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D ecember 27, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
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Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The JJorthntb fflbsvrucr
I
istory is full of irony,
but none more ironic
than the night Jesse L.
Jackson, Jr. was elected to
C ongress from the 2nd
C o n g ressio n al D is tric t of
Illinois.
One hundred and twenty-five
years ago, on December 12, 1870,
Joseph Hayne Rainey o f South Caro­
lina was elected to fill the unexpired
term o f Congressman Whittenmore.
The Honorable Joseph H Rainey,
Republican o f South Carolina, be­
came the first African American
member o f Congress.
One hundred and twenty-five
years later, on December 12, 1995,
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. was elected to
Congress and w ill become the 91st
African American ever to serve in
the U.S. House o f Representatives—
to fill the unexpired term o f former
Congressman Mel Reynolds.
C O A L IT IO N
Mr. Jackson, Jr
Goes To Washington
There have been four African
American members in the U.S. Sen­
ate in the history o f our country:
Hiram R Revels (R-M S) 1870-71;
Blanche K Bruce (R-MS) 1875-81;
Edward W. Brooke (R -M A ) 1967-
79; and Carol Moseley Braun (D -IL )
1993-Present.
A fric a -A m e ric a n s In T he
U.S. C ongress, 1870-1995: Jo­
seph H Rainey (R -S C ), 1870-
79; Jefferson F. Long (R -G A ),
1870-71; R obert B. E llio t (R -
SC ), 1 87 1-74 ; R ob e rt C. De
Large (R -S C ), 1871-73; B en­
ja m in S. T urn e r (R -A L ), 1871-
73; Josiah T. W a lls (R -F L ), 1871-
73; R ic h a rd H. C ain (R -S C ),
1873-75, 77-79; John R. Lynch
(R -M S ), 1873-77, 82-83; James
T R a p ie r ( R - A L ) , 1 8 7 3 -7 5 ;
A lo n z o J Ransier (R -S C ), 1873-
75; Jeremiah Haralson (R -A L ),
1875-77; R obert Sm alls (R -SC ),
187579; James E. O ’ Hara (R-
N C ),
1 8 8 3 -8 7 ;
H e n ry
P.
Cheatham (R -N C ), 1889-93; John
M. Langston (R -V A ), 1890-91;
Thomas E. M ille r (R -S C ), 1890-
91; George W. M u rra y (R -S C ),
1 8 9 3 -9 5 , 9 6 -9 7 ; G e orge W.
W hite (R -N C ), 1897-1901.
There W'as A 28-Year Gap
Where No African Americans Were
Elected To Congress After The Ef­
fects O fThe 1896Plessy V. Ferguson
Decision And Other Negative And
Violent Political Actions Took Place.
Civil Rights Journal
The Gifts Of Life And Love
B ernk
e
P o w e l l J ackso n
recent article in Jet
\ magazine pointed out
CZ
that African Americans
are less likely than whites to
donate their organs or those of
their loved ones who have died
suddenly. Yet for the thousands
of African Americans waiting
for organs, this would truly be
the gift of life.
I remember when my own hus­
band died suddenly and in the trauma
o f it all, organ donation never oc­
curred to me, even though I knew that
was what he would have wanted. No
one at the hospital ever asked me i f I
wanted to donate his organs and it
was not until I got home that I thought
about it. What a missed opportunity
for someone who was waiting for a
kidney or liver.
; But most A frican Americans
refuse toeven consider donatingtheir
organs. Sometime it is due to super­
stition orthe beliefthatyou w on’tget
into heaven without all your body
parts. Sometimes it is due to distrust
o f the medical community and the
b elief that they w ill take an organ
even i f you are still alive and don’t
agree to it. Sometimes it is due to
religious beliefs or even a fear o f
talking about death.
W hile there are over 11,000
African Americans on waiting lists
for organs, in 1993 only 554 African
Americans who died donated their
organs. An even smaller number do­
nated their organs while they were
alive, probably mostly to fam ily
members.
