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major step on the lad-
der to becoming a Re
publican powerhouse
and eventually speaker of the
House was Newt Gingrich’s
kicking the ladder out from
under then Democratic Speaker
Jim W eight of Texas. He
accused Speaker Wright of
exp lo itin g his o ffice for
financial gain over a book deal.
The House Ethics Committee
announced that it had unanimously,
meamngboth Republicans and Dem
ocrats on the committee, found
Speaker Newt Gingrich guilty of eth
ical violations on three counts. The
committee said it would seek an out
side counsel to investigate the ques
tionable financing o f a col lege course
that Speaker Gingrich taught on tele
vision. It also said the teaching o f the
college course had ties to other ¡lie-
R à I bo W
C O A L IT IO N
Newt’s Chicken’s Coming
Home To Roost?
gal G O P A C activities. G O P A C is
the financial vehicle which Speaker
Gingrich has used to rise to power.
House M inority Whip David
Bonior (D -M I) responded immedi
ately and said: “ We have always said
that Newt G ingrich ’s path to power
was paved with a corrupt m ix o f
secret contributions, hidden cam
paign spending and political payoffs
to m ultimillion-dollar donors who
had a direct interest in federal legis
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The JJnrtlanb ORbscruvr
lation. The Ethics Committee deci
sion confirms the fact that the Speak
er is in deep ethical trouble In this
investigation, all roads lead to
G O P A C . N o cutside counsel worth
his or her salt would take this case
without the ability to follow the trail
wherever it leads.”
While Speaker Gingrich slipped
through a loophole in his $4.5 million
book deal with Rupert Murdoch, the
Ethics Committee was clear in what
they thought o f it: “At a minimum, this
creates the impression o f exploiting
one’s office for personal gain. Such a
perception isespecially troubling when
it pertains to the office o f the Speaker
of the House, a Constitutional office
requiring the highest standards o f eth
ical behavior.”
Back to Jim Wright. Could it be
that New t’s chickens are coming
home to roost?
V a n ta g e P o i n t
The Million Man March: The Challenges Ahead
bv
f
R ojm D a n ie ls
\
t about 5:00 PM Sunday
October 15, on the eve
of the M illion Man
M arch (M MM), Dr. Conrad
Worrill and I decided to go by
the Capital Mall to look at the
site of the MMM,
T o our amazement, when we
arrived at the Mall, thousands o f
brothers were already on the scene
engaging in a kind o f spontaneous
pre-m arch
fe llo w sh ip .
The
comraderie was reminiscent o f the
kind o f feeling o f connectedness that
B lack people had at the height o f the
‘6 0 ’s. A s we observed the techni
cians putting the final touches on the
preparations for the M M M and
watched the big m icrowaves and pro
duction trucks o f local, national and
international media roll ontothe Mall,
we knew that we were on the verge o f
making history.
When I returned to the M all at
5:45 AM Monday October 16, at
least 250,000 brothers were already
on the Mall patiently and jubilantly
waiting for the days events to com
mence. I could see the shadows o f
thousands o f more brothers near and
far pouring into the Mall to jo in the
growing multitude of,he Million Man
March. A s the sun began to rise in,he
East, the shrill but melodious voice
o f Sheik Ahmed Tigani Ben Omar o f
Accra Ghana pieced the cold morn
ing's air with the Adan, the magnif
icent Muslim call to prayer Rev.
Tyrone Crider o f Chicago followed
with the reading o f the scripture.
dered a spirit and feeling o f exuber
Rev. C .V . Smith o f St. Louis deliv
ance and exhilaration for those who
ered an inspiring Christian prayer
attended the March and the millions
laced with liberation theology. Then,
o f Black men, women and children
Melvin Deal and the African Heri
who watched the March on televi
tage Dancers and Drummers o f Wash
sion. The MMM had an enormous
ington D .C . conducted the libation
p sych o -cu ltu ral-sp iritu al impact
ceremony to invite the ancestors to
whose effects may well be felt by
join us on this glorious day. Thus
Africans in America and the world
Muslim, Christian and traditional
far into the future. T o ensure that the
African religious and spiritual lead
MMM has an enduring impact, how
ers stood together in a splendid ecu
ever, the good feeling o f the moment
menical commencement o f the Holy
must be translated into good and
Day, the M illion Man March, a Day
powerful deeds which can perma
of Atonement, Reconciliation and
nently transform the oppressed con
Responsibility.
