Page 2—1 he Portland Observer- August 7, 1991
Handwriting On The Wall
ers
By Dr. Lenora Fulani
In the spring I wrote to businesses
throughout New Y o rk C ity on behalf o f
acom m ittee o f com m unity fo lks,you th
and adults, who have been w orking to
provide an opportunity fo r our young
people to make a positive statement
through their art - “ tag” art and g ra f­
fit i art — w h ile pro vid ing them w ith
som ething to do fo r the summer. I was
asking them to provide us w ith co ntri­
butions, m aterials, w a ll space and
p u b lic ity so that our youth could speak!
The p o in t was to support and bring
public attelion to the demands that kids
were m aking fo r youth services (among
the firs t casualites o f the severe budget
cutbacks that have closed down every­
thing from pools to schools in our com ­
m unities) and at the same tim e to give
them the opportunity to develop their
creative skills and talents in a construc­
tive and pro-social fashion.
W hen a local T V station decided
to cover us, I thought o f B e ll’s Fashions
on 125th Street between Seventh and
E ig hth Avenues, w hich has a big w all.
I asked the owner, M r. Malachi B el­
lam y, i f we could use it. He loved the
idea and said he w ould do whatever we
wanted. Members o f our committee
w ent out to paint stores and asked them
to donate paint and supplies. We had a
m eeting to conceptual ize the mural and
we were ready to go.
Before we knew it we were at the
crossroads o f Harlem w ith the cameras
ro llin g w hile the muralists fille d one
w a il w ith a pow erful portrait o f M a l­
colm X , the words “ Register a Pro­
test” above and “ Voter Power” be­
lo w . M eanw hile, a second w all was
being fille d w ith hundreds o f co lo rful
and distinctive tags. And through it all,
rappers and dancers from the A ll Stars
Talent Show N etwork - including M C
Browneyes, the w inner o f this spring’ s
national finals -- performed on the street
and other kids slopped everyone who
passed by and asked them to register to
vote. S till other kids carried signs that
said “ Don’t k ill us for writing on walls”
and “ Give us jobs and opportunities,
not prison.”
A s yo uca nim ag in e .il w asw ild! In
the midst o f every thing else that was
going on, a fight broke out between the
muralists and the taggers. The m ural­
ists, who tend to see themselves as the
" r e a l” artists, were upset that some o f
the taggers were draw ing on their mu­
ral. One o f the muralists came up to me
and asked, “ What is this, art or p o li­
tics?” I told him it depends on how you
look at it: the fact that cops are k illin g
young people fo r doing it is very p o liti­
cal. Then he asked, “ Are you saying
that all Black and Latino youth are
artists?” M y answer to that one was
that I don’ t give a damn. The point is
that they deserve to live, whether they’re
artists or not!
N ot very' long ago my 14 year old
son Am ani was arrested fo r w ritin g his
name on a wall. One o f the arresting
officers told me that they had caught
him “ armed w ith magic m arkers.” I
walked out o f the police station deter­
mined to do something about the fact
that Black and Latino youth are in
danger o f losing their lives for no other
reason than the fact that they have
something to say and very few ways -
or places - to say i t
Having this happen to Am ani was
very painful, but very important. I
knew that a young Black man named
M ichael Stewart had been kille d by the
cops a few years ago because he was
tagging a subway w all, but I hadn’t
realized how widespread the arrest and
harassment o f these young artists really
was. The police are relating to Black
and Latino youth who are hanging out
in our comm unities w ith nothing to do
as potential crim inals. It doesn’ t m at­
ter to the cops that they have nothing to
do because the most recent round o f
cutbacks has le fto u r communities w ith
very few recreational facilities and
almost no jobs.
G ra ffiti is one o f the few ways
these kids have to express themselves,
to gain any kind o f recognition and
fame and to rebel against a society that
hates their guts. So they are doing it a
lot more. The cops are coming after
them in fu ll force, which means a lot
more o f our young people end up w ith
crim inal records. I t ’ s a powder keg out
there, and the cops are more than w ill­
ing to ligh t the fuse.
