D ecember 2 1 , 199 4 • T he P ortland O bserver
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a ivil
\p e r s e c t / r e s
R ig h ts ¿ )o m w \a
“Wollemi!” Brothers,
Sisters And All Other
Other Poor Folks
Aids And Families
m B ernice P ow ell J ackson
n the night of December
J 1 the lights of the White
House were dimmed
for fifte e n
m in u te s
to
commemorate World Aids Day
and to offer a tribute to those
infected with HIV/AIDS. Many
other towns and cities across
A m e rica jo in e d as w e ll,
expressing their commitment
to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS
in the world.
December Iwas World AIDS
Day, a day when all of us are called
upon to do our part to strengthen the
global efforts to face the challenges of
this terrible epidemic. We are not alone
in this resolve, as 189 countries around
the world celebrate this important day.
The theme for this y ear's World
Aids Day was "AIDS and Families",
to help us focus on the fact that AIDS
affects us all. Indeed, the most recent
statistics show that 13 million men,
women and children are living with
HIV and AIDS around the World.
Thirteen million people with AIDS
or HIV Millions of families facing a
loss of income and stability. Millions
of families facing challenges that can
tear families apart or can bring them
closer together than ever before.
Millions of families fighting denial,
fear, discrimination and the compla­
cency of those around them.
HIV and AIDS are a disease of
families across this country and
around the world. In Africa, where
AIDS is largely a heterosexual dis­
ease, tens of thousands of children
have already been orphaned by AIDS.
Here at home, 30,000 American chil­
dren have already lost their parents
to AIDS and by the year 2000 that
number will have grown to 80,000.
Women, also, are being infected more
and more by HIV and AIDS. Indeed,
AIDS is the fourth leading cause of
death among women between the
ages of 25-44. Women of color are
particularly at risk.
The fastest growing population
with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., howev­
er, is young people. That's not sur­
prising when you find that less than
half of the high school students who
said they were sexually active re­
ported that they used a condom and
nearly one-fifth of all high school
students have had four or more sex
partners. As a result, AIDS is the
sixth leading cause of death among
young people under 24.
HIV/AIDS is a disease of fami­
lies. But some people are do ing some-
thing about it. Take Joan McCarley
and her sister. Reverend Debbie I ate
in Washington, D.C. Nearly a de­
cade ago they noticed the growing
number of abandoned babies with
HIV AIDS in hospitals in Washing­
ton, D.C. In life, some people get
paraly zed by crises, others get orga­
nized. These sisters got organized
and did something about these for­
gotten children.
They founded G randm a’s
House, aresidential program for chil­
dren with HIV/AIDS. They opened
one home, which now has grown to
five homes in the District of Colum­
bia. They take babies from infancy to
children aged 12. They provide not
only nutritional and medical care,
but also the love and support these
children so desperately need. They
provide social workers and thera­
pists o f all kinds and they provide an
atmosphere which feels like home,
like Grandma’s home.
If you are interested in making a
donation to or finding out more about
Grandma's House, write to them at
1222 T Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. If you want to find out more
about HIV/AIDS you can call the
National A IDS Hotline at 1 -800-342-
A1DS. The Spanish National AIDS
Hotline is 1-800-344-SIDA.
AIDS can be prevented. Educa­
tion is the key to prevention of this
horrible disease. AIDS is a disease of
families - men and women and chil­
dren - and families need to come
together for the fight against AIDS.
Families need to talk about HIV/
AIDS and families need to support
one another. We’ve a heritage of
support and love and caring in our
families. Let’s continue that proud
tradition. Let's embrace those with
HIV/AIDS. And let's get busy work­
ing to end this epidemic which threat­
ens us all.
n the language of the
..
B la ck p e o p le of
<
A u s tra lia (th e so-
called Aborigines), W ollemi’
means “ look around you.” It
is unfortunate they didn’t look
closely enough at those ships
from England intent upon
o ccu p yin g th e ir ancestral
lands with hordes of evicted
criminals and bankrupts. This
happened early on in America,
too, but it is not politically
correct to mention.