dition o f the race. Person to person,
At 10:00 AM , Dr. Benjamin F.
family to family, neighborhood to
Chavis, Directorofthe M MM strode
neighborhood, the challenge is to
to the podium to proudly proclaim to
press forward with a transformative
the world that one million B lack men
agenda o f moral, spiritual, cultural,
were now on the Capital Mall. It was
economic and political renewal.
an awe inspiring spectacle to stand
In concrete terms this means that
on the steps o f the Capital and see a
we must heed the call o f Minist^
solid phalanx o f African men stretch
Farrakhan and numerous other speak
ing beyond the Washington Monu
ers o f the day who laid out a series o f
ment, fillin g the adjacent streets and
proposals which collectively consid
surrounding the Capital itself. The
ered comprise an impressive action
troubled and aspiring masses o f the
agenda. It is imperative that Black
African community in the U .S. had
men honor the pledge to cease the
heard the call o f God through M inis
violence, drug trafficking and fratri
ter Louis Farrakhan and responded
cide in our communities. The verbal,
with the miracle o f the M illion Man
physical and psychological abuse o f
March. B y the time Minister Farra
Black women and children must also
khan mounted the stage to the thun
stop. And, Black men and women
derous ovation o f the assembled
must act on the urgent need to give
multitude at 4:30 PM, it was clear
time, energy, talent and resources to
that the M illion Man March was the
organize our communities. We must
largest demonstration in the history
jo in an organization o f our choice
o f this nation.
and become a part o f a spiritual or
The M illion Man March engen-
religious institution which is espous
ing the liberation o f African people.
T h e N atio n al A fric a n A m e r
ican L e a d e rsh ip S u m m it must
assume resp o n sib ility for advanc
ing the so cia l, econom ic and po
litica l agenda w hich was outlined
at the M M M : adopting the 25,000
B la c k ch ild ren who are now or
phans to provide wholesom e fam
ilie s for them w ithin our com m u
nity; the registe rin g o f m illio n s
o f B la c k voters to create and in
dependent third force in A m e ri
can p o litic s; the developm ent o f
a Black Agenda which reflects the
interests and aspirations o f Black
people; the creation o f an African
Am erican Development Fund to
mobilize m illions o f dollars for busi
ness and economic development; uti
lizing economic sanctions (boycotts)
to compel corporations to reinvest in
the B lack community; and, pressing
the demand for reparations.
Beyond the jubilation o f the
moment, the real lasting legacy o f the
M illion Man March rests on our w ill
ingness and capacity to change our
attitudes about ourselves, change our
behavior towards each other and take
responsibility for the rescue and res
toration o f the race; to confront our
selves as well as the U.S. govern
ment and corporate America; to be
absolutely determined, in the name
and memory o f our ancestors, to en
ter the 2 1 st century a people, nation
and race decisively on the rise again.
Long live the spirit o f the M illion
Man March. God is great!
p e r s p e c tiv e s
A Renaissance For Northeast V:
Is It Possible Without Jobs?
Q IT
ndoubtedly, some
reaclers w<ll say that I
have it backwards;
that this week's comments
on Jeremy Rifkin’s book,
“End of Work” (G.P. Putnam,
1995), should have been the
thrust of last w e e k ’s
commentary on “Pensions In
C risis” by Ferguson and
B lackw ell
(A rcade
P u b lis h in g ,
1995).
4
Be that as it
may, it is nev
ertheless quite
d iffic u lt to as
sess the relative
e ffe c t o f the
two traum atic situations fa cin g
the A m e rican w orker. Y o u r jo b
( if y o u have one) maybe in im
minent je o p a rd y —and, w orse
yet, your retirem ent plan could
be in trouble. T o say the least,
these w ould seem to be rather
turbulent times to be ta lk in g
about a “ R en aissan ce ” . But
m an kin d ’s experience, it has
alw ays been either forw ard or
backw ards.
