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M ay 22, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The JJortlanb ffibserucr
year ago America was in
a state of shock and dis
belief over the bombing
of the Federal building in Oklaho
ma City, ostensibly by right-wing
terrorists.
For years the Center for Demo
cratic Renewal, an Atlanta-based
organization which monitors white
supremacist and neo-Nazi organiza
tions, has warned that these groups
pose a serious threat to democracy in
this nation
The Oklahoma City bomb blast
should have been a wake-up call
For more than a decade, while
racial violence and other forms o f
bias-based violence have escalated,
America has been a nation in denial.
Federal, state, and local authorities
have failed to focus on the damage
being done by organizations bent on
violently imposing their white su
premacist and neo-Nazi nightmare
on the world.
Currently this white supremacist
and neo-Nazi threat is manifesting
itself in a series o f fire-bombings o f
African American churches in the
South.
This malicious pattern o f attacks
may well have gone unnoticed had it
not been for the bombing o f the Inner
City Church in knoxville, KY This
bombing attack received nationwide
attention because Reggie White, the
All-Pro defensive end o f the Green
C O A L IT IO N
Playing With Fire
Bay Packers, serves as the Assistant
pastor o f the Inner City Church
Reggie White not only condemned
the bombing o f his church as racially
motivated, he focused attention on
the attack s on Black churches
throughout the South.
At the request o f the National
Council o f Churches (NCC), 1 re
cently went to Knoxville as part o f an
Emergency Response Team to in
vestigate the fire-bombing at the In
ner City Church. The Response Team
was convened by the Rev Mac
Charles Jones, Associate to the Gen
eral Secretary o f the NCC.
The experience was quite reveal
ing. Despite the fact that the words.
“ Kill all niggers" and "white is right"
were scrawled on the walls o f the
church, officials o f the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF),
the Federal Bureau o f Investigation
(FBI), as well as the local and state
authorities were unanimous in their
determination to declare that the
bombing was not racially motivated
The Knoxville church bombing is
merely the tip o f the iceberg. Ac
cording to data compiled by the Cen
ter for Democratic Renewal, 25 Black
churches have been bombed since I
1 9 5 ,16ofwhichhaveoccurredsince
12/95.
All o f these churches in one way
or another were important centers of
support for their communities.
It is clear that the perpetrators of
these crimes have targeted institu
tions which are providing vital lead
ership and services to the Black com
munity.
The NCC Emergency Response
Tearn correctly called these acts "do
mestic terrorism ” But the nation as a
whole is largely ignoring the grow
ing menace o f domestic terrorism
within our borders. Neither the FBI,
the ATF, nor the Justice Dept is
prioritizing white supremacist, neo-
Nazi groups and domestic terrorism
as real dangers to the well-being of
this society. Indeed, there is wide
spread suspicion among Black peo
ple that government intelligence and
police agencies are infested with
white supremacist groups.
The dramatic growth o f right-wing
terrorist organizations and militias,
and the escalation o f racist attacks
against African Americans and peo
ple o f color is evidence that white
supremacy and domestic terrorism
are alarming threats to democracy in
this country .
Unfortunately, America is a na
tion in denial.
One more Southern church was
burned on 5/16 96, in Tigrett. TN!
JaxFax believes it is past time for the
Justice Dept. and AG Reno to take
these bombings and burnings seri
ously as racially m otivated hate
crimes. To fail to act now, is literally
to play with fire.
[As Rev. Jackson put it: "W hat 1
see is the attempt to make 1996 look
like 1896. A combination ofburning
churches and taking away positions
o f empowerment ended Reconstruc
tion at the end o f the last century.
Now w e’re looking at efforts to end
Second Reconstruction—some forc
es have on white sheets, but others
have on black robes.”!
e P o in t
The Accommodationism Of Booker T. Washington
bv
R on D aniels
In 1895 at the Atlanta Cotton Ex
position, one year before the historic
Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court
Decision, Booker T. W ashington
spoke before an influential gathering
o f agricultural, industrial, commer
cial and financial leaders and exhort
ed southern Blacks to “cast down
your bucket where you are.” In this
widely watched and noted speech,
Mr. Washington wen, on to say; “In
all things that are purely social we
can be as separate as the fingers, yet
as one in all things essential to mutu
al progress...The wisest among my
race understand that the agitation o f
questions o f social equality is ex
tremist folly...”
The Atlanta Exposition speech
marked the rise to ascendancy o f
Booker T Washington as the pre
eminent leader in Black America.
