P age B5
T he P ortland O bserver • D ecember 14, 1994
What Is Acting Black? Part II
by
N yewusi A skari
Thank you Readers! Y our re
sponse to last w eek’s article, "W hat
is acting B lack?” w as right on the
m o-N EE! I received a num ber o f
c a lls ' n ’ questions w hich has prom pt
ed me to com pose Part II. M ost o f the
calls cam e from parents o f bi-racial
teenagers. So, I will attem pt to ad
dress som e o f their concerns and
com e back next w eek w ith som e
follow ups to some other questions
that w ere asked. Also, I will continue
to ease in som e popular Black speech,
since m any o f you seem to think
th a t’s one o f my tradem arks.
BLACK IS TO DA BONE
Let it be understood that A frican
A m ericans have their own spiritual,
scientific, and cultural understand
ing o f genetics. M ost understand
w here our ancestral gene pool origi
nated, as well as why and how it got
to A m erica.
In b la c k a n c e s tra l la n g u a g e ,
th e te rm s " W e are o f th e sa m e
b lo o d ” B la c k to da b o n e ” " B lo o d
is th ic k e r th a n w a te r ” ‘ B la c k is
fo re v e r” an d “ Y ou m ay k n o w how
I fe e l b u t y o u ca n n e v e r k n o w
w h a t it m e an s to be b la c k ” a re all
re f e r e n c e s to th e liq u id M e la n in
- th e d a rk p ig m e n t fo u n d in o u r
sk in , r e tin a an d h a ir M e la n in is
tr a n s m itte d by o u r g e n e s , fro m
p a r e n ts to c h ild re n a n d is r e s p o n
s ib le fo r th e d if fe r e n t d e g r e e s o f
d a r k n e s s /b la c k n e s s in o u r sk in .
T ake note. The language is not
talking about behavior o r a w ay o f
acting. N or is it talking about the red
blood that flows thru ou r bodies. It is
talking about M ean ing - know n down
hom e as "B lack blood." As true as
that is, E uropeans w ho saw dark-
sk in n e d A fric an s, c e n tu rie s ago,
co u ld n ’t figure out w hy their skin
w as black. In the end, they m anufac
tured reasons w hich becam e the c o r
nerstones o f the institution o f slavery
in A m erica. T he m ost pop u lar? T hat
the A frican ’s d ark skin represented a
curse from G od. A curse w hich reg
ulated him and his people to the will
o f C aucasians.
N ow lets back up for a m inute.
T he im plication is that G od, by p u t
ting M elanin in the genes o f A fri
cans, cursed them all, and thus, c re
ated inferior hum an beings. Said
anotha w ay, " Ify o u have any am ount
o f M elanin in y o u r genes, you are
inferior!”
Did A m erican C aucasians take
the E uropean exp lan atio n s to heart?
Y ou bet they did. M any S tates w rote
and im plem ented laws that defined
and segregated persons w ith M ela
nin from persons w ith no M elanin.
L ets look at a few State laws on race
and color.
FLORIDA:
(SEC. 1.0 DEFINITION)
"T h e w ords N egro, colored, co l
ored persons, m ulatto or persons o f
color, w hen ap p lied to persons, in
clude every person having one-eight
o r m ore o f A frican or N eg ro blood.
KENTUCKY:
C o lo re d ch ild ren , w ith in th e
m eaning o f Section 187 o r K entucky
C o n stitu tio n , include all ch ild ren
w holly o r in part o f N eg ro b lood or
having any ap p reciab le adm ixture
thereof; and a child
h a v in g o n e - s ix te e n th n e g ro
blood m ay not attend a school for
w hite children.
GEORGIA: SEC. 79- 103.
(2177)
P e rs o n s o f c o lo r w h o a re : A ll
N e g ro e s , m u la tto e s , m e s tiz o s a n d
t h e ir d e s c e n d a n ts , h a v in g a n y
a s c e r ta in a b le tra c e o f e ith e r
n e g ro o r A fric a n , W e st I n d ia n o r
A s ia tic I n d ia n b lo o d in t h e ir
v e in s , an d a ll d e s c e n d a n ts o f an y
p e rs o n h a v in g e ith e r N e g ro o r
A fric a n . W e st In d ia n o r A s ia tic
In d ia n b lo o d in h is o r h e r v e in s
sh a ll b e k n o w in th is S ta te as
p e r s o n s o f c o lo r. ( A c ts 1 8 6 5 -6
P ) 2 3 9 ; 1 9 2 7 , P. 2 7 2 ).
