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Page 2...The Portland Observer..January 13,1993
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What’s Sporting About Sports?
T he P ortland O bserver
Joyce Washington
Publisher
Name
Address
IS PROHIBITED.
city, State
Subscriptions :$30.00 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 Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. and
The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver
zip-code
T hank Y ou F or R eading
T he P ortland O bserver
Introducing A New Psychology
^ o l l v a rA — form
a r r i v A as who t h a they
t
s really
n f t c if lC are-active
tO OUT soecies.
I want ___________________I
to recommend a « _____r
wonderful
participants in transforming the condi­
book to you, called The Myth of Psy­
tions of their lives.
chology. Its author is Fred Newman,
In other words, human beings-as
who in addition to being a brilliant
individuals and as a species-are not
political strategist, is the founder of a
objects of change; we are ourselves
new, drug-free clinical psychology
changers. We have the capacity to alter
called social therapy. I am proud to be
the conditions that produce pathologi­
among his students, and a practitioner
cal responses (“symptoms”) such as
of this new psychology.
abuse, depression, loneliness, sexual
Why do we need a new psychol­
dysfunction and the whole gamut of
ogy? Because the old one is anti-hu­
social and emotional problems that
man, non-developmental, and has lost
beset
people in our society. In fact, the
whatever relevance it may once have
capacity
to shape the environments
had to the lives of ordinary people. It
that
shape
us-fam ilies, communities,
doesn’t work for most people, and it
workplaces,
countries, the w orld-is
does a great deal of harm to m any-in
what
makes
us
human. (Other species
particular to people of color, to poor
can only adapt to their environments,
people, and to women. On the first page
not transform them.)
of his book Dr. Newman quotes from a
That is what makes social therapy
book by Hussein Abdilahi Bulhan called
radical, and humanistic. It is radical
Frantz Fanon and the Psychology of
because it helps people to change the
Oppression: “The dominant psychol­
conditions of their lives, rather than
ogy is founded and imbued with the
adapt to them. It is humanistic because
outlook that...the Euro-American world
it helps people to rediscover, and re­
view is the only or best world view...and
ignite, this fundamentally and uniquely
[that] the experiences of white, middle-
human capacity.
class males are the only or most valid
In the ‘60s Black psychology and
experiences in the world.”
feminist psychology sprang up as the
The dominant, mythical psychol­
result of efforts to cleanse the domi­
ogy relates to human beings as objects
nant psychology of its most flagrant
to be changed. It sometime succeeds in
biases against people of color and
changing people (or at least in getting
women. But in attempting to reform
rid of their symptoms, or the “signs” of
the old psychology they were actually
the a problems) through the use of chemi­
trying to fit in, or adapt, to a scientific
cals, behavior modification, electro­
method that was more relevant to the
shock and various other forms of coer­
movement of stars and atoms than to
cion. But we pay a terrible price when
the highly complex and unique nature
we treat people as things - we dehu­
of human beings. For the last 20 years
manize them.
Dr. Newman and his colleagues have
By contrast, social therapy helps
been working
to — create
a new science
IV
IV IU J V U V J U
H U
k U per­
- - q ---
----------------------
people to
see U themselves
and
to
that is specific to our species. That is
what social therapy is, and you can
read about it in The Myth of Psychol­
ogy (available from Castillo Interna­
tional, the publisher). Not surprisingly,
social therapy has not been embraced
with open arms by the gatekeepers who
guard the doors of the dominant psy­
chology; it doesn’t fit in with the pre­
vailing view -the ideology-of middle-
class white male supremacy which
Hussein Bulhan described so precisely.
Those who produce ideas that do fit in
with that world view get the grants and
the jobs and the interviews on TV;
those who challenge the official atti­
tude are dismissed as crackpots and
relegated to the fringe, regardless of
how useful their work may be. (In the
‘60s the Black Panthers had by far the
best drug program in the country, but
methadone-a legal substitute for heroin
which kept so-called addicts perma­
nently dependent, and kept many doc­
tors and administrators permanently
employed in the drug industry-got
accepted.) It is politics (bad politics),
and not what’s good for people, that
determines which ideas can get a pub­
lic hearing.
I am committed to bringing Dr.
