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Page 2...The Portland Observer...November 4,1992
This Way tor Black Empowerment
j
by D r. Lenora F u la n i
J
by Professor McKinley Burt
That Which the Black Community Hath
Joined Together, Let No One Put Asunder...
portant political leader in our com m u
nity. Though you and I do n ’t always
agree or choose the same route all the
time, 1 cherish our relationship and
will not be intimidated into changing
it. We must fight in whatever styles or
m ethods we choose, but the goal must
be true independent em pow erm ent o f
our people. I thank you for your consis
tent support. It helped make history
this year, now we must continue the
struggled” Reverend Sharpton con
cluded. “ Mass media and rumors didn ’ t
put us together - we must not let them
tear us apart.”
From the first moment that Rever
end Sharpton and I met, more than ten
years ago, our relationship was based
on a very deep com m itm ent to the
Black community. We marched to
gether w hen there were only two people
behind - us because the struggle called
for us to march. Later, when there were
two thousand people behind us, we
continued to march because the struggle
still called for us to march.
In 1988 I led 300 women of color
through the street ot Pughkeepsie in
upstate New York to support Tawana
Brawley and her advisor, Reverend
Sharpton and attorney Alton Maddox.
T o g e th e r R ev and I m arch ed in
Bensonhurst for Y usuf Hawkins, in
Los Angeles for Rodney King, and
T ean eck, New Jersey fo r P hillip
Pannell, Jr.
Reverend Sharpton came to New
Hampshire in February of this year
during the primary to join me in in-
The Reverend A1 Sharpton recently
wrote me an “open letter; which 1 would
like to share with you. “ In the course o f
political season, distortions and o u t
right lies become more the rule than the
exception,: he explains, “ Much has been
said during this season o f my relation
ship to you and NAP. 1 thought I’d write
this open letter to you to give clarity.”
Reverend S harpton felt called upon
to write, this unusual letter in response
to an intense campaign by the m edia in
New York City to drive a wedge be
tween us. Why do the powers-that-be-
want to bread us up? Because together
A1 Sharptor. and I, each in our own
ways, are reaching out to the black and
Latino poor- and one-third of the city’s
population which doesn’t vote - and
giving them a reason to participate in
the political process. And those who
rule New York (and America) are scared
stiff.
Even more dangerous, from their
point of view, is the fact that I am
forg in g a link betw een R everend
Sharpton, a black nationalist with deep
roots in the working class black com
munity, and leaders for the independent
political movement who emerged as
major players in the very extraordinary
“political season” we have just come
through.
“I’ve come to know you, Dr. Fulani;,
through the years as a clear, eloquent,
sincere and courageous Black woman.
You have the respect and admiration o f
many in our community and you’ve
earned it. No question, you’re an im-
Letter To The Editor
Re: Article 10/28/92 By James
Posey
Are Portland Blacks Different?
Hats off to you Mr. Posey for hav
ing the courage to bring this issue to the
forefront. However, the title o f your
article was too soft. It should have been,
“ Black Upon Black O ppression-
Portland’s Blatant Black Racism !”
Those of us who have spoken out
against these black oppressors have been
ridiculed, marked and ousted by them
(you gave some good examples). Why?
Because they do not want the world to
know their devil nature!
Black devils are worse than white
devils. These black oppressors are also
to blam e for the high unemployment
rate among African Americans in Port
land. Black oppressors are considered
by the “w hite powers that be” as a good
personal reference for black job appli
cants (whether you list them or not).
Regardless of your qualifications some
em ployers (particularly the state and
local government) will not hire you
unless you have been Okayed by the
black oppressors. Even if the black
oppressors know nothing about you,
«>•
they will not recommend y o u -y o u ’re
not a part of their click—you’re bright
and can ’t be used. Therefore, you can
forget about making decent money in
this town.
The African American community
will never progress in this city. By the
way, in regards to economic develop
ment where is tlie millions of dollars
that have been earmarked for the com
munity over the years? The community
looks worse than it did before the so-
c alled econom ic dev elo p ers cam e
through.
