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P age A2
J une 7, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
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'he Rainbow Coalition
just finished a 3-day,
'30-m ile march from
N ew t
G in g ric h ’s
6th
c o n g ressio n al d is tric t in
Marietta to Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr's grave site in Atlanta.
We highlighted the issues in
N e w t’s
N ightm are
(The
Contract ON Am erica) and
contrasted it with Dr. King’s
Dream (Jobs, Peace & justice).
The march was tremendously
successful Newt responded! I le said
the march was "just a publicity stunt.”
He said, "Rev. Jackson is using the
strategies and tactics o f the 60s, which
no longer work.” Speaker Gingrich
tried to offset the impact o f the march
by showing up and rolling up his
sleeves, pretending to be a carpenter
at a new Habitat for Humanity house.
We pointed out that he was the one
who was really engaged in a public­
ity stunt. While he was helping to
build “ a" Habitat for Humanity house,
i f N ew t’s budget passes, it w ill mean
the loss of $41 m illion in monies for
the Atlanta’s public housing author­
ity.
The question Newt raised, how­
ever, is a legitimate one. Why march?
First, we marched to Constructively
vented direct our anguish about the
economic and social conditions un­
der which we live, which w ill only
grow worse under N ew t’s Contract
On America I f not constructively
channeled tow ard resolving the
Source o f our problem s-the lack o f
Editorial Articles Do Not Neccassarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The Jlo rtlan h fflbseruer Staff
Í
a
1
R ainbo W
C O A L IT IO N
Why March?
jobs, peace and justice-anguish can
quickly turn to anger. Anger w ill
then turn to hate. Hate looks for
scapegoats and m anifests its e lf
through violence. Violence often
leads to death-ofien o f totally inno­
cent people, including women and
children-as in the case o f the Okla­
homa C ity bombing.
Thus, we marched to channel
our anger in a constructive Political
direction. We marched because we
believed the Solution to our prob-
lem s-the lack o f jobs, health care,
housing, education, economic op­
portunity, injustice, discrimination
and more—grows out o f the power o f
a ballot box, and Does Not come out
ofthe barrel ofa gun or the explosion
o f a bomb.
Secondly, we marched to Dra­
matize our concerns! Dr. King said
on more than one occasion that his
job was to “ comfort the disturbed
and disturb the comfortable." Some­
times the issues are so vital and march­
ing becomes so dramat ic that it brings
about the “ creative tension” neces­
sary to stimulate the social change
and justice that we desire and the
nation needs. Dr. K in g ’s marches in
Selma was an example o f such dra­
ma.
Thirdly, we marched to Educate
the public! Dramat:c demonstrations
are designed to educate the public
regarding our legitimate interests and
our vital concerns. We were able to
communicate that under Newt’s Con­
tract a lot o f people w ill be hurt
C ivil, workers’ and consumers’ rights
w ill be narrowed or taken away. So­
cial, economic and political opportu­
nities w ill be reduced for workers,
the poor, women, children, students,
the elderly, the disabled and for peo­
ple o fcolo r The environment w ill be
less protected. The nation’s future is
dependent on public infrastructure
development, education, job train­
ing and retraining and more, yet these
are the very programs being elim i­
nated or cut.
N ew t’s Nightmare is trying to
Pull the country backwards. The
Rainbow march reminded Americans
that Dr. K ing’s Dream o f Jobs, Peace
and Justice for all is still trying to
Push our nation in a hopeful direc­
tion, and in the progressive direction
that it needs to go.
Fourth, we marched to Keep
Hope A live! Justice costs, but injus­
tice costs more. It costs more to lock
up the m illion people that we cur­
rently have in ja il than it does to
educate, train and employ them. Ed­
ucation costs, but ignorance costs
more. Our economic future depends
on a highly educated work force. Our
quality o f life and our democracy
depends on an educated American
public.
Health care costs, but sickness
costs more. Health is wealth. Preven­
tion is cheaper than cure. We need a
comprehensive and universal health
care system that is based on need and
notjust on the ability to pay. Housing
costs, but homelessness costs more.
Political participation costs, but so­
cial and political alienation costs
more.
Economic development costs,
but economic underdevelopment and
re-development costs more.
