T he P ortland O bserver • A ugust 31, 1994
P age A3
A nother V iew
From Harlem To Soweto
African Americans ...
Coming Home to the GOP
By Haley Barbour
Chairman. Republican National Committee
A United Front Of Consciousness as Arrested Development Release Their Second Single
“ I call on the red, and the black
and the green... United we stand
united we fa ll”
The lines are from “ United
Front” and w ith the release o f the
second single from their acclaimed
Zingalamadni, Arrested Develop
ment take their m ulti faceted, m ulti
cultural vision to the next logical
and soulful step.
Inspired by the co n tin u in g
struggle for justice around the globe,
“ United Front’” s u p liftin g message
took on an added urgency when the
Grammy Award w inning A D had
the h o n o r o f p e rfo rm in g in
Johannesburg, South Africa this past
June as part o f that c ity ’ s annual
Soweto Day concert.
T ra v e lin g to the n e w ly lib
erated South A fric a and m eet
ing President N elson M andela
was an experience that p ro ved
to be both e du ca tio n a l and in s p i
ra tio n a l fo r the m em bers o f the
A tla n ta based A rreste d D e v e l
o pm ent. S peaking fo r the gro up ,
c h ie f s o n g w r ite r and ra p p e r
Speech com m ented, “ It was pow -
e r f u l to h a v e m e t N e ls o n
M an de la. H is d e te rm in a tio n and
w isdo m is w hat made it so pow er
fu l.” For the further empowerment
o f the A frican people. Arrested De
velopment presented a $10,000.00
check to Nelson Mandela which w ill
aidtheN ational Youth Development
C oordinating committee and Na
tional C h ild re n ’ s R igh ts C o m m it
tee.
The wisdom and heart, inherent
in the South African Struggle and the
music o f A D has flavored the video
fo r “ United Front.” which was shot
in South A frica and Harlem, USA. In
a sly and telling reflection on the
current state o f freedom, the se
quences that were film ed in Harlem
are in somber black and white, while
the footage from the M otherland is
bathed in a glow o f trium phant
color.
A stirring exaltation to keep
ing the faith and a renewal o f pride,
“ United Front” is a clear, v iv id
portrayal o f the spiritual connec
tions between A frica and the US, a
connection that A D profoundly felt.
“ Shooting Untied Front in South
A frica was like doing a video in the
neighborhood,” remarked A D ’ s
Headliner.
Asked to sum up the vibe be
hind “ United Front” dancer/vocal-
ist Montsho Eshe replied, “ I t ’s d if
ferent cultures, races and musics,
all united together, into one united
m ind.”
A United Front.
Fairs: A Visit Through Time
(N U ) - Tim e machines were a
highlight o f the old A lle y Oop com
ic strip, but a sim ilar scenario takes
place each year at the local fair.
M any o f these annual events fea
ture horse-pulling contests, antique
farm machinery, spinning wheels,
q u ilt m aking and other pra ctically
lost arts o f the way our forefathers
same for entertainment, from horse
shoe pitching to musical programs
on the main stage using all the up-
to-date lighting and sound technolo
gy-
So, step on the time machine and
make the annual fa ir the place to be.
made their way through life.
Crank the tim e machine a cou
ple o f notches fo rw a rd and the
newest and often prototype models
o f farm equipment, automobiles and
appliances show up right before your
eyes.
Turn the tim e machine to a d if
ferent mode and you can fin d the
R e m e m b e r in g W h e n
It was a formal reception fit for
diplomats and heads of state - but
the event th at followed this recep
tion was one the world would not
soon forget.
One of the honored guests at the
event was a young dancer - a dancer
who could only pretend to enjoy the
evening’s festivities - a dancer who
desperately wanted to leave the re
ception but could not. To do so could
ruin his family, end his career and
maybe even his life.
After the reception ended, while being
escorted to a waiting bus the dancer
suddenly turned and fled into the
dark Canadian night. Pursued by
his Russian guards, he narrowly
avoided capture by flinging himself
into a waiting Canadian police car.
The event took place ju st 20 years
ago. The dancer who escaped his So
viet guards to freedom that evening
is ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov.
C onsum er Brief
Protect Yourself Against
Telephone Credit Card Fraud
Each year thousands of unsuspecting
consumers have their personal tele
phone calling card numbers stolen
while they are making phone calls
from public telephones. The numbers
are taken by someone looking over a
caller's shoulder while they dial.