Yes, Portland bom and raised blacks
are different! T hey’ve sold out in order
to further their own selfish needs, they
are gate-keepers who joyously destroy
optimism thus keep their thumbs on the
African American community espe
cially on us dignified and progressive
African Americans who are sincere in
wanting to make positive changes.
Recently, a well-known African
American male visited Portland, He
expressed to me his uneasiness about
being here. His advice to me was “toget
the hell out of D odge.” However, he
commended me for being a sister on the
ball but expressed his dismay over my
^ o r lla n h (©bseriier
I
It seems I have brought some his
torians out o f the woodwork and they
are citing some rather interesting and
progressive black, middle class role
models of another generation. They are
talking about those African Americans
in inner northeast Portland who built
large scale business and real estate com
plexes with funds accumulated by as
sessments on their salaries as red caps,
pullman porters, dining car waiters and
other jobs.
Unbelievably (to som e), this adm i
rable economic infrastructure was built
during the years before, during and
after W orld W ar II, housing families,
business enterprises and recreational
facilities. I became intimately familiar
with this infrastructure and its prime
movers when I began my public ac
counting practice immediately after the
war (1945). At other times I have w rit
ten in detail about this phenomenon,
but I cite it here simply to put forth a
documented model for com parison to
today’s black, middle class activity.
If is of great interest, of course, as
to what happened to this success story
of yesterday, and how is it relevant to
the present. When I left Portland in the
early 1950’s to lake on some major
accounting clients in Los Angeles, all
of the operations were alive and well.
W hen I returned in the 1960’s, the great
“federal machine” called “ Urban R e
newal” (Negro Rem oval) had indeed
removed the African American busi
ness complex; just as it had in scores of
major cities across the nation.
Now, if you are wondering how
this type o f devastation of the econom ic
future o f an entire race could be perm it-
ted to happen without the most serious
confrontation in the history of the races,
then let me take you down to Los Ange
les at the time I just mentioned. Keep in
mind those “ Major accounting clients”
I mentioned were just that; an unprec
edented (for a black) array of enter
prises key to American infrastructure
(at many size levels, including restau
rants and groceries).
forming the national press that Bill
Clinton would not be welcome in New
Y ork’s black community. Our state
ment was always that wherever the
Black community needed us to be - we
would be there.
As our respective strength and re
nown have grown, so too have the
attacks on us, individually and together.
During the course of his run for the
U.S. Senate in the Democratic Party
primary, and my independent run for
the presidency, reporters of every po
litical stripe - white, Black, Puerto
Rican - went out of their way to foment
d iv isio n s b e tw e e n us. R ev eren d
Sharpton was urge to denounce me as
the brainwashed puppet of a white
guru. 1 urged to repudiate him for
having sold out the Black Agenda.
Neither o f us fell for it. Indeed,
while we have always acknowledged
and respected that we have different
tactics and strategies, our coalition has
only been strengthened by the efforts
to undermine it.
It is well known in our com m u
nity that the powers-that-be want to
destroy alliances among independent
Black leaders. The still-pending in
dictment against Reverend Sharpton
(masterminded by the Attorney G en
eral of New York Slate, Bob Abrams,
who won the Democratic nomination
for the Senate) and the FB I’s ongoing
disinformation campaign against me
from the sinister backdrop against
which the attempts to disrupt our rela
tionship have taken place.
being d isp la c e d -” you’re in the wrong
city” he said. This well-known African
American male went on to say that
Portland would never be progressive for
African Americans. The black oppres
sors have sold their souls; have sold out
to get a small piece of the pie.
“You know who you are! You re
cycled few in high places.”
This well-known African Ameri
can male also stated that it was well
known in other parts o f the country that
African American men in Portland love
white women.
W ell black oppressors, you devils,
you will be pleased to know that you’ve
gotten rid o f another for real African
A m erican. I ’m taking this for real
brother ’ s adv ice and getting the hell out.
I can ’t wait to meet for real African
Americans.
Black oppressors, may the misfor
tune you have placed on others return to
you in full force during this lifetime.
Sincerely,
A True African American on her
way out of Portland before she ends up
becoming a black oppressor? No way!
Black balled!
