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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1993)
» * S s f « » » ÿ * « » * * D ecember 08, i W P age 2 • T he P ortland O bserver J Che 5?ortlanh (©bseruer ? r 0 s t c P s V Im m ig r a t io n v s A f r ic a n A m e r ic a n s B y P rof . M c K inley B urt W e ll, last week we saw it was not a new phenomenon among blacks that they should be disturbed by the eco nom ic inroads upon their w elfare o c casioned by im m ig ra tio n on a h e ig h t ened scale, Though there were e a rlie r, q u ite determined responses, I thought m y description o f the e fforts o f R oy Irin is, D irector o f C O R E , were the h ig h lig h t o f a m id 1980s re co g n itio n o f a problem. It is understandable that M r. In n is w o u ld perceive Hispanic im m ig ra tio n as the greatest threat to A fric a n A m e ri can em ploym ent and sm all business developm ent opportunities. Palpable and h ig h ly visib le fric tio n had been developing fo r decades in fa s t-g ro w ing Standard M e tro p o litan S ta tistica l Areas like Los Angeles (“ Urban C e n ters” to you). There was fierce co m p e titio n among ethnic groups fo r a d e c lin in g number o f jo b s, and as noted b lack sociologist, A ndrew B illin g s le y described it, “ technological changes in the 1950s and 1960s, then autom a- tion and an inevitable dec line in manu facturing jobs made dramatic changes in the w ork force in central cities.” T h is w h ile im m ig ra tio n m ounted daily. The unfortunate result o f such developments is that they always seem to place m in o rity groups in com peti tion w ith each other fo r s u rv iv a l- whether in today’ s central cities or in so-called ‘ T h ird W orld C ountries’ , many o f w hich are s till colonies ex cept in name. It is a matter o f long debate whether the establishment (fo r mal governm ent or ru lin g class) de liberately develops such antagonisms in order to control and cheapen labor. Is there a N A F T A in your future? Since the days o f “ The Monroe Doctrine, 1823” (Europe, you keep your greedy hands o f f our L a tin o friends to the S o u th -w e “ ow n” them), there has been little but unrest, revo lu tio n , exploitation, coups and other Am erican m anipulation o f M exico, C entral A m erica and South Am erica. Then, there arc the boasts and confes- sions o f the Marine general, Smedley Butter, who terrorized and controlled many o f these regions and the C a rib bean fo r the benefit o f Am erican in dustry andagricultural interests: N ica ragua, Panama, H onduras, C uba, H a iti, Etc. Describing him se lf as little more than a gangster o r racketeer, the General detailed “ 33 years and 4 months” o f m aking these areas “ Safe for democracy and o il” (1902 - 1935). We shouldn’ t o m it the ’ U nited F ruit Company” . Shall we w onder then that L a tin Am erica furnishes the m illio n s o f ex ploited souls that assail our borders each year? Does it matter whether they are called asylum seekers, p o liti cal refugees, w et backs o r ‘ pardner’ ? A nd those o f us registering apprehen sion should rem em ber, too, the obser vation o f M r. Innis: “ The legalization n eedsofam illion undocumented black aliens are not being m et” . W h ile it is true that several years ago I presented here a rather detailed and w ell documented research on early European im m ig ra tio n as it affected A frica n Am ericans, I believe I o m it- led a 1972 Portland experience that once again has relevance to blacks in crafts and in education. A t the tim e I was not o n ly c h ie f accountant but adm inistrator o f the Dept. o f Labor C ra ft T ra in in g Program s in operation at a local “ m in o rity ’ m anufacturing plant. There were perhaps a half-dozen black machine to o l’ trainees. A t first, m any o f us were naive enough to suppose that this sm all but evidently good fa ith e ffo rt on the part o f governm ent and union to train blacks in the operation o f machine tools was ju s t that; accompanied as it was by much rhetoric on the part o f both black and w h ite social engineers to the e ffect that this program was an im portant m ilestone in A m erican In dustry. Im agine m y consternation when I ran across that 1966 study, “ T h e A n n a ls o f the A m e ric a n A ca d e m y o f P o litic a l and S o c ia l S c ie n c e : I m m i g r a t i o n ” . O u r fr ie n d ly U .S . D e p t. o f L a b o r had d e ve lo p e d a m assive overseas p ro g ra m to r e c r u it and g ra n t U .S. c itiz e n s h ip to th o u sa n d s o f w h ite m a c h in e to o l o p e ra to rs and tr a in ees fro m G e rm a n y , A u s tria , S w it diers” fared no better than have black machine tool operators today. So