SEC. 53-312 “WHITE PERSON
DEFINED”:
T he term w hite person shall in
clude only p ersons o f the w hite or
C a u c a s ia n r a c e w h o h a v e n o
ascertain ab le trace o f either N egro,
A frican, W est Indian, A siatic, Indi
an, M ongolian, Jap an ese o r C hinese
blood in th eir veins. N o person, any
one o f w hose ancestors had been
duly registered w ith the S tate B ureau
o f V ital S tatistics as a co lo red person
or person o f co lo r shall be d eem ed to
be a w hite person. (A cts 1927, P.
277).
OKLAHOMA: ART. XXIII,,
SEC. II, COLORED RACE -
NEGRO RACE - WHITE
RACE.
W herever in this Constitution and
laws o f this State, the word or words
“colored” or “colored race,” “N egro”
or “N egro race,” are used, the same
shall be construed to mean or apply to
all persons o f A frican descent. The
term “w hite race” shall include all
other persons. (Const. 1907 as am end
ed Stat. 1931, sec. 13724)
MISSISSIPPI:
A rt. 14, S e c tio n 2 6 3 o f th e
C o n s titu tio n o f M is sissip p i w h ich
Leadership;
Tabasco Sauce
And Jobs
p r o h ib its m a rr ia g e o f a w h ite
p e rso n w ith a N e g ro o r m u la tto ,
o r a p e rs o n h a v in g o n e - e ig h th o r
m o re N e g ro b lo o d , d o e s n o t d e
te rm in e th e s ta tu s o f a p e rs o n as
to w h e th e r he is w h ite o r c o lo re d
u n d e r A rt. 8 S e c tio n 2 0 7 o f th e
c o n s titu tio n , w h ic h p ro v id e s fo r
s e p a r a te s c h o o ls fo r c h ild re n o f
th e w h ite a n d c o lo re d ra c e s . T h e
w o rd “ w h ite ” u n d e r S e c tio n 2 0 7
m e a n s a m e m b e r o f C a u ca sia n
ra c e a n d th e w o rd “ c o l o r e d ” in
c lu d e s n o t o n ly N e g r o e s b u t p e r
so n s o f m ix e d b lo o d h a v in g an y
a p p r e c ia b le a m o u n t o f N e g r o
b lo o d .
ABOUT DA TERM “PEOPLE
OF COLOR”:
Being from the deep south, I
advise people in social services, the
w orkplace and schools to refrain from
using the term “ P eo p le o f color.
“ W hy? B ecause it is racist. It was
created for no oth er reason than g e
netic segregation. W hen used, it sets
up a “ W e” vs. “T h em ” situation.
ABOUT DA TERM “RACE”:
In a r a c is t s o c ie ty , th e te rm
“ R a c e ” is u s e d as a w a y o f le ttin g
o th e rs k n o w h o w m u c h M e la n in
you a re c a r ry in g a n d w h e re y o u
fit in th e o v e ra ll sc h e m e o f th in g s.
E x a m in e p a p e r s fo r e m p lo y m e n t
a n d /o r o th e r s e r v ic e s a n d bam !
T h e fill-in b o x e s a r e th e re . A re
y o u (B la c k ) , ( H is p a n ic ) , (N a tiv e
A m e ric a n ), (A s ia n ) o r ( o th e r) I t ’s
im p o rta n t to u n d e r s ta n d th a t, on
its b a s ic le v e l, B la c k sk in b la c k
n ess is a b o u t g e n e tic s . I t ’s n o t an
a c t o r so m e f a r - o u t, in v e n te d b e
h a v io r o r a ttitu d e . N o r is it a
c u rse .
T alk to y a next tim e.
Portland NAACP Elects New Officers
Continued from Front
the press, the petition, the ballot, and the
courts, and is persistent in the use o f legal
and moral persuasion even in the face o f
overt and violent racial hostility.
TheBednockstrengthoftheNAACP
lies in its more than 500,000 members who
belong to the Association's 2,200 branch
es, youth councils and college chapters.
There is hardly an area within the United
States in which African Americans reside
inanx numbers where there isnotaN AACP.
It may be difficult in today’s climate
for some to realize that at one point in its
history, membership in the NAACP in
some areas o f the countiy was a coura
geous act. The rolls o f the Association are
marked with the names o f individuals such
as Hany' Moore, Medgar Evers and others
who. becauseoftheir involvement with the
NAACP. paid with their lives.
W e reco g n ize th at “d iv e-b y ”
shootings equal o r surpass the m ur
ders generated by K K K lynchings.
We still have racism and discrimination in
education; landlords still denying decent
housing to minority tenants; well-trained
corporate executives who experience the
frustration o f a “glass ceiling" in employ
ment and banking institution that continues
to subtly practice redlining.
