Page 2...The Portland Observer...September 4,1991
Activist to Convene Emergency Conference
on Black Independent Politics
Deeply concerned about the direc
tion of Black politics in the wake of the
emergence of “ race neutral” politics
and the rise of the Black conservative
apologists, a group of Black political
activists is preparing to convene an
emergency conference on Black inde
pendent politics. Headed by nationally
syndicated talk show host Bob Law ot
New York, the initial list of organizers
includes Ron Walters, political activist
and Chair, of the Political Science Dept.
at Howard Univesity in Washington,
D.C., Janice Graham of the Our Com
mon Ground organization from West
Palm Beach Florida, Bob Starks, Chair
man of the Black Political Task Force
in Chicago, William Nelson, President
of the African Heritage Studies Asso
ciation from Columbus, Ohio, Jitu
Weusi, Chairman of African Ameri
cans United for Political Power of New
York, Dennis Serrette, long time labor
activist from Oxon Hill Maryland, Damu
Smith, Co-Facilitator of the National
African American Network Against
Intervention in the Gulf from Washing
ton D.C. and Jemadari Kamara, Dean
of the Center for Community and Pub
lic Service Univ. of Mass, in Boston.
The sponsoring committee is being
expanded to include key political ac
tivists and organizers from every re
gion of the country.
The conference will be held No
vember 22-24, 1991 in Washington,
D.C. at the Howard Inn. Among the
goals and objectives of the conference
are the following:
*to assess the current state of Black
politics against the backdrop of the
crises in the African American com-
munity.
♦to review the Black agenda and
develop a progressive Black independ
ent agenda for the ’92 elections.
*to discuss the various third party
initiatives under discussion in various
quarters including the prospects for a
Black led independent presidential
campaign in ’92.
*to discuss the need for the con
solidation of an ongoing Black inde
pendent political voice within the Afri
can American community.
In a conversation with Bob Law he
indicated that this emergence confer
ence is “ crucial because ol the depths
of the crisis in the Black community
and the failure of the Democratic and
Republican parties and traditional Black
leadership to respond in an effective
manner. No one seems to be taking the
plight of the Black masses seriously.”
He also said, “ The two major parties
must know without a doubt that our
votes are not for sale in ’92. It’s time for
a new Black Lcadershipo to emerge
which will not sell out to the Democrats
or tell us that adopting conservative
Republicanism is the path to freedom.”
Ron Walters, a vociferous critic of race
neutral politics, said that “ it is clear
that Black people must develop a
powerful Black agenda tor the 92 elec
tion and devise a Black independent
strategy that “ this just may be the sea
son to consider a Black led independent
presidential campaign to ignite a mass
based, grassroots movement for funda
mental change in this country. The
leaders may be reluctant, but I think
Katz Education Plan
Examined for Impact
on Girls and Minorities
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CREED OF THE BLACK PRESS
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in the firm belief that all are gurt as long as anyone is held back.
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(
that the Black masses are ready to break
loose from the National Democratic
Party.”
I certainly want to add my voice to
those calling for this important confer
ence on Black independent politics.
My sense is that large numbers of Afri
can Americans are fed up with the
sterility of the two establishment par
ties and disaffected with a good many
traditional Black leaders and elected
officials. As I have said in previous
articles, too many of our traditional
Black leaders and politicians have for
gotten the vision and values of the
movement in the 60’s and 70’s. They
rode into elected and appointed offices
and into the corporate board rooms on
the backs of the Blacks masses. But
now far too many of these leaders are
representative of a small relatively well
off elite in the Black community; a
Black elite that has abandoned the Black
masses in favor of a junior partnership
or subserv ient role within the very system
which oppresses the masses of Black
people.
As Malcolm X might put it, it’s
time for a message from the grassroots.
This much needed conference on Black
independent politics must let the world
know that there is a new Black leader
ship coming on and a new Black move
ment rising from the grassroots and
from among those who identify with
the grassroots. This conference should
set the stage for a massive human rights
crusade in 1992. Indeed, 1992 just might
be the year of the “ ballot or the bul
let.”
For futher information: call 407-
845-2670.
