Page 2...The Portland Observer...0ctober 14,1992
Elections, ‘92: Blacks Should
Exercise “Total Recall”
BY JAMES L POBCY
On November 3, Blacks should not
forget how they have been "dogged” by
the Reagan/Bush Adm inistration for
the past 12 years. Yes, they should
invoke “ Total R ecall" and strike a retal­
iatory blow in the voting booth. This
w ill not erase the institutionalized hate
and intolerance agenda than this ad­
m inistration has set into motion. Nor
w ill it serve to reverse the irreparable
damage done to the national conscious
that undermines all sense o f fairness
and human dignity. In fact, there is
clear evidence that this same perverse
view point w ill carry over and taint the
Clinton Adm inistration. In other words,
because the stage has already been set
within the framework o f asickeconomy,
African-Am ericans can plan on experi­
encing even rougher times regardless
who gets elected. Yes, it's gloom and
doom; but i t ’s also re a lity. A fter all, I t ’s
Black people’ s saving grace that they
have plenty o f experience at going
through hard times.
I only wish things could be better
on the local front. There ain’t much to
choose from, folks. Les AuCoin should
be the obvious choice because he has
proven he can bring home the bacon.
The problem is, bacon is generally not
good for our health; and there are times
when we have choked on it. In contrast,
Packwood, to my knowledge, has not
even brought home a soup bone. W ho­
ever is elected, the point is - the Black
community needs more than the in fu ­
sion o f federal dollars that in the long
term generally benefits everybody ex­
cept the Black comm unity. But, maybe
it ’ s the comm unity ’ responsibility, and
not the p o liticia n ’ s, tp police these pro­
gram dollars so that they reach the
people they are intended to reach!
s
that Blacks and other ethnic groups are
not “ Just O ut” because we a in ’t never
been “ In ” . In other words, it looks like
gays and lesbians (ethnic gays and les­
bians not withstanding) can alter their
circumstances by making some choices.
W hile this does not change the fact
the no human being ought to be re­
stricted and denied the right to live free
o f discrimination, it does suggest there
are some fundamental differences. Fur­
thermore, one wonders, after riding the
c iv il rights horse, how many while gays
and lesbians are w illin g to “ A c t Out” on
behalf Blacks’ right to participate in the
economic system? Another thing about
his whole issue, those Black ministers
ought to get o ff the fence. They know
that it is simply wrong to deny any
human being their c iv il rights. They
don’t have to condone homosexually to
say that. Come on, Preachers!
Finally, what about all those “ No
on Measure 4” lawn signs sticking in
Black fo lks’ yards? I understand that
B ill M cCoy, who is co-sponsoring this
measure, almost got run over by one o f
those triple trailer rigs, and that’s why
he is so hot on it. W ell, I don’ t know any
Black person that owns a triple trailer
rig. It just seems like it ’ s really a w hile
folks’ economic issue. McCoy should
have sponsored a measure to keep Blacks
from being run over by the many eco­
nomic trucks leaving tread marks on
our foreheads. Sure, triple trailers are
dangerous, but it ’ s more because, as
Blacks, we ain’ t driving none, and we
don’ t own any.
November 3 means more than any­
thing else that Blacks get a chance to act
on “ Total Recall,” and make a choice.
James Posey is a local, small busi­
ness owner w ith a background in social
work and community activities.
O f the local state races, the Black
community should work like a pit bull
to get Avel G ordly elected. Aside from
her obvious comm itmen t and work ethic,
maybe she can help lead McCoy and
Carter out o f the wilderness. Jim H ill is
worth supporting for the treasurer’ s job.
But i f he gets elected, the com m unity
should hold him to his promise to see
that money flows through the African-
American community.
We should support Katz over Earl,
“ the Pearl.” She would do a much better
job o f at least being sensitive to the
Black com m unity’ s needs. N ot only
that, Katz understands the importance
o f substance over form ; she understands
that the most pressing need o f the Black
community is economics, spelled w ith
a capital “ E.” In contrast to Earl, Katz is
much more likely to take on the estab­
lishment i f it is the right thing to do.
