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EDITORIAL
T he P or L/, nd O bserver • M arch 24, 1993
a.
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p e r s p e c t i V e s
Educated Guess On Future Of Schools (Disaster?)
W hen my February 17 column
bore the headline, “Education Up­
date, 1993 Things Look Better”,! was
not guessing; 1 was giving an account
of the progress being made by a num ­
ber of the nation’s
governors (w ork­
ing with coopera­
tive state legisla­
tures) in “making
repairs” to their
education system
within a context of
b u d g e ta ry
and
structural realities,
lh ad nothing to say
about the situation in Oregon or Port­
land.
If 1 had predicted the current tur­
moil and despair, you wouldn’t have
believed me anyway. Against a back­
ground of fearful headlines an fright­
ening T V. soundbites—’’T eachers’
Union Braces For Layoffs, All Sports
Programs To Be Canceled, Superin-
1994 need for $369 million to main­
tain current services, but expects to
receive only $318.2 million, a short­
fall of $50.8 million
This, of course, is peanuts com­
pared to the state’s overall predica­
ment where com peting agencies
say they need $7.4 billion from
the general fund for the 1993-1995
biennium, while the legislature cites
$6.2 billion available; th at is a
$1.2 billion short-fall. In terms of
O reg o n ’s school system s alone,
we have that “Phantom at the Opera ",
Measure 5, the 1990 property tax
limitation law (don’t tell that to indi­
vidual property owners whose “as­
sessed values” have gone up dramati­
cally). The tax rate limit is lowering to
$5 per $1000 of assessed value for
schools.
The state must repay districts for
the lost revenue, $435 million in 1992-
93, climbing to $1.4 billion in 1993-
95, statewide, schools say the will
tendent Details Disastrous Hits”- th e
ensuing hysteria and turmoil must
surely provide a hint of what the “End
Days” are going to be like. Actually,
there was no need for me or any one
else to predict any­
thing, the hand­
writing had been
on the wall for over
a year, vis a vis in­
ept state adminis­
trators and legisla­
tors. Never was im­
pending doom so
precisely form u­
lated.
Just look at the budget situation
inone sectoralone: totals for K through
12th grade and Educational Service
Districts $3.1 billion, up $ 1.2 billion.
All told, school say they need $5.4
billion to maintain current programs
and absorb enrollment increases; in­
crease is $550 million In Portland
proper, the district projects a 1993-
need $5 4 billion to maintain current
programs in face of increasing enroll-
m ents-an increase of $550 million
Viewing figures like that, one can
get pretty depressed, but just imagine
the state o f mind o f hundreds of
thousands o f parents who could
even yield to hysteria, trying to
plan for the future of their children.
The media reports a hodge podge
o f c o n c e rn s and c o n te m p la te d
remedies, confusion is the w ord of the
day.
Many (those who think they can
afford it) arc taking a close look at
“private schools” . In turn, there are
mixed feelings in the private sector.
Some operators in that education fra­
ternity are rubbing their hands in glee,
already developing matrixes that will
tell them "who to accept” in terms of
test scores and grade performance.
Several minority parents have ex­
pressed grave concerns to me over this
eventuation, and they are joined by
both school districts and teacher
unions. I have commented for past
years on problems presented by pri­
vate corporations.
There is a terrible uncertainty
among school personnel as well as
parents as we all face changes whose
impacts can only be guessed While
the superi ntendents office and the leg­
islature try to develop a new "Endan­
gered Species Act ”, let’s look at some
of the contemplated decimation of
staff: 140 classroom teachers, 10 high
school vice-principals, and addition­
ally, substitutes, counselors, adminis­
trators, secretaries, janitors, bus driv­
ers, cafeteria workers, etc. There is
some controversy over the fact that
superintendent Bierwirth’s projected
cuts did not include the districts top
level administrators at all-deputies,
finance, instruction.
It will be interesting to see what
w ill be the fate of a number of pro­
grams h ^ rtily endorsed by minority
parents; drug prevention. Baseline
Essays, dropout prevention, TAG,
Vocational Village and the like. I’ve
received a number of inquiries as to
w hether I can tutor small groups in the
special kinds of mathematics and sci­
ence I have developed One parent
reminded me that years ago her little
son was in a class at the Black Educa­
tion Center when I demonstrated that
a six or seven year-old could be taught
algebra and geometry with a new in­
novative technique.