Newman’s discoveries to the attention
of those many helping professionals
who deeply help their patients and
clients but can’t because they lack the
scientific tolls to do so, and are “burn­
ing out” because of it. There are more
productive and decent ways to deal
with people’s problems than the domi­
nant psychology dreams about. It’s
time we all woke up.
Last Friday morning, ABC Televi­
sion featured one of those 15-minute
quickies on a subject which by any
reasonable standard would require an
hour or more of intense discussion; in
actuality, a three-part series of in-depth
analysis would be more like it-not to be,
of course.
The subject, “The almost total ex­
clusion of blacks from managerial posi­
tions in professional sports,” Before we
go any further, let me comment on
another almost total'exclusion. In none
of these allegedly “liberal” discussions
of the rampant and pervasive prejudice
against African Americans in manage­
ment positions, do we have anyone forth­
coming with the basic economic fact
that “Sports” in this country is a hun­
dred-billion dollar industry built upon
“millions” of black bodies that "pull the
wagon, but do not drive it.”
Before you quarrel with that “mil­
lion bodies” figure, consider that w e are
not just talking about the few “premier
athletes” with big salaries or the few
“million dollar niggers” as baseball club
ow ner Marjorie Schott described sev­
eral employees (about 700 in all, base­
ball, football and basketball). But, mind
you, w e must include that gigantic “free,
farm team operation” composed of over
a thousand colleges which process (and
miseducate) tens of thousands of hope­
ful and naive black youths aiming for
the Pros each year—for only a few slots
(breeding farms).
Our taxes, contributions and tu­
itions go to support this gigantic ma-
Dear Editor:
Much blame is heaped upon Con­
gress for their failure to solve the serious
problems facing this country, especially
widespread unemployment and the high
cost of living, including the high costof
medical care.
Many people feel this failure is the
result of congressmen and senators
spending too much time and effort tak­
ing care of the concerns of special inter­
est groups who contribute to their cam­
paign funds to get them elected.
Therefore many people would like
to see stricter limits on the amount of
money which special interest groups
can give to a candidate.
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
Hopes, Aspirations And Struggles For 1993
A A.: •
A t-'
<4 •
• a
happiness are no longer mitigated by
race and skin color. But we know this
hope will only become realized when
the destructive forces of racism are
exposed and eradicated.
One thing is absolutely clear: “We
must continue to struggle for justice on
all fronts simultaneously with relent­
less vigor and steadfastness of faith.”
1993 is the year of renewed struggle for
economic justice, racial justice, social
justice, and environmental justice.
Our hopes and aspirations must be
articulated in a manner that gives voice
to those who are most oppressed in this
nation and throughout the world. The
immorality of human exploitation and
degradation requires a stronger chal­
lenge and bolder national effort than
the challenges and efforts made during
the 1960’s The disparities and inequi­
ties of this society demand an urgent
revitalized “Civil Rights Movement.”
We have to move beyond just de­
scribing the problems. We have to even
move beyond just analyzing the prob­
lems that beset our communities. 1993
has to be a year of effective action in
terms of the formulation of public poli­
cies and the building of sound eco­
nomic development programs at the
community level. A priority has to be
• • * • * * / ■ * e ■
*
placed on youth leadership develop­
ment in all academic disciplines and
vocations.
The national call to invest in
America must be re-translated to in­
vesting in communities in ways that
help communities become self-empow­
ered with a sustainable economic base.
Job training must be toward business
ownership with the ultimate goal of
overall community development. Thus,
public education must receive renewed
support by all levels of government as
well as support form the private sector.
The bottom line is that the hopes,
aspirations and struggles for 1993 are
similar in content to the immediate past
years, but the real difference is there
now appears to be a new opportunity to
express our hopes and dreams with a
sense that there will be more receptive
ears in Washington with the Clinton
Administration. Yes, expectations are
high. Some will argue thatexpectations
are too high to possibly have a chance
of being fulfilled.
We say, “We will make our de­
mands know n, we will share our dreams
and hopes, and we will fight with re­
newed determination to achieve racial
and economic justice by all means nec­
essary!”