Why march? March to channel
negative energy in a positive direc­
tion. March to dramatize your con­
cerns March to education the broad­
er public, and march to keep hope
a live -b ut march!
THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT
On the Anniversary of Malcolm’s Birthday We Need More Than Unitv
flu I r , „ n . C, , ....
b \ D r . L enora F u la n i
C j i was pleased to have the
/-Q >
opportunity to sit on the
L
stage at the Apollo
Theatre with Dr. Betty Shabazz
and Minister Louis Farrakhan
on the night that their heralded
unity was formalized and made
public.
Their rift has been a painful one
for the Black community. Some have
found it ironic that it was Malcolm
X ’ s death that tore them apart and, 30
years later, a government-sponsored
plot to "avenge” his death that brought
them together. Perhaps it is fitting,
though, that so great a man as M al­
colm continues to lead the unifying
ofthe African American community,
even in death.
But even as mutual forgiveness
and financial support for the Shabazz
fam ily overflowed at the Apollo that
night, I felt somewhat uneasy - un­
easy in the sense that the unity be­
tween Minister Farrakhan and the
Shabazz fam ily does not provide a
w ay out o f the material, spiritual and
.... . .
....................
political torment in which the A fri­
can American community still lives.
Indeed, this was M alcolm ’s obses­
sive vision -- to find a road to justice
and power for Black people.
Less than a year before his as­
sassination, Malcolm delivered his
now-famous talk, “ The Ballot or the
Bullet" at theCory Methodist Church
in Cleveland. “ I f we don’t cast a
ballot,” he said, “ it ’s going to end up
in a situation where we're going to
have to cast a bullet. It’s either a
ballot or a bullet." He urged that we
try the ballot first.
“ It’s time now for you and me to
become more politically mature and
realize what the ballot is for; what
we’ re supposed to get when we cast
ballot." What are we supposed to
get? Power. What was the Black
community getting. Nothing. Why?
Because, Malcolm pointed out, the
Black voter had become blindly loy­
al to the Democratic Party: “ You put
the Democrats first and the Demo­
crats put you last,” he told us back in
1964. “ They get all the Negro vote,
and after they get it, the Negro gets
’
Ballot and the Bullet” talk, Malcolm
gave a speech in New York City
called “ The Black Revolution.” In
that talk he envisioned the possibility
o f a peaceful revolution in America.
“ Why is America in a position to
bring about a bloodless revolution?”
Malcolm asked. “ Because the Negro
in this country holds the balance o f
power, and i f the Negro in this coun­
try were given what the Constitution
says he is supposed to have, the add­
ed power ofthe Negroes in this coun­
try would sweep all o f the racists and
the segregationists out o f office. It
would change the entire political
structure o f the country.”
The emergence o f the Patriot
party and the growth o f the indepen­
dent political movement has - at long
last - provided the African American
community with a tool to effect the
kind o f political restructuring M al­
colm foresaw as critical to the em­
powerment o f Black people. This
May 19, on the 70th anniversary o f
his birth, let us honor him and his
nothing in return... It was the Black
man’s vote that put the present ad­
ministration in Washington, D.C.
Your vote, your dumb vote, your
ignorant vote, your wasted vote...”
Things, unfortunately, haven’t
changed much in this regard Today
we elect Black democrats to Con­
gress and white Democrats to the
White House, and we still get noth­
ing in return but a bipartisan govern­
ment, intent upon maintaining itself
in power at the expense o f the life,
liberty’ and pursuit o f happiness o f
the American people.
Over the last 20 years I have
been working with tens o f thousands
o f people - Black, white, Latino and
N ative A m e rica n - to b u ild a
grassroots alternative to the Demo­
crats and the Republicans. Today we
have one. It’ s called the Patriot Par­
ty, and activists from the Black com­
munity, including me, have played a
significant role in founding and help­
ing to shape it. It’ s dedicated to de­
mocracy and the inclusion and em­
powerment o f all Americans.
About a week after his "The
memory with more than unity. Let us
honor him with independent action.
Civil Rights Journal: America’s Bantustans
bv
B er n ic e P o w e l l J ackson
worked against South
Africa's racist apart-
<
heid regime for two
decades.
I traveled to South Africa many
times, including to the so-called
homelands, where the government
relocated tens o f thousands, perhaps
m illions, o f black South Africans.
