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The Bell Curve Ball
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B ernice P owell J ackson
People are talking about it. Time,
Newsweek, the New Republic and the
New York Times have reviewed it.
USA Today has written an editorial
against its arguments and the Wall
Street Journal devoted an entire op-ed
page to them. Too many people are
buying the book and the theory under
neath it. The Bell Curve is trying to put
a new spin on an old, racist belief, that
black people are genetically intellec
tually inferior to whites.
The Bell Curve is the name o f a
new 845-page book by Charles M ur
ray and the late Richard Herrnstein
and it's causing quite a media uproar.
But if you're over 40 it sounds like
old hat, albeit dressed up in a 1990s
Halloween costume. Indeed many o f
us re m e m b e r th e 1 9 6 0 s-1 9 7 0 s
Schockley-Jensen debate on IQ and
race. Even in the early days o f this
century “scientists” were even m ea
suring our skulls and com paring
bumps on our heads to prove that
blacks were intellectually inferior.
The Bell Curve is based on three
arguments. First, that the “cognitive
elites,” smart people selected by IQ
tests, SATs and admission to elite
colleges and universities, are now
the ruling class in America. These
people are mostly white.
Their second argument is that
intelligence is the primary factor in
determ ining success, wealth and so
cial status (I guess they didn’t see
Forrest Gump). At the bottom end o f
the intellectual spectrum, Murray and
Herrnstein place the growing under
class whom they deem intellectually
inferior (1 guess they’ve never tested
some o f the brilliant but illegal busi
nessmen o f the street either). The
people they place in the underclass
are mostly black.
Their third point is that Ameri
can society is becoming more and
more polarized between these two
extremes. Newsweek says this argu
ment culminates in a vision o f “polit-
ical apocalypse” which foresees the
transformation o f the welfare state
into the “custodial state - a high tech...
version o f the Indian reservation.” A
frightening scenario for us all.
M urray and Herrnstein are care
ful to point out that they are talking
about groups o f people in general
c-Jfonti Efounderó Etbaij 1 99-5
esteem and basic skills tools for a
and therefore this should have no
impact on the way individual whites
and blacks see each other. But, they
also use test-score data to show that
the black-white IQ gap exists even
for middle-class blacks. Or, as Leon
W ieselt ier o f the N ew Republ ic mag
azine said, “Having delivered Afri
can Americans to inferiority and in
equality, Murray tells them to Have
a nice day.’”
The fact that we are once again
having this debate about IQ and race
and that this book is receiving so
much media attention only points to
the reality that racism is still alive
and well in America. Sadly, some
Americans are still looking for ways
to prove that African Americans are
less than human.
The dangers that these theories
pose are several-fold. They give ac
ademic legitimacy to an old, unprov
en argument. They will be used as
political fodder by those who want
an excuse to end government pro
grams such as Headstart. For exam
ple, some would question the fund
ing o f Headstart if it can’t change the
IQ o f the children, without taking
into account that raising IQ is not the
p rim a ry re a so n fo r H e a d sta rt.
H eadstart’s purpose is to enrich the
lives o f children and give them self
fighting chance.
The theories o f M urray and
Herrnstein, if taken to their logical
conclusion, can lead to the selective
breeding programs o f Nazi G erm a
ny. And they can have a more trou
bling danger as well. 1 call it the God
complex. For when humans decide
another hum an’s destiny, they ’re try
ing to be God. God doesn’t make
decisions about destiny based on race
or there never would have been a
G eorge W ashington C arver or a
L eontyne Price or a F red erick
D o u g la ss o r a M ary M cL eod
Bethune.
There may well be a “cognitive
elite” developing in America. In fact
other scholars and academics are
writing about the “symbolic analysts”
and the “knowledge workers” who
they predict will be the w orkingclass
o f the future. But when race is seen as
the primary determinant o f such a
future, that’s when some o f us begin
to look for the white hoods and sheets
underneath the discussion table.
The Bell Curve isn’t just an at
tempt “to substitute IQ for moral
worth” as Newsweek wrote. It’s a
curve ball thrown at efforts to end
racism in this country. D on’t buy the
book and don’t buy the argument.