i t is th a t w o rk in g p e o p le in th is c o u n try and in o th e r lands z e rla n d and S c a n d in a v ia . I was im m ediately reminded o f fe e l th a t th e y have in m any cases been p la ce d in d e lib e ra te (a n d U n n e ce ssa ry) c o m p e titio n w ith the travesty I reported the other week, when I to ld how the ninth and Tenth B lack C alvary was promised title to many fe rtile acres o f land along the each o th e r fo r o b v io u s reasons. A c ro s s the sea we see e th n ic G e r m a n s p r o t e s t in g a n d r i o t i n g a g a in st the presence o f fo re ig n new U nion P acific Railroad L ine - an achievement their indom itable cover age made possible, It was the very w o rk e rs and refugees se e kin g p o l i t i c a l a s y lu m , P o le s , C z e c h s , T u rk s , N o rth A fric a n s , etc. S te ffe n same in those earlier days lastcentury, H e itm a n n , C h a n c e lo r H e lm u t the U.S. governm ent ran ads in the K o h l’ s n o m in e e fo r P re sid e n t o f Port C ity newspapers o f northern Eu G e rm a n y , w ith d re w fro m c o n s id rope in v itin g farmers to emigrate to e ra tio n u n der pressure fro m The A m erica and gain free title to these W o rld Je w ish C ongress, W o m e n ’ s very lands. They also put up huge R ig h ts g ro u p s , and s im ila r o rg a colored posters in public places. As n iz a tio n s . H e itm a n n w as q u o te d , late as 1974 there was a 4' by 3' copy “ m ore a tte n tio n sh o u ld be p a id to on the w a ll o f the lobby o f the Pittock G erm ans w h o fe e l o ve rru n by re fu B lo ck B u ild in g at S.W .Tenth and g e e s a n d o th e r f o r e ig n e r s - - W ashington (The b u ild in g was the w o m e n ’ s p ro p e r ro le is m o th e r” . Do these things go together? More local o ffic e fo r the U nion Pacific and next week. other railroads). The “ B u ffa lo Sol THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT Is Development Possible? B y D r . L enora F ulani O n November 5 1 had the honor o f introducing Dr. Fred N ewm an, m y colleague and dear friend, to some 600 social service workers, educators, stu dents, co m m u n ity organizers and ju s t p la in fo lks who had come to hear his annual lecture, w hich is sponsored by the East Side Institute fo r Short Term Psychotherapy. D r. Newman is the d ire cto r o f tra in in g at the Institu te , the national center fo r tra in in g in the non- E urocentric, anti-psychological thera p e u tic and e d u c a tio n a l a p p roach know n as social therapy w h ich he began developing m ore than 20 years ago. The topic o f D r. N ew m an’ s ta lk was “ Creating O ur L iv e s .” I w a n t to te ll you about it because I believe that his discovery o f an approach that can reinitiate developm ent in ch ild re n and adults is o f crucial im portance to o u r people at a mom ent in history when psychologists and educators are echo ing the economists w ho say that devel opm ent has reached a dead end. The underlying racist message o f that statement, Dr. Newman pointed out, is the reason developm ent is over is that w ho w e ’ re tryin g to educate now are children o f color. M uch o f the educational and academic elite in this country believe that these children, our ch ild re n , are not as educablc as w hite children. But D r. Newman and his c o lle a g u e s -I am very proud to be one o f them -don’ t believe that racist m yth and d o n ’ t believe that our c h il dren can’ t grow . I t ’ s precisely that self-serving and profoundly racist as sum ption w hich we are challenging. Social therapy takes its inspira tion from the w o rk o f Le v Vygotsky, a Russian Jew w ho in the years ju s t after the re vo lu tio n fo r 1917 challenged all the assumptions that have been the basis o f the Western “ science” o f Psy culture: rich w hite men.) B u t leaving aside the moral and p o litic a l objec tions to this assumption, there is a huge scientific problem w ith the no tio n o f in d ivid u a l development: that’ s not how it happens, V yg o tsky said. Interpretation, analysis and ex planation are all expressions o f the compctiveness that structures “ nor m al” ad u lt conversation , regardless o f what we are saying to one another; typ ica lly, how we ta lk to one another For evidence, he looked at how very young children develop, and in par ticu la r how they learn to speak in a “ c o n jo in t a c tiv ity ” w ith other people. I t ’ s the same in a ll societies: babies babble,and “ experienced” speakers- older children and adults—ta lk back to them, relating to these “ inexperienced ’ speakers members o f the speaking isn’ t developm ental because we are n o tb u ild in g -c o m p lc tin g -s o m e