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Page 2...The Portland Observer...October 30,1991
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Money Talks
BY DR. LENORA FULANI
L ast w eek I becam e the first 1992
Presidential candidate to file a thresh­
old subm ission in accordance with
Federal Election Com m ission require­
m ents for receiving federal primary
m atching funds. As o f today, my cam ­
paign has raised more than $500,000 in
m atchable dollars.
I am com m itted to raising as much
m oney as I possibly can, because the
A m erican people - whose taxes pay
for m atching funds — have the right to
hear candidates addressing the real Issues
that are o f life and death concern to the
vast m ajority o f us.
Issues such as a national health
service which would quarantee every
A m erican, regarless o f age or income,
accessibility to quality health care. A
hum ane housing policy to deal with the
devastating epidemic of homelessness
that afflicts hundreds of thousands of
our people. The defense of the hard-
won civil and human rights o f people of
color, which the Suprem e Court seems
determ ined to take away. W om en’s
right to choose, which is also in jeo p ­
ardy. A human AIDS policy which
would provide for the treatment and
care o f people with AIDS while allo­
cating the necessary resources to find a
cure for this murderous disease. The
drugs and despair and police brutality
that are killing our young people, and
the failure to give them jobs — or hope
for the future. The genocidal policies
of the federal government towards Native
Americans. The peace divided, and how
to guarantee that it will not be squan­
dered or diverted into new forms of
military spending. The environment,
and protecting those who breathe the
air and drink the w ater rather than the
corporate poisoners and polluters who
are com m itted to making a profit by
any means. The takeover o f A m erica's
breadbasket by agribusiness at the
expense of the family farmer and the
urban consumer.
In 19921 plan to use the matching
funds I receive to take those issues -
and the most fundamental issues o f all,
the erosion of democarcy in our coun­
try - directly to the American people,
which I was prevented from doing in
1988. Democracy is the issue because
unless we have much more of it than
we currently do, our values and our
views will continue to be denied a
hearing.
Although 1 was on the ballot in
every state four years ago, I was ex­
cluded from the nationally televised
Presidential debates because the major
parties had a “ gentlemen’s agreement’’
to discuss only those issues - such as
flag burning - that would not em bar­
rass either Mr. Bush or Mr. Dukakis.
They were not willing to make room
for an independent Black W oman, and
so the bi-partisan Commission on Pre-
sidental Debates (which was formed
for the explicit purpose of wresting
control o f the debates from the non­
partisan League of Women Voters) said
that I was n o ta “ credible” candidate -
- meaning that 1 d id n ’t belong up there
with the good ol’ boys.
The truth is that the major parties’
bi-partisan political monopoly can ’t
stand competition. This time around it
is clearer than ever: the Democratic
Party is not even making a pretense of
mounting any serious oposition to the
architect of a “ new world order” whose
most recent foreign policy achieve­
ment is US collaboration in the murder
of Haitian democracy. But o f course
the Democrats did not oppose him over
the war in the G ulf, they did not oppose
him over Panama, and they did not
/
oppose him over Grenada. Just as they
did not oppose the Republicans over
Gramm-Rudman. The one-time ‘ ‘party
of the people” is no ‘‘loyal opposi­
tion,” but a servile partner in crim e of
the Republican Party.
The American People have been
deprived o f our dem ocratic right to
express our views, our sentiments and
our aspirations through the electoral
process because that process has been
taken over by the anti-democratic
tweedle-dee Republicans and tw eedle­
dum Democrats. I am running for Presi­
dent as part o f a long-term effort to
build an independent third party in
America that has the organizational
capacity to go up against the two major
parties in the electoral arena and give
him a run for their corporate money.
In 1992 I am challenging the com ­
munications barriers to independents,
which make the A merican electorate a
captive audience of the one-party-dis-
guised-as-two. By January 1 of next
year we will have raised one million
dollars in matchable contributions; our
plan is to spend one-quarter o f that
money to put my name on the ballot in
every state and the rest to reach out to
the tens of million o f people in our
country who are dying for some de­
mocracy.
