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Page 2...The Portland ()bserver...Noveniber 11, 1992
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
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President-Elect Clinton And
African Americans
t
N ow , that is the type o f response I
lik e , the many readers w ho said they
rem em ber so w e ll those early A lrie a n
A m erican pioneers in northeast P o rt­
land, “ w ho b u ilt large scale business
and real estate com plexes w ith funds
accum ulated by assessments on sala­
ries from th e ir jo b s ."
A nd, yes, 1 rem em ber so w e ll m y
th e ir h isto ry, th e ir pioneers and early
cooperative e ffo rts , I add the fo llo w ­
G iven the C lin to n v ic to ry , I ex-
p e c ta lo to flo c a l s tirrin g , s h u fflin g and
ing com m ents. The capital inputs we
expected from the gia n t black in su r­
ance com pany that had b u ilt its fo r ­
tunes on A fric a n A m e rica n p o lic y
holders was not fo rth co m in g . They
were too busy fin a n cing new stores fo r
rh e to ric -a n d , h o p e fu lly , some new
faces, in stitu tio n s and re a listic eco­
n om ic goals. A bove a ll, 1 hope that the
mentors among that c o m m itte d group,
like W ilb u r M arshall a n d C liffo rd Jack-
son o f the “ A cm e business C lu b ” as
w hite superm arket chains lik e “ Boys
M a rk e t” . O ur incredible experience
gained this early was w o rth no th in g to
these la tte r day m id d le class “ tom s”
w e ll as the dedicated group w ho stru c­
tured “ Fraternal H a ll” and its many
w ho preferred to be seen in the press
(and Ebony M agazine) w ith their w hite
enterprises. There
glect “ The E lk s ” ,
least a half-dozen
cated so early on
masters fro m the liq u o r and tobacco
com panies (not m uch has changed,
is no in te n t to ne­
s till around, and at
other groups d e d i­
to black econom ic
developm ent.
One elder cited m y placem ent o f
these pioneers in com parison w ith the
b lack m iddle class o f today; repeating
the evaluation o f that educator w ho
co m p ile d statistics’ on the incredible
investm ent in their education and n u r­
tu rin g . “ D o n ’ t they feel any shame” , he
asked, “ these T a lk in g Heads and T .V .
p rim a donnas as you describe them?
W'here are the role models fo r our Gang
Y o u th —the pragm atic and v is ib le m o d ­
els that w ould redirect their econom ic
a ctivitie s? ” Perhaps it is w e ll those
pioneers cannot see the results.Toclose
out last w eek’ s description o f the eco­
nom ic scene in Los Angeles and its
classic delineation o f a re p e titive fa il­
ure o f A frica n A m ericans to respect
has i t ? ).
A n interesting aside here is that a
decade later when I was teaching Black
H isto ry at Portland State U n iv e rs ity ,
the largest source o f in fo rm a tio n on
the b lack past both in A fric a and
A m erica was the publications and post­
ers provided by Anheuser Busch B re w ­
e ry , S chenley D is tille rie s and the
P h illip M o rris Tobacco C om pany.
N a tu ra lly , the same was true fo r the
current dem ographics and consum er
patterns o f the A fric a n american p opu­
la tio n centers. The b lack m iddle class
had perform ed its assigned task all too
w e ll. The forecasts o f The H onorable
E lija h M uham m ed and M a lco m X
were com pletely igno re d -e xce p tw h e n
the rascals needed m onies fo r “ m in o r­
hundreds o f dedicated grass ro o ts
people w h o have been to ilin g at the
base o f the Portland p yram id in support
o f the “ ta lk in g heads” are go in g to rise
up and demand a better perform ance-
-th is applies to both w hites and blacks
o f o u r c o m m u n ity. H ow can you to le r­
ate in s titu tio n s w ith com puters and
“ educated” s ta ff w ho cannot get o u r
tim e ly fin a n c ia l reports. D o they in
fa c t w ant to?