31
area. “ A home that sold for
$141,000 last S eptem ber in the
suburb o f Roosevelt, w hich had
a tax bill o f $5,750, w hile an­
other in the nearby affluent v il­
lage o f Garden City, w hich is
alm ost all white, that sold for
$ 4 4 0 ,0 0 0 had a tax b ill o f
$2,696 — though the lot was
twice as big.” Hello, W elcom e
W agon’.
This type o f d isparity was
found to exist not only in New
York, but in New Jersey and in
the suburbs o f
C h ic a g o , San I K
This admo
n itio n w as a
F rancisco, Los
| w arning o f an
A ngeles, P hil­
A fric a n peo
a d e lp h ia and
pies d isp laced
many o th er c it­
in a diaspora o f
ies. A fte r re ­
several m illen­
v ie w in g th e
n iu m s a g o . I
stu d y 's, Billy J. T idw ell, the
was reminded o fth is "Down Un­
N ational Urban L eag u e's d irec­
d e r” w o rd -to -th e -w ise when
tor
o f research, said “ The tax
several readers said their ears
d
isparities
com pounded hard­
perked up last week as they read
ships
he
has
docum ented as
my docum ented recitation o f the
blacks
move
to
the suburbs.
rip -o ff o f m iddle-class A frican
They
include
‘difficu
lties ob­
Am erican property ow ners by
taining
m
ortgages'
and
racial
county and city taxing officials
s
te
e
rin
g
aw
ay
from
‘w
hite
I barely got into the subject but,
n
e
ig
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s
.”
(
P
o
r
tla
nd
now, I have had replies to rele
by
advancing
what
became
known
as
Gingrich
and
company,
and
the
re­
banks
should
also
pay
close
at­
Congressional candidates in 1994.
vant inquiries made o f several
a D r . M anning M arable
the
"Southern
Strategy.”
Nixon
op­
cent
media
controversy
surrounding
According to Voter News Ser­
tention).
fo rm e r s tu d e n ts a ro u n d the
posed court-ordered bussing for
the Bell Curve, the pseudo-scientific
In my Septem ber series of
vice exit polls, in the election of
'h e N ovem ber 1994
country and the readers can take
school desegregation, attempted to
text which asserted black intellectual
articles, "Urban Renewal: Peo­
1992, the overall vote was divided by
C o n g re ssio n a l elec-
it from there; one lady was very
elevate southern conservatives to the
inferiority, are all part of a broad
ple, Politics And P lanning” , 1
54 to 46 percent in favor of Demo­
w orried about her assessm ent.
'tio n s gave Congres-
Supreme Court and made direct ap­
political
and
ideological
assault
cited a highly regarded book
cratic
candidates.
White
males
that
Look
around
you,”
sister!,
and
¡ional
c o n tro l
to
the
peals to Wallace voters. This politi­
against
black
people.
What
we
are
relevant to so much economic
year
tended
to
favor
Republicans
by
not ju st Gresham and B eaver­
Republicans in both the House
cal reaction produced Nixon’s mas­
w
itnessing
is
the
logical
culmination
disparity and rip -o tf in the ur­
a
slight
margin,
49
percent
to
5
1
ind Senate for the first time in
ton
sive electoral landslide against liber­
of a process which actually began a
ban scene; "The G eography ot
percent.
In
1994,
the
general
elector­
We are talking about the
I0 years.
al Democrat George McGovern in
generation
ago.
Nowhere: The Rise & Decline
ate
favored
Republicans
marginally,
revelations o f studies financed
The Republican victories placed
1972. However, the political scandal
After
the
political
defeat
of
Jim
O f A m erica's M an-M ade Land­
49
percent
to
51
percent.
But
signif­
’resident Clinton even further on the
by the New York Times new s­
of Watergate, combined with the
Crow
racial
segregation
across
the
s c a p e ” by J a m e s H o w a rd
icantly,
white
males
as
a
group
over­
iefensive as the adm inistration
paper last summer, "Census data
major economic recession of 1974,
South, highlighted by the 1965 Civil
K unstler(T ouchstone, Simon &
whelmingly
endorsed
Republicans,
show that Black fam ilies who
¡crambled to regain the initiative
led to the collapse of the Southern
Rights
Act
and
the
1965
Voting
Schuster,
1993). O ther reliable
by
a
margin
of
63
percent
to
37
move to the suburbs o f U S. cit­
iround public policy issues. Regret-
Strategy. Nixon was forced to resign
Rights
Act,
a
white
political
back­
inform
ation
and docum entation
percent.
