J uly 20, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A2
U ïw  W
NATIONAL’
C O A L IT IO N
NRC To ABC’s “20/20: Focus On “Primetime”,
“Nightline” And “This Week”
[The following article appeared in the Style Section of the Washington Post
on Saturday, July 9.]
“ S o m e o f A B C ’s h ig h e st- tic e ‘ o u tr a g e o u s ,’ sa y in g . F o r
p aid c o rre s p o n d e n ts are p r o ­ them to look like th e y ’re c o m p ro ­
te stin g th e new n e tw o rk p o licy m isin g th e m se lv e s ta k e s a w a y the
b a rrin g them from sp e a k in g for v alu e o f w h at they do as p ro fe s ­
pay to c o rp o ra tio n s an d trad e s io n a ls .’
“ B ut G re e n fie ld said the is ­
a sso c ia tio n s.
sue
is m ore c o m p lic a te d . 'T h e
“ S o u rc e s sa y th a t D av id
w
h
o
le
id ea o f a v o id in g c o n flic ts
B r in k le y , S a m D o n a ld s o n ,
o
f
in
te
re s t is e x a c tly r ig h t,’ he
C o k ie R o b e r ts ,'N ig h tlin e ’ c o r ­
said
.
'W
h e n you sta rt try in g to
re sp o n d e n t J e ff G re e n fie ld an d
fig
u
re
o
u
t w h at is a n d w h at is n ’t,
W h ite H o u se r e p o r te r s B rit
it
gets
really
trick y . Y ou can speak
H um e an d A nn C o m p to n are
to
n
o
n
p
ro
fit
g ro u p s--th e y d o n ’t
am ong th o se w ho h av e sig n e d a
h
av
e
a
le
g
isla
tiv e a g e n d a ? T hey
le tte r o b je c tin g to th e b an . T h e
lobby
all
the
tim
e. W e ’re ju s t tr y ­
le tte r w ent to S en io r V ice P re si­
ing
to
g
e
t
a
p
o
lic y th a t m akes
d e n t R ic h a rd W a ld , w ho d e ­
se
n
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(o
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it
'C
E N T S ’).
c r e e d in a m e m o th a t su c h
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jo u rn a lis tic in ­
m o o n lig h tin g o fte n a m o u n te d
te
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,
w
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’re
w
aitin
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to “a se c o n d h ig h -in c o m e jo b ”
and
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h
tlin
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’
to
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a h a rd h ittin g
a n d c r e a te d an a p p e a r a n c e
in
v
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stig
a
tiv
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re
p
o
rt
on
this issu e .
p ro b lem fo r A B C . W ald , w ho
W
estern
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edia
C
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m
issio
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m en t. H efty fees are at stak e.
the
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D o n ald so n h as g iv e n a $ 3 0 ,0 0 0
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R o b e rts sp o k e to th e G ro u p
T H E G R E A T F L O O D O F 1994
H ealth A sso c ia tio n o f A m e ric a
T h o u sa n d s o f flood v ic tim s
b u t d e c id e d to d o n a te h er fee,
u su a lly $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 to ch a rity . O ne h av e b een le ft p e n n ile ss, h o m e ­
A BC in sid e r c a lle d th e p ra c - le ss, jo b le s s and even in a sta te o f
m o u rn in g .
R ev.
C .M .
A le x a n d e r , P r e s id e n t o f th e
G e n e r a l M is s io n a r y B a p tis t
C o n v en tio n o f G e o rg ia , is sp e a r­
h e a d in g a re lie f e ffo rt for flo o d
v ic tim s. B e g in n in g F rid a y , Ju ly
8, the B a p tist c o n v e n tio n has
been a b le to d is trib u te an a v e r ­
age o f 10 tons o f n o n p e rish a b le
item s th ro u g h o u t m id d le and
so u th G e o rg ia .
O n Ju ly 13th, R ev . C .M .
A le x a n d e r a n d M r. J o s e p h
B e a sle y , the S o u th e rn R e g io n a l
D ire c to r o f the N a tio n a l R a in ­
bow C o a litio n , m ade a v is it to
the d is a s te r a re a s to fu rth e r a s ­
sess the n e e d s o f its c itiz e n s and
m eet w ith A m e ric a n R ed C ro ss,
m in iste ria l and lo c a l c iv ic le a d ­
ers to c o o rd in a te e ffo rts an d to
in su re th a t in fo rm a tio n and r e ­
so u rc e s are a v a ila b le to all v ic ­
tim s.
In d iv id u a ls and o r g a n iz a ­
tio n s in te re ste d in assistin g w ith
th is r e lie f e ffo rt ( e .f., fin a n c ia l
c o n trib u tio n s or any o th e r s u p ­
p o rt se rv ic e s) can c o n ta c t M r.