These bantustans were in the most
desolate, unarable lands, far from the
eyes o t w hite South Africans and the
rest ofthe world. There were no jobs,
little food and only the barest o f
housing available in the homelands.
N ow I have seen Am erica's
homelands -- we call them reserva­
tions. And I now understand that
many o f the policies o f the apartheid
government o f South Africa were
learned from our own government
and its policies toward native Amer-
icans. The major difference is that
m illionsoflndian people in ourcoun-
try were killed through wars, small­
pox and forced marches, while the
black South Africans were not erad­
icated and remain in the majority
today.
America’s first inhabitants have
experienced 500 years o f coloniza­
tion, racism, ridicule and genocide.
Today they face overw helming odds.
As we enter the information age,
native Americans are less well edu­
cated than other Americans -- only
65 percent complete high school and
9 percent complete college. They are
more likely to die o f tuberculosis,
chronic liver disease and cirrhosis,
accidents, diabetes, homicide, pneu­
monia and suicide than are other
Americans.
Like many o f those living in our
inner cities, native Americans on the
reservation live in an atmosphere o f
On The Senate’s Review Of
Oregon’s Educational System
bv
S en . T o m H a r t i
ng
A fte r three months and over 60
hours o f testimony from students,
teachers, business leaders, adminis­
trators, and concerned citizens, the
Oregon Senate passed one o f the
most important b illso fth e 1995 Leg­
islative session.
The b ill is known as HB 2991-
B, and it addresses key issues related
to Oregon’s education system. This
legislation establishes high academ­
ic standards and assessments and puts
control back where it belongs; with
local school districts.
The bill also puts the education
system in Oregon back on track and
addresses concerns about academic
standards and assessments, parental
involvement, diplomas and grades,
school choice and local control
The goal o f this legislation, is to
provide a system that w ill provide
happy and healthy children with the
tools necessary to face a challenging,
increasingly complex world
As with all quality improvement
hopelessness and despair. This, in
tum, helps to account for high rates
o f alcoholism and suicide faced by
the Indian people. Indeed, native
Americans are five times more likely
to die o f alcoholism and nearly one
and halftim es more likely to commit
suicide. The figures can differ when
looking at regional, area, and tribe
specifics.
Most o f the reservations are lo­
cated in sparsely populated, little-
traveled areas. Many have little in­
dustry or sources o f jobs outside o f
the casinos which many Indian gov­
ernments have resorted to as source
o f income. Many have inadequate
housing and health care facilities,
inferior education and little or no
public transportation. Some have
toxic waste sites or power plants
located nearby .
Those native Americans living
in our cities face similar problems.
i
often combined with a feeling o f
separation from the land. Many o f
them, or their parents, were relocate
by our government in the 1950’s in
an effort to “ integrate” Indian people
into the larger population.
Most Americans w ill never trav­
el to a reservation. They w ill never
experience the paradoxes ofthe beau­
ty o f the land and dignity o f the
people on the one hand and the de­
spair and hopelessness on the other.
Most Americans have only the cow­
boys and Indians Hollywood image
o f native Americans and no sense o f
what has been inflicted on the Indian
people or o f the present-day prob­
lems they face. A ll Americans have a
responsibility to understand that na­
tive American people are a people
whose culture and very life is in
dangerofbecomingextinct. We must
change that old adage so that out o f
sight is not out o f mind.
better Xyd
(SJditôr
Send your letters to the Editor to;
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
efforts, the work o f improving edu­
cation w ill never becompleted. Fresh
solutions to education challenges w ill
continue to emerge. We must not let
those challenges go unmet. This bill
meets those challenges and moves
Oregon in the right direction for ed­
ucation.
Along with adequate funding for
schools, this b ill is one o f the most
important things the 1995 legislative
assembly w ill do. R eturning con­
tro l to the local level, encourag­
ing and strengthening parental
and c o m m u n ity in v o lv e m e n t,
m a n d a tin g rig o ro u s academ ic
standards and setting high, mea­
surable standards fo r students
around the state was the focus o f
the Senate Education C o m m it­
tee's rece ntly com pleted review
o f O regon's educational system.
This state has successful public
schools both in the Portland metro­
politan area and rural areas We
should praise them and recognize
their accomplishments as we work to
improve them.