Since
white
males
comprise
ies are taxed more than their
:ably, the Clinton administration has
in disgrace, and the Democrats by a
lash
began
to
erupt.
Led
by
Alabama
may
be
obtained
through the
42
percent
of
all
voters,
their
nearly
•noved toward accommodation with
neig h b o rs.” The study looked
narrow margin were able to recap­
Gov. George Wallace, white racists
two
to
one
endorsement
of
the
Re­
Census
Bureau,
The
U rban In­
;he right around many issues, from
at 30 cities and 31 suburbs and
ture
the
White
House
in
1976.
and
conservatives
mobilized
behind
publicans was chiefly responsible for
stitute in W ashington, D C., and
found that black, hom eowners
prayer in the public schools to wel­
Clinton mistakenly believes that
the banner o f " sta te 's rig h ts .'
such individuals as Dr. Andrew
the disastrous Democratic defeat.
are taxed more than w hites on
fare reform.
if his administration becomes more
"Dixiecrats” who had belonged to
To understand the full signifi­
A. Beveridge at Q ueens C ol­
However, let us be frank: the
com parable homes in 58 per
“conservative,” that this will appeal
the Democratic Party moved to the
cance of the 1994 Republican Con­
lege, N.Y. or Dr. John R. Logan
key factor in the smashing success of
cent o f the suburban regions and
to elements of white, middle class
Republican Party, including South
gressional victories, we must place
at State University o f New Y ork
the far right is the core reality of
30 percent o f the cities. If you
America which are firmly under the
Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond and
recent events within a historical and
at Albany.
racism within American politics and
ca n ’t trust your county assessor
electoral domination of the Republi­
North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms. By
political context. The 1994 Congres­
O f course we have Anne
society. Race, and to a less extent
who can you trust? It is in terest­
cans. This is a strategy which will
the late 60s, Richard Nixon success­
sional campaign, the vitriolic rheto­
Aubrey,
a spokesw om an for the
gender, were primary factors which
ing, that amid all the rhetoric
only produce disaster.
fully
appealed
to
these
reactionaries
ric
o
f
Republican
leader
Newt
International
A ssociation o f As­
fueled the victories of Republican
about a new, highly educated
sessm
ent
O
fficers
saying, “tax
and prosperous black m iddle
assessors
are
not
to
blam e,” we
class that has run o ff to the sub
follow
the
law,
and
sociologists,
urbs and left their poor brethren
politicians and t a x ‘experts say
behind, 1 seem to rem em ber my
they do not think d isp arities
grandfather and his peers com ­
stem from “racism ” (but “ guns
plaining about the identical sit
incumbent governor I was challeng­ uation (circa 1935). The plan ta­
d o n ’t kill, people d o !” right).
D
em
ocrats,
R
epublicans
and
in­
them Hempstead Mayor J im Gardner)
After an election, it’s customary
ing).
Virtually
no
one
in
Black
lead­
Lets question the U rban De­
tion
has
an
iron
grip
dependents.
and independents (among them my­
for political and community leaders
ership circles stood up to stop those
partm ents o f local u n iv ersities
A typical exam ple is drawn
Reverend
Sharpton
and
I
agreed
self, now the chair of the Committee
to assess election results and figure
or even tax assessors.
attacks
from the Long Island, New York
at the meeting that it was critical that
for a Unified Independent Party and
out where to go next. This year was
Since
the
first
m
eeting
o
f
this
the Black convention create an envi­
an activist in Independence Fusion,
no exception. African American lead­
group o f Black leaders, I have
ronment in which diverse opinions
New
York's
newest
ballot
status
par­
ers around the country are beginning
been singled out for attack by
and strategies can be presented and
ty; along with attorney Colin Moore,
to analyze what the Republican vic­
one Black new spaper w riter (who
discussed.