J o s e p h B e a s le y a t 4 0 4 - 7 5 5 -
5685.
V a n ta g e P o in t
Black America Should Rally Around Ben Chavis
31
Muhammad affair. Refusing to buckle
to outside pressure (as many Black
leadersdid),D r.C haviscouragcously
called fora Black Leadership Summit
conference to discuss and agenda and
unified approach to solving the crises
afflicting the Black community. Dr.
Chavis made it clear that M inister
Farrakhan would be included in the
i
d
. v
* >
From Fairie Tales To Television, II
educational structure for the world
stage by year 2000, unbelievable!
Linda Ellerbee, a colum nist for
King Features Syndicate Inc., has
had some pertinent com m ents on the
m atter (she m oderated the hearings at
the request o f the FCC). “N either the
C hildren’s Television A ct nor the
FCC w ent so far as to say how much
educational program m ing a network
or station m ust
W ell, neither
put
on
th e
had I until such
air...broadcasters
thoughts struck me
By
have not been ea­
a b o u t th e sam e
Vte
& Professor
ger to load their
time that my a t­
Mckinfey
sc h e d u le s w ith
te n tio n w as e n ­
Burt
e d u c a tio n a l
gaged
se v e ra l
c h ild re n ’s pro-
years ago by con-
gram
m
ing
for
the
sim
ple reason that
gressional hearings on movie and
com
m
ercial
broadcasting
in America
television violence. As I have re­
is
just
th
a
t—commercial!
”
W e know;
marked, “ So far, television’s enter­
advertisers
pay
for
high
ratings.
tainment gurus haven’t put forward
And, o f course, there is the other
G rim m ’s Fairy Tales as a defense” -
m
atter
- that o f gratuitous violence,
- being as traditionally Am erican as
with
networks
and writers seeming to
'm other and apple pie’. However,
accelerate
their
fierce efforts to com ­
during the recent Federal C om m uni­
m
and
attention
and ratings with on
cations C om m ission hearings on
around-the-clock
orgy o f blood-let­
“children’s television” , even more
ting.
The
public
seems
to have been so
fatuous argum ents were offered up in
paralyzed
by
media
accounts
of how
defense o f video mayhem — or at least
m
any
thousand
m
urder,
assaults
and
the broadcasters argued beside the
rapes
each
child
will
see
in
a
year
that
following point.
B eing w ell aw are th a t ‘T he they no longer have the will or energy
Childrens Television A ct,’ passed in for effective protest (do you?).
Here, we have that long-ongoing
1990 was supposed to encourage the
and
contentious argum ent between
people who own networks and/or sta­
the
industry,
congress and the public
tions to put m ore “educational show s”
--
“
tu
rn
it
o f f ....m o n ito r the
on for kids, nevertheless some sta­
program
s...control
and censor the
tions w ere getting around the act by
product
with
strict
codes.”
O f course,
invoking some rather contem ptible
plays; for in stance c a llin g “ T he nothing is ever resolved and the rivers
Jetsons” science program m ing. This o f videotaped blood flow on and chil­
crap from the m edia giants who are to dren quite obviously becom e inured
play a key role developing A m erica’s to the concepts o f killing, pain and
ast week, we opened
th is d ia lo g u e w ith a
_
survey of the violence
and bloodshed found in the
classic fairy talesas exemplified
in the works of the brothers
“Grimm” . Some readers swore
that they had never evaluated
these “ virtue in stilling” tales for
children in such a light.
human tragedy, w hile the gangs re­
cruit them in ever-increasing num ­
bers.
There is not m uch surcease from
our pain and worry as concerned par­
ents and grandparents,even when we
consultthe myriad psychiatrists,coun­
selors, psychologists, behaviorist,
criminal justice and others who seem
to have so much to say on this subject­
if only they had solutions in propor­
tion to me it seems that the only
effective instrumentality for the d e­
velopment of workable solutions is
the U.S. Congress, and of course that
means we-the-people have to get that
body in gear - hopefully before our
civilization collapse around us (quite
like Rome). I know, they mostly pas­
ture, don’t they?
Those o f us from other genera­
tions look back and try to determ ine
the sources and influences that struc­
tured our own socialization and m atu­
ration. W e assess early T. V. and radio
o f past times, search our m em ories,
trying to recall the heroes and villains
of early dramas and now these actors
went about their business of portray­
ing reality (?).
And of course, in the final analy­
sis, did these popular arts motivate us,
influence our ambitions, govern our
role-playing, and to whatextent? After
all Shakespeare had it, “ the play is the
thing”.
Is it possible to analyze one’s self
in a fair and unprejudiced m anner?
