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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1995)
P age A? F ebruary 15, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver o b s F o r AH is a c o m p re h e n s iv e pro- gram to ensure suitable jo b s an d good w ag es fo r everyone who wants to work. Full em ploym ent is both an ethical imperative and the key to e c o n o m ic ju s tic e and prosperity... We reject the idea th at u nem ploym ent is ever desirable and we reject the use of u n e m p lo y m e n t to fig h t inflation. Real full employment is feasible and achievable in the modern global economy. The key barriers are political an d id e o lo g ic a l, n o t ju s t technical or economic. ‘i n itself, full employment will not deal completely with the prob lems facing different groups, but we believe it is the necessary precondi tion for reducing the barriers to their resolution... There is no reason in herent in the real resources available to us why we cannot move - and rapidly - within two or three years to a situation o f genuine full employ ment, estimated... to be about 1.5 percent unemployment. “ We have developed a plan and policies which are oriented around 11 principles. In brief, these are the principles: jobs for all; adequate in come for all; rights for workers; com- 5 R àinbo W C O A L IT IO N Full Employment munity investment, preservation and support; military conversion; envi ro n m e n ta l p re se rv a tio n and sustainability ; fair trade and econom ically viable local production for lo cal consumption; democratical plan ning and industrial policy; rebuild ing the nation’s cities; sound govern ment finance: and lifelong learning. “The start o f a silent depres sion' began in 1973, when the rate of growth o f two key indicators o f eco nomic well-being, the real income of the average worker and the real me dian family income, began to de cline. By 1 990, the real income o f the average worker was 19.1 percent below the level o f 1973. In a study o f employment policy since World War II, one reason cited for the lack ofconstituent support for full employ ment is the governm ent’s orientation toward providing pro grams for the relief o f the temporari ly unemploy ed rather than a compre hensive commitment to meeting the economic needs o f the entire na tion... The lack ofa full employment policy, robbed other proposals for a coherence and overarching purpose. By demonstrating that full employ ment is tied to the solutions o f other problems such as the budget deficit, poverty, homelessness, crime, fami ly stress, decay ing infrastructure and environmental degradation - that is, by making it do more than just give jobs to the jobless, we increase its potential constituency. “ It is important to prioritize... a legislative strategy that would move us toward full employment: the in troduction o f an omnibus Full Em ploym ent and E conom ic Justice bill... which would lend credibility to the ideas articulated in Jobs For All, as well as give new visibility to the goal o f full employment; seek support for a permanent, standby job creation program; appoint a high- level governm ent com m ission to study and propose solutions to the problem o f unemployment and un deremployment; to increase public awareness o f the true magnitude o f joblessness... support a new, expand ed measure o f unemployment; and recognizing that in a globally inter dependent economy it would be dif ficult, if not impossible to create full employment in one nation and that a global New D eal’ is needed, a final, albeit long-range, initiative would be to call for a global employment sum mit, perhaps under the auspices o f the United N ations.” These are excerpts from a new book by Sheila D. Collins, Helen L acks G in sb u rg and G e rtru d e SchaffherGoldbert entitled Jobs For all, published by Apex Press. They are seeking signatures on a “New Initiatives For Full Employment” response form. We encourage you to buy the book and support this effort. THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT Clinton And Newt Are In The Same Boat Bv L enora F vlani /jl C n his hour-and-a-half- long State of the Union address, Bill Clinton didn’t once mention us. Since it was the black vote that gave the Democrats their margin of victory in the few races they man aged to salvage in 1994 - like Senator Charles Robb's win overOliverNorth in V irg in ia and Sen ato r D iane Fejpstgin’s reelection in California - you would think that he’d