a leader of the Freedom Party). The
tory means for the Black community,
in the past has called Reverend
Unfortunately, such an environ­
independent option has come of age
what it means for the Democratic
(USPS 959-680)
Sharpton a “ scum bag” ). I have
ment was not created during the re­
for the Black community over the
party, and what it means for the fu­
OREGON’S
OLDEST
AFRICAN
AMERICAN PUBLICATION
asked
Reverend
Sharpton
to
in­
cently completed election season in
last year; its inclusion in the most
ture o f Black participation in inde­
Established
in
1970
by
Alfred
L. Henderson
sist
upon
a
fair
fram
ework
for
the
New York; in certain Black leader­
critical dialogue on strategies for our
pendent politics.
conduct
o
f
the
convention
and
to
ship circles it was effectively open
empowerment is, in my opinion, a
On November 21 in New York,
set a strict standard for respect of
season on me. I was attacked for
Joyce W ashington-Publishcr
significant development.
three weeks after conservative Re­
all participants. I believe he is
being
an
independent
(somethingour
The participants at the N o­
publican George Pataki was elected
uniquely positioned to do so. We
community desperately needs); for
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is located at
vem
ber 21 m eeting decided to
governor. Black leaders met at the
need to assure that the Black con­
working
with
whites
(something
ev­
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
organize for a statew ide Black
memorial Baptist Church in Harlem,
vention is a constructive step in
ery Black leader does); and for not
Portland, Oregon 97211
political
convention
to
be
held
at the invitation o f Reverend A1
the direction o f finding new and
being a “real Democrat" (this by a
503-288-0033 * Fax 503-288-0015
within
the
next
few
m
onths.
The
Sharpton. Attended by some 50 B lack
specific political strategies for
Black Democratic Party elected offi­
o rg an izin g com m ittee, led by
Deadline fo r all submilled materials:
leaders from around the state, the
our people.
cial who was working for the white
R ev eren d S h a rp to n , in clu d es
meeting included Democrats (among
Articles:Friday, 5:00 pm Ads: Monday Noon
Along The Color Line
Race, Gender Fuels Elections Victories
BLACK EMPOWERMENT
Encouraging Moves Toward Black Unity
(The ^ o rtla n h (Dbscvncr
Creating A Circle Of Elders
Bv N v e w is i A skari
arlierthisyear.ayoung
T j T b ro th a w h o had
re c e n tly jo in e d
a
popular, local gang, asked me
if I would allow him to visit my
home. Curiously I said yes and
asked about the nature of his
visit.
"Brotha," he said, “ “ I'm on da
rocks wid my mon n dad. Dey jest
don't understand whut I m gointhru
Every time I try to run it down, dey
wack out on me, saying, I'm too
young to understand whut being black
is al 1 about I thought dey' d be da first
people to listen and understand So.
I need some talkin to from a Elder I
respect, and, I respect you. "
All the while he was talking, I
was thinking, “Dis young brotha sho
knows how to make me say yeah.
“Truth-fully, there was something
about him that made me anxious to
say yeah, come on. Not only that, he
approached me in a very respectful
and traditional manner And because
of that alone, I would've been in
violation o f Elder custom if I would
have said no.
So, four cancellations and six
weeks later, we finally got to­
gether.
The meeting
On the m orning he showed
up at my door, he was wearing
nothing that indicated he was a
gang member.
Talking about a talker! Brotha
man could rap, mack, sig, jive and
speak english - all i n the same sen­
tence. He called it“Bustinsome con­
versation.”
And bust some conversation we
did - for six whole, fast moving hours.
Of the subjects we kicked, he was
most stressed out by racism and the
impact it was having on his life and
his relationship with his family.
"How could som eone who
d o n 't even know me. hate me?
he frequently asked. “ I don t hate
white people.”
He shared. I cared. Then he
was gone. The victim o f a drive-
by shooting.
N othin but da blues
Now, whenever I think back on
that meeting, I get nothin but da
blues, and, I keep hearing the written
words of Joseph Lattimore.
“Being black in America is like
being forced to was ill-fitting shoes.
Some people adjust to it. It's always
uncomfortable on your foot, but
you've got to wear it because it’s the
only shoe you’ve got. You don’t nec­
essarily like it. Some people can bear
the uncomfort more than others. Some
people can block it from their mind,
some can't. When you see some act­
ing docile and some acting militant,
they have one thing in common: The
shoe is uncomfortable. It always has
been and always will be "
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