAP (M inority Youth Con­
positive efforts, such as direct contacL
cern Action Program), a proj­
A fter months o f negotiating with
public agencies, funding for M YCAP
ect funded by CSD and is fastly impact­
was finally secured thru Childrens Serv­
ing the Northeast Community with its
ices Division in the amount o f 5100,000.
innovative youth gang diversion pro­
Executive Director Sam Pierce
gram. Less than three months old,
states the program was ex tremely lucky
M Y CAP is currendy listing forty youth
to secure quarters in inner Northeast
who arc former gang members, or
Portland and after some improvements,
“ Wanna B ’s” , who are now actively
o fficia lly opened for business this past
involved in diversion activities.
summer.
M YC AP is the brain child o f six
Referrals to M YC AP are approxi­
community activists heavily involved
mately 65% from MaClaren and the re­
in youth gang diversion. The six (Lon­
mainder from parents andencouragingly
nie Jackson, Kathy Martin, Sam Pierce,
some walk-ins.
Roger Wilder, Jimi Johnson and Luther
Once referred, youth are involved in
Irving) met informally at MaClaren
counseling, job referrals, GED educa­
school for boys some three years ago
tion and sports activities.
and decided to attack the surging gang
M YC AP currendy has a staff o f
problem in N/NE Portland through more
M
three, assisted by 10 volunteers.
Tuesday and Sundays are devoted to
intervention meetings with Sundays also
designated as family day.
M Y C A P ’suniquenesshas triggered
inquiries from Detroit, Washington
D.C. .New York, V irginia, Chicago, and
other states.
In addition to Sam ’ ierce, other
staffers are Warren Ogden J i ve-in super-
visor, and Steve Hoffman activities co-
ordinator.
M YC AP is seeking donations for
office supplies and equpment and to
bring the program up toils fu ll contin­
gent o f youth which is DO.
Donations may be mailed to the
Main Branch Y W CA which is the
umbrella agency.
Youth Poverty On Rise
by John E. Jacob
I t ’ s lime Americans slopped con­
gratulating themselves about their a f­
fluence and about the great opportuni­
ties available here as opposed to other
nations, because for all our affluence
and for all our accomplishments com­
pared with others, there is one aspect o f
American life that is nothing less than
shameful.
Child poverty in America is outra­
geously high—and it is on the rise.
Alm ost one out o f four American
children under the age o f six are grow ­
ing up poor.
Among African Americans, half o f
/X
h I
our young children are poor.
That should be an incredible scan­
d a l-o n e that ought to be shaking the
Congress and the public. Instead, it’ s
just another statistic to be ignored.
But so far I haven't seen anyone in
Washington crusading for policies to
end child poverty. There are plenty of
talented, intelligent people fighting to
cut capital gains taxes or crusading for
other measures.
But no key figure in the Administra­
tion or the Congress is making an issue
o f the fact that almost one o f every four
American children is poor.
That's a serious abdication of re­
sponsibility. Especially since theprob-
lem is even worse than it appears.
According to Census data, not only
are over 5 m illio n children living in
families with annual incomes below
the poverty lin e -b u t another 2.7 m il­
lion arc in families just above that arti­
ficia lly low "p o ve rty line.”
That means one o f every three young
children in America is poor or near
poor. The poverty line itself is an un­
derstated, arbitrary figure. But, how­
ever one may define poverty, there can
3C no disagreement that those kids are
trowing up in hardship.
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications throughout the USA.
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