th in g chology since the 19th century. A central assumption o f the Psy chology is that human development is som ething that happens to, and in, in d iv id u a ls . (N o t su rp risin g ly, the “ norm al” “ m odel” in d ivid u a l in this scheme represents those w ho dom i com m unity. W e do this by encourag ing the little ones to do som ething “ in advance o f ’ themselves (to ta lk w ith - out “ know ing how” ); they are included in the com m unity o f speakers in such a way that they are able to im itate those who already know w hat to do. A s adults we d o n ’ t interpret, analyze o r explain w hat babies “ say” to us when they babble. W e “ complete” their thought fo r them. (W hen a baby says “ Ba-ba,:” we say: “ Y ou w ant your nate Western economy, society and b o ttle !” socially, but com peting in d ivid u a lis tical ly ; we 1 isten j ust u n til we can take “ our turn, to be able to say w hat we have to say. The point is that human beings de velop socially, with other people, or we don’t develop. That’ s why there can’t years o f w o rk by many dedicated people, is an approach to children and adults w h ich has the capacity to reinitiate d e velopm ent I f human be ings cannot continue to grow , i f hu man beings cannot continue to de velop, they cannot get better.” O n the fo llo w in g afternoon, 250 people practiced learning to talk the way babies learn to do i t - b y “ com plet in g ” rather than com peting w ith each o th e r-a n d doing so caught a glimpse o f w hat Dr. Newm an and his c o l leagues mean by re in itia tin g develop be a “ science” o f human development, a psychology, unless it rests on the soc ial nature o f our specialties; a “ psy chology” based on the assumption o f ment. For i f we don’ t fin d a way to reinitiate developm ent, D r. Newman said, “ W e are doomed. A t this m o ment in history, the very question o f individual development is a myth. “ So we sought to find a way o f continued development is being raised. Can we create a global environm ent in creating a learning approach, a thera peutic approach, w hich was funda w hich human developm ent can con m entally com m itted to developm ent and, therefore, fundam entally dedi cated to the socialness o f human be ings,” Dr. Newman told his audience. “ W hat we have discovered, after many tinue?” It takes a lo t o f guts to ask that question these d a ys-a n d even more to devote every w aking hour, as Dr. Newman has d o n e -to come up w ith an approach that makes it possible to say YES in response to it. W h ich is exactly what makes the Federal B u reau o f Investigation and others who have attacked him so hostile. I t ’ s no coincidence that our en emies call us a “ cu lt.” (T h a t’ s why they call any group o f people who don’ t go along w ith their psychology and who have managed to a vo id being destroyed or drugged into obedience, as a punishm ent.) The “ cu lt label is meant to scare people away from any challenge to the psychology o f in d i vidualism , w hich is fa ilin g to reach m illio n s o f our children and d rivin g m illio n s o f people to d rin k and to drugs (o f the legal and ille g a l variety). Y o u see, i f we aren’ t a “ c u lt,” and i f D r. Newman isn’ t a “ guru” who forces people into “ blind obedience,” then something else must be going on. That something else is the trouble some (to the powers-that-be) possibil ity that m illio n s o f people in thiscoun- try (and around the w o rld ) m ig h t be h ig h ly responsive to the new psychol ogy that D r. Newman, I and o u r col leagues are creating. MHCCD Foundation Seeks Items For Annual Auction And Dinner V o lu n te e r so licita tio n teams are hard at w o rk try in g to gather a record 12 at the Portland H ilto n , OverS25,(XX) w orth ol items have $175,000 in merchandise, vacations been donated since the auction s o lic i- tation k ic k -o ff O ct. 18. Items include and services to put on the auction blo ck at the 22nd Annual M t. H ood an autom obile donated by Jim Weston C o m m u n ity C ollege D is tric t Founda- Pontiac, cu sto m -b u ilt g o lf clubs from non A u c tio n and D inner. The event - Jack B eaudoin’ s G o lf C lub, a m icro- - the F o u n d a tio n ’ s single largest fund wave oven and V C R from First In te r raiser o f the y e a r - w i ll be held M a rch state B ank, and A laskan fish in g trip from Gary N ichols and a wingback chair from L a n g ’ s Rose C ity U phol stery. ing to donate auction items should call Karen Hosea, Foundation coordina tor, at 667-7206. PO RTLAND O BSERVER O ffic e : (5 0 3 ) 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 F a x #: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 8 -0 0 1 5 S ubscribe ¿ T ljr ^ J