be a little moreresponsive. But the Democrats are still counting on our loyalty, no matter how often they insult us. abuse us or exclude us. By contrast, the president did take pains to make his pitch to Inde pendents. The first half o f his speech sounded like it had been written by Ross Perot. Why? In 1992, 20 mil- lion people broke with both the Dem ocrats and Republicans and voted for Perot because he talked about open ing up the political process and tak ing America back from the corrupt politicians. So far. R e p u b lic a n N ew t Gingrich has managed to capitalize somewhat better than “New Demo crat” Bill Clinton on the anger of voters. But Clinton and Gingrich are ultimately committed to preserving the two-party arrangement and may end up in the same boat - the one the American people want to turn over. With the Cold War ended, we find ourselves face to face with a new set o f social and economic problems. The U.S. is not sufficiently compet itive in the global economy. We con front a staggering national debt. Our education system is failing. Domes tic, street, and racial violence haunt urban, suburban and rural areas alike. Drug use has reached epidemic pro portions. Social and moral decadence are found everywhere. Can the Bill Clintons and Newt Gingriches come up with workable solutions? Maybe? But the real question is: can their proposed solutions - contracts with America, or new covenants, or what ever - be realized? Only if the Amer ican people - o f all races and eco nomic backgrounds - are building the popular consensus and the w ill to realize these solutions. Do the c o n d itio n s e x ist for this type o f activ ism ? N o. A m er ican dem ocracy is far too re stric t ed, c o n tro lle d by big m oney, cen tra liz e d and to p -d o w n . T h a t’s exactly w hat the A m erican p e o ple are so angry about. How do we address this? With a th o ro u g h g o in g re stru c tu rin g o f American dem oo acy - inc luding term limits; full rights to initiative, refer endum and recall; automatic voter registration; m andatory televised campaign debates; and ballot access reform. Most importantly, we need to go well beyond the conservatizing two-party system o f professional politicians, to a participatory multi party democracy o f ordinary Ameri cans. During the civil rights move ment. black people raised the issue o f fairness and inclusion and changed democracy for all Americans. In the 1990s we must once again make the issue o f democratic process the burn ing issue o f America, this time with a total political restructuring that al lows African Americans - as mem bers o f the total American communi ty - to determine a new direction for our country. CIVIL RIQHTS JOURNAL An Open Letter To Our Children During Black History Month by B ernice P owell J ackson ear Young Sisters and Brothers, All o f you are our future and our survival as a people and this world depends on your survival and your hope. Many o f you understand that and go to school every day, learn something every day, do something positive for the universe every day. We don’t read about you in the news papers or see you on television, but you are there and you are our hope and we salute you. Some o f you, though, are al ready lost to the streets, caught up in a downward spiral o f violence and pain, headed toward prison or a wheelchair or death. We see your pictures on television every day and we weep for you and for ourselves. All o f you need to know that you come from a proud people, a deter mined people, a creative people, a prayerful people with a history rich with accomplishment and a love and respect for each other. All of you need to know that history because in that history there is hope for you, in that history there is meaning for you, in that history there is love for you. The outside world would have you believe negative things about y ourselves. The outside world would have you believe that the place for black men is prison, when black men have been doctors and lawyers and teachers and inventors and architects and w riters and composers and may ors and astronauts and women of God. The outside world would have you believe that you have inferior minds, when a black man took a peanut and invented dozens o f ways to use it. The outside world would have you believe you cannot learn math, when black people in Egypt invented math. The outside world would have you believe that you can not speak English properly, when you came from a people who spoke many languages