Overthepast 80 years our branch at
times has flourished with members, volun
teers and supporters. At times we have
survived with only a few that understood
that the struggle continues... Many o f our
branch’s greatest leaders were not Presi
dents but volunteers who keep the branch
together.
Our challenges are just as great today
as there were in the past o f battles fought
and won. The NAACP membership has,
and continues to be, the most powerful
voice speaking out on behalf o f African-
Americans. Membership in the NAACP
provides a wealth o f opportunities to con
tribute to the welfare o f the African-Amer
ican community through a wide variety of
activities, programs and projects.
Membership is open to everyone
who subscribes to the basic philosophy and
purposes ofthe NAACP. Please join us as
the struggle continues.....
For m em bership inform ation call
503-284-7722 or w rite
Bea Anderson: A Legacy to Her Community
Continued from Metro
from all over the w orld. T o visit her
home was to visita"community museum"
with her collection o f artifacts from Ha
waii. Japan, and her home state o f North
Carolina. She regularly entertained visitors
from Japan and Hawaii and periodically
from all over the globe. Not surprisingly .
PDX Set
Records In
October
P ortland International airport
(P D X ) achieved a m onthly record
for passengers and its best ever month
for cargo in O ctober 1994.
O c t o b e r ’s p a s s e n g e r c o u n t
th ro u g h P D X w as 8 5 0 ,4 5 2 , a 15.5
p e r c e n t in c re a s e o v e r O c to b e r
1 9 9 3 ’s 7 3 6 ,6 3 1 , w h ic h w as th e
a i r p o r t ’s p r e v io u s r e c o r d fo r
O c to b e r . T h is m a rk e d th e 3 0 th
c o n s e c u t i v e m o n th o f r e c o r d
g ro w th fo r P D X .
F or 1994, PD X h as to ta le d
8 ,1 83,446 passengers, putting it 16
p ercent above 19 9 3 ’s record pace.
PD X is operated by the Port o f P ort
land.
A ir cargo through PD X scored
an even greater achievem ent as the
airport handled 19,240 to n s-th e high
est m onthly tonnage total in the air
p o rt’s history and the first tim e it has
surpassed the 19,000-ton level.
O cto b e r's air cargo record for
40 consecutive m onths. Internation
al cargo fueled the record m onth as it
clim bed 60 percent over O ctober
her friendliness andgentlehumanity would
melt any language barriers. “She was al
ways having international dinners. You
could never turn down one o f there invita
tions." said friend and educator Joseph
Thomas. She was as sure as she was
friendly, and as serious as she was gentle.
It may be that Bea Anderson's great
est achievement was in raising two sons to
manhood in a modem world. Both sons,
the elder Marty the Younger Tony Ander
son achieved the rank o f Eagle Scout.
Both are college grads and now work as
professionals. Marty is a sound engineer
in California and Tony, who gave “Bea"
her first grandchild just a few weeks
before her death, is a graduate o f Oregon
State University and works as a pharma-
o f m inority w orkers is that if there is
an econom ic d isru p tio n - layoffs,
“ W e (blacks) are in the same
position as Bosnia, not getting help
and not allow ed to help ourselves,”
So stated a w ell-know n A frican
A m erican last w eek in his 150th (at
least) speech T he last part o f that
com plaint rings especially true, con
sidering w hat I have been recently
saying about the constraints on eco
nom ic opportunity specifically im
posed by banks and real estate in
terests, and, in general, by other
elem ents o f the urban infrastruc
ture.
A reader w as deeply disturbed
by my description o f huge concen
trations ofhighly skilled black w ork
ers in central city m anufacturing
plants who, unlike w hites in sim ilar
situations, could not get financing
for businesses to w hich they w ere
m ost suited; it being a given that the
m ost successful am ong the ranks o f
new entrepreneurs are those ex p eri
enced in the particular enterprise
through either em ploym ent o r fam
ily. The ow ners o f these firm s, na
tive b o m or im m igrants from E u
rope, Israel, South A frican or Latin
A m erican, enjoyed tw o huge b en e
fits; an artificially stable labor force,
and freedom from the com petition
that m ost frequently com es from
form er em ployees who have spun
o ff (V iola! W e have the m odem
colony).
T h is r e a d e r , an A f r ic a n
A m e ric a n fro m C h ic a g o , se n t
m e a c lip p in g fro m a N o v e m b e r
e d itio n o f th e P o rtla n d O r e g o
n ia n . U n d e r th e h e a d lin e , “ T o y
C o m p a n y R e a l ly U n d e r th e
G u n ” ( c u te h u h ? ) w as th e s to ry
o f “ S tro m b e c k e r C o rp .,” a c c o m
p a n ie d b y a p ic tu r e o f a b la c k
fe m a le w o rk e r. M y c o r r e s p o n
d e n t h a d w o rk e d fo r th is c o m
p a n y a n d w as v e ry fa m ilia r w ith
its r e c u rrin g p ro b le m s; b u t m o re
im p o rta n tly , he w o u ld r e c ite th e
fa m ily h is to ry , E u ro p e a n b e g in
n in g s a n d s o u rc e s o f f in a n c in g .