A n d d o n ’ t forget that loss o f a
q u a rte r-m illio n d o lla rs in re a l estate by
o u r largest predom inately black, urban
in s titu tio n . The Board o f directors was
fille d w ith a num ber o f c o m m u n ity
a c tiv is ts w h o e ith e r c o u ld n ’ t o r
w o u ld n ’ t p e rfo rm their duties o f o ve r­
sight w hich in vo lve d reading, c o u n t­
ing and m aking in q u iry . 1 p ointed o u t
this organizational d is a b ility when I
analyzed the demise o f P o rtla n d ’ s “ A l ­
bina C o rp o ra tio n ” . I f your o rganiza­
tio n can spend a ll those d o lla rs fo r
travel and seminars and dinners fo r
“ ta lkin g heads” and can’ t fin d m onies
fo r necessary training fo r the board o f
ity ” business o r fo r B la c k H isto ry,
directors, then the enterprise can easily
become quite shaky. I f it is n ’ t already.
N e xt week: Resum ing the struggle
in th e a ll-so -im p o rta n te d u ca tio n a lp ro -
suddenly discovered.
cess.
Statement By
Dr. Lenora Fulani
The b ig w in n e r in the 1992 p re si­
dential election is the Am erican people,
20 m illio n o f w hom put the tw o m a jo r
parties on notice that the days o f c o rru p t
bi-partisanism are over. M y thanks to
the nearly 50,000 w ho voted fo r D r.
John H agelin o f the N atural Law Party,
the quarter o f a m illio n people w ho
vo te d fo r'A n d re M a rrou o f the L ib e rta r­
ian P arty and the 19 m illio n w h o voted
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By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
by Professor
M cK M inley
B u rt B urt
by Professor
cK inley
The Thrill Is Gone: Conclusion
*’ i
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m y votes in New Y o rk . M y law yers are
in touch w ith AP to get an explanation.)
B u t w hat is s ig n ific a n t is not m y vote
count, but the 20 m illio n people w ho
rejected the Democrats and R e p u b li­
independent, said on C N N last n ig h t
that 1996 w ill be the year that an in d e ­
pendent takes the W h ite House, and I
th in k he is rig h t. It is clear fro m the
election results that the numbers are out
cans, in clu d in g the 7% o f B la ck voters
w ho w ent independent. N o w i t ’ s tim e to
there.
T h a t’ s w h y I ’ m asking Ross Perot
to pu t S100 m illio n d ollars on the table
to finance a d riv e to register 15 m illio n
fo r Ross Perot.
M y thanks as w e ll to those w ho
voted fo r me, though 1 am uncertain o f
b u ild o f f o f those votes.
Independent p o litic s is no longer
the future o f A m erica. It is the present.
A n independent participated in the na­
tio n a lly televised presidential debates,
som ething I have been fig h tin g fo r since
m y vote totals since the Associated
Press reported them as both 80,000 and
211,000. (A P cla im s to have miscounted
1988. There w ill never be another de­
bate w ith o u t one. G o ve rn o r L o w e ll
W e icke r o f C onnecticut, h im s e lf an
A m ericans as independent. These new
registrants, com bined w ith the 20 m il­
lio n w ho voted independent this year,
w o u ld make up a new one th ird vo tin g
b lo c k that co u ld take the presidency
fro m the D em ocrats and the R e p u b li­
cans in fo u r years.
In the w ake o f the v ic to ry o f B ill
C lin to n ove r George Bush, there exists
C lin to n , we do have som ething to say to
President Bush. It is our hope that Bush
w ith in the A fric a n A m erican c o m m u ­
n ity a rather w id e range o f hopes, a spi­
rations, anxieties, and fears. O n N o ­
vem ber?, 1992, in many A frica n A m e ri­
and Q uayle w ill take the tim e to ascer­
tain w h y they lo st the election. W e
believe it had little to do w ith how m uch
can co m m u n itie s, both rural and urban,
w hether the most e ffe ctive ads were p u l
on the radio o r te le visio n . There is an
o ld saying in the A fric a n A m erican
c o m m u n ity that, “ W h a t you hide from
others you eventually w ill hide from
yo u rse lf o r delusion soon becomes self-
the m ood in the long lines o f voters was
“ T h is is not ju s t election day, this is a
day o f re c k o n in g !” A n d so it was, be­
cause the vast m a jo rity o f the m illio n s
o f voters in the A fric a n A m e rica n c o m ­
m u n ity voted against President Bush
and in fa v o r o f B ill C lin to n .