when they were snatched from their land and then learned English while shackled to their brothers and sisters. The out side world would have you believe that college is no place foryou, when a black woman started a college for her people with only a few dollars in her pocket and a determination that we would have the opportunity to learn. You are young, gifted and black. Despite those images, despite those negative messages, you are young, gifted and black. Despite the pover ty, despite the pain, you are young, gifted and black. Despite the guns, despite the drugs, you are young, gifted and black. We who are adults have failed you. We have not put up those pro tective shields that our parents and their parents built around us. We have allowed those negative images to get past a wall o f protection and love and into your psyches and your souls. We have allowed the outside w orld's message that what is impor tant in life is money and cars and jewelry and possessions to invade our community’s being when we know that what is important in life is truth and love and respect, none of which can be bought and all o f which are the essence o f our humanity. We who are adults have failed you. We have abandoned you all too often. We have left you to the vul tures, to the drug dealers, the con artists, the thieves and the carriers of death. We have not taken you by the hand and led you through the valley o f darkness to help you see that you can achieve, you can learn, you can find aplace foryourself in this world, as difficult a place as it may be. But during this Black History Month, the lingering spirit o f our ancestors call us to rise up and tell you the stories - the stories o f our past, the stories o f our hope, the storiesofourlove. And intellingyou these stories, we can reclaim all of our children and ensure our future. My young sisters and brothers, you are young, gifted and black. The future is yours -- may we help you reach it? OPEN LETTER M r . W illie B rown , P ersonnel C ommittee C hair Dear Willie: I am writing to you because o f information I received yesterday from Mr Pete Kelly. Bureau o f Personnel Services. It appears that a city com puter is going to be the controlling segment in the selection process for the next Executive Director o f the Northeast Coalition o f N eighbor hoods Mr Kelly informed me that Marsha Palmer, the current Interim Director had received a very high score by computer and was being added to the list o f persons being interviewed for Executive Director Enclosed is a complete copy ofchoic- es made by Personnel Committee members, which screened resumes o f 75 applicants minus o f one who had withdrawn. After reviewing the draft o f Let ter of Agreement between the city o f Portland and the Northeast Coalition o f Neighborhoods for hiring and su pervising o f N E C N 's Executive Di rector. which had been sent by Diane Linn. Director. Office o f Neighbor hood Associations to the Board o f Directors o f N.E. Co alition o f Neighborhoods, nothing specifies anything about a computer involvement (copy enclosed). How ever, after the top 4 applicant choices were 3 Black males and 1 Jewish W'hite female, a lower scoring 5 can didates were added to the interview list. Afterwhich. Ms. Palmer, the In terim Director was added do to a computer score. Being an active participant. I realized what is taking place in the Northeast Coalition office, which caused me to write a letter to the editor o f the Portland Observer in agreement with Prof Mckinley Burt's P e rs p e c tiv e s co lu m n s e n title d “Blacks On The Way Out° Could It Happen Here?, as a Northeast com munity activist. Hopefully, as the Personnel Committee Chair, you will not allow the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods to become a victim of the City's game playing processes. Thank you for your time and consideration. Charles Hake, Personnel Com m ittee; N ortheast Coalition o f Neighborhoods p e r s p e c tiv e s Selected Readings In Ebony II (Classics) ore of the solid image- building materials to fu rth e r s e lf-e s te e m and hope for the future; the sort of histories and accounts of superb achievem ents that are needed to sustain and inspire a race of people. And to assure the significant others of this world that there is plenty of d o c u m e n ta tio n fo r our claims. “ B lack P i on eers o f S c i e n c e A nd In v e n tio n ” , L o u is H a b e r, O dssey B ooks (H a rc o u rt B race Jo v a n o v ic h ) 1970. T his is an