W lin tstn i S u p p o r tò
Thomas Green (left) of the Grace Collins Memorial Center, Portland,
and Sammy of Pro-youth Ministries, attend last weekend's youth
leadership conference for Christian youth in Hood River.
They Have A Strong Heritage
The Commission for Racial Jus
tice and the United Church Board for
World Ministriesofthe United Church
o f Christ, is praising a decision by the
Environmental Protection Agency to
address the problem of environmental
pollution in the area o f the New River,
which flows north from Mexico into
the United States.
For years, residents who lived in
the vicinity expressed concern about
the river’s pollution and the threats
that it might pose to health and the
environment. Hazardous chemicals
have been released illegally from
chemical manufacturing and process
ing facilities in the river.
In a press release last month, the
EPA announced it would issue sub
poenas to 95 U .S. parent companies of
(E nforcem ent
Mexico facilities in the vicinity o f the
river.
This is one o f the most compre
hensive international government ac
tions ever taken by the EPA, being
coordinated with the Mexican govern
ment, the Secretariat for Social Devel
opment. The EPA took its action in
response to a petition filed by Imperial
County, Calif, and two joint petitions
from the Environmental Health Coali
tion and the Southwest Network for
Environmental and Economic Justice.
In response to the petition fi led by
Imperial County, the EPA acknowl
edged that “there appeared to be seri
ous pollution problems in the New
River resulting from pollution coming
across the border from Mexico and
from Imperial County.”
Help Give Them A Strong Future
Scouting develops strong values in each boy. Scouting honors the
home, school, and place o f w orship as the origins of our youth’s values.
Scouting’s goal is to nurture and extend these values by emphasizing
the Scout Oath and Law.
Scouting teaches boys basic sell-assurance, teamwork, and leader
sh ip -life skills they will take with them well into adulthood. The learning
and mastering new skills helps boys realize their own potential and that
builds pride. W hile every skill Scouting teaches is important, the self-
confidence, fun. and sense o f accomplishment boys get from skill
ADVERTISE IN
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DOES WHAT OTHERS CLAIM TO DO ! !
I
REV. PARKER
Spiritual Helper - Reader and Advisor
Graveside services were held
Nov. 2 at W illametteNational Cem
etery in Portland for James Robert
Rutherford Sr., 71, who died Oct.
28 at a Portland hospital. Funeral
arrangements were conducted by
the Killingsworth Little Chapel o f
the Chimes.
He was bom Feb. 1 1, 1923 in
Bridgewater, N.C. He worked as a
furniture maker for Drexell Heri
tage Furniture Co. in N orth Caroli
na before retiring about six years
ago. He lived in N ebo, N.C. and
Bridgewater before m oving to the
Portland-Vancouver area about a
month ago.
He served in the Army from
June 1943 to M arch 1946.
Survivors include his wife, Ber
tha Mae Rutherford o f Vancouver;
tw odaughters, Janice Y. Rutherford
and Barbara A. Rutherford, both o f
Portland; a son, James R. Rutherford
Jr. o f Portland; a sister, Gertrude
W ilson o f Painsville, Ohio; two
grandchildren and a great grand
child.
Virginia Nettles Alexander
A memorial service was held
Nov. 4 atthe Bethel A.M.E. Church,
P o rtla n d for V irg in ia N e ttle s
Alexander, 75, Portland, who died
Oct. 31, 1994. Burial was at W il
lamette National Cemetery, Port
land. Funeral arrangements were
conducted by the K illingsw orth
Little Chapel o f the Chimes.
She was bom Nov. 11,1918 in
M obile, Ala., where she attended
sc h o o l. She m a rrie d W illia m
Alexander in June 1954 in Colum
bus, Ga. and they m oved to Port
land in 1957.
She was a member ofthe Bethel
A .M .E. Church for many years
where she served in the W om en’s
M issionary Society. She also was a
m ember o f the W orthy M atrons
Club and Oasis senior group.
Survivors include herhusband,
W illiam; a brother, A lfonsa N ettles
o f Mobile; a sister-in-law, Venice
W arren ofPortland; nephew s Oreis
Ellies and Nathanial Shipman o f
Los Angeles; and a many other
nieces and nephews in Mobile.
^ a jiiic n M a fom ent
fr y
M ats One of! a M in d ct ^ i f e r ^ i i e d
.