The Portland-Area Women’s Po
litical Caucus 9PAWPC) is hosting a
forum discussion on “ Education Re
form in Oregon” on Wednesday, Sep
tember 4, 6:00 p.m. at the Crossroads
Building (123 N.E. 3rd) in Portland
The first in a series of “ Focal Point’’
forums, the September 4th program
will examine the new education plan
spearheaded by Representative Vera
Katz and recently adopted by the Ore
gon State Legislature. Caucus member
Donna Tyner will moderate the pro
gram. Panel members include Repre
sentative Vera Katz; Commissioner
Mary Wendy Roberts, Bureau of Labor
and Industries; Gary Sackley, Coun
selor for Milwaukie High School; and a
representative from Roosevelt High
School’s “ Renaissance 2000” program.
The panel discussion will focus on
how aspect of the plan competency
exams, students choosing a college or
vocational tract at 10th grade-will impact
girls and minorities, an issue of particu
lar interest to the caucus membership.
The Portland Caucus will hold
“ Focal Point” forums on the first
Wednesday of each month at the Cross
roads Building from 6-7 p.m. The public
and the mediaarc welcome at 5:30p.m.
for a half-hour of social exchange with
PAWPC members. The PAWPC
membership meeting will convene fol
lowing the program. Future month topics
TBA.
Add Preaching to Reading, Writing and Rapping
“ I Got The Word In Me And I Can
Sing It, You Know: A Study of the
Performed African-American Sermon.”
Citing this book by Gerald L. Davis is a
good way to pick up from where I left
off week before last (Language, Ideas
and Roget’s Thesaurus: Fourth Edition).
Quite correctly the volume is rec
ommended as “ A rousing, long-over
due critical treatment and analysis of
the BLACK SERMON as a verbal folk
genre.” A reviewer says, “ This is the
great opus of African-American verbal
tradition.” It you think you would like
a copy, it can be obtained from the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania Press, Blocklcy
Hall, 418 Service Drive, Philadelphia,
PA 19104-6097; (No.22,1259-2, SI 1.37).
When I stated in respect to that
“ Fourth Edition” of the thesaurus, “ Here
we find the pursuit of a word or concept
leads to a wondrous journey and learn
ing experience,” 1 could just as well
have been referring to die Black preach
ers, prophets, visionaries, saints, eman
cipators or freedom fighters. Even those
with whom you emphatically disagree
seem to have the ability to evoke pas
sions and emotions you had rather not
deal with. And where there is empathy
with their concepts or dreams, their art
ful language can convert the most cyni
cal of us into enthusiastic shouters,
marchers or even dreamers. And note
that the Russians arc honoring anew
their revolutionary African poet, Alex
ander Pushkin. The coup is over.
Now, I have pretty well documented
over the years in my articles that those
moving and inspiring passages and prov
erbs from both the Old and New Testa
ments of the Bible were written in times
and regions where there was an indis
putable African presence in the arts and
letters and in the hierarchy of the relig
ions. Even the most conservative of
respected European historians acknowl
edge the physiogomy of many o f the
most celebrated of the contributors-
“ dusky, woolly-headed, son of Ham,
Shebas Daughters” and other begrudg
ing attribution to a race that was the
progenitor (just as Plato said).
It is no wonder, then, that through
the ages and even today-from the scribes
of the Pharaohs by the Pyramids, to the
sermons of Moses several thousand years
later and the pronouncements of the
three black Popes of North Africa an
other two thousand years later, and to
the great oratory of the southern black
bishops and to Malcolm X, Reverend
King and Jesse Jackson-the world has
paid rapt attention and imitated the
African tradition (while denying or
ignoring the ethnicity).
So, it is incomprehensible to many
of us that we still have “ educators”
who cannot develop curriculum and
lesson plans (at all levels) capable of
inspiring and motivating African Ameri
can children. We would note in passing
that the first dozen or so of American
presidents acknowledged developing
their readin’ and writin’ and grammar
from the ancient material; and also
many of their moral, conceptual and
administrative ideas. We refer here to
not only that of obvious Ethiopian,
Egyptian and Biblical origin but to all
that allegediy-Greek philosophy and
science which was learned from the
Temple Priests of Ethiopia and Egypt
and brought back to that barbaric pen
insula on the Agean Sea.
In closing, let me cite a similarity
in support of that thesis. In the middle
1930’s I would spend a lot of time in
my grandfather’s library and of special
fascination to me was a 30 volume set
ol books, “ Delphian Text,” a cultural
history of the world (copyright, 1925
by The Delphian Society, Chicago).
Chronicling “ The Foundations of Pres-
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
we publish.
