***** 2 T h e P ortland Observer August 14, 1991
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
The Truth Revealed in South Africa
There is a saying that “ Truth
crushed to the earth w ill rise again.”
T his is ce rta inly the case now inside the
apartheid regim e in South A frica . A fter
years o f p ublic denials by the govern
m ent o f South A fric a that it secretly
was funding C h ie f Buthelezi and his
Inkatha organization to p o litic a lly and
v io le n tly oppose the A frica n National
Congress, the truth is now coming out,
and it is “ ris in g ” to bring clarity to
w hy the violence in South A frica is
continuing.
It is as i f South A fric a used its own
version o f the U nited Sûtes counterin
telligence program , C O IN TELPR O , to
foster and sponsor the enmity and de
structive hatred o f Inkatha toward the
A frica n N ational Congress. We mourn
and are outraged at the thousands of
innocent women, men, and children
w ho have been kille d as a direct result
o f the apartheid regim e’s sponsorship
o f terrorism .
State sponsored terrorism has now
been exposed once again in South A f
rica. H ow can President Bush, who
speaks so eloquently against terrorism,
not move his “ lip s” to denounce the de
K le rk adm inistration in South A frica
for its sponsorship o f terrorism against
the people o f South Africa?
O f course. President de Klerk was
quick to defend the ultimate goal o f
this ‘ political d e s u b iliz a tio n " in A f
rica because the United States had given
sim ilar financial support to groups like
Inkatha in Nicaragua and in Angola. I f
there is to b e a “ New W orld O rd e r," it
should be a w orld free o f this kind o f
arrogant and racist attempt to deny
peoples o f the w orld com m unity the
fundamental human rig ht to self-deter
mination.
It is ironic that President Bush and
President de K lerk are now calling for
a renewed sense o f “ confidence” in
the apartheid regim e’s intentions to be
fair. De Klerk confessed, “ The gov
ernment accepts that there has to be
p olitical confidence in respect to the
sensitive issue o f secret funding.... It is
a fact that this confidence has been
shaken and it is necessary to restore
iL ”
Political trust and confidence are
not matters that can be reduced to rhe
torical appeal. Yes, confession is good
for the soul, yet the problem that re-
mams in South A frica goes far beyond
“ WIN” Celebrates Second Annual
Dinner/Fashion Show
Mrs. Frances D. Hooks. National Coordinator, Women in the NAACP
(WIN), accepts congratulations from an admiring quartet at WIN's Second
Annual Dinner/Fashion Show, held recently during the NAACP's 82nd
Annual Convention in Houston, Texas. Standing with Mrs. Hooks are,
from left. George L. Knox III, Vice President, Public Affairs, Philip Morris
Companies, Inc.; Mrs. Hooks' husband, Benjamin L. Hooks, Executive
Director, NAACP; Rev. Jesse Jackson, President of the National Rainbow
Coalition and “Shadow" Senator for Washington, D.C.; and Dr. William F.
Gibson, Chairman, NAACP National Board of Directors.
Sponsored by Philip Morris Companies, Inc., the WIN Dinner/Fashion
Show was held at Houston's Hyatt Regency Hotel. Philip Morris
Companies, Inc., and its operating companies, the Miller Brewing
Company and Kraft General Foods, expressed their continuing support
for NAACP programs and scholarships. The companies' involvement also
included the hosting of Corporate Exhibits at the convention's trade and
industry show.
President de Klerk saying, “ We did
wrong, but now you can trust us.”
Today, Nelson Mandela and m illions
o f Africans cannot even vote in gov
ernment elections because o f their race;
but, this is the government that wants
the m ajority o f the people it has disen
franchised to “ trust” iL
The anu-apartheid movement in
the United States and throughout the
w orld needs to call fo r justice fo r all o f
the victim s o f this diabolical scheme
to stop democracy in South Africa. As
long as the present apartheid govern
ment is in power in South A frica , there
w ill be no p o litica l stability. Interna
tional economic sanctions should be
maintained.
Buthelezi and his cohorts should
be brought to trial along w ith their
sponsors for the countless massacres
o f innocent people.
The transformation o f South A f
rica is a monument to the degree to
which the forces o f e vil are entrenched
in the international body politic. Ra
cism is an international problem, and
as long as it is institutionalized in one
nation, no one w ill be free anywhere.
Free Health Screenings
For Seniors (Age 55+)
Offered at
Neighborhood Sites
September 6, 1991 - Neighbor
hood House, 7688 S.W. Capitol Hwy.,
9a.m . to noon. Please call 244-5204 fo r
an appointm ent
September 13,1991 -O A S IS ,C ity
Center M eier & Frank, 10th Floor, 621
S.W. F ifth Ave., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Please call 241-3059 for an appoint
ment.
September 20, 1991 - H ollyw ood
Senior Center, 1820 N.E. 40th Ave., 9
a.m. to noon. Please call 288-8303 for
an appointment.
September 27, 1991 - Gresham
Senior Center, 50 N.E. Elliott, Gresham,
OR, 9 a.m. to noon. Please call 665-
7191 fo r an appointment.