I can ’t think o f a better way to
spend some of our hard-earned tax dol­
lars than by using them to bring this
campaign for dem ocracy to the A m eri­
can people. Our lives, and the lives of
our children, depend on it.
Dr. Lenora Fulani is the chairper­
son of the New Alliance Party and a
practicing social therapist in Harlem.
She can be contacted at the New Alli­
ance Party, 2032 Fifth A venue, New
York, NY 10035 and at (212) 996-
4700.
1 wish to thank those Portland School
A native o f Bellingham , W ash.,
Stimpson graduated with highest hon­
ors from Bryn Mawr College. She earned
bachelor’s and m aster’s degrees from
Cambridge University, and holds a doc­
toral degree from Columbia U niver­
sity.
The recipient o f three honorary
degrees, Stimpson has received a
number of honors, including a Ford
Foundation grant and Fulbright, Na­
tional H um anities Institute and
Rockfeller Humanities fellowships. She
also has written many books and
numerous articles in popular, profes­
sional and scholarly periodicals.
Presently, Stimpson is at work on
two books: “ Suffer the Little Chil­
dren,” a novel, and “ Gertrude Stein
and the Replacing of the Avant-Garde,”
a critical study.
For m ore inform ation about
Stim pson’s visit, contact Nancie Fade-
ley, assistant to the UO provost, at
346-3081.
guage Association. From 1982-83, she
chaired the MLA Task Force on A ca­
demic Freedom and, from 1983-85,
headed the MLA Committee on Aca­
demic Freedom.
Stimpson directed the rutgers In­
stitute for Research on W omen from
1981-85. W hile there, she was princi­
pal investigator for a variety of proj­
ects funded by private and public sources.
From 1974-80, Stimpson was the
founding editor of Signs; Journal of
W omen in Culture and Society, a quar­
terly published by the University of
Chicago Press. She also is an editorial
board member for Critical Inquiry and
for W om en’s Studies: An Interdisci­
plinary Journal.
Before joining the Rutgers fac­
ulty, Stimpson taught English at Bar­
nard College from 1963 through spring
1980. She also was the founding direc­
tor and chair o f the Executive Com m it­
tee o f the Barnard College W om en’s
Center.
A” %
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by Professor McKinley Burt
Following Up On The Baseline Essays
Talk On Academic Freedom Set Oct. 31
A nationally recognized authority
on academic freedom will visit the U ni­
versity o f Oregon oct. 30-31 to discuss
academ ic freedom and “ political cor­
rectness’ ’ in a free public lecture and in
meetings with faculty and students.
Catharine Stimpson, vice provost
and graduate dean at Rutgers U niver­
sity in New Brunswick, N.J., will pres­
ent a colloquium entitled “ W hat’s
Correct About Being Politically C or­
rect?; A Vision o f Cultural D em oc­
racy” at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31,
in Room 150 o f Columbia Hall, 1215 E
13th Ave. on the UO Campus.
Stim pson’s visit is sponsored by
the university’s ad hoc Committee on
Academic Freedom, a panel established
last year by UO President Myles Brand
to encourage discussion about issues
related to academic freedom.
A much-sought-after speaker on
academic freedom as well as cultural
and gender issues, Stimpson served as
1990 president o f the M odem Lan-
I
teachers who called in support o f view ­
points expressed in last w eek’s article,
“ W on’t they ever give up.” This piece
was an exposure o f the rather flaky
position of those insecure pundits around
the country who have taken it upon
themselves to trash Portland’s Baseline
Essays -- a masterful work compiled as
an aid to teachers incorporating the
contributions o f minorities into the
curriculum. And recognized nationwide.
Fortunately, these people are not
making much headway except in a few
closed circles o f academ ia and media
where the concept of the racial/intel-
lectual inferiority o f minorities has
alw ays been firmly entrenched; viz a
viz the IQ gibberish of Shockley and
Jensen and the deliberate omission from
history texts o f the key and seminal
contributions o f other races in the for­
mation of the w orld’s culture and tech­
nology. The asinine pronouncements
o f these racists might be attributed to
ignorance except for the fact dial an
examination of the libraries o f the uni­
versities they attended reveals a wealth
o f information contrary to any mean
view of the abilities of Africans, Asians,
Hispanics or other NonEuropean peoples
(But not found in the texts from which
history is taught).