On the day o f the 12th ¿treet
“ happening” a lo t o f adults came over
and asked me what was going on. When
I told them, they thanked me. I met a
lot o f tourists who knew me. There was
a woman from Augusta, Georgia who
reads this column in the Augusta Fo­
cus, another woman from Indiana who
had seen the column in a Black news­
paper there, and someone from Ft.
Lauderdale in Florida who had seen me
on C N N . It was a very touching and
joyous scene. In the midst o f it the
reporter from Channel 5 turned to me
and asked, rather incredulously, " D o
you know all these people?”
In a way Id o . Ia m Fighting fo r our
children - not ju s t the talented tenth,
but fo r a ll o f our children. I have read
the handw riting on the wall.
D r. Lenora F u la n i is the chairper­
son o f the New A lliance P arty and a
practicing social therapist in Harlem.
She can be contacted at the New A lli­
ance Party, 2032 F ifth Avenue, New
York,N Y 10035 a n d a l (212) 996-4700.
Readers Have The Last Word
D o n ’ t they always? We always
appreciate any reinforcements (or cor­
rections) from the “ audience.” The
Series, “ In the Beginning Was The
W o rd,” must have gotten instantane­
ous reactions because I got phone calls
this tim e instead o f letters. John B.
Altm an o f S. E. Portland had this to
say:
“ U.S. News and W orld Report
recently stated, ‘ A wave o f archaeo­
logical discoveries is altering old ideas
about the roots o f C hristianity and Ju-
daism -and a ffirm in g that the Bible is
more accurate than many scholars
thought.’ According to M itche ll Da-
hood o f the Pontifical Bible Institute;
w ritin g in the pages o f the respected
B ibical Archaeological Review (B i­
m onthly), ‘W e’ ve got to take the Bible
much more seriously as an historical
document.’ ”
Thank you M r. Altm an, I have just
become a subscriber to that magazine.
I have long held the same view as
demonstrated by m y long use o f such
material as I have found it to exactly
match the research o f scholars from
other fields whose documented research
is held in high esteem. However, you
w ill fin d me in active correspondence
with the publishers whenever they might
avoid a correct attribution o f source o f
an ancient culture or personage (i.e. us­
ing the terms “ oriental, middle east­
ern, Sem itic,” etc.) when the place or
Stop This Lynching
Tim e is running out for M um ia
Abu-Jamal, w idely acclaimed Black
jou rn a list on death row in Pennsylva­
nia. Abu-Jamal is facing death fo r what
many thoughtful people see as punish­
ment fo r his outspoken and uncompro­
mising political beliefs. Starting at the
age o f 13 when he and three compan­
ions were beaten and hospitalized by
Philadelphia plainclothes and uniformed
police after they protested a ra lly fo r
George Wallace, Abu-Jamel has been
an activist fo r social change. He be­
came a Black Panther at the age o f 16,
learned journalism w ritin g for the Black
Panther Party newspaper, and became
the president o f the Philadelphia chap­
ter o f the Association o f Black Journal­
ists in 1980. Am ong those he inter­
viewed were the Africas, connected with
M O V E . Jamal admired the courage and
com m itm ent o f M O V E and was one o f
the very few to state his support pub­
lic ly . M O V E was later wiped out in the
murderous m ilita ry assault by Philadel­
phia police in 1985, w hich kille d eleven
men, women and children.
In December, 1981, Abu-Jamal
intervened when he saw a policeman
beating up his brother. There were many
people around the scene and a lo t o f
confusion. He was c ritica lly wounded;
the policeman died. In the tria l, w it­
nesses contradicted each other and key
eye witnesses were people w ith charges
pending against them. A number o f w it­
nesses said they saw another man run­
ning away from the scene. Even the star
witness, a prostitute w ith charges pend­
ing, gave a description o f the assailant
that did not fit Jamal. Other witnesses
said they did not see the star witness at
the scene. The bullets that k ille d the
policeman did not come from Jamal’ s
gun, although the bullet that wounded
Jamal came from the policem an’ s gun.