Hugh B. P rice , president,
N ational Urban Leagu e says,
‘R if k in ’s thesis that tra d itio n
al jo b s w ill be a th in g o f the
past for m illio n s o f A m e rican s
should jo lt society into address
ing, se rio u sly for a change, the
issue o f how the sw e llin g ranks
o f e co n o m ica lly m a rgin a lize d
people and com m unities are to
su rvive, much less th rive,
the new econom ic w orld or
der.'
Sounds as though our su
per-articulate, golden throated
leaders are ge a rin g up fo r an
other round o f inspired p o lem
ics and rhetoric, “ Sum m its at
the top” and so u l-se a rch in g in
trospection, all subtended by
retreats and sem inars sp iced
with ch icken w ing g alas (m ake
mine scotch and who kno w s a
good sexual harassm ent law
yer).
It is not co m ical at a ll, o f
course, when the tim es ( s u r v iv
a l) ca ll for the attention o f
‘g ro w n ’ men, trained, s k ille d
and experienced in the d e v e l
opment and adm inistratio n o f
com m erce and technology. The
system demand is for those who
THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT
„ ,,
Why The White Independent Needs The Black Voter
...
b > D r . L enora Ft i
can create jo b s; so cial engineers
and p o liticia n s must learn to
w ork with them, for there ca n
not be a fundamental difference.
R ifk in puts it this way.
“ We are ente rin g a new
phase in h isto ry—one ch a ra c
terized by the steady and in e v
itable decline o f jo b s. W o rld
w ide unem ploym ent is now at
the highest level since the great
depression o f |
the 1930s. The
number o f un
0y
d e re m p lo y e d
Professor or
w ith o u t
Mckinley
w ork is risin g
Burt
sharp ly as m il
lio n s o f new
entrants into the w o rkforce find
them selves victim s o f an e x
tr a o rd in a ry h ig h -t e c h n o lo g y
re v o lu tio n .”
“ So ph isticated com puters,
ro b o tics, te le co m m u n icatio n s
and other cutting-edge te ch n o l
o gie s are fast re p la cin g human
beings in v irtu a lly every sector
and industry—from m anufactur
ing, retail and fin a n cia l s e r v ic
es to transportation, agriculture,
and governm ent.” The last cat
ego ry o f course is that " P u b lic
S e cto r” where, as we and the
other media have detailed, lies
the greatest v u ln e ra b ility o f the
m in o rity wage earner.
So w hat’s it g o in g to be?
A re we g o in g to demand le ad
ership ofthe rare type furnished
by people like the famed R ev.
Leo n S u lliv a n who developed
the “ O p po rtu nities In d u stria l
iza tio n C e n te rs” w hich created
tens o f thousands o f jo b s, and
like the pioneer A fric a n A m e r
icans who developed so much
h ou sing and co m m ercial enter- j
p rise right here in Portland O r
egon?
N e x t we w ill ta lk about
b usiness and jo b developm ent,
as we often have done here be
fore. But R ifk in says the tim es
are urgent: “ M any jo b s are n ev
er co m in g back. B lu e C o lla r
w orkers, secretaries, reception
is ts, c le r ic a l w o rk e rs, sa le s
c le rk s, bank te lle rs, telephone
operators, lib ra ria n s, w h o le sa l
ers and m iddle m anagers are
ju st a few of the many o ccu p a
tio ns destined to sh rin k and
sh rin k and sh rin k ”
(U S P S 959-680)
am
big w ild card. Everyone wants them.
pects for pull ing the Black vote to the
that were funding massive programs
fuch is being written
Bu, what do they wan,? How does
G
O P are scant, even with a Powell
that did little to develop the nation.
l^these days about the
that new independent bloc most in
endorsement o f the eventual Repub
Among African-Americans, Latinos,
new constituency in
fluence American politics? How do
lican nominee. But Powell is quite
gays,
and other traditionally pro-big
American politics-the white
the white independents, the moder
correct in identifying that it would be
government
constituencies, and ap
independent.