-e
Cinetica n ^Oau/à i Moo foi
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call (503) 288-0033
rJm^tican
TffaiTape -OMc
(fe n
H eK ncrK ay - fifo /a y
J :0 0 ~ 7 : 0 0 fim
You are cordially invited
to attend the
V
2808
U rie
In honor o f
Mr. Ron Herndon
t
“Serving The Lord With Gladness” Psalm 100:2
Keynote Speaker, Rev. Herbert Daughtry
National Presiding Minister
House o f the Lord Church
Brooklyn, New York
G uaranteed Results in 25 hours
With Each Reading You Get a Blessing Candle,
an O intment and a Lucky Number!
- Kar ray fa c fw n (ö03) 2 8 8 -5 2 4 6
(greater ^ a i n t j&tepijen
^Missicmarg ^Baptist QUpjrcIf
Red Lion Columbia River
1401 N. Hayden Island Drive
1-908-738-7212
> Kariin fa th er f i i n y flfo d .
We Welcome You to The
Friday, November 18, 1994
5:00 p.m.
Friends we urge you to see this person. He is gifted from God. He will
remove all bad luck and evil spells. Are you sick? Loss of Luck? Have
you lost your loved one ? Do you have bad luck and evil influence. He is
the man who will remove it. Call out your enemies by name. Do not tell
him, let him tell you about your problems. Free reading by phone.
-9 a i t f t d a y
JO: 0 0 a m - 6 : 0 0 ft m
First Annual
Community Unity Banquet
FREE NUMBER BY PHONE
DON’ T LET TIME OR MONEY
James Robert Rutherford Sr.
tnite ^Jm*tlattb (.Observer
building activities are even more important.
By becoming a volunteer, you can play a vital part in helping our
youth develop desirable qualities of character, develop personal fitness
and instill a sense of self value and pride.
Its Great Fun!
Boy Scouts Of America
Character Counts!
Cascade Pacific Counsel 2145 S. E. Front Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
503/226-3423
Pilgrim Lutheran Church and the Lents Founders Day Committee
have joined together to bring you this community event on N ovem ber 18th
through the 20th. The Arts and Crafts sale will be held at Pilgrim Lutheran
Church, 4244 SE 91st Avenue (one block north o f Holgate). Hours on
Friday and Saturday are 9 a m. until 5 p.m and on Sunday between 1 p.m.
and 5 p.m A few booth spaces are still available at a cost o f $25 for all 3
days. For more information call Judy at 771-4667.
Sunday School 10am
Morning Worship 11:05
Wednesday
Prayer & Bible Study 7pm
Rev. G.L. Black I Pastor
3605 N.E. Mallory Ave.
(503) 281-8117 Portland, OR 97212
For tickets or more information call 282-7973
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FAITH TEMPLE CHURCH
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I
E/iuzdi
4224 S.E. 62nd Avenue
(between Powell & Foster)
Portland, Oregon 97206
103 NE Morris St., Portland, OR 97212
SUNDAY
Sunday School 9:30am
M orning Worship IO:45am
Evangelistic Service 7:30pm
Tuesday Pastoral Teaching 7:00pm
FRIDAY
Evangelistic Service 7:00pm
DAILY
Prayer 12:00pm & 6:00pm
(503) 774-5470
PASTORS: Bishop Robert Simpson. Jr • Dr Ida M Simpson
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Sunday School - 9:30am
Sunday Morning Worship Service -1 1 :00am
Sunday School Teacher’s Meeting Tues - 6:30pm
Bible Study Wednesday 6:00pm
Prayer Meeting Wednesday - 7:00pm
Church Phone Number
287-7457
We Invite You To Come And Worship With Us.
The Church Where Everybody is Somebody And Christ Is All.
Dr, Joe S. Hardie, Pastor
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Mt Olivet
Baptist Church
8501 N. Chautauqua Blvd.,
at Willis Blvd.
Worship Services 8:00am & 11:00am.
Church School 9:30 to 10:30am,
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 10:30am & 7:00pm
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00am on KBMS
4 Teaching Church With ,4 Reaching Ministry
l)r. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
Church Office 116 NE Schuyler St. • (503) 284-1954