Yes, I do remember and have a
copy right on the process which is now
part of a demonstration project in
Atlanta being funded by the Feds. We
expect nationwide dissemination by
1994 The Japanese have expressed
interest and a company rep will be
down from Seattle in April. All over
the country, people are gearing up for
a major education shortfall What
happened to “Year 2000”? More next
week!
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Time For a Black Economic Game Plan
™
™
BY JAMES L. POSEY
It’s been a long time since I’ve
played the game M onopoly, but I
remember clearly that the one who
acquires “Board W alk” and “Park
Place” typically wins. And while in
that game everyone starts out with the
same amount of play money, it’s the
roll o f dice that determines how you
advance around the board. Most Blacks
know something about shooti ng craps,
but when it comes to economic ad­
vancement in Portland, many Afri­
can-Americans are not even in the
game And it’s not that hard to under­
stand why. In fact, I can use an ex­
ample th at’s pretty close to home to
demonstrate my point.
In the Portland “M arch Mad­
ness,” my oldest daughter played bas­
ketball for Benson in the g irls’ AAA-
Playoff. (on an all-Black squad, I might
add, including the coach) Oh yeah,
they are naturally talented; th at’s why
they got to the tournament in the first
place. As they got to the ne.xt-to-the-
together!
Other players are coming in.
stealing the ball and slam dunking it
in our faces. And, We don t have
anyone to blame but ourselves. We
stood by and w atched it happen on the
Oregon Convention Center. And,
while there appears to be some effort
to capitalize on the Oregon Arena
Project and Tri-Met Light Rail, the
lack of team work, effective coaching
and preparation means, again, that
many Blacks w ill not even get a chance
to get on the court, let alone suit up or
play second string
D on't get me wrong. A few well
placed “Negroes” will get high pro­
file jobs, and a few Black politicians
will sit at the welcoming table But
not enough Black people will make
any real money. We will again be left
holding empty bags or getting just a
few crumbs As a friend would say,
"The Tri-Met train has left the sta­
tion, headed for the Oregon Arena,
with none of us really on board
final game, I was obliged to coach
from the upper bleaches, as any good
parent would do. But they lost badly to
Oregon City. The fact that they lost,
and my daughter mostly w armed the
bench, was not as troublesome as to
why they lost. In contrast to Oregon
City, they lost because they si mply did
not play as a team And even w hen the
coach knew they were losingbadly, he
didn’t give all his players a chance to
play.
That is also why Blacks are
not winning in the economic game
in Portland, and I dare say, the coun­
try. We are not playing as a team,
and we refuse to use all our players.
I ’ve h it on th is them e before,
but I wish I could bring home the point
that African-Americans, including
those given up for lost, must start
working together like never before.
Indeed, there’s a joke going around
that there are three things God can’t
do: God can’t lie, go back on his
promises, or get Black folks to work
r,
. the kicker. -n
But . . here’s
There is
the possibility that if Blacks do not get
on board with Tri-Met, the Oregon
Arena, Gas Co-Generation, the North­
west Pipeline and other multi-million
dollar projects, we will never get be­
yond the posture of begging for jobs
or contributions for our pitiful social
services organizations. And, Wc w ill
never fully appreciate the sense of
accomplishment that comes as a re­
sult of creating business and employ­
ment opportunities for ourselves.
Time and opportunities are run­
ning out for us. When you think about
what happen in the Reagan/Bush era,
you realize Blacks will not get too
many more chances to change the
economic conditions of our commu­
nity. All of these Black folks, who
have been sitting on the fence and
play ing it safe, need to get off it. Start
investment clubs, new businesses and
joint ventures with exitingbusinesses
Wc must change the image and real­
ity that Blacks don’t make nothing.
own nothing, cove
save nnthino
nothing, rhanop
change
nothing, influence nothing. In other
words, Black are nothing, therefore
they can be treated like nothing.