There ’ s no con test, Hales has m uc h
more going fo r him than Dimond. He’ s
much more like ly to take action when
action needs to be taken. Hales also
understands that simple principle o f
when to listen and when to shut up. And,
in contrast to Dimond, he is much more
likely not to play politics w ith most
issues and accept the concept o f public
servant, along with the need to m in i­
mizes the bureaucratic “ B.S” .
And, what about Measure 9? O f
course. Blacks and other ethnic groups
ought to say “ NO” on Measure 9. H ow ­
ever, what gays, lesbians, and their sup­
porters ought to acknowledge is that
Blacks can ’ t come out o f the closet. We
can’t hide in no closet because o f our
Black skins. So, w hile many gays and
lesbians were taking advantage o f their
closet status, they were also able to
o u tfit themselves and dress w ell in eco­
nomic garb. They need to understand
Columbus Day Is A Joke
BY MATTIE ANN COLUER-SPEARS
The Columbus Day episode is truly
a farce, especially to the many tribes o f
Native Americans. This whole busi­
ness about Columbus discovering a
place where inhabitants were already in
place ..completely escapes m y under­
standing.
As my children were growing and
maturing, I instilled in their minds that
- “ Whenever you go to someone else’ s
home, don’t pick up anything and claim
that you found it. The object does not
belong to you. the occupants may have
They say he discovered America,
too in fourteen hundred ninety-two.
Does that mean he even named the
Sioux in fourteen hundred ninety-two?
How could he discover what the
indians already knew in fourteen hun­
dred ninety-two?
For five hundred years we ask who,
in fourteen hundred ninety-two. Could
have stopped Columbus from going
through the land raping the women and
the men he slew.
We, the people, need to set the
records straight on this anniversary date.
mislaid this and you can therefore bring
it to their attention; but, to say that you
found it and wan t to lay-claim to it is out
o f the question.
C o lu m b u s d id n o t d is c o v e r
America. He conquered a land where
he had never been before, mistreated its
inhabitants and re-named the land. And
fo r this treacherous deed, we set aside a
special day to celebrate? columbus Day
is a joke!
Fourteen Hundred Ninety-Two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in
fourteen hundred ninety-two
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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Explorer Or Conqueror?
M
ixed signals are com ing in from
a ll over the w orld as some celebrate and
some mourn events that happened 500
years ago this past M onday-the anni­
versary o f Columbus’ alleged “ discov­
ery” o f America.
In the West Indies-so named be­
cause Columbus thought he had found
a new route to In d ia -th e island o f Santo
Dorn ingo, Dominican Republic was the
scene o f two markedly different ap­
proaches to the anniversary. W hile Pope
John Paul II paid tribute to Columbus
for helping plant the seeds o f C hristian­
ity in the Western Hemisphere, protest­
ors a short distance away said, “ the
arrival o f Columbus marked the start o f
European conquest and the abuse o f
native people.
The most bitter p ill the protesters
had to swallow was the fact that the
Pope had come to say mass at a 30
m dlion dollar “ Lighthouse” designed
in the shape o f a cross and dedicated to
Columbus. In this dirt-poor nation, a
concrete-and-stone “ w a ll” blocked
nearby slums from the Pope’s view,
The Dominican Republic is the source
o f those extraordinarily capable black
ballplayers in the major leagues and all
the money they send home is desper­
ately needed by immediate and ex­
tended families. Police and soldiers
guarded the w all and the Pope just as
they do in places like “ Tinamen Square”
in China.
There were sim ilar protests by
people o f color throughout The A m e ri­
cas including the U.S. During recent
weeks there have been bitter responses
to ceremonies in honor o f the man who
had promised Queen Isabella o f Spain
“ gold, bodies, and souls” . N ot only
were there spirited objections in Mexico,
Peru, Columbia and Panama, but also in
Europe. In Santa Domingo, speakers
asked “ how can we honor the men who
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l
edly to him the black men who traded
with them and whose spears were tipped
w ith gold.
W ith this scene, Ivan Van Sertima
opens his book and reveals to us a
compelling, dramatic and superbly de­
tailed documentation o f the presence
and legion o f B lack Africans in Ancient
America.
