J anuary 18, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A2
3E
w o rld c e leb rated
what would have been
r. Martin Luther King.
Jr.'s 66th birthday on Jan. 15.
Following the Nov. 8 elections,
there is an attempt by some in
both parties to turn back the
clock on King's dream of equal
protection under the law for all.
One rhetorical “ hook" they are
using is called "unfunded mandates."
What are unfunded mandates?
It is an umbrella term for federal
statutes and regulations that impose
requirements on state and local gov­
ernments without providing funding
for meeting those requirements.
Many important c iv il rights laws
are considered unfunded mandates
such as the Americans w ith D isabil­
ities Act, T itle V I o f the C iv il Rights
R ainbo W
C O A I L II T 11 O IN
Using GOP “Contract” To Kill
King’s Dream
Act and the Religious Free Restora­
tion Act. In addition, many laws that
protect the rights o f workers, such as
family leave and minimum wage laws,
would be considered unfunded man­
dates because they impose costs on
the states in their capacity as employ­
ers w ithout prov id ing fund ing to meet
those costs.
We recognize that state and lo­
cal governments are facing increas­
ing fiscal constraints, but we do not
believe that eliminating government’s
historic role o f protecting the rights
o f all citizens is a solution
The Senate is debating a b ill,
that would create a procedural road­
block to the passage o f future laws
and regulations containing “ unfund­
ed mandates,” but would not prohibit
such laws. The b ill does not apply to
“ constitutionally based rights,” and
laws that p ro h ib it discrim ination
based on race, gender, religion, na­
tional origin and handicapped or dis­
ability status.
W hile this exemption protects
some c iv il rights laws from the harsh
effects o f the b ill, it does not cover
important programs that support and
empower Americans. Even w ith the
c iv il rights exemption, the federal
laws that require state and local gov­
ernments to take steps to try to change
the legacy o f discrimination through
housing and educational standards,
standards that require governments
to invest in our youth and our poor,
would not be exempt.
VANTAGE POINT
A Resolution To Rekindle The Black Freedom S tru g gle
R on D aniels
by
s the new year dawns,
A frican s in A m erica
Should be imminently
aware that we are just five years
away from the dawning of a
new c e n tu ry and a new
millennium.
The plight o f our people in this
country and the world is perilous. As
W .E .B .
D u B o is
c o rre c tly
phophesized, the problem ofthe twen­
tieth century has indeed been the
color line. The domination o f A fri­
cans in America and the Pan-African
world on the basis o f racial oppres­
sion and economic exploitation has
been a devastating fact o f life through­
out this century. Nonetheless A fri­
can people have made some progress.
As the old folks would put it, “ we
sure ain’t what we want to be. We
sure ain’t what we gonna be. But we
sure ain’t what we were.” The crises
which afflict the masses o f African
people, however, continue to be hor­
rendous. Thus, i f we are serious
about being what “ we're gonna be,”
then it is imperative that we rekindle
the Black Freedom struggle.
Yes, we need to rekindle the
Black Freedom Struggle. Despite the
“ gains” that Africans in America and
the world have made we are still not
free. African people, particularly the
African masses, are not free form
individual and institutional racism.
The masses«of African people are not
free from chronic unemployment,
underemployment, poverty, poor
health, inadequate housing, inferior
education, and toxic environments.
Even those among us who have
benefitted handsomely from the civil
rights movement and the Black Pow­
er movement are still looked upon as
niggers in America, an unpleasant
inconvenience to be tolerated at best.
M iddle class or upper class standing
should npt blind any o f us to the
reality that until all African people
are free, no African person is im­
mune to the indignities o f racism,
racial oppression and economic ex­
ploitation.
As African people we need to
collectively resolve that the twenty-
first century w ill be the century o f
African redemption. For that resolu­
tion to be meaningful, however, each
and every African person who is con­
cerned about the present plight and
future status ofthe race must make an
individual resolution/commitment to
contribute to the Black Freedom
Struggle. Each African person must
recognize that the liberation o f A fri­
can people is In their hands and act
accordingly.