• » ft •. > 4
chine-but that is not the beginning of
the matter, is it? From elementary school
through high school, each year, mil­
lions of African American children
neglect home-work and study periods
for the playground and sandlots, serv­
ing their frantic, media-driven preoc­
cupation with a professional sport’s
career. I wish there were someway to
quantify the resulting attrition in grade
levels, SAT scores, and in terms of
drop-outs, truancies and ensuing gang
involvement. I’m not saying that all go
this way, but the horrendous pressures
are there Kids do not think in terms of
the statistical realities Do you?
I ’ m going to get back to that “ABC
Management Quickie”, b u t , first, let
me point out several other key eco­
nomic facts It is equally obv ious that it
is the "Black Body Machine” that di­
rectly or indirectly drives billions in
capital formation manifested in stadi­
ums and adjoining realestate, fran­
chises, television network properties,
sports equipment manufacturers and
distributors, the profits of public carri­
ers like airlines and bus companies,
ticket v endors, concessionaires and you
name them. That old rascal, Maijorie
Schott, could better have described her
employees as “Billion” dollar African
Americans.
And 1 should have included in all
that black generation of incalculable
wealth, the salaries of sports w riters in
both T. V. and print media, studio and
satellite technicians, remote teams, film
processors and other personnel involved
in some of the most lucrative and well
paid jobs in American industry--In a
most racially exclusive industry. But
let us return to Friday ’ s 15 mi nute ABC
“quickie.”
The panel consisted of an ABC
news commentator, not known as ex­
actly a guru of sports, and three guests,
one white and two blacks The former
was a director of a "think tank,” the
director of the “Center For The Study
of Sports In Society .” The blacks were
the head of an association of black
athletes and Benjamin Hooks of the
NAACp. As I have said, the program
was of short duration ad absolutely
controlled by the newsman who was
quick to interrupt whenever the guests
seemed about to make a critical point
He was usually about the “millionaire
black athletes,” as though that settled
the matter about opportunities for Af­
rican Americans in the field of sports.
Nobody mentioned (was allowed
to) the “real” money generators I have
listed here Howev er, the head of the
black athletes association made the
telling point that there wasn’t a single
black team doctor I all of professional
sports Generally, the entire farce was
in the mode of sport’s writers and
historians who always fail to mention
that it was the guts and perseverance
(and cash) of a black St Louis Cardinal
baseball player who went to court and
won the “Free Agent” concept for all
the baseball players. How many hun­
dreds of millions has that produced?
How soon they forget.
The Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles we publish.
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
For the vast majority of the more
th,.n thirty million African Americans
who live in the United States, 1993
represents more than just a “new” year.
For many in the African American com­
munity this is the "year of re lie f’ from
twelve consecutive years of racially
motivated economic exploitation, bru­
tality, and disillusionment in the na­
tional context of an Administration in
Washington that just did not genuinely
care about the socioeconomic condi­
tion of the community.
This is not intended to lay blame on
Presidents Reagan and Bush for all of
the ills and problems resident in people
of color communities in the nation. It is
important, however, to candidly say
that the failure of the White House to set
a clear moral tone against the steady
rise in overt racist behavior in most of
the major institutions of this society
during the last twelve years, is an ab­
horrent reality that should be challenged
by the incoming Clinton Administra­
tion.
Thus, we begin this year with a
sense of renewed hope. It is a hope that
our nation will accelerate toward be­
coming and welcoming the transition
into a truly multiracial and multicultural
society where justice, prosperity, and
! ivf b y Professor M cK inley B urt
But such limits would put most
candidates at a great disadvantage when
running against wealthy candidates who
can spend and unlimited amount of their
own money on their own campaigns
since limiting campaign spending, it­
self, has been declared unconstitutional.
Example: The Associated Press re­
ported that Michael Huffington of Cali­
fornia spent nearly S5.4 million, mainly
hisown money, to win aseat in Congress
in the 1992 election.
Thus, if the voters are ever going to
get Congress to concentrate on reducing
the high cost of living and unemploy­
ment, they are going to have to use
another method, in addition to voting, to
exert enough influence over these law­
makers to make them do it.
Fortunately, there is already such a
method. The problem is to make enough
voters aware of this method to make it
work.
Space limits do not permit an ex­
planation of this method in this letter.
But an article, “How We, As Voters,
Could Get Back Control Over Our Gov­
ernment,” does explain it. A copy of this
article will be sent free to anyone who
sends a stamped, self-addressed enve­
lope to me at Box 127, Gillette, WY
82717.