Among the services at the screen
ings are blood chemistry tests which
include cholesterol, glucose, and ane
mia measurements, blood pressure,
colorectal cancer take-home test kit,
lung function and hearing testing. V i
sion and glaucoma assessments, n u tri
tional counseling and foot care evalu
ation are also usually offered. A ppoint
ments are necessary and may be made
by calling the screening site. There is
no charge for the screenings which are
funded by Legacy Health System hos
pitals and health care organizations.
More On the “ Drew-Johnson Medical Education Project
I would like to expand the scope
and add some facts to the inform ation
provided in last week’ s front page inter
view, “ Drew-Johnson Medical Educa
tion Project Launched.”
Again, let me cite the spectrum o f
career/education slots available in the
medical field, including some that were
omitted last week. Readers and students
alike have long been aware o f m y obser
vation (and intervention} where m inor
ity and low income youth o f a ll races
generally are unaware o f the existence
o f many positions available in the tech
nical fields. A t Portland State U niver
sity, fo r instance, I spent years develop
ing hundreds o f work/study slots and
internships w ith corporations and such
agencies as the U. S. Forest Service -
mostly in the technical fields.
The fo llo w in g relevant list was
developed during my two years o f serv
ice as a volunteer at Providence M edi
cal Center (w here I had established work?
study positions fo r m in ority youth).
“ Physician, dentist, nurse, medical i l
lustrator, x-ray technicians, optometrist,
occulist, epidem iologist, psychologist,
actuary, medical secretary, etc.,” as
w ell as special areas such as “ sports
medicine, industrial safety, consumer
project design and labeling, forensics/
coroner, oncology, H.M.O.S, nutrition,
geriatrics, pharmacy, trauma centers,
long-term care, poison centers, envi
ronmental hazards (lead paint, toxic
wastes/dumps, atmospheric carcinagens)
and many others.”
O bviously, the project requires a
very intensive use o f a computerized
data base -- not ju s t for the inform ation
and technical material I ’ ve collected
3908 N.E. MALLORY AVENUE
Jessie Varner
£
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United Airlines
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments
Will A DropOut
Lose Out?
by Professor McKinley Burt
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established In 1970
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
Jessie Varner moved to Portland in
1943. She worked as a welder at ship
yards. In 1947, Jessie married Jame P.
Varner. She spent 13 years in the m edi
cal field. In 1965 Jessie became very
active in the NE com m unity. She be
came D irector o f C -C AP (Church
Com m unity Action Program). Because
o f her comm itment to the fig h t against
racism, Jessie Vam er participated in
the march in Washington, DC fo r c iv il
rights.
From 1968-1983 she worked for
PPS as a com m unity agent. Jessie made
a difference in young people’ s lives by
encouraging them to remain in school.
She touched the li vesof so many people
w ith her positive philosophy o f life.
She is survived by her husband, 4
brothers throughout US, 2childrcn,and
2 grandchildren. Funeral services w ill
be held at 11:00 a.m., Hughes M em o
rial Church, Friday, August 16th.
We had better get ready to answer
this question, and in a hunry. It is not
ju st from ou r state legislature (Vera
Katz) and newly-energized regional task
forces that we have cries fo r sweeping
educational reform ; but from the white
House, Congress and industry-both
liberal and conservative establishments.
There seems to be one pervasive con
cept integral to all their projections and
itc o u ld prove devastating for the future
o f m inorities in this country.
For the first tim e in this century
(since Am erica became p rim a rily u r
ban), very im portant and influential
elements o f our society are renouncing
the hallowed, egalitarian principle
underlying Am erican education and
economics. And this is the b e lie f that
all have been endowed w ith intrinsic
abilities to achicvc-as w e ll as w ith
“ certain inalienable rig h ts ." But now,
the aforementioned establishment has
b u ilt into its European and Japanese-
inspired projections the most rig id and
structured T R A C K IN G system ever con
templated.
O ur specific concern is that a ll o f
these "Y e a r 2000” programs mandate
that there w ill be convenient DROP
O U T S T A T IO N S at the 10th and 12th
grades. In lig h t o f the existing situation
in respect to the education o f A frican
Am erican children it is not d iffic u lt to
project w ho w ill be pul o f f the learning
*“ 1
Community
train at what station. The ‘ defacto’ drop
out has been w ith us all the tim e so why
should we suppose that the establish
ment w ill suddenly move from rhetoric
to structured ‘ upscale basics’ .
T oda y’s ’ front page' article ad
dresses other issuers raised by this “ Year
2000” bandwagon. But, here, I w ould
have you note that in the last m onth or
so I have consistently cited modes o f
‘parental involvem ent’ that have been
proven to equip them to enhance their
childrens’ performance in school. The
last tw o weeks in particular I have re
turned to m y ‘ m otiva tion al’ theme, em
phasizing the early A frican contribu
tions to the w o rld ’s culture and technol
ogy; “ Issac Newton: Black History
Student & The ancient A frican Public
Library.