W ith his considerable scholarship,
Mr. Van Sertima examines the facts o f
navigation and shipbuilding, the sources
o f latitudinal and logitudinal coordi­
nates, the scores o f cultural analogies
found nowhere else except in America
and Africa, African languages and the
transportation o f plants, cloth and ani­
mals from A frica to the Americas. And
from the diaries, letters and journals o f
the explorers themselves, from carbon
dated sculptures found in the Americas,
from Arabic documents, charts, maps;
from the recorded tales o f the griots to
the Kings o f M ali; from dated skeletons
found as recently as 1975, the author
builds his pyramid o f evidence.
In addition to a scholar’ s fastidi­
ousness, M r. Van Sertima has the skill
o f a novelist, and w ith it re-creates
some o f the most powerful scenes his­
tory has to offer: the launching o f the
great ships o f M ali in 1310 (200 master
boats and 200 supply boats); the sea
expedition o f the Mandingo king him ­
self in 1311, and many others equally as
v iv id .”
Fascinating are pictures o f the 1000
year-old“ huge stone African head sculp­
tures” found in M exico w ith the same
features, coiffures and head dress orna­
ments as those found on the West Coast
o f A fric a -b o th then, and now.
Ironically, Columbus’ famed navi­
gators wre black “ M oores.” These
people from Africa had conquered Spain
and Portugal and established M uslim
schools o f astronomy and navigation.
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
The Buthelezi-De Klerk Game In South Africa
to the establishment o f an interim gov­
ernment and the election o f a constitu-
entassembly, Buthelezi announced that
he would jo in w ith white reactionary
and conservative forces in south A frica
to oppose further progress in the dis­
m antling o f apartheid. The truth is this
was not a “ new announcement” by
Buthelezi. This puppet o f apartheid is
just being consistent.
The established media plays onto
the Buthelezi-De Klerk game very well.
There is never a mention o f the fact that
there arc many brothers and sisters who
are Z ulu and who arc at the same time
active and effective leaders o f the A f r i­
can national Congress in each region o f
the country.
De K le rk now gleefully states,
“ W e ll, the most d iffic u lt problem now
in the p olitical divide in South A frica is
not between black and w hile but be­
tween Buthelezi and Mandela. It ap­
pears to me more and more that we
w on ’t have peace until Dr. Mandela
and C h ie f Buthelezi make their peace.”
That sounds very noble for De Klerk to
maintain a statesman’ s position but it
w ill not wash w ith the facts and reality
o f south A fric a ’s deepening political
and racial crisis.
As the p olitical k illin g s escalate in
south A frica, Mandela is rig ht to try to
push up the timetable for an end to De
K le rk ’ s game o f m anipulation. The anti-
apartheid movement here in the United
S tales needs to become more vocal again.
The struggle in South A frica is entering
now what could be the final stages.
We still m ust help keep the pressure
on. We support the efforts o f c iv il rights
and labor leader Cleveland robinson,
and others who are w orking hard to
sponsor the upcoming national confer­
ence in solidarity w ith the A frican Na­
tional Congress and the democratic
forces in south Africa.
Who ever wins the election fo r the
President o f the United States in N o­
vember o f this year needs to hear the
loud demand for a change from the
immoral policy o f “ constructive engage­
ment w ith South A frica .” Thus far in the
1992 Presidential Campaign, there has
been too little mention o f A frica in
general and South A frica in particular.
Our responsibility here is to remain
vocal, vigilant and active in our support
o f Nelson Mandela and the A frican
National congress and not to be fooled
by the games that De K lerk and his
partner, Buthelezi, are playing.
A? ZÁ? (SLÏÏiter
3137, Portland, OR 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon.
The Portland Observer-Omgon's Oldest African-American Publication-is a member
of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National
brought the cross, slaves, smallpox,
missionaries and syphilis.”
I talked to two natives o f the West
Indies this morning and they say we
should add “ Tuberculosis” to this list o f
imports.
I have before me as I w rite the
Cecil Jane translations o f “ The Four
Voyages o f Columbus: A history in
Eight Documents Including Five by
Christopher Columbus H im self.”