n r t l a n b ( O b s e r b c r (USPS 959-GUO) OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established in 1S70 by Allred L. Henderson Joyce Washington Publisher T he P ortland O bserver can be SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME FOR ONLY The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is loentod at 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Orogon 97211 503-200-0033 • Fax 200-0015 Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon $30.00 Oregon. Tho Portland Observor welcomes Ireolance submissions. Manuscript and photographs should be clearly labeled and will bo roturnoU II accompanied by a sell addressed envelope. All created design display uds become the sole proporty ol the newspaper and can not be used In other publications or personal usago, without tho wrltlon oynsenl ol the general managor, unless the client has purchased the composition ol such ad. © 1993 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Subscrlptlons:$30.00 per year. Tho Portland Obsorvor-Orogon’s Oldest Alrlcan-Amorlcan Publication-- Is a member ol the National Newspaper Association-Founded In 1005, and Tho National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. and The Wosl Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver I am w ritin g you concerning an “ Y o u th In itia tiv e ” event sponsored by Oregon G overnors’ School fo r C itiz e n Leadership that happened Saturday, D e ce m b cr4 ,1993. Between 2 5 -30 hig h school students from around the Portland area w ill be w o rk ing along w ith 10-15 Reed college students to construe t a playground fo r ch ild re n w ho arc learning disabled because they were born addicted to drugs. These students w ill be w o rkin g from 9:30 A M to 4:00 PM on Satur day the 4th at the Im ani W o m e n ’ s Support Project at 5037 N E 16lh Ave (corner o f 16th and NE A lberta), I f necessary you can call Shalia Monroe P lease fill out , ENCLOSE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, AND mail to : POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Obsorver, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97200. Second class postage paid at PoilH.-.J PER YEAR. Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 » • « M B do I give blood to the S ubscriptions T he P ortland O bserver PO Box 3 1 3 7 P ortland , O regon 9 7 2 0 8 Name Address City. State Zip Code T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver Support Project. Oregon G overnors’ School is a private n o n -p ro fit organization aimed at developing leadership and c itize n ship in the stale’ s young people. The high school participants represent a cross-section o f the state in terms o f geographic, demographic, socioeco nom ic and ethnic characteristics. One o f our projects is to sponsor “ Y outh In itia tive s” w hich arc regional groups that meet m onthly to receive more leadership tra in in g , to participate in groupcom m unity service, and to share w ith each other how the in d ivid u a l com m unity service projects that they better have started arc going. The students w ould love fo r more people to be involved in these Y o u th In itia tive s and, thus, w ould tru ly appreciate any media attention you can give them. Y outh In itia tive s are part o f a na tional youth movement dedicated to com m unity service and citizen lead ership, please help us to in vo lve more people form Oregon. If you would like to know more about Oregon Governors’ School for Citizen Leadership please feel free to contact me at our office (222-5559). Thank you in advance for your support. Megan Voorhees Youth Initiative Coordinator Oregon Governors’ School ''die (SJditor Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Thanks fo r the great scries on Legal A id . H crca re a fe w cxp cricn ccs on garnishm ent. As you say you get a notice about your creditors action. B ut unless you have money fo r a la w ye r or tim e and talent to figure out how to “ file a legal makes the slightest m istake in send ing the garnishm ent to your cre d ito r response” . They W o n ’ tE v c n T c ll You A T im e O f The C o u rt A ctio n . Y o u r cre d ito r chooses anytim e he wants. The other advantage the creditor is given is against your boss. I f he H ow can you prove he’ s really firin g you ille g a lly? every week, He Is Responsible For Y o u r W hole Debt. So he wants to fire you as soon as he gets the notice from court. H e’ s going to say there’ s no w ork for you. Run; get some credit counselling help! JIM ANDERSON UNDERWOOD I like tke way it makes m&l American Red Cross * .5 # • . * -• » ossr at P roject at 284-3965 fo r more in fo r m ation regarding the Im ani W omen ’ s » I Celebrate Diversity
