Page 8 The Portland Observer August 21, 1991
Martin Luther King, Jr. Choir
Was Columbus
A Hero?
Name Calling
continued from fro n t page
been that the issue evokes an entire
spectrum o f negative com m ents or,
e q u a lly o fte n , ju s t p la in in d iffe re n ce .
Except, o f course, when yo u are ta lk in g
w ith those w e ll up on th e ir B la ck H is
tory.
Here, you w ill be q u ickly reminded
that the A fric a n A m e rica n h isto ria n ,
Ivan Van Sertim a, has docum ented that
C olum bus was a late com er to the
A m ericas in his b o o k, “ T hey Cam e
B efore C o lu m b u s .” It is a fa ct that the
better-trained European historians have
alw ays know n that w hen C o lum bus
sent back to the Spanish assayers the
metal arrowheads used b y the n ative
peoples o f the Caribbean, they were
fou n d to be o f the exact same p ro p o r
tions o f a llo y as those used by W E S T
C O A S T A F R IC A N S .
A n d in C entral A m e ric a are fo u n d
scores o f massive 20-ton heads carved
fro m granite w h ic h not o n ly have A f r i
can features, b u t the co iffu re s o r head-
ress are the exact same as those a d orn
ing W est A fric a n scrulptures - and are
exact replicas o f East Indian sculptures
o f B uddha fou n d in the “ Ganges’ ’ w h o
conquered the area in pre-Biblical times.
(See books and photographs b y J. A .
Rogers, and in V an S ertim a’ s “ Journal
o f A fric a n C iv iliz a tio n s .” )
All 145 choir members of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Choir have a rehearsal
at King School on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 27 and 28, at 11:00 a m.
sharp There will be a concert and pizza party on August 29 at 6:00 p. m. Choir
members must be at the rehearsal in order to attend the pizza party.
Thank You, Portland Observer
D ear E d ito r:
O n b e h a lf o f the P a cific U n iv e rs ity
Cascade C am pus F a m ily V is io n C en
ter I w o u ld lik e to thank the s ta ff o f the
P o rtla n d O bserver fo r th e ir e ffo rts in
p ro m o tin g the v is io n care services
a va ila b le at P a c ific ’ s Cascade V is io n
Center fo r residents o f North and N orth
east P ortland.
T he O bserver has show n excep
tio n a l c o m m u n ity support through the
p u b lis h in g o f news a rticles announcing
the a v a ila b ility o f free v is io n screen
ings and lo w cost vis io n care at the
Cascade F a m ily V is io n C enter. In par-
tic u la r, O bserver s ta ff have made o u t
standing efforts in prom oting the availa
b ility o f free back-to-school v is io n
I w o u ld m ake one m ore com m ent
on the * ‘ discovery ” o f this c o n tin e n t by
C olum bus. T h o r H eyerdahl, the e m i
nent N o rw egian e xp lo re r and archae
ologist ( “ K o n -T ik i” ), has demonstrated
a num ber o f tim es w ith voyages o f his
o w n , that A fric a n navigators co u ld eas
ily reach the A m ericas in the reed crafts
fo r w h ich they have been fam ous fo r
m illin e u m s — even in the B ib le . So w ho
are the “ heroes,” we ask.
screenings w h ic h are now a va ila b le at
the Cascade C enter fo r in n e r-c ity c h il
Cascade
C am pus F a m ily V is io n C enter at 240-
then they get “ stu ck” w ith the w rong
k in d o f B la c k leaders. Leonard Jeffries,
no less than L o u is Farrakhan, A1
tural Festival in w h ich he said, among
other things, that Jews and Ita lia n s were
responsible fo r the racist sterotypes o f
Sharpton, and Lenora F u la n i, is not the
B la ck People in the m o vie s, and that
Jews had p a rtia lly financed the A fric a n
slave trade.