A lre a d y there is an u n lim ite d
am ount o f analysis about the e lection o f
1992. W e are sure th a t professional
p o litic a l scientists and oth e r experts
w ill be debating the c ritic a l factors that
led to C lin to n ’ s v ic to ry and B u sh ’ s
defeat. Someone, how ever, needs to
state in the clearest o f terms w h a t this
e lection w ill o r should mean to a ll
A m ericans and especially to the m il­
lio n s o f persons o f c o lo r w h o voted fo r
the D em ocratic slate o f candidates.
B u t before lis tin g some o f our rec­
o m m e n d a tio n s to P re s id e n t-e le c t
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delusion.”
In other w ords. Bush and Q uayle
attem pted to hide the truth from the
people o f the nation on so m any d iffe r­
ent things fro m the state o f the economy
to the racist and d iv is iv e m otives o f
The g lobal econom y and ecology w ill
be dependent upon the im plem entation
appointm ents to the ju d ic ia ry that they
o f long term p o licie s w hich co m m it the
U nited States as a g lo b al partner w ith
the rest o f the international c o m m u n ity
than as a d om inating “ superpow er.”
began to believe th e ir ow n m isstate­
ments and misdeeds.
On dom estic p o lic y , w e recom ­
m end that P resident-elect C lin to n take
the necessary steps to id e n tify and to
dism antle w hat am ounts to an “ A m e ri­
In conclusion, A fric a n Am ericans,
lik e other A m ericans, are lo o k in g to
President-elect C lin to n fo r real leader­
ship that w ill lead the nation as a w hole
can apartheid” system in regard to ra­
c ia lly d is crim in a to ry po licie s and prac­
tices in em ploym ent, education, hous-
in filtra tin g the organization. One m ig h t
T h is question and subject is c lo se ly
related to the last a rtic le , “ A re P ortland
B lacks d iffe re n t? ” P ortland B lacks are
d iffe re n t and some o f th e ir characteris­
tics make them th e ir o w n worse enemy.
The “ O n ly O ne” syndrom e is a carry
o ver fro m the slavery system in w h ic h
certain B lacks were chosen above o th ­
ers to be “ house niggers.” Needless to
say, the p riv ile g e o f being closer to
w h ite fo lk s often w ent to th e ir heads.
best describe th is as managed e xclu ­
sion. The “ O n ly O ne” in d iv id u a l o r
o rganization is established and m a in ­
tained as a co n tro l agent. Its p rim a ry
fu n ctio n is to keep the natives fro m
becom ing too restless by p ro m o tin g the
“ O n ly O ne” in d iv id u a l o r group as an
exam ple o f B la ck progress and how
B lacks ou g h t to act i f they w ant to get
som ething fro m “ The M a n .” O f course,
a ll other people o r groups are subordi­
nate and must be blessed by the “ O n ly
O ne” before there is any degree o f
“ House niggers” began to th in k o f them ­
selves as better than the “ fie ld niggers.”
A n d , you kn o w the rest o f the story.
T h is syndrom e is ju s t the m odern-day
version o f the same situation.
P ortland is one o f the fe w m e tro ­
p o lita n citie s where B lacks can easily
operate in the “ O n ly O ne” syndrom e. It
w o rks som ething lik e this: “ I ’ m the
“ O n ly O ne” w h ite fo lks listen to and
respect. So, i f you want to get som e­
th in g fro m the w h ite fo lk s , you gotta go
through me.” It occurs at a ll levels and
includes organizations and groups as
O ne.”
Keep in m in d that this exam ple
applies not o n ly to tra d itio n a l o rg a n iza ­
tions but also to the co m m u n ity at large,
forw ard and not backwards.
zation is fa irly re fle ctive o f their leader’ s
style, attitude and approach to dealing
w ith the w h ite pow er structure. A n d ,
there is constant jo c k e y in g and p o si­
tio n in g to m aintain the duel role o f gate­
keeper and the “ O n ly O ne” status.