S. Harris, North Portland
BY JOHN E. JACOB
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Urban League
Even though African Americans
have been largely ignored in the current
political campaigns, they hold the key
to the election to the next president o f
the United States.
As the race tightehs, African Ameri
cans are mobilizing our com m unities to
vote in record numbers, and we are
likely to be a key factor in all the
elections-presidential, senate, house,
and local. The candidate who wins the
black vote will go to the White House.
I expect that African Americans
will be at the table next January when
the president frames national economic
policies. O f course we want policies
that put people back to work, feed the
hungry, house the homeless, and nomi
nate the judges who enforce the civil
rights laws.
The black vote will also be deci
sive if we do not use it. A low black
voter turnout will mean that the next
president ow es us nothing. Both parties
may write us off.
So African Americans haveachoice
in this election that goes beyond which
candidate to support. We can decide
whether we want a voice or whether we
want to be voiceless.
Low black voter turnout is driven
by cynicism and a doubt about whether
we can make a difference. But not
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^ o r t l x n h O b s e rrie r
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Bill Council
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Accounting Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
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voting only gives politicians and ex
cuse to ignore the non-voting poor.
Abstaining from the vote because
we may prefer someone who is not
running, does not work in our interest.
We may not like the way the three
presidential candidates pander to the
concerns o f suburbia while ignoring the
inner city. But realism requires us to
base our judgm ents on the candidates’
views on the economy and reviving our
inner cities, rather than on their cam
paign strategies.
The size of the African American
vote really counts, P o litician s are
counters. A record African American
voter turnout will focus their attention
on our concerns.
Soevery additional black vote gives
us political credit to draw on and makes
the black agenda more central to the
next Administration.
W hat is our agenda?
Item O n e -is the National Urban
League’s Marshall Plan for America,
which targets investm ents o f S50 bil
lion dollars a year on job-creating infra
structure and on training and education
our people.
Our com petitors do much more.
Germany is planning to invest a trillion
dollars over ten years to build up east
ern G erm any’s economy. Japan will
spend $100 billion to prepare a 21st
century infrastructure. Even Taiwan
earmarked over $80 billion of infra
structure investm ents to becom e an
economic powerhouse.
Item T w o -is to promote social
policies that give people greater oppor
tunities. Health care iscritical-o u rco m -
munities do not have the clinics and the
medical care we need, and too few o f us
have health insurance. Housing is also
critical and the w elfare system needs
reform.
Item T h rc e -w e need judges that
protect our rights. The next president
may appoint as many as four new Su
preme Court judges, along with dozens
of other federal judges, this election
will decide whether we get a C ourt that
erodes or safeguards our rights.
Item F o u r-is em pow erm ent for
African Americans. If African A m eri
cans are to em erge from the shadows to
the mainstream o f national life, we
must participate in the decision that
affect our lives. That requires the politi
cal clout to be heard at all levels of
government. And we will be heard if we
vote.
African Americans have been mov
ing backwards. Wc can begin m oving
forward by voting in this election. We
can make a difference and wc can use
our influence to make critical changes.
People who vote have power, it is the
most positive way to channel the re
sentments that led to the Los Angeles
riots, and to launch a platform o f real
change.
Elementary And Middle School Students
Elect President In Mock U.S. Vote
P O Box 3 1 3 7
Mdress_______________
already accom plished by the turn o f the
century (who was it that said, “those
who do not learn from history are
doomed to repeat it?’). There was no
chance at all o f imposing a structured,
well planned, economic developm ent
mode upon that maelstrom o f unleashed
drive and ambition that gripped the
multitude.
To put it sim ply, alm ost everyone
went their own way and those in our
small core group of planners (dream
ers?) who saw the possibility o f a resur
gence of pasteconomic approaches built
on the strength o f cooperative, system
atic techniques were doom ed to disap
pointment. Not only did most blacks
(understandably) focus in on their own
individual version o f “upward mobil
ity” and investment opportunities, but
several other now familiar forces came
into p la y -a s usual “the m an” m oved in
as the establishm ent decided there was
no way this innovative, talented mass
was going to be allow ed to “escape the
plantation, W hy, with their abilities and
given acohesive group ethic they would
soon outdistance the w hites.”