Once a thief knows your private au
thorization numbers he or she will sell
them to others who then charge phone
calls to your account. By the time
your next telephone bill arrives, the
thieves and their accomplices across
the country can have charged thou
sands of dollars to your telephone
bill.
You can protect your card by becom
ing more aware of people around you
and shielding the numbers you are
dialing from others.
(N U ) - Earlier this year in a stir
ring speech to the Republican Na
tional Committee, Tony Brown, the
nationally syndicated columnist and
GOP convert, spoke on the need for
the Republican Party to reach out
to m in o rity voters, saying that fo r
too long Republicans conceded the
black vote to the Democrats and let
them define and misportray our par
ty in the black comm unity.
He is right.
Yet one o f the unwritten stories
o f the Republican victories in 1993
and this year is the m ajor increase in
m in o rity support gained by GOP
candidates.
For too long, many m in o rity
groups have been overw helm ingly
Democratic in their voting. A frican-
American voters in particular have
often given Dem ocrats almost
m onolithic support.
Some Republicans fe ll into the
trap o f not pursuing the support o f
black voters because the com m uni
ty was viewed as unreachably loyal
to the Dem ocrats. T his created a
kind o f circle in which the Republi
cans ignored the African-Am erican
vote, and African-A m erican voters
felt alienated from the Republicans.
It was bad fo r everyone.
people who agree w ith you.
While Republican candidates na
tio n a lly have ty p ic a lly received
about 10 percent o f the black vote —
and appreciably less in many areas
— virtually every poll shows 25, 35
or even 40 percent o f African Am er
icans agree w ith the Republican po
sitions on most issues. A sim ilar per
centage o f A fric a n Am ericans
identify themselves as conservatives.
W hy then did GOP candidates
w in the votes o f half or fewer o f the
black voters who agree w ith them
on issues? I ’ m not sure I know all
the reasons, but one reason was ob
vious to me: lack o f effort.
M any Republican candidates
s im p ly w rote o ff the black vote.
They decided
Guest
not to “ waste the
Commentary e ffort.”
This is wrong
headed thinking; and the good news
fo r Republicans is many o f our can
didates and party leaders not only
believe we can trem endously in
crease our share o f the A fric a n -
American vote, they are proving it.
Success Stories
M ayo r Tom Fetzer o f Raleigh,
N.C., State’s Attorney Jack O ’ M a l
ley o f Cook County, III., and G ov
ernor Christie W hitman o f New Jer-
sy, were all elected w ith the margin
o f victory supplied by an increase in
the number o f black votes they got
versus what President Bush received
in 1992.
None o f these candidates had a
different message for the black com
m unity than for whites, but all three
Common Ground
As a R epublican from M issis
sippi, the state w ith the highest per
centage o f black voters in the coun
try, I always thought conceding the
African-Am erican vote in toto to the
Democrats was stupid. To me, it is
more than a matter o f mathematics.
It is a matter o f w inning the votes o f
aggressively marketed their message
to African-Am erican voters. In this
they joined a growing number o f Re
publican candidates across the coun
try who realized there is significant
support for their candidacies among
black votes i f they w ill seek it.
We urge our candidates to be
like Jersey C ity M ayor Bret Schun-
dler, the Republican who won 68
percent o f the vote in a 65 percent
m in o rity p op ulatio n c ity. We te ll
them to take their message into the
black co m m un ity and advocate it
w ith passion.
Let A fric a n -A m e ric a n voters
know why low er taxes, less spend
ing. more police on the street and
school choice are in the best inter
ests o f the black com m unity and o f
ind ivid ua l black fam ilies and v o t
ers.
As they do so our candidates find
a sizable group o f A fric a n -A m e ri
can voters who share our views on
issues and many others who see De
mocratic. big-government solutions
have fa ile d and are w illin g to try
som ething else. By aggressively
seeking th eir support. Republican
candidates can double or triple the
percentage o f the black vote fo r
GOP presidential candidates.
Republicans w ill not go from 10
percent to a m ajority o f the A frica n-
American vote overnight. But there
is a s ig n ific a n tly large black vote
available to GOP candidates, and we
are learning that a c tiv e ly seeking
those voters and advocating our
p rinciples and values in the c o m
munity produces positive results at
the ballot box and in governing.