The H isto ry D epartm ent at C ity
C ollege - lik e most u n ive rsity history
departments — has been ta lk in g about
C hristopher C olum bus and the “ d is
c o v e ry ” o f A m e rica n fro m a E urocen
tric p o in t o f vie w fo r decades, but the
w hite establishm ent has never co m
plained. The tru th is that w h ite suprem
acy is so deep-rooted that Eurocen
trism is supposed to be the same as “ the
truth. ’ ’ The H is to ry D epartm ent should
re a lly be called the W hite H isto ry
makes things a w kw a rd fo r the Dem o
crats - it is to th e ir advantage to push
fo r m ore openness, m ore in clu sio n . B u t
“ good B la c k ” they im agined w o u ld
come o nto the stage as o u r society
opened up. B u t w h o else d id they e x
pect w o u ld be heading up an A fric a n
A m erican Studies D epartm ent in 1991
- the academic version o f B ill Cosby?
Those days are over!
D r Fred N ew m an, the Jewish man
w h o managed m y 1988 Presidential
cam paign and w h o is m y very dear
frie n d , is - o b vio u sly - stro n g ly op
posed to a n ti-S e m itism . B u t w h o de
fines it? H e says that “ Jews need to
learn som ething m ore about w h ite
suprem acy. W e should be supporting
the B la ck c o m m u n ity w hen i t ’ s under
attack, no m a tte r w h a t the c irc u m
the kindness o f their hearts, o r sudden
enlightenm ent, but in response to mass
action in the streets and on the ca m
puses and some lib e ra l foundations
‘ w illin g ’ to fund new programs. T h e y
conceded open adm issions and tid b its
lik e B la ck Studies departments. B ut
now there are A fric a n A m e rica n p ro
fessors w h o — instead o f going along
w ith the idea that these departm ents are
ju s t fo r show -- are te llin g the h yp o
c ritic a l lib e ra l racists: T m no token.
I ’ m go in g to te ll it lik e I th in k i t is,
w hether you lik e it o r n o t!” ’
The liberals d e fin ite ly do not lik e
it!
M e a n w h ile another C ity C ollege
professor, one M ich a e l L e v in — w ho
lik e D r. Newm an is Jewish but whose
“ so u l” is as w h ite suprem acist as that
o f any K lansm an (he ro u tin e ly throw s
up “ theories” o f B la ck in fe rio rity in
his classes) - has rushed to the defense
o f Professor Jeffries, presum ably hop
ing to co ve r his ow n behind w ith the
cover o f academic freedom . B u t D r.
N ew m an refuses to buy i t
“ L e v in should be th ro w n o u t on
his ass!” he to ld a reporter b lu n tly .
The P sychology D epart
be the W hite P sychology
-- because the w ay they
subjects and ju s t about
stances.,”
D r. N ew m an doesn’ t believe P ro
fessor Jeffries is speaking as an a n ti-
Sem ite, b u t that he is saying w hat he is
course there is anti-S em itism and a
everything else is profoundly anti-people
saying because he believes it to be true.
A n d , he p o in ts out, i t ’ s n o t unreason
against Jews. B u t L e v in is a racist and
Departm ent.
m ent should
D epartm ent
teach those
o f co lo r, not to m ention a n ti-w o m a n ,
anti-g a y, and a n ti-w o rk in g class.
T h is past Sunday m ore than 500
people m arched fro m the C ity C ollege
able to think that there are certain Jewish
campus up on 138th Street through the
tio n a lize d racism . T h a t doesn’ t mean
heart o f H a rle m to dem onstrate th e ir
support fo r P rofessor Jeffries. He has
the support o f the A fric a n A m erican
co m m u n ity - and rig h tly so. I t ’ s not
that we agree w ith o r support every
th in g that Leonard Jeffries says. W h a t
A m erican c o m m u n ity is co n tra d icto ry.
5319.
