Page 2...The Portland Observer...April 15. 1^92
JOURNAL#
I
CIVIL
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I—
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
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Dismantle American Apartheid in Education
Kalb County school officials conclud
ing that the school district should re
main under federal supervision until it
had achieved and maintained racial
equality for at least three years in seven
specified aspects of its operation.
The Supreme Court now says it
disagrees with the U.S. 11th Circuit
Court in Georgia, and instead agrees
with the De Kalb County school offi
cials who want to be released from
federal scrutiny and supervision on the
issue of school desegregation. Ruling
unanimously 8-0, the Supreme Court
has given a clear signal to hundreds of
school districts that “local control” and
resegregation of school systems is be
coming more and more tolerable and
perm issive. Interestingly, Justice
Clarence Thomas, also from Georgia,
did not participate in the vote because it
was argued before the Supreme Court
prior to Thomas’ appointment. We
know, though, from reviewing Tho
mas’ public position on related matters
that the vote would probably have been
9-0 if Thomas had voted on this case.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote
the majority opinion in the De Kalb
decision. Kennedy wrote, “Partial re
linquishment of judicial control, where
justified by the acts of the case, can be
an important and significant step in
fulfilling the district court’s duty to
return the operations and control of
schools to local authorities.” We must
not forget why the federal courts were
first petitioned to order school desegre
gation.
The NAACP Legal Defense and
Now that the stage is being set
inside South Africa for the dismantling
of apartheid, it is our concern that re
newed attention be given to disman
tling systems of racist segregation and
discrimination here inside the United
States The latestmling by the Supreme
Court of the United Slates on school
desegregation is another step in the
wrong direction.
It has been 38 years since the his
toric 1954 Brown vs. Board of Educa
tion decision in which the Supreme
Court voted that separate and unequal
u hools were unconstitutional. For years
considerable progress was made to
ward desegregating the nation’sschools.
In most cities this was only accom
plished after severe court battles and
local struggles against institutionalized
racism in the educational system. Dur
ing the past 10 years, however, the
Supreme Court has taken incremental
steps backward away from the firm
stance of the Brown decision.
Today, school systems across the
nation are resegregating based on race.
At a time when there should be a stron
ger federal demand that all of the chil
dren of this nation be given an equal
opportunity to receive a quality educa
tion in public schools, the highest court
in the country acts to dilute the federal
role in achieving school desegregation.
The latest ruling involves the De
Kalb County, Georgia school district,
which has been under federal court
ordered desegregation since 1969. The
United States 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals in 1989 ruled against the De
ing some of its close custody facilities
as public child care institutions, CSD
could increase by approximately SI.2
million per biennium its federal foster
care maintenance funds. CSD esti-
mates it could increase by an esti
mated $1.5 million per biennium its
federal funds for mental health treat
ment for youth by establishing a pro
gram that enables private residential
treatment facilities to bill for Medic
aid services.
In addition to increasing federal
funds, the audit reports that CSD could
better ensure the safety of children in
foster care and avoid an estimated
$3.6 million of general fund expendi
tures per biennium in foster care pay
ments. This would result in net ongo
ing savings of $1.8 million per bien
nium. (The other $1.8 million would
go for increased adoption assistance
payments.) The report recommends
that CSD decrease the time children
stay in foster care and reduce the state’s
potential liability from overcrowded
foster homes by improving its man
agement controls over the foster care
program.
The audit also recommends man
^ n riía n h (Ub ser Her
BY PROF. MCKINLEY BURT
agement
“ * ‘ improvements including:
specifying which certification require
ments must be met before foster care
certificates are issued; improving the
use of written agreements; and more
quickly seeking adoptive or other per
manent homes when it is determined
that children cannot return to their par
ents’ homes.
The audit also says that by improv
ing the efficiency of its staff, CSD could
provide more family-based services, “a
cost-effective alternative to substitute
care in which caseworkers work directly
with children and fam ilies to prevent the
removal of children from their homes.”