Then, what we are seeing is a de­
liberate and highly organized system
for m aintaining a stance o f cultural
superiority and economic hegemony
by those fearful that others may (and
do) claim a proper and documented
place in the scheme o f things-fearful
that the children o f these others may be
trained and m otiviated to participate at
the level of their abilities. And it is
most unfortunate that the hidden agenda
o f these Baseline detractors is cleverly
concealed amid their protestations that
such truths can seriously damage
A m erica’s educational process (see
“ Closing The American Mind,” Bloom,
and see the latest cries o f alarm by
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., “ The D is­
uniting of America: Reflections On a
M ulticultural Society.” Not to neglect
“ 900 num ber” shown on televisioh
and ask for the $24,000 loan promised.
For those o f you who have prom ­
ised faithfully to work closer with your
children in developing their m athe­
matical skills, as well as your ow n for
your job, let me pass the following on
to you. Get the follow ing tw o very
excellent algebra texts-1 use them for
reference and when I ’ m tutoring. These
are concise, quire lucid and have large
readable print. Some studentsz can ad­
vantageously use the first book as early
as k-6, and the second will take him
through the sophm ore year at many
colleges. Provide your child with a
headstart that w ill keep him ahead of
the game for the rest o f his academic
career. Order these two combination
Textbook/workbooks now while they
are on sale (8-1/2 X 11, 600 pages
each).
a. B e g in n in g a lg e b ra . N o.
01689793, Charles M cKeagve $5.98
b. Interm ediate Algebra, No.
01689785, Charles M cKeagve $5.98
shipping is $4.95
Order from Barnes & Noble Book­
store, 126 Fifth Ave. New York, NY
10011
For fun reading order through your
local bookstore, “ M athematics In The
Time O f The Pharaohs,” Richard
G illings, Dover Publications, 1972.
Interestingly, that “ African Pyra­
m ids” math lesson I said I’m working
on is the very same curriculum project
I was working on a day ten years ago
when Ron Herndon, Education activ­
ist, brought Asa H illiard, principal
consultant for the Baseline Essays, by
my home study center. Since then my
developm ents o f material on early
African technology has gained a parity
with research on the “ Black Inventors
of A m erica” listed in my book by that
name. There are more o f us now, black
and white, who have documented enough
contributions by non-Europeans to
shame any o f the o f the Baseline E s­
says detractors. And we are reaching
other school districts, more universi­
ties, and even foreign countries.
Diane Ravitch at Columbia Univer-
sity).
Today I am designing a lesson plan
for an out-of-state school district, an
exercise in m athematics based upon
the precise geometry of the ancient
pyramids in Africa; a place where Plato
said mathem atics and astronomy orgi-
nated. Interestingly, Leonardo Fibon­
acci, son o f an Italian consul to North
Africa left his graffiti carved in the
G reat Pyramid o f Gizeh; then returned
to Italy and, without FORMAL TRAIN­
ING IN M ATHEM ATICS, suddenly
became the world-renowned orginator
of the m athematical series that bears
his name — invaluable in physics, chem­
istry, optics, etc.
Further evidence of the deceit of
the Baseline Essay detractors is that on
the very same pyramid, constructed
4000 years ago, we also find the graffiti
o f Gerhardus Mecator who published
the famous conform al map projection
that bears his name — he too, after
visiting and studying the great African
astronomical and godesic structure in
the desert. Not to be deterred by racist
disclaim ers that the pyramids were
“ simply Tombs to bury fat old K ings”
Isaac Newton waited for a survey of
them by two top scientists of his time
(Greaves and Buratlani) before pub­
lishing his treatsie on gravitation, see
“ Secrets o f The Great Pyram id” by
Peter Tom pkins, Harper & Row.