Sim ilarly, each year 30,000 new
patients are diagnosed with leuke­
mia aplastic anemia or other life-
threatening diseases which require
bone marrow transplants. Seventy
percent o f them w ill not find a match
w ithin their own families. And while
it’ s possible for an African American
patient to match a donor from any
racial or ethnic group, the most likely
bone marrow match is from an A fri­
can American donor.
Bone marrow makes blood cells
and because only a small amount is
taken from donors, their bodies re­
place the marrow w ithin weeks. A ll
donor expenses are paid for by the
patient and even the initial blood test
is free for racial ethnic minorities
because o f federal government grants.
The g ift o f love is on the wish list
ofthousandsofchildren o f color who
are in foster care or are available for
adoption. I he National Association
o f Black Social Workers (N A BS W )
is sponsoring a campaign called A
Fist Full o f Families, with the goal o f
having 1,000 African American chil­
dren placed in adoptive families by
the end o f 1996.
There are 450,000 children in
foster homes and institutions nation­
wide, about 43 percent o f w hom are
African American. O f the 30,000
African American chi Idren who want
to be adopted, only about 8,600 are
legally available for adoption.
Historically, African A m erican»
have always taken in the children o f
their fam ily members, neighbors and
friends, although most o f these adop­
tions were informal.
According to a National Urban
League study cited by the NABSW ,
there are three m illion African Amer­
ican families interested in adopting
children. The task o f the Fist Full o f
Families campaign is to find those
families, navigate the social services
systems for them and get those chil­
dren, many o f whom are older and
have special needs. Into the homes o f
adoptive parents.
T h in k about being an organ
donor. T a lk w ith y o u r fa m ily
about it. M any states a llo w you
to designate that on y o u r d riv e r’ s
license. It w ill be the g ift o f life
fo r someone else.
Think about adopting our chil­
dren. It w ill be the g ift o f love for our
future.
(Note: F or inform ation on or­
gan donation, c a ll The M in o rity O r­
gan and Tissue Transplant Educa­
tion Program (MOTTEP) at 800-
393-2839. F or information on adopt­
ing African American children, call
the N ational Association o f Black
Social Workers at 800-419-1999.)
V a n ta g e P o ih f
The Untold Story Of The Million Man March
s an organizer, if you
w ere
planning
it
<
according to the book,
the Million Man March should
not have been an overwhelming
success.
T ypically a demonstration o f th is
magnitude requires at least a full year
o f concerted planning, a large paid
staff, and the support o f major un ions,
religious institutions and major do­
nors. The M illio n Man M arch
(M M M ) had virtually none o f these
assets. Instead, the largest demon­
stration in the history o f this nation
was a miracle wrought by the spirit/
power o f God and the ingenuity, cre­
ativity and w ill emanating firm the
soul o f black folks.
M inister Louis Farrakhan in i­
tia lly made the call for the M M M
nearly 18 months ago. I, was an idea
without flesh and bones, or any ap­
parent capac ity to implement a project
o f such enormous scale. The Nation
o f Islam had no experience at mobi­
lizing large demonstrations o f this
kind, and in any event this March was
larger than any that had ever been
attempted in history. Though M inis­
ter Farrakhan continued to speak on
the idea o f a M M M , in actuality the
real planning and organizing did not
begin until the Houston meeting o f
the National African American Lead­
ership Summit in May o f this year.