The audit notes that caseworkers pres
ently spend only 20 percent of their time
in directcontact with children and fami
lies, in part because they attend more
administrative and judicial reviews than
required by federal regulations, and per
form reporting tasks that could be done
by clerical staff or volunteers. By im
proving efficiency in these areas, the
audit suggests that caseworkers could
devote more time to individual group
counseling and therapy, parent training
classes, homemaker training, and other
family-based services.
Publisher
Contributing Writers
McKinley Burt
Bill Barber
Sharon Camarda
Mattle Ann Callier-Spears
Allred Henderson
Production Staff
Operations Manager
Dean Babb
Sharon Camarda
Gary Ann Garnett
Jennifer Johnson
Joyce Washington
Accounting Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Public Relations
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T hank Y ou F or R eading !
T he P ortland O bserver ¡
I seemed to have shocked a few
readers with last week’scolum n,“Free
At Last,” but no more so than did the
article preceding that one, “This Is
Where I Came In.” Let me assure those
concerned that it is not so much desert
ing the ship as it is being about recov
ering from an unpleasant experience
and finding that one can successfully
get back on task).
I borrowed today’s title from a
recent column by Marion W right
Edelman, the African American advo
cate for inner city children (President,
Children’s Defense Fund). Certainly,
the goals of this dedicated educator, as
she seeks to untrack the alleged“leam-
ing disabled” and “special ed” con
signees, exactly parallel our local ef
forts to get off of a leaky and ineffec
tive ship—but not to desert the passen
gers or crew. That is, we will continue
to deliver a successful educational prod
uct, the innovative methodologies and
curriculum we have developed our
selves.
I promised to return to the discus
sion of those ubiquitous BASELINE
ESSAYS, the motivation and learning
vehicle developed by the Portland
School District as the primary bridge
over which a foot dragging administra
tion might enter the modem world of
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION.
For a recent review of this controver
sial approach to acquainting both mi
nority and other pupils (and teachers)
with the true heritage of African
Americans, one should see a major
article in the Forum section, Sunday
Oregonian for March 8: “Fighting
Words: Portland Schools National Es
says...” This report by Joe Uris is fairly
accurate and conveys a good sense of
the urgency, dedication and the acri
mony on the part of many of those
involved. But what I am about here,
today, is not so much a rehash of past
failures and transgressions but to illus
trate why several of us made state
ments last week like “Fenced outof the
systcm -a plantation with drivers and
strawbosses." In my particular case, I
contend that my suggested interven
tions and modifications of the process
would not only have seen this motiva
tional curriculum developed as a more
factual and less controversial product,
but would have made Portland a na
tional center for teacher training and
curriculum development in this field.
Given that I was brought into the
process late (circa 1980s) as a local
consultant, but the essays had not yet
been written by individual NATIONAL
CONSULTANTS, my first contracted
task was to work with a school admin
istrator at an outlying office in the
compilation of accomplishments by
Africans and African-Americans in the
fieldsof science and mathematics. This
massive document which lists my name
among the contributors was intended
as a teacher’s manual and guide (also
curriculum people); title: “ Mathemat
ics Scope and Sequence and Science
Scope and Sequence, K-12.”
My first contribution was to the
revi sion of data that produced the docu -
ment above; few of my citations ap
pear and those not in their original
form. It is to be further understood that
this “Orange Book,” as it is called, was
designed to include the achievements
of ALL RACIAL GROUPS (as given
here): Asian (Asian-American), Afri
can (Afro-American), European (Eu
y
AfcftA * * ft k -
ropean-American), Latin-American
(Hispanic-American), American Na
tive (Indian-American), Pacific Is
lander (Pacific Islander-American).
Not just blacks.
But as Joe Uris says in his Orego
nian article of March 8, “$2.36 million
dollars later...only the African-Ameri
can Baseline Essays Lesson Plans for
grades K-5 and other materials have
been w ritten-all of the Essay authors
have been asked to reexamine their
work for content accuracy, style and
reference verification.” As I have writ
ten here several times in the past few
years, the process disregarded all ac
ceptable norms for program develop
ment, system design and human fac
tors correlation. In no business, indus
try or public program in which I have
worked as administrator or accountant
over the years, have I encountered
anything similar.