One o f the greatest impediments
to achieving liberation is the apathy,
indifference and lack o f involve­
ment o f Black people in the process
o f breaking the shackles that bind
us. Far too many Black people do
not take the time or make the time to
participate in the organizations,
agencies and movements that are
engaged in the struggle for social
justice and social change. The Black
Freedom Struggle not only requires
time, there is always a need for mon­
ey. You cannot run an organization
or agency or build and sustain a
movemenLwithout money Ifw e re ly
on people and forces external to the
Black com m unity to finance the
Black Freedom Struggle, then they
w ill control the direction o f our
movement.
It is indeed time for some seri­
ous new year’s resolutions. This year
you need to resolve that in the inter­
est o f rekindling the Black Freedom
Struggle you w ill take the time to
panic ipate in and support at least one
organization that is fighting for the
u plift and betterment o f Black peo­
ple.
Civil Rights Journal
America’s Concentration Camps
by
B ernice P ow ell J ackson
remember when I was
a teenager in the 1960s
and there was much
tu rm o il in o ur c itie s . T h e
whispered rumors were that the
government had concentration
cam p s set up a ro u n d th e
country and that if the riots
continued, black A m ericans
would be rounded up and put
in them. W hat I now know is
that those rumors probably
were based on the realities of
the not-so -d istan t past and
what happened to Japanese
Americans during World War
*JJ
O"
II.
I was recently in Los Angeles,
where the Japanese American Na­
tional Museum has opened a year­
long exhibit on America’s concen­
tration camps The U.S. government
fo rc ib ly placed in these camps
120,313 people, two-thirds o f whom
were U.S citizens. These Japanese
Americans were incarcerated under
armed guard, but they were never
accused o f any crimes and they were
never any trials or any convictions.
They were simply Japanese or o f
Japanese ancestry during a time when
Japan was at war with the U.S.
This powerful exhibit is done
through the eyes o f those sent to the
camps, some o f whom were incar­
cerated for three and a-half years.
Many o f the camps had only the very
basics o f life, including communal
bathrooms and block mess halls.
There were 10 War Relocation Au­
thority (W R A ) concentration camps
and 12 Justice Department intern­
ment camps located from California
to Arkansas. In most o f the Justice
Department camps only men were
incarcerated, splitting up families.
Some o f these men were picked up
w ithin hours o f the Pearl Harbor at­
tack and most were business and
religious leaders with little or no
political involvement. In other cases,
entire families were moved, includ­
ing small children. Most were locat­
ed in remote, unpopulated areas;
many were in deserts or other inhos­
pitable climates.
I f the person who remarked that
to not know your history is to repeat
the mistakes o f the past is correct,
there are several reasons it is impor­
tant fo r us all to be aware o f this
shameful part o f American history.
First o f all, we are a country
whose Constitution is at the heart o f
who we are. But the lesson o f the
Japanese American concentration
camps is that all Americans must be
vigilant protectors o f our constitu­
tional rights i f we are to remain a
strong democracy. In this case, all
three branches o f the U.S. govern­
ment ignored the B ill o f Rights and
imprisoned innocent people, without
the benefit o f a trial Later President
Harry Truman and Supreme Court
Justice Tom Clark lamented our coun­
try ’ s actions.
Secondly, in this case, the gov­
ernment used or misused its power to
keep the real truth from the people.
Language, for instance, was carefully
chosen, with the terms “ relocation” or
“ evacuation" camps being used in­
stead o f concentration camps and “ non­
alien” instead ofcitizens. This allowed
the government to maintain a positive
public image and sidetracked legal
and constitutional challenges.
Thirdly, in this case, the govern­
ment caused extreme hardship on its
citizens and legal residents. Many
families lost businesses and homes
since they were given no time to sell
or lease them. Many families were
separated and forced to live in nearly
unbearable circumstances. Many o f
those who were incarcerated never
were able to overcome the shame and
hardship o f it all.
But the good news is that the
U.S. government did finally accept
responsibility for its actions. In 1981
the Commission on Wartime Relo­
cation and Internment o f Civilians
held a series o f hearings across the
country. Some 750 witnesses testi­
fied and in 1988 President Reagan
singed into law a b ill in which the
U.S. government regretted its ac­
tions and provided for individual
payments o f $20,000 to surviving
internees and set up on education
fund.
I f you're in Los Angeles, visit
the Japanese Am erican N ational
Museum and see for yourself these
powerful stories o f the people in
A m e rica ’ s concentration camps.