Sincerely,
Stephen Tarver
More Black Pioneers In Health Care
Continued from front page
first to prove the efficacy of the antibiotic
“Aureomycin” in human tests and the
same with another, "Terramycin ” Be­
tween 1948 and 1952 Wright published
thirty papers on his research with w hat
were becoming known to the world as
“wonder drugs.”
Long before that, though, Dr. Wright
had entered the U S. Army Medical Corp,
and it was here that he changed the
treatment of "Smallpox” throughout the
world. He introduced the “intraderma”
method of vaccination for the disease,
injecting into the skin, not through it.
These seminal, pioneering contributions
to medicine are just a pan of his total,
inspired adv ancementsin the field Turn­
ing to cancer research, he published 15
key papers on his precedent setting in­
vestigations of such drugs as terropterene,
triethylene melamine, folic acid and hor­
mones as cancer-fighting therapies. To­
gether w ith the aid of his daughter, Dr.
Jane W right, he pioneered today’s
chemo-therapy in the treatment of can­
cer.
But, that is not nearly all of his
thoroughy documented and prol lfic work
As Police Surgeon for the city of New
York, Dr. Wright specialized in surgery
associated with head injuries and frac­
tures. He devised a neck brace for frac­
tures of the neck that is still in use today.
He invented a special blade plate for the
surgical treatment of fractures about the
knee joint, still in use today, especially in
sports medicine. He also wrote the key
chapter on “head injuries" for the stan­
dard medical text on such injuries
(scudder’s); Just some of his 89 scientific
publications
Isn’t it just sickening that the medi­
cal and pharmaceutical fraternities and
industries have avoided publicity and
acknowledgements of this great man in
their reams of publications and institu­
tional advertising? And the same for the
coriters of medical texts as well? Hau he
been a notorious criminal ( or well-known
comedian), both the public and our chil­
dren would know all about him -and the
fact that he was a black man (like Willie
Horton, or say Uncle Ben! or Aunt
Jemima! Amos and Andy! Stcp’nFetchit!
Try ing to get America to recognize
the true talents of African am ericans-
not just those perverted to secure eco­
nomic survival—is still lik®- trying t0
walk up a “down” escalator. But we
cannot cease in our efforts to guide and
motivate our children, or to effectively
direct ourown goals and ambitions. Don’t
waste the foundation our fathers have
laid down for US Remember that when it
conies to medical science it was Africans
who taught the Grecks-from organiza­
tion and delineations of the disciplines
and professions to eye surgery, C-Sec-
tions, gastronomic remedies and skull
fractures See "Magic, myth and Medi­
cine’” by Dr Atkison at your public
library.
Cellular One To Donate Money On Behalf
Of Subscribers Cellular Long Distance
Charges Help Children
Every long distance call made by a
Cellular One subscriber through the
month of December will result in a 25
centdonationtothechildren’s wardsof
four Oregon hospitals.
Cellular One of Oregon and SW
Washington anticipates raising about
S40.000.00 to benefit children through
donations to Doemtvccher Children’s
Hospital-Portland, Sacred Heart Gen­
eral Hospital-Eugcnc, Rouge Valley
M edical C enter-M edford and St.
Charles Medical Center-Bend. Last
year, Docmbccher Children’s Hospital
received S3O.O5O.OO from Cellular
One’s holiday giving program. The
contribution to the hospital went to­
ward the purchase of a neonatal moni­
tor.
“Our holiday giving program is a
means for our customers and employ­
ees to help children throughout Or­
egon. The program is also a way for
Cellular One to say thanks to our sub­
scribers and our community for being
very good to us,” said Rich Begcrt,
General Manager of Cellular One for
Oregon and SW Washington. The pro­
gram is in its fourth year.
Volunteers from Cellular One will
jft / * A
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visit children in the pediatric wards of
the four hospitals during the holidays.
The children will be able to call Santa
Claus or friends and relatives on por­
table cellular phones. Santa Claus will
be answering the calls from the Cellu­
lar One Service Center in Bend.
Cellular One of Oregon and SW
Washington is a wholly-owned sub­
sidiary of McCaw Cellular communi­
cations, the leading cellular commu­
nications provider in the United States.
Cellular One employ s over 265 people,
managing operations throughout Or­
egon and SW Washington.