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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1992)
Page 2...The Portland Observer...June 24, 1992 p e r s p e c tiv e s Are There Real Black Solutions To “ The Black Problem?” J " state and local officials can take now to cut spending,” said Blumenauer. “We should return these savings to the pub lic by providing new public safety ser vices and reducing costs to the tax payer.” Blumenauer will speak at 10:30 a.m., Room 321, City Hall, 1220 S. W. Fifth Avenue. Goldschmidt is chairing I seem to have shaken up some parents last week when I brought them up to date on just how serious is the situation of Oregon’s System of Higher Education. According to the adminis trators, fully one half of the college- bound will find no slots by 1994! And the remaining opportunities may be too expensive for many. It is rewarding to have those phone calls from readers who are aware that 1 keep up my information base by sam pling those out-of-town minority news papers to see what arc the current prob lems facing African Americans; educa tion or otherwise. As useful as this may be (on my part and others), I stand by my suggestion that what is really needed is an African American Education Sum mit. There are many disturbing events on the horizon-or closer, and it will take a structured response to deal with them. For instance, the Voucher folks have surfaced again with a vengeance. The president of Yale University has just resigned in order to head up the most sophisticated private enterprise firm yet to make a bid for the billions of dollarsofTaxpayer Monies which might be siphoned off from the public school systems of the country. The glowing public relations material already devel oped by the multi-million dollar corpo ration emphasizes choice and sheds copious tears for the “disadvantaged blacks forced to attend inferior schools”. This Voucher/Choice movement with its promise to emancipate both minorities and whites from their “fai led urban education systems” should not catch us entirely by surprise. It was just two years ago that here in Oregon we were told by Oregonians For Educa tional Choice, “Schools that must com pete will improve or lose students”. r —— — — — — — — — —- ’ i (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established in 1970 Contributing W riters McKinley Burt Dan Bell Mattie Ann Callier-Spears Bill Council John Phillips Publisher Alfred Henderson O perations Manager Joyce Washington A ccounting Manager Gary Ann Garnett P ublic R elations Chuck Washington Sales & P rom otions Tony Washington Production Staff Dean Babb Gary Ann Garnett Rea Washington The PORTLAND OBSERVER is published weekly by Exie Publishing Company, Inc. 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015 Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm-Ads • Tuesday, noon POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1991 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Subscriptions :$25.00 per year. The Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication-is a member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgartiated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. S ubscribe I J ( D b s r r r ir r ! I j I I « I I T he P ortland O bserver I ] CAN BE SENT DIRECTLY TO j J YOUR HOME ONLY $30.00 | I PER YEAR. I j P lease fill out , ’ j ENCLOSE CHECK OR I He said further, “Another major issue is the treatment of handicapped students. Public Schools are required to provide fair and equal education to such students, including teachers and appropriate services. Private School Have No Such Legal Obligations”. Hawkins conceded that Choice Pro grams may help some students, but we find him in consensus with the great majority of thinking people across the land. “Disadvantaged” people are just that; they don’t have the means, tech niques or organizations prepared to deal with or evaluate these new “Choice” interface. They’re trying to catch up with the Public Schools. Now, what we find interesting is the fact that there has been formed in the cities of Los Angeles and Chicago, a “Non-Profit Institute for Justice; a national organization that mounts suits for black parents Who Want Voucher Systems. Also, we have it that in Chi cago 46% of public school teachers send their children to Private Schools. It is probable that the same percentage or greater obtains in most cities.; the landscape is not clearly defined. So it is that 1 suggested last week that an “Education S ummit” is urgently needed. Issues, options and systems need to be examined and evaluated at both the district school and higher edu cation levels. This approach would in clude socio economic strategies for the family and for a more effective exploi tation of employment opportunities in respect to both student and parent. It would be most rewarding if a perma nent organization structure would evolve from this interaction, one that use the best expertise and information technology available in the commu nity. To be continued next week. The Metropolitan Service District’s North Portland EnhancementCommit- tee has recommended 19 projects to receive $100,000 in North Portland Rehabilitation and Enhancement funds for the 1992-93 fiscal year, according toMctrocouncilorSandi Hansen,com mittee chair. The comm ittee received 43 proposals with a total requested dollar amount of $362,175. The seven-member committee of North Portland residents, appointed by the North Portland Community and Metro, solicits proposal and recom mends how the funds should be use to best benefit the area. In addition to Hansen, com m ittee members Pam Arden, Linda Crum, Steve Roso, Beverly Scott, Jim Michels and Mark Williams. The fund was established in 1985 to benefit North Portland neighbor hoods seen to be impacted by the St. Johns Landfill. Funds were generated by a fee of 50 cents per ton for material disposed at the landfill. The landfill was closed to commercial haulers in