They are stories o f patriotism, loyal­
ty, personal strength and fam ily val­
ues. This is a story every American
should know.
E ric H. K earney
t w as
in c ritic a l
c o n d itio n p rio r to
Election 1994, but after
this November liberalism has
seen its lifeline go flat. The
tom bstone has been prepared.
*jl
C"
The legacy ofPresident Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and President
Lyndon Johnson w ill soon be erased.
Welfare and social programs which
were years in development and con­
tribute to many lives w ill end.
The role o f government w ill be
dramatically redefined in the next
two years with a Republican Con­
gress and a Democrat as President.
President B ill Clinton was elected as
a “ New Democrat” and as an “ agent
o f change ” What those two terms
A
Wb N » I
W E
mean in the current political environ­
ment is d iffic u lt to determine.
President C lin to r. has been
placed in a precarious position. The
Democratic party is more liberal than
the American voting public as shown
by the most recent election results.
He, however, must cater to the pow­
erful liberal faction in the party.
During the first two years o f his
term he has managed to placate liber­
als. He has signed executive orders
for those in the party concerned about
pro-choice. He ushered through the
passage o f the Family and Medical
Leave Act. Through the Crime B ill
he obtained a ban on assault weap­
ons.
Despite these successes for lib ­
erals, president Clinton has had to
balance their interest with conserva-
tive positions. For instance, many
liberal groups opposed his support o f
N A F T A , the North American Free
Trade Agreement. He also failed to
support Lani Guinier fo r head o f the
C iv il Rights Division o f the Justice
Department. Instead o f Ms. Guinier,
President Clinton appointed a former
co-worker o f Ms G uinier, Deval
Patrick.
W ith the large swing towards
the Republicans, President Clinton
has no hope o f passing the center-
piece o f his administration health
care President Clinton w ill have to
readjust his goals and w ork toward a
more conservative agenda
One o f the first issues which the
Republicans w ill attack is welfare
reform. This is aclassic conservative
issue President Clinton w ill have to
Blacks Reported On Way Out In
Los Angeles; Could It Happen
Here? Part II
B y P rof . M c K inley B lrt
■J«
jJ
’m sorry if I was not as
clear as I could have
b een in th a t fir s t
paragraph last week. I simply
wished to draw attention to
the fact th at the oft-u sed
metaphor, “to rise from the
ashes like the Phoenix,” came
into the w o rld ’s languages
through the folklore of ancient
East African people - they first
thought that the resplendent
“f ir e b ir d ” (fla m in g o ) had
actually perished in volcanic
fire s n e a rb y , b u t, m ira c ­
ulously, had been created
anew when thousands of birds
rose from desolate areas.
M y in te n d ­
ed a lle g o ry was
that certain o th ­
er o f G o d ’ s
b e a u tifu l crea­
tures m ig h t also
ris e lik e th e
“ P hoenix” fro m
th e e c o n o m ic
devastation o f so m any o f our
inner cities. G ive n the A fric a n
A m e ric a n ’ s tim e-tested a b ility
to survive “ the slings and a r­
row s o f outrageous fa te ,” the
idea may not seem too fa n c ifu l.
But, on the other hand, a fa ith
buttressed by some hard (and
fa vo ra b le ) facts is fo un d more
desirable by those o f us o f fa in t­
er heart; e spe cia lly those lik e
the reader w ho rem inded me o f
m y September series, “ U rban
P lanning: A fric a n s D id It W ith
Style and G race.”
W hether we are “ created
anew” or “ rise fro m the urban
ashes” or not can be m ore than
ju s t the choice o f a p ro pe r m et­
aphor. The p e rtin e n t question is
when w ill we as a people begin
to incorporate our experiences
and our w e ll-d o cum en te d s k ills
into a m e a n in g fu l re v o lu tio n o f
our archaic m indset? O ve r the
years o ur continuous inspection
o f Jet, Ebony, the b la c k p rin t
m edia in general and te le v is io n ,
p rovides a parade o f w hat we
are to ld are our leaders, m overs
and shakers, the creme de la
creme - and the role m odels o f
c o n s p ic u o u s
c o n s u m p tio n
whose fu ll-p a g e d is p la y s are
sponsored by the d is tille rie s .