W as the European fairy tale account
o f “ unrestrained m urder m utilation,
cannibalism , infanticide, and incest”
a case of “art imitating life, or life
im itating art? And which is it in the
case o f modem day television?
better
(SLÏÏitor
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
by
L ouise L. J ames
When The House voted 216-214
to ban 19 types of assault
weapons, members apparently
were suggesting that weapons
left unbanned would not cause
further crime, or make people
feel less threatened. W ho’s
kidding who?
«115
$
a
h
p e rsp e c t z ves
new look at the NAACP. More than
60% o f these new NAACP members
are under 30 years old. Dr. Chavis s
tenure at the helm has not been
without difficulties, however.
Some within the N AACP who
were/are comfortable with the old
A M E R IC A .
NAACP have consistently resisted
All guns arcassault weapons. As
Black people were looking for a
the new direction charted by Dr.
assault simply means attack, every
new direction for the NAACP. Dr.
Chavis. And certain elem ents o f the
person hit by a bullet has been as-
Chavis has not disappointed. He Summit.
M ost recently, Dr. Chavis took media, particularly the New York
saulted/attacked by that bullet. To
immediately set the tone for his ad­
Times, have been severely critical of ban 19 and leave thousands in circu­
another
bold
step
in
his
cam
paign
to
ministration by going directly to the
Dr. Chavis in an obvious attem pt to lation, is to operate on a person with
“hood” in South Central Los A nge­ promote unity in the Black com m u­
discredit him and his top associates. cancer and arbitrarily cut only part of
les to await the verdict in the second nity by convening a meeting o f na­
Dr. C havis’s refusal to distance him ­ it out. W hat’s left, obviously, will kill
Rodney King beating trial. He has tionalist, pan-africanist and progres­
self from Farrakhan and the D etroit as surely as that which was cut away.
been a major inspiration for the sive leaders. Hosted by the 50,000
m eetin g w ith n a tio n a lis t, pan-
Ergo, all guns should be banned. They
Urban Peace M ovem ent which is member Detroit branc hofthcN A A C P
africanist and progressives are par­ are the one thing in this society that
(the
largest
branch
in
the
A
ssocia­
working to end the fratricide fueled
ticularly troublesom e to his detrac­ we do not need. And when the system
by gangs in Black com m unities tion), among those attending this his­
to rs in sid e and o u tsid e o f the is done telling us how cops have to
across the nation. Indeed, the crisis toric m eeting w ere: Dr. C onrad
NAACP. Joe Madison, a board mem ­ have them, and how are we going to
o f Black youth had becom e a major W orrill, Chairm an of the National
ber who has em erged as a major defend ourselves against others who are
focus for the NAACP. The struggle B la c k U n ite d F ro n t, C h a rle n e
critic of Dr. Chavis, described the carrying them, this will not have changed.
for “economic dem ocracy” has also M itchell, Co-Chairperson of the N a­
inclusion of Farrakhan in the call for
If there arc no guns, where will
been intensified as Dr. Chavis scored tional Alliance Against Racism and
the Sum m it as an “extrem e move
die
“O
thers” get them from? As for
Political
Repression,
Dr.
Maulana
a milestone victory by signing a $50
and labeled the leaders who attended
Karenga,
Chairm
an
of
the
US
O
rga­
million Fair Share A greem ent with
.,
s
-
.. m s •?-
nization and the creator of Kwanzaa, the Detroit m eeting as a group of
ihe D enny’s corporation.
“w ashed up radicals from the past.”
But perhaps the m ost important Cornel West, Vice. Chairman, Demo­
Indeed, the D etroit m eeting has
dimension o f the dynam ic new d i­ cratic Socialist o f America, Gwen
caused
such concern among some of
rection set by Dr. Chavis has been a Patton, Director, Southern Rainbow
the
Board
m em bers that Dr. Chavis
new openness to reaching out to all Education Project, Adjoa Aiyetoro,
may be in serious jeopardy.
V
' L
' e -
sectors o f the N ational African D irector, N ational C onference o f
From my vantage point, as a
B
lack
Law
yers
and
Dr.
L
eonard
“
¡
£
2 3 .
American Com m unity. Given the
lifetime m em berof N A ACP, its time
Jeffries,
Chairman
of
the
Black
Stud­
massive crisis ripping at the very
to Rally Around Ben Chavis! Too
fabric o f Black life in our com m uni­ ies Dept. at CUNY.
many Black leaders who have had
The
meeting
was
an
overw
helm
­
ties Dr. Chavis has prioritized creat­
the courage to stand up for Black
ing
success.
It
is
a
tribute
to
the
lead­
ing greater unity am ong the various
people have fallen prey to fo.ces
o p i p »?
ership
o
f
Dr.