\p e r s p e c t i r e s\
There Are Parks And Then There Are
Parks’! Forest Park In St. Louis II
I®
here is som ething
very, very special
'a b o u t
an
urban
W oodland
about a green refuge or haven
so immediately accessible to
i a beleaguered city-dweller, no
matter how well-off or how
I poor. But, especially, it was a
“Camelot” to many ofthe city's
I ghettoized kids, Black, Italian,
Irish, Jewish, Polish, Asian,
P laying,
learning
and
I dream ing,
im ag in atio n s
I soaring.
J
T ru e , the
great, o u td o o r
I M unicipal Opera
I described last
week was the
flagship that drew
critical acclaimto
the forested sanc­
tuary, but, then, too, there were oth­
er notable offerings within the syl­
van confines. I particularly remem­
ber the follow ingcivic achievements
ofthe fores ighted German burghers
o f St. Louis, home o f Budweiser
and Anheuser Busch (Webster de­
scribes a “ burgher” as a prosperous
solid citizen).
There was the nationally-rec­
ognized St. Louis M unicipal Zoo
with its performing elephants and
seals, and every weekend, the “ c ir­
cus was in town, here” . Twice a year
the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspa­
per would announce “ Snake-feed­
ing day” and it seemed ha I f the town
would tum out to see 20 men or
more seize the thirty-foot python
and hold it, while other men force-
fed it meat with a huge plunger.
The neatest thing I remember
about the Zoo is that when we were
very small, they had a special enclo­
sure (like a sub-zoo) where we were
given small wagons and were al­
lowed to haul around the little lion
and tiger cubs -- or frolic with them
like they were puppies. When you
tell people this today, you are looked
at incredulously: “ Their insurance
premiums must have been astro­
nomical” they comment.
Another remarkable zoological
center was the huge, football field-
sized, aviary, where there were no
walls and one stroll through the rep­
licas ofthe birds natural habitat, just
as though you were in a South Amer­
ican or African Jungle. I still marvel
at peacocks with their brilliant plum­
age. The “ Bird House” was said to be
one o f the most magnificent in the
Wbc
world, second only to one in Germa­
ny after which it was modeled.
Who could forget the St. Louis
Art Museum which sat on a h ill in |
the park, staid and columned, look­
ing like a 20th-century Parthenon I
know that there was one art teacher
at Sumner High School who would
have preferred we remembered most
the magnificent collections o f Re­
naissance and Impressionist paint­
ings, the Folk A rt o f Europe collec­
tion and much monumental sculp­
ture. But everyone I ’ve met from
those times ( 1930’s) most immedi­
ately remembers I
that the “ Spirit o f I
St. Louis” hung
from the ceiling
- the plane in i
w h ich C harles
L in d b e r g h
crossed the Atlan­
tic in I927(now at Smithsonian).
What has kept a lot these trea­
sures before ones mind, is that our
teachers, both primary and second­
ary, based many lesson plans and
homework on these cultural encoun­
ters. O f course there were many
other less-structured pleasures to be |
enjoyed - but not for all the popula­
tion In those days the g o lf courses,
tennis courts, swimming pools and
the ‘ better’ ball diamonds were “ for I
white only” . For some reason the I
electric motor boats that traversed
the chain o f streams and small lakes |
were not so encumbered.
It seems that with the great parks
o f the world, they are the creations
ofdaringand innovative minds. The
African Queen. Hatshepsut, was the
first in the world to boldly design,
implement and codify her urban con­
cepts ofc ity parks, gardens and foun-
ta ins zoos and tree-1 ined bou le vards,
all executed by her chief architect
and m in ister o f p u b lic w orks,|
Senemut.
Central Park, the famous and)
beautiful flagship o f the New York
City park system was designed by
the noted Frederick Law Olmstead, |
a genius o f urban landscape.
Olmstead, still an unknown young
park employee in 1857, put thou­
sands o f men to work planting trees I
and shrubs on 840 acres o f rocky, I
barren and arid acres to create its I
green vistas. Where Forest Park
began with the presentations o f ‘ light I
opera’ and Broadway Musicals, New
York began with “ Shakespeare.
How, we wonder, w ill Portland’ s!
Forest Park develop?
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