Last week, I introduced the con
cept o f the “ Black Market M en” , the
African American professional “head
hunters” who sold their services to the
liquor, tobacco and autom obile com pa
nies on the basis that they could deliver
to them most o f the brightest and ablest
young black college graduates as their
super salesman, a group that did just
that, not only in Los Angeles, but in
innercities across the nation, increasing
the sales of liquor and tobacco in the
ghettoes at a level never dream ed of in
white areas. They were given cars, bo
nuses and trips to Vegas and the Baha
mas. Engineers became hucksters. These
were the “troops” that my peer group
thought we would have available for the
“new look” in black economic develop
ment, but with the federal governm ent
also guarding the plantation, it was not
to be. More next week for the tech
niques are still em ployed, including
Portland.
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write letters
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There was Standard Tool And Die,
Capitol Steel, Tip Top Laundry and Dry
Cleaning Chain, Kohler Hotel, Hartman
Jew ellery Chain, Stanley Law rence
W holesalers and Discount House (sold
clothingjew ellery, furniture, sporting
equipment, silverware, appliances, au
tomotive goods, etc.). Now, this last
was a full-time jo b where 1 was the
supervisor for “ Inventory C o n tro l’
meaning I was responsible for all liscal
aspects o f the flow of all those tens of
millions of dollars in merchandise from
the time the firm took legal title until
final sale or return. This type o f ac
counting, of course, also had to do with
physical processesof ordering, purchas
ing and storage. And included a “C ata
log H ouse” or mail order division.
The important consideration here
is that this level and depth of economic
experience for a black was not unique in
that city at the particular time. My A f
rican American peer group was “on a
roll” that began early on this 1950’s
decade with major favorable Civil Rights
decisions both local and national. There
was an almost unbelievable surge of
social and economic activity among
African Americans fueled by the re
lease of a half-century o f repressed
em otion, ambition and ability.
Among my particular group (and
several others); were those o f us who
saw an unprecedented opportunity to
im plem ent the successful economic
models that had been first advanced by
historic African American figures like
Marcus G arvey, M adame W alker, Etc.,
and by the capable southern business
builders who launched successful insur
ance and mercantile enterprises. “ How
could we fail”, we thought, given both
the new economic flux, and our new
financial expertise such as 1 just de
scribed for my own case.
While there were some successes
(which might seem quite significant to
the reader) they were nothing at all
compared to what could/should have
been accomplished; not when you look
back at what blacks in the south had
The Black Vote Counts In ‘92
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OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
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T hank Y ou F or R eading !
T he P ortland O bserver |
W ho will claim the Oval O ffice on
November 3d? Students across Oregon
and W estern W ashington may have the
premonitory answer. More than 5,000
elementary and middle school students
recently took part in a mock vote, elect
ing G overnor Bill C linton. Clinton
grabbed 52% o f the votes, while incum
bent George Bush received 37% and
challenger Ross Perot registered 11%.
Other election results included Bob
Packwood receiving 68% of the voles
to defeat Lcs AuCoin in the U.S. Sena
torial race.
Students participated in the mock
election as part o f the Voter Education
P ro g ra m
sp o n so re d
by
lo c a l
M cD onald’s restaurants and television
station KPTV-12. Most classes partici
pating in the program geared up for the
vote with discussions about the candi
dates and the election process using the
provided Voter Education program
teaching guide as a resource. Some
schools took the mock election a step
further, offering the students” voter reg
istration" and bringing in official booths
for the polling process. The am ount of
high level discussion which has re
sulted from the program has been amaz-
ing,” said Gail Rupp, sixth grade teachei
at Athcy Creek Middle School. Rupp is
served as the school's Voting Day Chair.
“We made the program cross-disci
pline with m ost o f the discussions tak
ing place in the social studies and lan
guage arts classes. The math depart
ment is in charge o f counting the votes,
with their classes and it will probably
take a few days. E veryone’s really ex
cited.”
Athcy Creek students, along with
others across the region, made their
voices heard this week. Time will tell if
adults in the region agree.
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