Chavis
that
leaders
who
leaders, organizations and constitu­
external to the Black com m unity
would
not
have
com
e
to
a
meeting
encies in o u r co m m u n ities Dr.
and their apologists inside the Black
C havis has p rio ritiz e d creating convened by the NAACP a year ago
community. Black A merica should
sat
around
the
table
together
to
dis­
greater unity among the various lead­
not forget that no less a personage
cuss
ways
and
means
o
f
working
col­
ers, organizations and constituen­
than W .E.B. DuBois was tun oi.l of
laboratively
to
cope
with
the
crisis
in
cies in the Black community. Black
the NAACP. All to often the B’aek
the
Black
community.
Black
leaders
America watched with great satis­
masses apathetically watch as cou­
[ * £ ¡ ¡ 7 to ue*-
faction as Dr. Chavis participated in who in some cases had serious differ­
rageous
Black
leaders
are
c
ul
down
deuef S’*
a nationally televised Unity Forum en c e s w ith ea c h o th e r a g re e d to
-rwe « W t* !
Ben
Chavis
should
not
becom
e
a
|
convened by Cong. Kwesi Mfumc, se t a sid e th e ir d iffe re n c e s to e x ­
sa «
s >» t
victim of our apathy and inaction, i
C hairm an of the C ongressional p lo re c re a tin g o p e ra tio n a l unity
The voice of the masses c f Black ,
Black Caucus. The new Executive for th e sake o f the g re a te r good o f
people needs lo b e heard in a ringing i
Director of N AACP stood on the th e B lack N a tio n .
endorsem ent for the new leadership
Ithas
been
thiskind
of
new
direc­
same platform with Jesse Jackson,
and new direction o f the NAACP j
Maxine W aters and M inister Louis tion and bold new leadership which
W ithout our support Ben Chavis and
Farrakhan and entered into a co v ­ has been like a breath of fresh air the new direction he has blazed may '
enant to advance the struggle for revitalizing our oldest and largest
be in danger.
?O«
iMPOt?MAT¡od /kit
justice for Black people. And, the civil rights organization. During the
Persons interested in working
last
year
the
m
em
bership
o
f
the
masses of Black people beamed w ilh
to support Dr. Chavis and his new
enorm ous pride when Dr. Chavis N A A CPdram atically increased from
direction for NA ACP should call the
refused to break the C ovenant with 490,(MX) to 650,000 as Black people
national office: 410-486 9100.
M inister Farrakhan over the Khalid from across the nation have taken a
HEN T H E N A A C P
S E L E C T E D DR.
B E N JA M IN F. CH A V IS
AS E X E C U T IV E D IR E C T O R A
W A V E O F O P T IM IS M AND
E X PE C T A N C Y SW E P T BL A CK
J iJ :
s'
cops, they do n ’t need them either. Let
them rely on their sticks as th e ' Bob­
bies’ in London once did. Their jobs
w ill be m ade easier and their own
lives less endangered, because where
there are no guns, they ’ll not be avail­
able to rob banks, arm ored trucks,
stick people up; thus cutting out any
possibility o f them, (the cops) being
shot when attem pting to stop a rob­
bery. More importantly, since blacks,
(in particular black men) are rou­
tinely shot to death in far greater
num ber than cops, by cops, elim inat­
ing the gun will put these trigger-happy
cops out of the trigger-pulling business!
In addition, disgruntled workers
could no longer goon shooting sprees,
irate husbands/wives couldn’t shoot
each other. All those people we read
about, who get up in the middle of the
night and wipe out their entire fam ­
ily... it all stops!
In the absence o f the gun 13-
year-olds w ouldn’t be killing other
13-year-olds, three year olds wouldn ’t
blow themselves away because they
got hold o f the gun their parents
thought was “ Well out o f their reach,”
and Colin Ferguson, no m atter how
messed up in his head, would not have
been able to go on that shooting ram ­
page on the Long Island train last
December; a shooting that left six
people dead, and 19 wounded. In
addition to which all those other bod­
ies lowered into the ground because
somebody had a gun... it all w ouldn’t
be there.
In point o f fact, so long as guns
are in our m idst, we are all vulner­
able. Besides those whose names and
faces we do not know, M edgar Evers
is proof o f this, so is M alcolm and Dr.
King. The brothers, one a president,
the other a senator, John and Robert
Kennedy respectively, arc proof of
how vulnerable we are. And there are
th o u s a n d s upon th o u s a n d s le ft
maimed, crippled, hopelessly paraple­
gic as living testam ent to our vulner­
ability. Li ves arc not made safer where
guns exist, lives are made safer where
guns do not exist!
Louise Jam es is a writer/lccturer.
Comments and/or lecture inquiry may
be addressed to: P.O. Box 13124,
Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.
ODbsertrcr
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