The judge, who was a form er head o f the
policem an’ s association, permitted into
evidence the claim by one o ffice r that
Jamal had confessed the crim e in the
ambulance to the hospital, but another
o ffice r who said Jamal had made no
statements was on vacation during the
trial and did not testify. Another witness
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mg Representative
Rt
L_—
'i’#
claimed Jamal admitted to shooting the
o ffice r in the hospital, but hospital staff
said he made no statements but was
only groaning w ith pain as the police
beat him in the w aiting room.
D uring the sentencing phase o f the
trial, the prosecutor argued that Jamal
should be condemned to death because
o f his p olitical beliefs. He referred to
Jamal’s Black Panther past.
Jamal continued to w rite columns
for newspapers around the country. His
campaign has attracted the support o f
many prominent people, like Ed Asner
and Ramsey Clark. His appeals have
been supported by the Am ericn C iv il
Liberties Union and the National Con­
ference o f Black Lawyers. Over 40,000
people have petitioned for clemency.
L et your voice be heard to stop this
racist execution. W rite to Governor
Robert Casey, M ain Capitol Building,
Room 225, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Public
opinion does make a difference-Angela
Davis and others have proved that. To
get background materials and petitions,
call 281-8540.
Plan Ahead
For Health Care Expenses
(NU) - Your tooth aches, but you
need every penny you’ve got. and
more, to pay your child’s college
tuition. So you delay the needed den­
tal work and endure the pain.
You are not alone. A recent sur­
vey found that one-third of all con­
sumers delay routine medical or den­
tal care because they lack the cash to
pay for the service at the lime of the
visit. That same survey showed that
about two-thirds of this group said
they would have used a credit caul
to pay if they had known this option
was available.
A new booklet by Dr. Carolvnc
K. L u ..., a recognized lie ... v.ie
expert, details important steps to take
when planning for your fam ily’s
health care:
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IVORY - BEIGE - GRAY
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By Professor McKinley Burt
concept is obviously A FR IC A N .
Some readers may be aware o f a
very famous case, that o f the book, They
Came Before Columbus, by famed Black
Historian Ivan Van Sertima. Despite
meticulous documentation o f the pres­
ence o f African landings in America
long before “ ChristoferC olum bus,” the
author was attacked and belittled by the
press despite his impeccable academic
credentials. That was fifteen years ago,
but today the accuracy o f his research is
recognized by scholars and institutions
a ll over the world. M y point is that this
charge o f affairs came about because
those w orking in the cause o f truth en­
gaged in “ active correspondence” with
an errant media on a scale that made it
impossible for racists to continue to hide
the truth.
Another reader was somewhat in­
dignant that I did not detail how much
that famed Greek poet “ H om er” em­
phasized the A frican presence in Greek
affairs. Here are some excerpts from an
excellent text by Snowden, a Howard
U niversity history professor, “ Blacks in
A n tiq u ity .”
“ The first Greek poet had heard o f
Ethiopians. Not only does Homer men­
tion Ethiopians but he describes a well
known herald o f Odysseus as black­
skinned and w oolly-haired—Their home
is by the ‘ streams o f ocean.’ ” (p. 101)
In the fo llo w in g passage from the
chapter, “ Ethiopians In Classical M y ­
thology,” most o f the personages are
black Africans, a fact which most schol­
ars w ill not mention. “ Hom er tells us
that the Olympians were fond o f visting
the Ethiopians. Zeus, follow ed by all
the gods, went to feast w ith the blame­
less Ethiopians where he remained for
twelve days. ” (p. 144-155) The chapter
continues on w ith descriptions o f the
Greek and Ethiopian personages who
interacted in the affairs o f the tw o na­
tions: “ Iris, Poseidon, Ichthyophagi,
Cambyses, Sabacos, Piankhi, Amasis,
Seneca, Thespesion, A pollonius o f
Tyana, Bacchus, Memnon, Tithonius,
etc.”
Oh, how much dishonest scholars
have kept from us, hoping that most o f
us would not have access to “ fu ll”
translations by researchers o f integrity.