How then did this idea reach such a
dramatic fruition
In the African tradition there is
something call nommo, the power o f
the spoken word. Whatever you can
conceive inyour m ind’s eye and send
forth in the spoken word with faith/
conviction can come to be reality - i f
you can conceive it you can achieve
it. M inister Farrakhan conceived it
and articulated the concept all across
this country; planting in the minds o f
the B lack Nation the seeds that some­
thing as awesome as a M illio n men
marching on this nation's capital, the
citadel o f white supremacy, was pos­
sible. There was a spirit moving
through him that made him the com­
pelling spokesperson for an idea
whose time had come. Hence the
Black Nation became convinced that
the impossible was possible
The untold story o f the M illio n
Man March is a tale o f a people
caught in the midst o f the greatest
crisis since the Post Reconstruction,
rising above adversity, doubt, per­
sonal and ideological differences and
conflicts to make history. Under the
leadership o f M inister Farrakhan,
there was an unprecedented level o f
cooperation between Muslims, Chris­
tians, and traditional African spiritu­
al and religious leaders. There was
also and unprecedented level o f in­
teraction and involvement between
the members o f the Nation o f Islam
and other organizations, leaders and
individuals organizing in the trench­
es at the grassroots within scores o f
comm unities across this country.
Members o f the Nation o f Islam and
other groups within the community
got to know each other up close and
personal as they worked shoulder to
shoulder to achieve the impossible
dream.
The world also witnessed the
unprecedented com ing together/
pooling o f the talent o f the Black
Nation, on a volunteer basis, to make
the M M M happen. Never before have
so many formidable tasks and obsta­
cles been overcome in so short a time
by a mostly volunteer army. The
logistics o f bringing a m illion people
to Washington D.C. on a work day
are almost un imaginable. In addi­
tion, there are the formidable tasks o f
national and local public relations in
a hostile, non-cooperative media en­
vironment, fundraising, and the shap­
ing o f a suitable program for the
event o f this significance. W ith v ir­
tually no paid staff, these tasks were
accomplished by a volunteer army o f
com m unity organizers, logistical
experts, architects, engineers, public
relations specialists, talk show hosts,
events planners, production special­
ists, fundraisers, clerical workers,
cultural workers, transportation spe­
cialists, security experts, political
staffers and a multitude o f ordinary
people who learned from each other
in a collective exercise o f on the job
training.
When I arrived in D C. 72 hours
before the event, there was still an
unbelievable amount to be complet­
ed on major aspects o f the work eg.,
processing the press, completing the
program and the production required
to make the program successful
These enormous obstacles w ere over­
come as legions o f people from D.C.
and around the country volunteered
their time, energy and talent to sup­
plement the media operation, aug­
ment the program committee and
strengthen the production team. In­
deed, it was an incredible th rill to see
so much talent in the Black Nation
joining hands with the sheer w ill to
make the impossible possible. Peo­
ple, women and men, who did not
even know each other came together
and made themselves into a team
overnight in order that the M illion
Man March might succeed.
Finally , the untold story o f the
M illio n Man March is the tale o f an
event that was totally paid for by
Black people. I f there is truth to the
saying that “ he who pays the piper
picks the tune,” then the power elite
and the traditional sources that Black
folks often depend on to underwrite
large demonstrations must be totally
befuddled, because they had no role
in financing the M illio n Man March.
Marcus Garvey and the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad were smiling as
they looked out over the multitude o f
men at the M illio n Man March ea­
gerly raising their hands with fists
full o f dollars in a “ green wave” o f
self-determination and self reliance
The untold story o f the M illio n
Man March is the tale o f the spirit o f
God connecting with the soul o f a
people to make the impossible possi­
ble. Long live the spirit o f the M illio n
Man March!
Congratulations on 25 years o f
service to Portland! Through those
past 25 years, you have been a con­
sistent voice for those that have often
been denied access to economic, so­
cial and political opportunity. Today
we need your voice and your con­
science more then ever to help ac­
complish the ideals for which you
have so long advocated.
Sincerely,
Jim Francesconi
better T só Ts/ie (SUditeir
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, P0 Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Closing Out The year
If That Is Possible
OjT
ou, also, probably
have determined that
it is getting harder
and harder to “close out the
year", or anything else in
these traumatic times. Nev­
ertheless, we shall endeavor
to tie up some loose ends
that may be hanging over
from tentative speculations,
unfinished reports or tongue-
in-cheek conclusions derived
of recent articles
W e ll, that is
not exactly rig h t
fo r I know a l­
ready that like
most o f the rest
o f you at th is
holida y season,
I am not about
to torture m y s e lf or com m iser­
ate about the om issions and
errors that may have arisen
from jo u rn a lis tic or other m is­
steps occasioned by righteous
ind ign atio n.