As you have probably read here
the past few years, Newton was one of
those European Scientists who made
no bones about the reality of African
preeminence is astronomy and m athe­
m atics in ancient times. He gave them
full credit for developm ent o f the con­
cept o f the Sphere and many conics.
See “ Isaac Newton: H istorian” by
M anuel and see “ Never At R est,”
W estfall. Are we really to believe that
the detractors o f the Baseline Essays
are really such poor scholars that they
remain ignorant to this day of easily
accessable know ledge that was avail­
able to we who worked on the essays?
If you believe that then call up that
United Airlines
(Tije ^înrtlanh OHserUer
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Activist to Convene Emergency Conference
on Black Independent Politics
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Deeply concerned about the direc­
tion o f Black politics in the wake o f the
emergence o f “ race neutral” politics
and the rise o f die Black conservative
apologists, a group o f Black political
activists is preparing to convene an
emergency conference on Black inde­
pendent politics. Headed by nationally
syndicated talk show host Bob Law of
New York, the initial list o f organizers
includes Ron Wallers, political activist
and Chair, o f the Political Science Dcpt.
at Howard Univcsily in Washington,
D.C., Janice Graham o f die Our Com­
mon Ground organization from West
Palm Beach Florida, Bob Starks, Chair­
man o f the Black Political Task Force
in Chicago, W illiam Nelson, President
o f the African Heritage Studies Asso­
ciation from Columbus, Ohio, Jitu
Wcusi, Chairman o f African Am eri­
cans United for Political Power o f New
York, Dennis Scrrcuc, long tunc labor
activist from Oxon H ill Maryland, Dainu
Smith, Co-Facilitator o f the National
African American Network Against
Intervention in the G u lf from Washing­
ton D.C. and Jcmadari Kamara, Dean
o f the Center for Community and Pub­
lic Service Univ. o f Mass, in Boston.
The sponsoring committee is being
expanded to include key political ac­
tivists and organizers from every re­
gion o f the country.
The conference w ill be held No­
vember 22-24, 1991 in Washington,
D.C. at the Howard Inn. Among the
goals and objectives o f the conference
arc the following:
•toassess the current state o f Black
politics against the backdrop of the
i- j
that the Black masses arc ready to break
loose from the National Democratic
Parly.”
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 o f A fr i­
can Americans arc fed up with the
sterility o f the two establishment par­
ties and disaffected w ith a good many
traditional Black leaders and elected
officials. As I have said in previous
articles, loo many o f our traditional
Black leaders and politicians have for­
gotten the vision and values o f 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 o f the Blacks masses. But
now far loo many o f these leaders arc
representativeofa small relatively well
o ff elite in the Black community; a
Black elite that has abandoned the Black
masses in favor o f a junior partnership
or subservient role witliui the very system
which oppresses the masses o f Black
people.
As Malcolm X might put it, it's
lime 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 o f the "b a llo t or the bul­
let.”
For hither information: call 407-
845-2670.
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 diird parly
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 o f an ongoing Black inde­
pendent political voice within the A fr i­
can American community.
I n a con versa! ion with Bob Law lie
indicated that this emergence confer­
ence is “ crucial because o f the depths
of the crisis in the Black community
and the failure o f the Democratic and
Republican parties ;utd liadition.il Black
leadership to respond in an effective
manner. No one seems to be taking the
plight o f the Black masses seriously.”
He also said, “ The two major parties
must know without a doubt that our
voles arc not for sale in '92. I l’s time for
a new Black Lcadcrshipo to emerge
which w ill not sell out to die Democrats
or tell us that adopting conservative
Republicanism isthcpath to freedom.”
Ron Walters, a vociferous critic o f race
neutral politics, said that " i t is clear
that Black people must develop a
powerful Black agenda for the S e l e c ­
tion and devise a Black independent
strategy that “ this just may be die sea­
son toconsider a B lack led independent
presidential campaign to ignite a mass
based, grassroots movement for funda­
mental change in tins country. The
leaders may be reluctant, but I think
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications through out the USA
. . . . — j
• •'
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