Snowden and other historians o f repute
do not hesitate to te ll us that “ It was
black-skinned, woolly-haired Eurybates
who accompanied Odysseus on the
embassy to Achilles, the companion
whom Odysseus esteemed more highly
than his other companions because he
had a mind like his o w n .” (p. 122 ibid)
Thank you, dear readers, fo r your
input and your interest. It not only
keeps us on our toes, but adds immeas­
urably to the data we have available to
build our research. We a ll shall con­
tinue to develop the “ A frican perspec-
fiv e ’ ’ until the fu ll depth o f our ances­
tors’ role in c iviliza tio n is known.
Parent Educator Program to Begin
Parenting and working with young
children are skills that need develop­
ment and nourishment. The OS U Par­
ent Educator program offers parents
and professionals training in child
development and parenting issues,
fa m ily theory, group fam ily theory,
group facilitation and the “ D iscipline
That Doesn’ t H u rt!” and Footsteps
series. Volunteer parents are needed
to lead discussion groups for parents
whose children are ten and younger.
Professionals working with parents need
current inform ation and training perti­
nent to the issues concerning their
clients. Dr. Linda Ladd is the director
o f the Parent Educator training which
runs fo r four days (28 hours) in all
three metro counties beginning in Sep­
tember. Orientation for the Parent
Educator program w ill be held at the
OSU Extension offices in Clackamas,
Washington, and M ultnom ah counties
beginning in late August. Cost fo r ma­
terials is $30. Volunteers w ill pay
back training by w orking w ith parent
groups in each county. Professionals
w ill deliver materials and training back
to their own programs. For orientation
and training dates or program in fo r­
mation, call Annette Fetters at 254-
1500.
United Airlines
PORTLflWfifctfsEKVER
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments
Community
OPINION
by Dr. Jamil Cherovee
Education
Our students must perfect wha,
hile in Alabama, I was
they are studying, rather than ac­
in v ite d to speak at
cepting it as it is. Black students
Chappie James Hall. The stu­
should not be a slave to yester­
dents insisted that I cut the lec­
day's knowledge.
ture short, that they may have
more time to ask questions.
I applaud Washington’s call for
technical and agricultural train­
Education is no better than the
ing. Farming is the engine of life
philosophy that guides it. And
itself. Delving into and comparing
since the world is based on ex­
the principles of Booker T.
altation of Caucasians, the philo­
Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, and
sophical underpinnings of every
Marcus Garvey, I attempted to
discipline is to support the basic
show how today a synthesis of
premise that caucasoids are
these great thinker's programs
superior to Blacks ... This poison
was needed.
permeates every d iscip lin e .
Before ending my lecture, I
Therefore, education must be "re­
scrutinized the role of woman in
examined." Since Black people
society, and the proper relation­
have been mis-educated under a
ship and respect that should exist
system of Caucasoid supremacy,
between man and woman. The
Blacks need to be retrained so we
Supreme Architect (God) o, the
may be of service to our people
Universe did not create you
and to ourselves and humanity.
(woman to be a plaything for men.
During slavery, Blacks were de­
Instead, woman is actually a co-
prived of the right to know, which
creator with God, and through a
made them able to be used as "a
woman will come men and wo­
tool and a slave," and which has
caused us to reject our own
men who will bring about heaven
teachers. We accept tutelage
on earth. When a woman has
from caucasoid scholars and
thoughts of rejecting the child
during pregnancy, those thoughts
thinkers from the past without
affect the development of that
judging it for its real value.
child. That's why you have pro­
Today's education should teach
duced children today that hate
us to think, to analyze, to critique.
W
/X
theirselves and are prone to sui­
cide, because you rejected it
while it was in the womb, and you
wished it dead ... so you have
created children that will murder
you today-cold and heartless. We
must lift up the honor of our
women, if we want to make a bet­
ter world, that better world is
coming from the womb of a wo­
man. This is definitely needed
around this nation, particularly
the aspect of bringing up the
Blac(< male to a certain level of
consciousness so he knows how
to treat the Black woman.
An impromptu question and
answer session was arranged on
the next day at the Alumni House
where students were able to pose
questions to me in an informal
setting. The level of questioning,
was impressive. I told the stu­
dents I felt confident in our future
after hearing their probing ques­
tions.
Hand shakes and hugs was an
emotional moment, a fitting
conclusion to this historic visit to
the lands once trod by the great
institution builder, Booker T.
Washington
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
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