October 1991. Rehabilitation and en hancement fees arc no longer collected, but interest has accrued on the remain ing principal. It is the goal of the committee to perpetuate the funding to help meet the needs of the commu nity and add to its enrichment and en- hanccmentCurrcntly, there is more than $2 million in the fund. The money set aside for projects is part of the annual interest earned by the fund. With the 19 new grants, the com mittee has funded 75 projects totalling $511,469. Not all projects funded re ceived the full amount requested. Most of the proposals had matching funds in the form of either cash, material or labor, making the grant impact at much higher dollar amount. $400 grant request from the Ken ton Neighborhood Association to hire a jazz group to play at the Peninsula neighborhood staging area in Kenton Park on July 12, 1992. The Peninsula Neighbor Ride will be the first in a series of rides hosted by neighborhood associations and sponsored by the Bu reau of Transportation. $4,000 grant request from the Ken ton Neighborhood Association to sup port the distribution of 16,5000 copies of Neighbors Between the Rivers, a bi monthly publication distributed to all residents of North Portland. $$6,000 grant for Phase II of Project TAPROOT requested from the Kenton Neighborhood Association to continue the planting of 300 trees o the north and south berms of North Colum- bia Boulevard extending from 1-5 free way overpass border by Kenton, to North Chautauqua. The object is to provide visual beautification of the in dustrial area, as well as being a noise, odor and toxic filter for the community. $500 North Portland Alano Asso ciation grant to be used to create more available meeting space in the present facility. $2,290 Northwest Ecological Re search Institute grant for Smith-Bybee Wildlife Watch program involving residents of North Portland, from stu dents to retired people, in monitoring wildlife at Smith and Bybee lakes and enhancing habitat. $ 15,000 North Portland Enhance ment Committee grant to help quali fied low-and moderate-income first- time home buyers to purchase a home within the North Portland enhance ment area boundary. This grant will be tied in with other lending sources to add to the available money for low- and moderate-income potential home buyers. $20,000 Open Meadows Learn ing Center grant to exercise an option to purchase the historic Benson- Chancy building to house the center, an essential alternative education ser vice for North Portland youths. DIVE INTO THE FUTURE j MONEY ORDER, and M ail to : ? S ubscriptions 5 . j T he P ortland O bserver PO Box 3 1 3 7 » , I I P ortland , O regon 9 7 2 0 8 | ’ They mounted a very active campaign which, had it succeeded, would have amended the Oregon constitution; Bal lot Measure 11, “School Choice Sys tem, Tax Credit For Education Outside Public Schools.” And across the country in Milwau kee, 1990, we saw a Choice Program passed into law where the state was sending $2500 per pupil to private schools for students whose parents had elected to make that “choice”. Unfortu nately in these programs, the money sent to private schools is subtracted from money available to the public schools. The amount is “written-in stone” whether the private school is charging $600 or $6,000 per family. The Milwaukee law was later declared unconstitutional, but as we have seen the idea is very much alive and has well financed, national backing. The very serious problems that a Voucher/Choice system holds for pub lic schooling and minority or disadvan taged students in particulate were very well articulated some time ago; locally by the City Club and, nationally, by African American legislator, Augustus Hawkins of California. In an unani mous report the local organization con cluded about Ballot Measure 11, “too vague in its approach to open enroll ment, too ambitious in diverting fund ing from public to private education and too restrictive of further regulation of non-public education.” Mr. Hawkins got right to the heart of the matter in the national press, “close evaluation of Voucher/Choice programs reveals that they are neither the bargain nor salvation the creators would have you believe... Private schools making the decisions on eli gible students select those with the best grades who are the easiest to educate.” Committee Recommends 19 North Portland Projects For Funding a task force to scrutinize local services in M ultnom ah, W ashington, and Clackamas Counties for overlapping functions and duplication. The group will report to Governor Barbara Rob erts in August. JJnrtlatth QDbseruer I by Professor McKinley Burt Education Update Continued Blumenauer To Announce Recommendations To Goldschmidt Task Force City C om m issioner Earl B lu menauer will hold a news conference Monday to announce his recommenda tions to a task force chaired by former Governor Neil Goldschmidt that could save millions of tax dollars by restruc turing state and local government ser vices. “Most of these proposals are steps I ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ parents to reclaim responsibility for their children’s education despite the racist tendencies of the Portland school system. Traditionally, Black people have stressed escaping the effects of racism and poverty through education. And while there has been some gains for Blacks in education, the link between todays Black violence and deficits in education is strong. This is all con nected to the lack of self-esteem and powcrlessness rooted in generational poor education of Black youth that leaves them generally unprepared to compete economically in todays soci ety. Realistically the education sys tem will not be changed anytime soon. BY JAMES L. POSEY But the truth that if Blacks took it upon Some have accused this writer of themselves to read more, at least I am raising issues without providing solu sure there would be fewer artificial tions. I’m willing to accept that criti