Now B lacks are n a tu ra l
survivalists. T hat’s why, in spite of
often less than humane treatment, we
have been able not only to exist, but
in some cases, prosper But African-
Americans must realize that our Black
children are still getting the blatant
message that they don’t count. And
that message is ever increasingly com-
ing from other, typically-older
Blacks Yeah that’s right We all
know that white people have been
constantly sending our kids this mes­
sage, but when Blacks themselves
send the same message ( and not just
to kids), the impact is devastating
Black teachers confirm the low ex­
pectations of Blacks students just like
their white colleagues do And, there
are Blacks in positions of authority
and responsibility who question the
value and creditability of Black con­
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tractors and workers more s so than
their white peers. Moreover, some
Black politicians are more critical of
the motives of their Black constitu­
ents than white representati ves could
ever be.
Something has got to happen to
change this perilous trend less the
white monopoly continues. M o­
nopoly is not a game Blacks can
afford to play; nor as a people can we
continue to roll the dice. This game
destroy s our willingness to work as a
team and diminishes any real chance
to win. T hat’s why as far I am con­
cerned, African- Americans must
make sure that in every wav possible,
everyone in the Black community,
particularly Black youth, be included
in efforts to dev elop and implement a
serious economic game plan that will
make the entire community a win-
ner.
James Posey is a local, small
business owner with a background in
socialism and community activism.
V.?
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Civil Rights Enforcement: Reno’s Mondate
It has taken a long time for the
United States Senate to confirm unani­
mously a person to be Attorney Gen­
eral of the United States. President
Clinton’s choice of Ms. Janet Reno to
be the nation’s first female Attorney
General was a sound judgement call
given the political polarization that
surrounded the other potential candi­
dates.
National attention is now focused
a p p ro p riately on th e lead ersh ip
team that Attorney General Reno
will bring to the U S. Department
of Justice. We believe that the key
positions for Deputy, Associate and
Assistant Attorney Generals should
be filled by persons who have experi­
ence and a demonstrated record of
effective com m itm ent to ensuring
equal protection under the law and a
strong record o f
enforcing federal
civic rights laws.
R a c ia l d is ­
crim in atio n still
exists in the United
States across a wide
array of social con­
racial and civil rights matters, espe-
cerns and institutions Racism is alive
cially during the Clarence Thomas
and well and there is a renew ed neces-
sity for the U S . Department of Justice hearings, the confirmation of Reno
Administration to send a clear and
priority message to the nation con-
cem ing the future of civil rights advo-
gives the status quo an important ad­
vance in the quest for justice for women
of w hich we fully support.
Racism and sexism are twin
evils that should be consistently
challenged. Once again, however,
we must be steadfast in our demands
for racial justice within the Depart­
m ent o f Justice. T here is not a
better time than now for the Clinton
cacy.
Attorney General Reno should
recommend that one of the many gal­
lant civil rights lawyers in the nation
be chosen to be Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights In recent
years we have witnessed across the
nation a resurgence of racially moti-
vated violence, resegregation of pub-
lie schools in many school districts,
hyper segregation
in housing, and the
overall retrench­
ment of civil rights
enforcement by the
fe d e ra l g o v e rn ­
ment.
T he
C ivil
Rights Division of the Justice Depart-
ment should play a leading role in
challenging the old and new forms of
racial discrimination in the United
State But his will not happen if the
leadership of the Civil Rights Mov e­
ment does not demand greater civil
rights enforcement from Reno and the
Clinton Administration.
Reno was quoted as saying, “The
first agenda item is to build a Depart-
ment of Justice, to bring on the best
possible people to create a team that
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
to speak and act for the cause of racial
justice.
A fter the Senate confirm ed
Reno in a historic 98 to vote. President
C lin to n and S enate Ju d iciary
Committee Chair Sen. Joseph Biden,
were elated with the conclusion of
the confirm ation process Given
the past questionable actions o f
the Senate Judiciary Committee on
reflects America, that represents the
best in their various areas, and move
forward with that department.” We
support this goal. Now the mandate is
to fulfill the necessity for racial div er­
sity at the top of the Department of
Justice.