excellent c o llectio n o f w ell- w ritten acco u n ts o f m ajo r in v e n tio n s an d m e d ic a l b re a k th roughs by A frican A m erican innovators. "B lack In v e n to rs O f A m er ic a ’, M cK inley B urt, N a tio n a l B ook C o., P o rtla n d , O re g o n , 1 9 6 9 -1 9 8 9 . T h e p io n e e r in g book on B lack In v e n to rs w hich began the en tire genre o f in v e s tig a tio n s o f the in v en tiv e gen iu s o f blacks. “ S ecrets O f T he G reat P y r a m id ’, P eter T o m p k in s, H arp er & Row , 1971, 1978 and later. E asily the best w ritte n , d o c u m ented and illu stra te d o f the books w ritten a b o u t the G reat Pyram id o f A frica. The m a th e m a tic s, te c h n o lo g y , E u r o p e ’s d ep endency. “ M athem atics In T he T im e O f T he P h a ra o h s” , R ichard J. G illin g s , D o v e r P u b lic a tio n s Inc., 1982. T his book is the m ost inform ative review I ’ve seen o f the so p h istic a te d m ath d e v e l oped by the A frican s d u rin g this p erio d . C o vers th e ir te c h n iq u e s o f nu m erals and n u m e ra tio n , a l geb ra and g e o m e try (a re a and volum e), fractions, m ensuration, a r i t h m e t i c a n d g e o m e tr ic p ro g re ssio n s,e tc . E sp ecially , we find here a co m p le te d e s c rip tion o f the m ethod o f m u ltip ly ing by d o u bling. I d e m o n stra te d th a t th is “ b in a ry ” m ethod o f co m p u tatio n w as the ex act sam e m ethod used by m odern c o m p u ters, th ereb y w inning a N a tio n a l S cience F o u n d atio n p rize for T he D a lle s’, O regon school D istrict (1 9 6 6 ). “ A fric a C o u n ts : N u m b e r And P attern in A frican C u ltu re ” , C la u d ia Z a s la v s k y ; P r in d le , W e b e r& S c h m id t, B oston 1973. T his is a b ro a d -ra n g in g c o v e r age o f the A frican c o n tin e n t as a w hole; E gypt, D ogon, Y o ru b a, N ig eria, E ast A fric a —O rig in al and A rabic c o u n tin g system s, m e n su ra tio n , re c o rd -k e e p in g . fo re c a stin g , g am b lin g , c a le n d ar, cu rrency etc. “N um ber W ords A nd N um ber Sym bols: A C u ltu ra l H isto ry Of N u m b e rs” K a rl M enninger, The M .l.T . P ress. 1977. As the title im plies, looks at the co n cep t o f num bers as d ev elo p ed by peo p le all over the w orld; E gyptians, G reeks, R om ans, B ab ylonians, E ast In dians, C h in ese, M a y a n s, J a p a nese, A m erican I n d ia n s , E tc . 470 pages. “ I s a a c N ew ton, h is to ria n ,” Frank E. M anuel, The B elknap P ress o f H arvard U niversity Press, 1963. T his is a p ric e le ss re fe re n c e w ork for both t.he g en eral p u b lic and the serio u s stu d e n t o f ancient A frican h isto ry , N ew ton w as a p ro d ig io u s h isto ria n w hose accuracy (and ho n esty ) in re p o rtin g the a c c o m p lis h m ents o f A fricans in m a th e m a t ics, astronom y, letters and c u l ture is m atched only by P lato, the G reek h istorian and p h ilo s opher. It is for this reaso n , o f course, that A m erican sc h o la rs p re fe r not to reveal to o m uch about the p ro lific c u ltu ra l in v e stig a tio n s o f the great m a th e m atician who gave us “ The T h e ory o f U niversal G ra v ita tio n ” . And C alculus. In p e rfe c tin g this th e o ry , N ew ton held up its p u b lic a tio n for several years w aiting for v e r ification o fc e le stia l co ordinates by tw o E uropean sc ie n tists who w ere using the G reat pyram id at G izeh, A frica for th e ir g e o d e sics (see T h o m p k in ’s Pyram id book). H ere, in M a n u e l’s b o o k , N ew ton is seen to trace dow n various m yths and show that this is the m ethod an cien t p e o p le s used to honor and m em o rialize people o f great accom plishm ent ( “ E u h e m e rism ” ): the a n c ie n t hero o f Libya, A frica, “ A tla s” , an e x c e lle n t a stro n o m e r w ho D is c o v e r e d The S p h e re , A tlantis, an E gyptian c o lo n y in L ibya, U ranus (A m m on) w ho f ir s t e s ta b lis h e d c itie s a n d tow ns. -Is a a c N e w to n w as a ls o deep into relig io u s stu dies. His in v e s tig a tio n s r e v e a le d th a t m uch o f Isra e l’s p h ilo so p h ic a l dev elo p m en t was due to A fri can c o lo n iz a tio n (as was the ca se w ith G re e c e ). T h e re is m uch, m uch m ore as N ew ton correlates the pantheons o f these c o u n trie s w ith th e ir A frican o r igins in Egypt. Serm ons at C am bridge. 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