When we lo o k fo r stories
on real econom ic achievem ents,
exercises in ow nership, ca p ita l
accretion, new m a n u fa ctu rin g
enterprises or urban real estate
developm ents on a par w ith
what blacks accom plished at the
tu rn -o f-th e -c e n tu ry o r in the
1920s, they are so few as to be
considered non-existent. W e do
not fin d a re c o g n itio n and fu r ­
ther developm ent o f the eco­
n o m ic c o m p o n e n t o f “ D r.
K in g ’ s D ream .” W hat we seem
to have, instead, is a c o n tin u ­
ous, nationw ide spectacle w hich
co uld best be described as a
“ p e rm a n e n t E b o n y fa s h io n
show .” This from the people
w ho b u ilt the Pyram ids and de­
veloped words and num bers.
N ow , that question, “ co u ld
it
happen
here? (does it
h a p p e n
here?)”
So m a n y
o f “ u s ” are
w a g g in g and
c lu c k in g o u r
tongues o ve r a
certain a rticle that appeared in
the P ortland O regonian about a
m onth ago. A bla ck teenager
described her v is it and im p res­
sions o f the A tla n ta area, a n tic ­
ip a tin g her later e n ro llm e n t in a
b la c k c o lle g e ; I paraphrase
here: “ Oh, it was so w o n d e rfu l
and eye-opening. 1 never saw
so
m an y
M e rc e d e s
and
C ad illa cs on a college campus -
so m any w e ll-d re s s e d b la c k
people in th e ir furs and so much
top level entertainm ent and so­
cia l events. W e’ re sure g e ttin g
o v e r.”
You may be fairly correct in
your estimation o f how much this
may have cost the Negro College
Fund in contributions. I listened to
comments o f some o f my fellow
members in the Association o f O r­
egon Industries, and you w ouldn’t
like them. One in particular went
right to the cutting edge, “ Why
don’t they go to Oregon schools, it
may be cheaper in the long run and
besides, they would leam about the
economics and opportunities o f
their home state - and to compete
with other cultures?" Anothercalled
them “ cultural refugees.”
So w ill it, can it happen
here as we send our so-called
“ best and b rig h te st” to other
lands, few to return? M ore next
week.
Wlje ^ o rtlattb (©hserfrer
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established In 1970 by Alfred L. Henderson
Joyce Washington-Publisher
The P O R T L A N D O B S E R V E R is located at
4747 NE M artin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
503-288-0033 * Fax 503-288-0015
Deadline fo r all submitted materials:
Liberalism Is Dead
by
p e r s p e c t i ves
A rticles:Friday, 5 :0 0 pm
compromise more than he probably
wants.
Liberalism lacks the advocates
that it once had. Besides the Con­
gress becoming more conservative,
the Supreme Court is still conserva­
tive. Furthermore, there is no clear
leader for liberalism. Senator Ted
Kennedy has been effectively si­
lenced by his close win and his past
peccadilloes. Senator Paul Simon has
decided that this is his last term. New
Y ork Governor M ario Cuomo lost.
Liberalism lacks leaders and
focus. Its influence on American
politics with the most recent election
has ended.
Eric H. Kearney is a Cincinnati
lawyer. You can send your com­
ments to him at P.O. Box 1691, C in­
cinnati, OH 45201-1691
Ads: M onday Noon
PO S TM A S TE R : Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer,
P.O. Box 3137, Portland, O R 97208.
Second Class postage p a id at Portland, Oregon
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts
and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned. I f
accompanied by a se lf addressed envelope A ll created design display
ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and can not be used in
other publications or personal usage, w ithout the written consent ofthe
general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f
such ad. © 1994 THE PO R TLAN D OBSERVER. A L L RIGHTS
RESERVED, REPRO DUCTION IN W H O LE OR IN PART W IT H ­
O U T PERMISSION IS PR O H IBITED .
z
Subscriptions $30 00 p e r year
The Portland Observer-O regon’s Oldest African-Am erican Publica-
tio n -is a member o f the National Newspaper Association-Founded in
1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated
Publishers, Inc, New York, N Y, and The West Coast Black Publishers
Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver
Join us in celebrating
(© bseruer’ a Twenty-fifth Anniversary.
I
f.
* -8»
I