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Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments
Community
North Precinct Community Policing Project Holds
Second Annual Iris Court Community Fair
2nd Annual Basketball
Tournament and
Benefit Held
Entertainment & All and Urban
Entertainment presented the 2nd An
nual Unity Day Basketball Tournament
as well as an awards banquet and dance.
This year’s proceeds will be donated to
the Urban Entertainment Scholarship
Fund and the Mrs. Collins Child Serv
ice Center.
This presentation is a non-profit
function for the community put on by
the community. By participating in Unity
Day, citizens contribute to some of the
worthwhile programs which exist in
our community.
Quit smoking.
Am erican Heart
Association
Oregon Affiliate, Inc.
ent Day Culture,” it was prepared by
leading scholars from the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Stanford, Princeton,
University of California, etc. On the
very first page of volume I it is stated,
“ FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF
ITS MEMBERS IN THEIR CHAP
TER PROGRAMS.”
And I can very well understand
that, for the book breaks every rule of a
racist education and history structure.
The first chapter, “ The Beginnings of
Culture,” begins with Egypt and the
Sudan and proceeds to detail without
qualification all of the seminal contri
butions of Africans to the world’s cul
ture and technology. And contrary to
the presentations of many contempo
rary texts, the photographs of statues in
the field or museums have African fea
tures that could be found in the innerci-
ties of New York, Chicago, L.A., or
Portland. There is even described the
invention of the “ Nilometer” for reg
istering the rise of the Nile River, still
used today by the U.S. Corp of Engi
neers (and in my school demonstra
tions).
Now, we understand the meaning
of that phrase, “ For The Exclusive
Use of” - The “ Delphian Society”
was a select group of upper middle
class scholars and other professionals
(white) who distributed this “ danger
ous” information only among them
selves. Il was not for the peons, the
working class, the media, and certainly
not for the schools. Not that many
whites have heard of the set and not any
African Americans that I have met. It
goes without saying that there have
been other organizations of a similar
nature who have furthered racism and
prejudice by witholding truth from the
world-w hile masquerading as “ schol
ars.” I keep my copy right next to my
38.
T
he Iris Court North Precinct Com
tor, Denny West.
The event featured a job/hcallh
munity Policing Demonstration
fair,entertainment,citizen information
Project and the Iris court Residence
anil food in a block parly atmosphere.
Council held its Second Annual Iris
The fair featured several local
Court Community Fair from 12 noon to
groups including Sista’s N ’ Motion,
4:00 p.m. Saturday, August 24, al North
Unison, “ Bam Bam” and OMSI
Sumner Street and Vancouver Avenue.
“ Robots.”
Mayor J.E. “ Bud” Clark gave a
ArrangcmcnLs were made to pro
kickoff address al high noon from the
vide ribs, chicken and hamburgers for
top of an Oregon Air National Guard
400 people. These items were donated
Oat bed truck. He was joined in opening
by Food Service of America, R.M.
remarks by Darryl Tukufu, CEO/Di-
Pamplin, Inc., I’PB Sunshine Division,
rcclor, Urban League of Portland and
Life Center, Reser’s Fine Foods, West
Housing Authority of Portland Direc
F -j
ern Paper Products, Portland Botde
(7-U P),T J. Sentry Market, Franklin’s
Ready Ribs, Blue Bell Chips, Inc.,
Oregon Chief, and Emanuel Health
Services
The food was prepared by the
Deacon’s of Morning Star Church.
The following agencies staffed
an informational booth during the fair:
Sickle Cell Foundation, Red Cross,
Oregon Outreach Youth Resource,
AMA Head Start, AMA Family Day
Care, Self Enhancement, Northeast
Com m unity
H ealth,
P ro ject
Independence, Northeast Workforce.
Ccntcr/PCC, Oregon National Guard
Army-Air, Navy Recruiting, Oregon
Employment Services Division, Poi
son Control, Private Industry Council,
Portland Police Bureau Recruiting,
Northeast Neighborhoods (Crime
Prevention), Youth Gang Outreach,
Peninsular Children Center, Neigh
borhood Connection, Boys and Girls
Club, Together Great Start, Urban
League, Project Imani, Project Linkage,
MADD, Northwest Regional Educa
tional Lab, (P.O.l.C.) Portland Occu
pation Industry Council, Mult-nomah
Co. Community Health Division,
Regional Drug Initiative, St. Vincent’s
Hospital, OSU Extension Service, Chil
dren’s Services Div., OMSI, and the
YWCA.
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications through out the USA
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