Our increasingly becom ing a
multiracial society demands stronger
civil rights protection for all persons
and communities, in particular those
communities that have had to bear the
history of American’s racial exploita­
tion and discrimination.
President Clinton needs to hear a
strong unified voice on the issue At­
torney General Reno needs to respond
with an aggressive policy and action
to enforce fairly, equally and force­
fully our nations civil rights laws The
racial divide in the nation demands
action now.
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This Way for Black Empowerment
The Black community of Wash­
ington, D C. has gotten bizz.ee with a
new film. L et’s G et Bizzee, starring
rapper DougE. Fresh. The D C. Black
b u sin e ss, m ed ia, p o litic a l and
grassroots community came out in
force in February to support the pre­
miere of this independently-made-
film Everyone loved the movie!
Let’s Get Bizzee was written
and directed by Carl Clay, Director of
the Black Spectrum Theater in Ja­
maica. Queens, and produced by Spec-
trum/Clay Productions, in association
with Fred New man Productions It ’s a
contemporary comedy adventure that
pits Sam Baker, a young rap artist
(Played by Doug E Fresh in his first
movie role) and his homeboy and
homcgirl pals in a :’ do or die politi­
cal campaign against a corrupt Black
elected official The film features rap
music in a very positive way, and
sends a strong message that urban
youth can participate in the demo­
cratic process. The youth in the film
"take on” the political establishment
in order to do something important for
their community . It contains a strong
anti-drug and anti-violence message
delivered by the youth themselves
But there's a story behind L et’s
Get Bizzee. It’s premiere in W ash­
ington was set up through an indepen­
dent distribution company called
"Screw Holly wood Productions.” The
film's producers, after years of trying
to market the project to Hollywood,
realized they had to go a different
route
They had spoken to literally every
major distributor to secure financing
and a distributor deal for L et’s Get
Biz/cc. What they were told is that a
positive "message" film about Afri­
can American vouth that features nei-
D.C. GETS
BIZZEE
99
it
ther v iolence nor house party-type lcaguc of Fred Newman and as a
frivolity is a film that won't attract an founder of the All Stars Talent Show
Network, which brought Doug E Fresh
audience.
The producers believed that was into the project, I went straight to the
wrong They came up with all the D C community to ask for support
Radio stat ion owner and talk show
financing and decided to distribute it
host
Cathy Hughes helped publicize
themselves, to prove it
They picked Washington, D C. the film extensively and brought hun­
as the spot to premiere the film As a dreds of her WOL listeners to see the
fan director Carl Clay, as a close eol- movie Councilman Marion Barry
t
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enthusiastically opened up his net­
works to help promote the film, as did
Councilman Harold Brazil. So did
Dave Alston and Tim Gordon ofThird
Renaissance, Y usuf Jackson-Rev
Jesse Jackson's son-thc Young Ma­
rin es, C ongressw om an E le a n o r
Homes-Norton, staff members for
Councilman Jack Evans, Principal
Princess Whitfield from Hines Jr High
School in D C , and Greg McClcase
This is what Councilman Barry
said at the film's opening nigh, party:
“1, has a positive message Hollywood
w ouldn't touch it. Why? It's too posi­
tive If it doesn’t show the worst of us,
they won t show it. This is just the
begi nning Let s give our young people
a round of applause They're not just
our future, they're our present!”
This film is special It breaks with
the stereotypical portrayal of Black
youth as a dangerously alienated seg­
ment of society. Sam Baker and his
friends look out for their families. They
worry about what their mothers think
of them And when the older genera­
tion can t carry the fight for the com­
munity any more, they jum p in with
their youthful energy and enthusiasm
to take their places in the struggle.
This is the side of our Black communi­
ties that is rarely if ever acknowledged
by Hollywood But it’s real
Doug E Fresh, the film 's produc­
ers and the black community of Wash­
ington. D C. took the film through
completion to its opening Now it sup
to those who want to sec this kind of
positive Black entertainment succeed
to take it further. If you're a business
person, a politician or someone who
cares about the community and y ou’re
interested in getting “bizzee,” give me
a call at 1 -800-288-3201 and I’ll hook
you up.
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