ate middle, the radical center, go
in the interests o f B lack people and
proach
which
replaces the 30-year
Some call this constituency the
beyond being merely the swing vote
o f the country for us to have more
pattern
ofblatantly
politicized spend
"moderate m id dle." Others call it the
between the corrupt and discredited
options.
ing
(the
Democratic
Party used the
“radical center.” S till others identify
Republican and Democratic Parties
B lack sentiment in favor o f a
War
on
Poverty
to
install
a highly
a split in which wealthier whites are
to having the numbers to become a
third party has been visible for over
controlled
patronage
infrastructure,
the moderate middle and more blue
bona fide m ajoritarian force for
a decade. After Jesse Jackson's first
not to end poverty) with direct citi
collar whites are the radical center.
grassroots democracy, for taking
run for the presidency in 1984, a poll
zens'
democracy has considerable
But, whichever it is, the white inde
control o f a government that is sup
conducted by the Institute for Social
appeal.
pendent voter-now numbered at 25%
posed to belong to the American
Research at the University o f Mich
You may have seen the C -S P A N
and 35% o f the electorate—is the
people, but doesn’t? How can white
igan showed that 57% o f Blacks who
broadcast
ofthe independent Patriot
most sough, after voter in America.
independent voters create a coalition
had voted for Rev. Jackson would
Party
convention
in Minneapolis last
The Republicans tried to coopt them
to empower themselves? B y hooking
have voted for him ifhe had run as an
spring,
at
which
I told the B lack
in 1994 with a pro-term limits, pro
up with us.
independent. Ten years later, those
delegates
gathered
that I would not
political and fiscal reform program,
Whateveryou may have thought
statistics matured into the 1994 polls
return
to
the
African-Am
erican com
much o f which has been abandoned
about General Colin Powell and his
which showed that 57% O f African-
munity
with
the
traditional
promises
by the Contract with Am erica in fa
now-defunct presidential candidacy,
Americans favored the creation of a
ofgovemment-funded
jobs
and teen-
vor o f traditional G O P budget cuts.
he made a most perceptive observa
third party.
pregnancy
programs,
but
with
a plan
The Democrats though, their control
tion when he said o f B lack Am eri
Add to those statistics Minister
to
restructure
the
political
process
to
o f Congress was so strong, that they
ca’s relationship to the Democrats,
Louis Farrakhan’s enthusiastic call
empower
them
and
all
Americans.
In
never bothered to figure out how to
"I think i, is in the interest o f the
to the M illion Man March and all
return,
I
said,
I
needed
a
clear
state
appeal ,o the independent, and so the
country , and in the interest o f A fri
B lack Americans to create an inde
ment from the white delegates that
Republicans pulled the rug right out
can-Am ericans, to have that hold
pendent “third force,” and we have a
the
Black community would not only
from under them. That is why a na
sh a k e n lo o se, so ihai African-Am er
situation where B lack voters are ready
be
welcome,
but would be sought
tional panic has now seized the Dem
icans have a greater choice and can
to establish ourselves in a new polit
after
by
the
Party.
Both Blacks and
ocratic Party, and 11 Democratic
pick from more than one option to
ical alliance.
whites
were
enormously
supportive
members o f the House and 8 Demo
satisfy their political needs, and to
But can Black voters and white
o
f
what
I
had
to
say.
cratic members o f the Senate have
make sure their needs are taken care
independents become real partners?
The bottom line is this. The in
announced their retirement this year,
of." General Powell was undoubted
Many o f those radical centrists who
dependent
white center needs Blacks
more than twice as many retirements
ly thinking that the Republican Party
supported Ross Pero, in 1992 did so
in
order
to
go somewhere. Blacks
as the Republicans.
wou Id be that option O f course, with
as a way to attack the relentless growth
need
the
independent
white center in
Independent white voters are the
out him as the candidate, the pros
o f big government and big deficits
order to have somewhere to go.
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