“ M r. B u rt, th e d y n a m ic s o f th e
s itu a tio n a re j u s t as y o u d e
s c rib e d in L o s A n g e le s - o r a n y
w h e re fo r th a t m a tte r .”
T he tragedy o f this and sim ilar
situations across the country w here
there is an “unreal” concentration
cutbacks, sale o f the com pany, etc.
- then th ere is a d isp ro p o rtio n ate
econom ic and cultural injury to the
African A m erican com m unity which
is g h etto ized and im m obile relative
to other m em bers o f the w ork force.
I have pro tested and railed against
som e o f o u r leadership for years,
like the U rban L eague in both Los
A ngeles and Portland.
B ecause o f my ex p erien ce and
asso ciatio n s in both industry and
public ag encies, I have alw ays been
able to b ecom e aw are o f or antici
pate w o rk fo rce o p p o rtu n ities b e
fore anyone o u tsid e o f th e system ,
no m atter how m any deg rees they
m ight have in sociology, adm inis
tration, labor statistics, w hatever.
Even if the acco u n tan t or co m p tro l
ler d id n 't sit in m an ag em en t’s p lan
ning co n feren ces w here new lines,
m odels, p roduction m achines and
even space have lead tim es o f six
m onths to a year, he w ould only
have to look at the en su in g purchase
orders to know that a m ajo r change
in the work force w as com ing. S om e
body is going to be hired to use the
additional nuts, bolts, punch p ress
es, shears, ovens, jan ito rial supplies,
w hatever.
F or years, I’ve called black o r
g anizations only to find th e leaders
o f the flock “at lunch, in a m eeting,
in a sem inar, at a retreat, convention
or o th er buffalo w ing gala. Since
th ey d o n ’t retu rn c a lls (I a in ’t
“ heavy” enough), I ju s t round up
people and use my inside contacts
to place them on the hiring track. I
w as looking o ver tw o d ecad es o f
placem ents, U .S . F o re s t S e rv ic e ,
C o rp s o f E n g in e e rs , B o n n e v ille ,
S ta te o f O re g o n , C ity o f P o rt
la n d ,
U n ite d
P a rc e l,
F re ig h tlin e r , p lu s f o u n d rie s an d
in n u m e ra b le sm a ll c o m p a n ie s .
B u t o u r s o c ia l o r g a n iz a tio n s are
rig h t o n tim e w ith s o lic ita tio n s
an d m e m b e r s h ip d r iv e s . S e n d
m e so m e o f th a t m o n e y !
I d id n ’t have room for that
“T ab asco S auce" m odel o f S outh
ern failures in A frican A m erican
econom ic planning. See you next
w eek. Perhaps our leaders and “we
the p eo p le” can get to g eth er som e
day.”
cist in Federal Way Washington.
It is quite possible that we will miss
Bea’s gifts so much that every J une 3rd will
be “Bea” Anderson Day as Mayor "Bud"
Clark declared it in 1992 for her work as a
teacher, parent, and special friend o f chil
dren. “Bea” Anderson will be with us,
through her legacy o f excellence and car
ing, for a very' long time.
H a p p y H o lid a y s
j
_____ Prices effective December 14 through December 20,1994 at your nearby Safeway store.
Tender Bone-In
Smoked Ham
Cook’s Shank
Portion
SAVE UP TO
911 PER LB
Sunkist, Seedless a
Navel
Oranges
1993.
For 1994. the a irp o rt’s cargo
tonnage is 163,261, a 12.6 percent
ju m p over 1993.
O p e r a t io n s ( t a k e - o f f s a n d
la n d in g s ) at th e P o r t 's g e n e ra l
a v ia tio n a ir p o r ts h ad m ix e d r e
s u lts in O c to b e r. O p e r a tio n s in
c r e a s e d b y 2 .7 p e r c e n t a t
H ills b o ro A irp o rt fro m 16 ,4 8 4 in
O c to b e r. O p e ra tio n s in c re a s e d by
2 .7 p e r c e n t at H ills b o ro A irp o rt
fro m 16 .4 8 4 in O c to b e r 1993 to
1 6 ,9 3 7 in O c to b e r 1 9 9 4 , w h ile
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ThisWeek
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