I grant the internal dissensions and
acrimony on both sides were driven by
the emotion and ideologies in race and
culture, but that is still not an excuse
for educators who arc often found at
criticizing others for such responses.
This observation includes the roles of
the local consultants and here, again,
there was not a firm direction, delega
tion of tasks or powers, or an organized
system of correlation with the princi
pal consultants in other cities who
were writing those Baseline Essays.
Keep in mind that we local consultants
were now about writing Lesson Plan
Models within our particular fields of
expertise. Mr. Uris says the district has
plans for only one grade. I am deliver
ing my multigrade designs across the
nation. They were finished 8 years ago.
(Continued next week)...
T he B lack -L abor A genda
‘Civil Rights Past and President: A
Word to Black Students’
BY NORMAN HILL, President, APRI,
A Philip Randolph Institute
This column will give a thumbnail
historical overview of the civil rights
movement and review the challenges
we face today, the skills we need and
the tasks we face in the 1990s.
We at the Randolph Institute di
vide the civil rights movement’s his
tory into 3 periods: first, the period
from 1896 to 1954, encompassing the
legal struggle to end Jim Crow; second,
the period from 1955 to 1965, encom
passing the popular struggle to end Jim
Crow in thecivic arena; and finally, the
period from 1965 to present, which has
encompassed the political struggle to
achieve economic justice and to main
tain and enforce the legal platform for
racial equality.
In 1954, the Supreme Court, in the
ruling on Brown vs. Board o f Educa
tion, effectively killed the concept of
“separate but equal.” But the Brown
decision in itself did not represent a
final victory. Instead, it required politi
cal implementation and support. The
NAACP, the nation ’ s oldest and largest
civil rights organization, played a key
role in this period by tirelessly mount
ing legal challenges to Jim Crow doc
trine.
Because im plementing Brown
would require broad political support,
the civil rights movement had to gener
ate such support by dramatizing and
publicizing the evils of segregation.
This was the beginning of a new era for
the civil rights movement. In the period
from 1955 to 1965, the civil rights
movement’s dominant strategy was
“directaction.” Our focus was on build
ing a popular protest movement across
the nation, and particularly in the South,
a movement so influential that change
would be inevitable.
This strategy and this period suc
ceeded for several reasons. Because
our struggle was against unjust, brutal,
and blatant racism, that attacked all
blacks, most of America could unite
behind us. The pig-headed brutality
and bigotry of people like Bull Conner
and Sheriff Jim Clark painfully yet
effectively advanced our cause. Civil
rights became the dominant domestic
political issue. Ending legal segrega
tion was possible at little or no eco
nomic cost to the government or to
society. Finally, this period depended
for its success on thecourage, commit
ment, and short-term organizational
skill of civil rights activists, leaders,
and volunteers, especially thousands
of committed black students. This pe
riod achieved a legal platform for ra
cial equality, and laid the groundwork
for the broader and more difficult
struggle for economic justice.
In the period from 1965 to the
present, the civil rights movement’s
dominant strategy has been, and needs
to continue to be, political participa
tion and coalition-building for eco
nomic justice. In this period, we have
seen a tremendous growth in black
political power, reflected particularly
in an explosive growth in the number
and influence of black elected offi
cials. We have seen significant voting
rights progress, and the substantial
elimination of legal segregation.
In this period, while discrimina
tion still exists and demands our oppo
sition, black problems and issues have
been overwhelmingly economic, not
purely racial. We have shared interests
with workers, have-nots and have-littles
of all raceson issues such as healthcare,
unemployment, affordable housing,
quality education, deindustrialization,
and the weakening of the American
labor movement. Furthermore, a coali
tion of broad social forces (including
blacks, trade unions, and liberals) has
better chances of success than any “go-
it-alone strategy” that is sure to be
hampered by blacks making up only
some 12% of the population.
The civil rights and labor leaders
A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin
founded the Randolph Institute in 1965
to advance the struggle for economic
justice by working with black trade
unionists and the black community.