initiatives focused on ways to deal cism if those who make it will acknowl with Black violent behavior. In Port edge that B lacks have always presented land and across the country the number a range of solutions. Just read WDBDe one cause of death for Bois, M arcus Garvey, young Black males is ho Malcolm X, Rev. King micide. The call from and more too many to " Because although we know Blacks the county’s chief medi mention. And while are not getting an equal quality education cal officer was to discuss many Blacks and Whites the prospects of an up in this country and certainly not in Port would engage in much com ing grant dealing gnashing of teeth and land, there ain’t no chains on library with Black youtheffeeted wring of hands over what by violentenvironmcnts. doors, no one is twisting Black parents to do about “the Black While I have an interest arms making them spend money on rap Problem,” the solutions in the project, I could not have always been abun CDs rather than books. ” help but to think that the d an t and ab u n d a n tly time and money could be clear. Let’s look at one. better spent by helping What do you think young Black people improve their read alcohol and whatever else to this chem Alice Walker, renowned author of "The ing skills. If 1 had any thing to do with istry and what can you expect - “Boon i .” Color Purple," The Gabi’s Restaurant it, the focus would not be just on read The larger community must know by situation, and a call from the county’s ing for fun but to identify opportunities now that Blacks, particularly Black chief medical officer have in common. and make economic change. As bor males are angry and mad as hell and Can you image some connection be ing as the notion might sound, 1 would especially prone to violence (and we tween them and how black solutions are try to get young Black people into the ain’t just talking kids). The point is that applied to “the Black Problem?” Let’s habit of reading documents like pro much of this violence is directly related look at the three seemingly unrelated gram operation budgets. Because if to what everyone knows - historical factors. you ask me, this is where the real lack of education that eventually means Talking about relationships with violence takes place against Black fewer economic opportunities. But, her family, in an interview with Diane people. It may be a bit dry at first, but let’s be clear, this is not a “ let us blame Sawyer on national TV, Diane asked if you want to read a real horror story the white folks article.” Because al Alice asked if her portrayal of Black for example, get a copy of Portland though we know Blacks are not getting men beating up on Black women in her DevelopmentCommission’s 1992 bud an equal quality education in this coun novel "The Color Purple " stirred much get and sec if you can gel emotionally try and certainly not in Portland, there resentment from her brothers. She rapped up in why die African Ameri ain’t no chains on library doors, no one quickly replied to Ms. Sawyer, “You can community is excluded. Not just is twisting Black parents arms making must presume my brothers read.” Al picking on the PDC, get a copy of the them spend money on rap CDs rather though the entire interview was thought Port of Portland or any of the oilier than books. A simple solution is that provoking, the thing that jumped out at large municipal bodies and read the Black people have fewer choices than me was the suggestion that you can’t same gruesome plot. whites, therefore they must make belter take for granted that Black people are So I hope I have made the point, as choices, particularly when it comes to reading. This simple realization may one simple Black solution, reading is children. The need for better Black have something to do with how Black more than fundamental, it’s essential education is one area where 1 am in people act, violently or otherwise. More to changing the status quo and under com plete ag reem en t w ith the importantly, I think you can safely standing the concept of, “the survival “Herdonites.” Except, 1 would focus assume that this discussion explains to of the fittest.” more on the need to encourage Black a large degree Black people’s response or lack of response to their condition. Near the end of the interview, Alice acted like Diane was about to gel on her last nerve. But Alice presented the historically simple but powerful solu tion that as a first step. Brothers and Sisters must be about reading. Well how does reading and vio lence play in the Gabi’s restaurant and club situation? If you’ve been follow ing the story you know that the Oregon Liquor Control Commission has been try ing to close the cIub down because of alleged violent activity. 1 guess I’m trying to make a point. As we all know thcie is an epidemic of violent activity in our community that it’s not going to be stopped or even slowed by closing that particular establishment. Many young people who frequent places like Gabi's are cranked and juiced with adolescent energy, packed with frus tration, and have long since abandoned real prospects for the future. Add some ’ I I I ------------------------------------- ( I Name I I I ---------------------------------- “ I J j erfy, State ________ j | Address_____________________ j l'o m o i row's u o ild needs people w ith hig h -te ch job skills. and die a b ility lo p rovide leadei ship in a h ig h -le t h w ork e n v iio n in e n t In die N a n . to u n g men and wom en aie le a rn in g those skills Imliiy. W ith h ig ll-le t It tra in in g and job o p p o rtu n itie s , the Navy ta n p ro vid e an o p p o t (unity to get a head-stall on the fu tu re . l i n t l out m ore fro m to u t loeal N a w r e n u i le i . zip-code____________________ | j IT ’S YOUR NAVY. ¡ T hank Y ou F or R eading ¡T he P ortland O bserver [ I. — — —— — — — — — — J __________1-------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ 4 Í 4 I t * *.*.fK* f. .V rí ■ 7 - '. ■ t * t