And a history o f those two Catholic
Sovereigns o f Spain, King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella. Letters from Co­
lumbus are included. Teachers or inter­
ested readers can order a copy from
Dover Publications In c .31 East2ndSt„
Mineola. N. Y. 11501. Book No. 25626-
X, $12.95; by Credit Card (516) 294-
7000. $3.00 postage.
O f even more interest, for pleasure
or instruction, is a book which thor­
oughly documents the presence o f black
peoples in the Americas many centu­
ries before the arrival o f Columbus.
W idely quoted by historians and an­
thropologists through the world is “ They
Came Before Columbus: The African
Presence In Ancient America’” by the
famed A frican American author, Ivan
Van Sertima. He is chairman o f the
African Studies Department at Rutger’s
U niversity. I ’m not sure o f the current
price o f the book (Random House, 1976)
but I would suggest checking with Look­
ing Glass Bookstore at 318 S. W . Tay­
lor, 227-4760.
T he fo llo w in g is fro m the
book jacket:
“ Christopher Columbus is at din­
ner, intriguing w ith Don Juan, the King
o f Portugal, who first tells him o f a
secret trade route that Africans have
been traveling to the New W orld. The
news is easily confirmed by Columbus-
because on his second voyage to the
Americas the natives described repeat­
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The games that some people play
are deadly and disastrous. Whose inter­
ests are really being served by the dec­
laration o f C hief Mangosuthu Gatsha
Buthelezi that vows opposition to the
election o f a constituent assembly to
w rite a new South A frican constitution
and to preside over the nation’ s transi­
tio n away from racist apartheid?
Buthelezi’s actions are certainly not in
the intercsLs o f m illions o f Africans in
South A frica who are s till caught in the
oppressive web o f apartheid.
W e b e lie v e , h o w e v e r, th a t
Buthelezi is only a front for the ruthless
forces o f the apartheid regime. Earlier
this year we reported on the documen­
tation that Buthelezi was being paid by
De Klerk and others to disrupt the A fr i­
can National Congress.
A t first De K le rk alleged that the
real problem in South Africa was ‘ ‘tribal”
between Zulus and other Black South
Africans. O f course this is the same
game that some have tried to play in
A ngola when everyone knows that
Savim bi’ s “ tribal” backing was not the
source o f the externally supported frat­
ricide in Angola.
As soon as Nelson Mandela was
successful in forcing De Klerk to agree
r ———————— ———i
J
p e r s p e c tiv e s
j
Letter To The Editor
Re: Presidential Debate
Being an individual concerned
about the next four years in the United
Stales for Blacks, M inorities and other
Americans, I watched the first presi­
dential debate withoutbeing impressed
by cither candidate. The subject o f
rac ial harmony seems to be avoided by
all three persons seeking to become
President o f the United Slates.
Our c urrent president, Mr. George
Bush has openly spoke against Blacks
because o f services they receive w ith ­
out specifying that those services would
not exist if the m ajority o f recipients
were not White.
As for M r. Ross Perot, he com ­
m ents th a t “ W e are a ll in th is
together.... and i f we can’ t love one
another we ought to get along with one
another......because nobody’ s going
anywhere.” He makes no comment as
to who is causing our current division.
However, Gov. B ill Clinton made
a comment sim ilar to one I have been
preaching for over ten years, when he
(C linton) said “ I f we can come together
nothing can stop us.” Yet for some
reason, I have a feeling o f untrust for
M r. Clinton.
A fter immediately requesting the
opinion o f other Black individuals fo l­
low ing the presidential debate, there
was s till a lack o f confidence or support
foreither candidate. Personally, unless
something is said meaningful regard­
ing the Black, M in ority and W hite
relationship in this country, 1 may join
the others who have specified they are
not voting for either o f the three per­
sons hoping to become president.
We arc all American citizens no
matter what culture you maybe and we
must not let a statement made decades
ago ever come true, “ America w ill not
be destroyed from the outside but from
w ith in .” Together, we are a country
whose strength cannot be measured,
divided we can fall
Charles C. Flake
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