They believed that, due to our histori
cal experience and role in the working
class, blacks and black students could
be a key part of an overall broader
socio-economic reform or revolution.
Today’s challenges for black stu
dents is to develop the skills necessary
to help achieve economic justice. In
the past, skills needed by activists in
the civil rights movement included
courage, commitment, perseverance
and short-term organizational skills.
Students played a key role in demon
strating these skills, particularly in the
period from 1955 to 1965 when stu
dents were in the vanguard of the move
ment. In that period, students substi
tuted for the participation of their el
ders, who were generally tied down
with daily responsibilities. Students
were the teacher to the rest of society,
showing the world what commitment
and faith meant. Students were the
front line in the direct action period of
the civil rights movement’s struggle.
Skills needed today by the civil
rights movement include those skills
which black trade unionists develop in
the labor movement. These skills in
clude organizing and organizational
know-how, and an understanding of
economics, politics, and coalition
building. To assist the movement,
today’s black students can and must
develop additional skills while build
ing local organizations, skills such as
analytical abilities and communica
tions skills. To strengthen lies between
labor and the black community, black
students must learn to emphasize our
common concerns. This demands ex
perience working with local Randolph
Institute affiliates, with local unions or
with the local AFL-CIO, with Get-
Out- Thc-Votc campaigns, and with
Frontlash, the student arm of the labor
movement. For our movement to be
successful in the future, we must avoid
the politics of symbolism, and empha
size the politics of substance, coali
tion, and substantial change.
In conclusion, the cliche is true:
today’s students will be tomorrow’s
leaders. Developing the skills and ex
perience necessary to serve our move
ment ascffective leaders is essential to
our future success.
• Portland'Observer encourages our readers to write
• letters, to the'editor in response to any articles
we p u b l i s h . -
L
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Teaching Children to Get Smart
Educational Fund and other civil rights
organizations had to sue hundreds of
school districts throughout the country
to challenge the racist segregation of
students in public schools. Now some of
these same school districts are attempt
ing to use the federal courts to justify the
resegregation of schools. Sadly, it ap
pears that the present composition of
“justices” on the Supreme Court are
also prone to be more sympathetic to
this regressive and backward tendency.
The school systems of our nation
should be preparing for the increasing
multiracial diversity of the national
population. On the contrary, the ugly
specter of racial discrimination is re
gaining new pseudo justification not
only in some local school districts but
also in the Supreme Court.
All of these wrong steps pose a
renewed challenge to the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1990’s. Yes, there has
been considerable progress. But there
are many indications that certain as
pects of the foundation of the progress
won are being removed. The opposition
to racial progress is methodical and
persistent. We must not rest on the
memory of past victories. The immoral
ity of the recent decisions of the Su
preme Court in regard to public educa
tion must not go unchallenged.
All children should have a fair
chance at life. To deny educational
opportunity to a child based on race is
wrong, and should never be tolerated no
matter what attempts are made to justify
it. American apartheid in education must
be dismantled now!
Audit Finds Children Services Division Can
Realize $4.5 Million More Per Biennium
Every dollar we can find to help
our neediest children and their families
must be treated as a precious resource,”
Secretary Keisling said recently. “The
performance audit of Children’s Ser
vices Division we are releasing does
just th at-it suggests how the state can
provide better services and realize sev
eral million dollars in the process.”
The audit report finds that the
Children’s Services Division (CSD)
can increase federal funds by $2.7 mil
lion per biennium and achieve a net
savings in foster care payments by $ 1.8
million per biennium. The report sug
gests how to improve foster care ser
vices and provide more family-based
services.
“This performance audit is an ex
cellent example of how the Audits
Division and state agencies can work
together to make government more
effective and accountable,” said Sec
retary Keisling. "Whenever we waste
money, or don’t receive resources to
which Oregon is entitled, we short
change the future and our ability to
ensure decent lives and opportunities
for the next generation.”
The audit says that by reclassify-
er SV
V?* *■ * !*./