A D V E R T IS E IN
Information
Just a Phone
Call Away
¿ T lic
( O lis i'in c v
c a ll 5 0 3 - 2 8 8 - 0 0 3 3
(N U ) - Americans are taking a
stand to stop crime and create safer
neighborhoods and schools. T hirty
specific actions against violence are
outlined in "Stop the Violence, Start
Som ething," a booklet that is part
o f the National Citizens Crim e Pre
vention Campaign. For a free copy,
call 1-800-W E-PR EV EN T. (News
Black Officers Added To Police
Force
Three African-Am ericans police officers are jo in in g the Portland
Police Bureau, among five new employees hired. The additional support
increases the number o f sworn officers in the bureau to 963.
O fficials said the officers w ill be assigned to the department’ s
training division and w ill attend the Oregon Police Academy in Monmouth.
The new hires were identified as Leo M yron Besner, 31, T im m y Evans,
29, Tonya Renee James, 22, M ark W illia m Kruger, 26 and Dawn Angela
W ilson, 22.
Kruger, Evans and Besner have law enforcement experience.
Evans, Wilson and James were tested through the African-Am erican
M inority Recruitment Program operated by the Police Personnel D iv i
sion. Wilson and James attended South Carolina State together and
graduated w ith a Bachelor o f Science degree in crim inal justice.
U$A)
• The Hands On Science O u t
reach program emphasizes discov
ery and try in g to fig u re out how
things w ork fo r children from pre
kindergarten through 6th grade. For
in fo rm a tio n , ca ll 301-881-1142.
(News U SA )
Quick Cross Challenge
In The Supermarket
Across:
1. You probably spend the most time with
this supermarket employee
2. A spread made from refined vegetable
oils
4. A drink or type of cracker
1. This food company used to feature two
chubby cartoon kids in its advertisements
3. A cereal grass seed widely used for food
5. If you are looking for something, it will
be in one of these
7. Ethnic food from the East or West
the Wonder
of Words
Bartizan
(a) A medieval dance celebrating a
wedding
(b) A form of primitive currency, e.g.,
sea shells
(c) A structure which protrudes from a
building and is used as a lookout or for
defense
(d) A round brass footrest found in
British pubs
A ns w e r s
1. Checker
2. Margarine
4. Soda
Auto Painting
Pearl
Platinum Chips
Vinyl Dies
Side Moldings
Pin Stripes
Detailing
N o ! There is a severe scarcity of heart
donors, and hundreds of law-abiding
individuals are desperately waiting for
the opportunity to receive a lifesaving
heart transplant. How can we justify
giving an incarcerated criminal a new
heart just to beat out precious life
behind prison walls, or maybe help
extend his or her life to commit an
other crime? The moral character of a
heart transplant recipient must be
included in the criteria of who will, or
who will not, receive a new heart.
A n y Car Painted
F o r $390!
Pager: (503) 870-5994 • Vancouver: (206) 418-9985
PEGGY JOSEPH - Officer
Travel Consultant
Yes! To deny someone a lifesaving
heart transplant simply because they
are serving time in jail is the equiva
lent o f sentencing them to death. The
medical establishment cannot ration a
life-sustaining procedure based on
moral principles. Any transplant deci
sion must be based only on medical
criteria, nothing else.
P o tp o u rri
What is a
Across:
Should Prisoners Be Eligible
For Heart Transplants
D ow n;
1. Campbell's
3. Rice
5. Aisles
7. Indian
A bartizan (c) A projecting building struc
ture used as a lookout or turret
An early religious practice evolved
into a sport that is now widely en
joyed around the world.
h hie
Jídíi C u p ( f a M in d V
Historians have traced modern bowl
ing to a religious ceremony dating
back to 3rd century Germany. The
practice centered around the wooden
club which people carried for self
protection. During the ceremony, the
club, which represented the uncivi
lized, was set up at the end of a "lane."
The club's owner would then roll a
stone down the lane trying to topple
the club. To be successful represented
a symbolic overthrow of the heathen.
"im enean
•U m lnife ■ U M e
i(> : ( ' ( n m - f i : f > (/i n t
While this religious practice was soon
discontinued, the basic game contin
ued to be enjoyed outside of church
and eventually fluorished into the
modem sport of bowling.
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