Steven F letcher
D ire c to r o f C o m m u n ity R elations
P a cific U n iv e rs ity C o lle g e o f O p-
The attacks have focused on a ta lk
Professor Jeffries gave last m onth at
the E m pire State B la ck A rts and C u l
w ith that.
A s w e approach the end o f this
century, the situ a tio n o f the A fric a n
screenings and lo w cost v is io n care to
U n iv e rs ity
O u r p o sitio n has c le a rly been strength
ened by the success o f D a vid D in kin s,
Jesse Jackson, Reverend Sharpton,
M in is te r Farrakhan and m yse lf. T h is
ite, and the c o m m u n ity does n o t agree
Northeast Portland w ho desire free vision
F u la n i
Professor Leonard Jeffries, the chair
man o f ihe A fric a n A m e rica n Studies
Departm ent at the C ity C o lle g e o f New
Y ork, is being targeted as an anti-Semite
by an u nholy alliance o f rig h t wingers
and co w a rd ly liberals, in c lu d in g the
governor o f N ew Y o rk , M a rio C uom o.
that everyone in the co m m u n ity neces
sa rily agrees w ith him - t h e issue is that
he is being singled o u t as an a n ti-S e m
dren.
W e urge residents o f N o rth and
a ll the P a c ific
by D r. L e o n o r a
interests w h ic h co n tro l certain in s titu
tions that have p a rticip a te d in in s titu
we do support are any and a ll attempts
to transform and open up an educa
tio n a l system that is ra cist through and
through, up and dow n, fro m kin d e rg a r
ten to graduate school.
“ T w e n ty -fiv e years ago the lib
eral academic establishment began open
ing up the un ive rsitie s to o ther p oints o f
v ie w ,” D r. N ew m an to ld a reporter
recently. “ T h e y w e re n ’ t a ctin g o u t o f
W hy? “ Because he is n 't B la c k ,” said
D r. N ew m an. “ I t ’ s not the same. O f
long, vicio u s history o f oppression
he has lousy logic. M a lc o lm taught us
that i f the slave happens to get h old o f
the w h ip fo r a m inute and takes a few
swipes at the master, it isn ’ t the same as
the re g u la r beating o f the slave by the
master. Yes, there is anti-S em itism .
A n d yes, there is racism . B u t m a in ly
there is w hite suprem acy. U n til th a t’ s
turned around I know w here I stand.
A ll o f us need to.
D r. Len o ra F u la n i is the ch a irp e r
son o f the N ew A llia n c e P a rty a n d a
p ra c tic in g so cia l th e ra p ist in H arlem .
She can be contacted a t the New A l l i
ance P a rly , 2G32 F ifth Avenue, N ew
York, N Y 10035 and a t (212)996-4700.
A letter carrier service could
deliver added safety for the elderly
and homebound.
Two US. capitals preceded the District of Columbia: New York and Philadelphia.
V ision C enter
Offers Low-Cost Care/Free Screenings
Q uality vision care based on ability to pay is avail
able at the Pacific University Cascade Campus Family
Vision Center, located at 600 N. Killingsworth, across
the street from the Portland
Community College Cascade
Campus.
S ervices include complete
HUD HAS
A HOME
FOR YOU,
AVAILABLE
NOW!
vision exams, specialty care,
patient dispensary, and free
vision screenings for all ages.
Patients pay for services ac
cording to individual or fam
ily income. The Center does
include a minimum pay level
fflIBI
and most patients receive
some fee adjustment due to
limited income.
>
T he C ascade Campus Fam
ily Vision Center is open
Tuesday,
Wednesday
and
Thursday during regular business hours. The Center
will expand to a fourth day of service this fall. For more
information, scheduling, and free vision screenings,
please cal, 240-5319.
Pacific University
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For your information:
Details, conditions, program changes and
Express Bid information on the HUD
programs are included in the classified
section of your Sunday Oregonian.
Cascade Campus Family Vision Center
600 N. Killingsworth 240-5319
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
EQUAL HOUSING
O P P O R T U N IT Y