H a v in g
been
w e ll-
intentioned and fa irly consci-
I entious, I shall jo in the self-
righteous N ew Y e a r’ s crow d
and reso lu te ly swear to do even
better d u rin g the com ing year.
For one thing, that “ Jews
And B la cks” (o r “ G e n tile s ” )
series, v iz a v iz the M ich ae l
Lerner lecture here in Portland,
w ould have gone on fo re ve r, or
one day short o f in fin ity , had
| there been any structured at­
tem pt to inco rp o ra te a ll the d i­
alogue and c o m m u n ic a tio n s
generated. A great deal o f d is ­
cussion was provoked by an
a ttrib u tio n o f statements I am
said to have made d urin g a lec­
ture several years a g o -a n d sev­
eral times d u rin g my P.S.U.
course on “ The A fric a n A m e r­
ican Econom ic E xp erien ce ” .
Hey! Y o u ’ ve got it alm ost
rig h t: “ The m a jo rity o f books
w r itte n a b o u t the A f r ic a n
Am erican experience in A m e r­
ica are by Jewish a u th o rs .”
W hat else is new? Want to ar­
gue? Come o ver and check out
my lib ra ry shelves on black
h is to ry (o r A fric a n h is to ry ).
Check o ut the classic and
approved readings fo r m a in ­
Wife
line university courses in h is ­
to ry , so cio log y and p o litic a l
s c ie n c e . K a tz , H e r s k o u itz ,
M e ie r, R u d n ic k , G enovese,
B e r lin ,
R ose,
W e in b e rg ,
Friedman. B o orstin , H offm a n,
Ja c o b s ,
Tannenbaum ,
W a lle rs te in , W asserm an, ad
in fin itu m .
M y p o in t was that the A f r i ­
can Am erican - his being, p e r­
s o n a lity , s e n s ib ilitie s , w o rld
view , personal and social af-
fedtions, cos­
m o lo g y and
basic cu lture-
had becom e
a lm o s t th e
e x c lu s iv e
p ro v in c e o f
one group o f
scholars. A race-based and c u l-
t u r a lly c o h e s iv e g ro u p o f
pedantics who dom inated the
fie ld and thereby had become
custodians o f the truth. The
bla ck h isto ria n s were m in o r
league in terms o f access to the
conscience and ideas o f w hite
A m e ric a ( o r m o st b la c k s )
W E B D u b o is , John Hope
F ra n klin , C arter G. W oodson,
Ivan Van Sertima, D iop, James.
In fact, an a rtic le in the
Portland ‘ O regonian newspa­
per made my p o in t very n ice ly
in a full-pa g e a rtic le about the
A fric a n Am erican and his im ­
pending loss o f jo b s in the pub­
lic sector. The author went into
great detail to p o in t out that, in
the United States, p articula r na­
tio n a litie s dom inate p a rtic u la r
occupations. In th is c u ltu ra l
Z o d ia c , Ita lia n s , The Iris h ,
Jews, Blacks and others were
assigned sp ecific “ houses” o f
influence w ith the Jews being
d o m icile d in a com m unications
niche that w ould surely give
them hegemony in pub lish in g .
A nother fo llo w -u p that was
freq ue n tly requested, but ig ­
nored, was on the O.J. Simpson
case. Please, I, lik e m illio n o f
others, am com p le te ly exhaust­
ed by the ‘ tr ia l’ and trib u la ­
tions o fy o u rs tru ly . Ifw e d o n ’ t
say anything, maybe he’ ll go
away! Ok?
See you next year.
(Ohseruer
(USPS 959-680)
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