There is a real sick iro n y to a ll this.
M any o f these very in d ivid u a ls and
organizations spend a lo t o f tim e spout­
ing out rhetoric about in clu sio n and
d ive rsity. B u t it is obvious that they
have never practiced w hat they preach.
There is no w ay w hite fo lks are going to
subscribe to diversity and inclusion when
they continue to witness in the B la ck
co m m u n ity acts o f exclusion and fra g ­
acceptance.
W e understand the purpose and
m otives o f the w h ite pow er structure.
B u t w hat about the “ O n ly Ones” them ­
m entation based n o t on race but on
class, status, ideas, selfishness and greed.
That is w hy the A frica n -A m e rica n com -
m u n ity, w hich is in fa ct ju s t as diverse
in attitudes and op in io n s as any other
group, m ust go o u t o f its way to practice
selves? They operate under the b e lie f
that the o n ly way to make it in this tow n
is to sell yo u r soul. I t ’ s sad to say, but
m any B lacks are so starved fo r atten­
tio n , re co g n itio n , a ffirm a tio n , accep­
tolerance, thrust and acceptance.
W h ile 1 ’ m convinced that the “ O n ly
tance, and most o f a ll, pow er and co n ­
tro l, that they are w illin g and eager
vehicles. E very one know s at least one
“ O n ly O ne.” T hey are constantly glo a t­
ing about th e ir “ O n ly O ne” status and
One” syndrom e continues to be a strong
factor in the m ake-up o f this to w n , I am
encouraged to see numerous efforts afoot
e re ctin g b a rrie rs to o th e r A fric a n -
A m ericans o r m in o ritie s to protect it.
to break this cycle and get B lacks to
w o rk together at d iffe re n t levels. A
good example is the e ffo rt prom oted b y
T hey are threaten by the slightest in tru ­
sion o f a com peting m in o rity and go out
o f th e ir w ay to b lo c k , bad m outh, and
sabotage the e ffo rts o f others attem pt­
ing to gain in clusion.
On a organizational level, most o f
us arc aware o f groups o r organizations
w h ich openly profess that they are the
“ O n ly O ne.” T hey try to co n tro l as
the B lack U nited F ro n tc a lle d the U n ity
Breakfast. Representatives o f various
groups com e to g e th e r on the fir s t
Wednesday o f each m onth at the B la ck
U nited Fund o ffic e . The purpose is to
provide a forum fo r addressing B la ck
com m unity issues in an open and fra n k
environm ent and to foster c o m m u n ity-
based solutions. The real challenge o f
m any issues a ffe ctin g A fric a n - A m e ri­
the group w ill be to make sure that every
voice is heard and to abstain from set­
ting its e lf up as another “ O n ly O ne.”
in c lu d in g some o f o u r p o liticia n s. From
an e m p lo ym e n t perspective, the p u r­
pose fo r d e veloping the “ O n ly O ne” is
cans as they can, going fa r beyond their
to stall a perceived flo o d o f A fric a n -
A m ericans and other m in o ritie s fro m
als whose egos are as big as an elephant
and must be constantly fed. The o rg a n i­
To The Editor:
A s A frica n A m ericans adorn them ­
selves w ith fashionable Baseball Caps
d isp la yin g the fam ous “ X ” to s ig n ify
A1 H a jji M a lik E l Shabazz (M a lco m
X ) , fe w have taken the tim e to exam ine
th is m an’ s m eaning to o u r people and
to histo ry. Nevertheless, El H a jji M a lik
E l Shabazz live s; he lives because he
em bodies lost hope w h ile capturing
the liv in g hopes o f b illio n s in both the
U .S. and abroad, m ore than any o ther
in o u r life tim e .