This technique and the "R o le
M o d e l” approach are going to be ever
so critica l as a d rivin g force to establish
the ‘ ID E N T IT Y ’ mindset that w ill a l
low black youth to engage in the learn
ing process. It is strange that we have so
many blacks (among others) w ho can
not understand this, and bewail the fact
that their programs are being over
whelmed by escalating losses-dropouts,
gang activities. They don’t seem to com
prehend that if the schools arc not doing
it-and i f there is not a coherent fa m ily
structure present to build self-esteem-
then their programs must incorporate
this thrust as an essential feature. You
can’t must ‘say’ this is fam ily.
I note that when I was moved from
the building which became the site o f
the U M O JA Gang rehabilitation Pro
gram, eight or nine black and white
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teenagers were assigned to pack up an
carry the many scores o f crates contain
ing my library. C arrying on the usual
conversation and exchange I always
inspire w ith kids, it did not take long to
id en tify their interests (or lack o f them).
W h ile their m otivational
pro file was typical fo r ‘dropouts’ , I
was able to get three interested in the
role models in m y book, Black Inve n
tors o f Am erica. They had not the vagu
est idea that men and women o f c o lo r
had invented so many o f the technical
wonders around them or that many o f
them were “ D R O PO UTS” .
One, who abandoned school be
cause he just couldn’t understand math” ,
as amazed at the revelation that “ A f r i
cans developed the binary math used by
todays’ com puter” 1 showed him in
twenty minutes and he is back in school.
Another o f that trio w ill be a freshman
at the U niversity o f Oregon this fa ll. I
told this incredulous young man that I
had entered law school after passing the
entrance exam as a “ high school drop
o u t” .
This was follow ed up by showing
him the black history models o f early
A frican Am erican educational system-
in the books on my shelves. He soon
realized that he had no excuses. ’ •
Next week I w ill cite several exem
plary models o f A frican Am erican Sci
entists who never saw the inside o f a
university but who became w o rld -re
nown in their field. Perhaps you can use
them to m otivate some black youth
who has not learned who he is o r to
dream. O r who has been “ tracked” by
the Year 2000” enthusictists.
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in AP, publications through out the USA
4
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component. Here I am incorporating
the historical and seminal contribu
tions to medicine by Africans and
A frican Americans. These easily docu
mented achievements began o ver4000
years ago w ith "Im h o te p ,” ch ie f phy
sician and architect to an early Egyp
tian Pharaoh. We have it from D. T.
Akinson in his "M a g ic , M yth and
M edicine,” “ From the firs t dynasty
onward Egypt had a system o f m edi
cine more rational than the w orld was
again to see for over three thousand
years. African physicians, famous as
teachers, visited and taught in Arabia,
Persia, and Greece. Hippocrates, grand
father o f the great physician by that
name, was the pupil o f an Egyptian.”
I was able to obtain sim ilar (and
fascinating) material from the A l-A h -
ram Center For Scientific Translations,
Cairo, Egypt,” the Physicians o f
Pharonic Egypt” (distributed by the
National Library o f Medicine, U. S.
Public Health Service, 1983). Here we
have detailed accounts o f the sophisti
cated hierarchy o f general pra ctitio
ners and specialists that existed in such
early times; “ C hief o f Physicians,
Inspector o f Physicians,” medical
scribes, pharmacists, internists, occu-
lists, proctologists, coroners, embalm-
ers, surgeons and even veterinarians.
There w ill be, o f course, more re
cent and contemporary material such
as you have seen in these columns; like
the story o f Ben Carson, the gifted
African American neurosurgeon who
traveled from a housing project to the
very top o f his profession. Itis o u rh o p e
that this project w ill enable many more
o f our youth to make the trip.
MALLORY AVENUE
CHURCH OF CHRIST s
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Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
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over the years, but fo r contemporary
interactive referencing o f students and
mentors w ith training institutions, “ the
literature,” jo b market, and the public.
Institutional, and public outreach pro
grams require such a support mecha
nism. A dditionally, students must have
convenient library referencing.
A new and most important compo
nent o f the present project is the design
o f an introductory text/curriculum for
the students -- a survey or evaluation o f
the m inority health services delivery
system. W ith the help o f professionals
in the field, this material is being devel
oped in a tw o-tier mode, high school
and university. This is a very important
consideration fo r what I ’ ve discovered
over the years is that young people have
to be kept focused - you cannot rely
entirely upon your own enthusiasm and
presume that structure and m otivation
w ill autom atically occur.
A case in point is my book “ Black
Inventors o f Am erica,” which was first
published in 1969. D uring those early
years when I was the only one in the
country traveling from city to city
“ preaching” and lecturing that “ sci
ence and technological education and
enterprise is the future for m inority
youth,” this book kept the issue FO
CUSED. It was used in many colleges
and high school courses and was a basis
for many successful workshops and grant
applications around the country. Hope
fu lly , our present efforts in the health
science field w ill produce the same level
o f interaction.
Such a ‘,‘curriculum support” for
the students must necessarily include a
strong motivational and self-image
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