T h ro u g h o u t the p e rio d o f the
E m a n cip atio n P ro cla m a tio n , re co n ­
struction and the C iv il R ights M o v e ­
ments, The black masses, much lik e
the w o rld o f A1 Islam and the en tire
T h ird W o rld , w aited p a tie n tly fo r a
signal o f hope; I.E ., a reasonable e x ­
am ple o f bo ld , courageous, in te llig e n t,
Name
co m m itte d , and non co rru p tib le lead­
ership w ho w o u ld w o rk to propel the
masses in to an e n viro n m e n t o f life
Address
zip-code
The Portland Ob9erver-O regon’s Oldest African-American Publicatlon-is a member
of the National N ew spaper A s s o c ia tio n -F o u n d e d in 1885, and The National
•.
y o «•
On fo re ig n p o lic y , we recom m end
that President-elect C lin to n act w ith
dispatch to revam p A m erican p o lic y
interests in p a rticu la r in the Caribbean,
A fric a , L a tin A m e rica , A sia and the
P acific. S p e cifica lly the U nited States
should stop being the w o rld ’ s largest
arms exporter. W e should be sending
grain, bread and food to other nations
rather than bullets, m issile and bombs.
resources and s k ills . T y p ic a lly , these
James Posey is a local, small busi­
ness owner with a background in social
work and community activism.
organizations are headed by in d iv id u ­
lib e rty and the pu rsu it o f happiness. B y
1960, the prayers o f the masses were
answered.
B ro th e r E l-S habazz became a
legacy. A m o n g other things: he ch a l­
lenged the A fric a n A m erican, A fric a ,
The W o rld O f A1 Islam and a ll hum an­
ity to rise and unite.
He p u b lic ly exposed the false ap­
pointed leaders o f the b lack co m m u n ity
and dem onstrated the real traits and
reason o f leadership. I.E . honesty, in ­
te llig e n ce , a respect fo r lo g ic , total
submission to Islam , self sacrifice, broth­
erhood and uncom prom ising m o ra lity.
He insisted that we must return to
real educational, econom ic, sp iritu a l
and social essence o f A1 Islam . He said
reading, learning, and reason were in ­
dispensable q u a litie s fo r the econom ic
and social developm ent o f the masses.
w iped out bias and established a b ro th ­
erhood between B lacks and W hites,
rich and poor. H is massage was clear
and accompanied b y firm ness. He had
no doubts about the cause o f truth. He
taught and defended his message w ith
co n victio n. H is analysis o f the socio
econom ic situation in A m e rica is s till
relevant. I t should be kept in m in d that
brother M a lik Shabazz’ s analysis was
inspired by his life o f struggle. Those
w ho aspire to w a lk in his footsteps
should alw ays rem em ber That he a l­
ways said, “ I am a M u s lim , and m y
re lig io n is A1 Isla m ” w h ich m olded his
character in such a way that he gave up
addiction to liq u o r, narcotics, ga m b lin g
and sexual p ro m iscu ity and a ll other
social illnesses w h ic h e xist where there
is despair and deprivation.
He no longer sought to escape reality
and live in a w orld o f illusion, rather he
seized the time by seeking to change things.
Farecda S. M uham m ad
E l-H a jji M a lik El-Shabazz had seen
in practice how Islam had rem oved
d iscrim in a tio n and differences; it had
city. State
PERMISSION IS PRO HIBITED.
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this nation o f in stitu tio n a liz e d racism .
T he P ortland O bserver
Y O U R H O M E O N LY
Public Relations
money was spent on the cam paign o r
BY JAMES L. POSEY
token positions. T hey are then tested to
prove th e ir lo y a lty and c o n fo rm ity to
orga n iza tio n a l values. F in a lly , they are
prom oted to key positions in the o rg a ­
n iza tio n and cu ltiva te d as the “ O n ly
O ne.” A n ytim e the organization is ques­
tioned as to its co m m itm e n t to equal o r
c iv il rights, they b rin g o u t the “ O n ly
¡C i
ing, d e live ry o f health care, e n viro n ­
ment, crim in a l ju stice and econom ic
developm ent. A s the nation moves to ­
wards the 21st C entury, the ra p id ly
changing racial dem ographics demand
Presidential leadership in helping to rid
Do Portland Blacks Suffer From
the “Only One” Syndrome?
w e ll as in d ivid u a ls. O ften, B lacks are
selectively screened and em ployed in
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T he P ortland O bserver
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