The speech also signaled an accom
modation to the system o f southern
apartheid in the Post Reconstruction
era in the South and decidedly play ed
to the interests o f the power elites in
both the South and the North. North-
em textile interests and southern ag
riculturalist had a vested interest in
keeping the former slaves locked to
the land in the South as sharecrop
pers, tenant farmers and agricultural
labors. The exploitation o f quasi
slave labor mean, large profits for
the cotton industry in the South and
the growing textile industry' in the
North. Northern industrial interests
were also eager to avoid conflicts
between a “black horde" from the
South and the waves o f White immi
grants arriving from Europe taking
jobs in the industrial/manufacturing
sector. Hence, W ashington’s “cast
down your buckets where you are”
remark was designed to discourage
Blacks from leaving the South in
search o f the "promised land" in the
North.
W ashington’s counsel to Blacks
in the South to avoid "agitation” over
social and political questions was
particularly comforting to the south
ern power structure which had bro
ken the back o f the Populist revolt
where White and Black farmers and
workers had united to threaten their
rule. Washington thus emerged as a
"trusted” figure w ho could be count
ed on to keep Blacks in their place in
terms o f staying in the South and
someone who would keep the peace
on questions o f social and political
equality.
As a consequence, the coffers of
philanthropists in the North and South
were opened to finance Tuskegee
Institute and other projects promot
ed by Booker T. Washington. In ad
dition, the major establishment me
dia o f the day also actively touted
Mr. Washington as the kind o f rea
sonable and responsible leader o f the
“colored" people that White Ameri
ca could do business with.
Buttressed by strong support from
various quarters o f the elite Booker
T. W ash in g to n e sta b lish e d a
Tuskegee based machine so power
ful that few Blacks dared to chal
lenge his views, opinions or leader
ship.
Mr. Washington was not without
his detractors, however Up and com
ing leaders like the young W E B
DuBoisconsidered Booker T Wash-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
'"JIT
ere is another viewpoint
for residents and work
ers in North Portland who
are still listening to various per
spectives on the siting of a new
Probation & Parol Office in the
area.
I can offer several insights based
on my related past experience
Some neighbors immediately act
ed on fear when they heard that the
decision has been made to site the
new office in North Portland In con
tras,. I thought: “Good idea! Resi
dents o f North and Northeast Port
land often express the concern that
we need more access to State and
County services, no, less access to
services.”
I am convinced that Multnomah
County Commissioners and correc
tions planners want to help bring
greater stability to our neighbor
hoods, not less. They know we must
increase the possibility that Proba
tioners will remain in contact with
their supervising officers. Regular
reporting in person or in writing is an
obligation. It is in the interest o f the
community to provide closer access
to public services, including com
munity-based corrections offices, to
ensure success.
Resistance to against the siting
situation is motivated by fear. I try
not to make decisions that way . Good
information can help balance one’s
fear o f the unknown. It might sur
prise some to hear that one o f my best
former neighbors was the Multnomah
ington an unadulterated “ Uncle
T om .” Mr. W ashington was an
accommodationist, but it is some
times difficult to determine how much
o f what he articulated was a matter of
true belief or simply feeding White
folks what they wanted to hear to buy
time for a beleaguered and underde
veloped Black community.
For example, Mr. Washington
clearly believed that Blacks in the
South had made a big mistake by
exercising political power with ou,
an economic base, or the education,
skills and training to compete in the
economy o f the South.
Hence, he was a staunch propo
nent ofthe values ofhard work, thrift
and self-reliance, he believed that
through practicing the right values
and acquiring skills through agricul
tural and vocational education,
Whites would eventually come to
accept Blacks as their equals.
And, Tuskegee Institute, which
Mr. Washington labored long and
hard to build, was unquestionably a
beacon o f hope and promise for large
numbers o f Blacks in the South
To make a submition, write to: The Portland Observer,
4747 NE MLK Jr. Bird., Portland OR 97211
County Restitution Center down
town. The County’s successful pro
gram for qualified convicts made
absolutely perfect neighbors! Quiet
day and night, no extra traffic, a well-
maintained bui Iding with decent land
scaping, clean & sober residents who
save money and pay debts to victims
and the courts. They also provide
volunteer work crews to keep the
neighborhood spotless In fact, I think
to increase the possibility o f a more
stable Probationer population, North/
NE Portland neighbors should de
mand that a residential Restitution
Center be sited in our area! This is a
model which works. It offers well-
paid jobs and teaches stable routines
to persons whose lives need inter
vention.
C itizens (like our County Commis
sioners) are better off when we seek to
be more fully-informed and base our
decisions on data, goals and a desire
for better access to public-services.
This is how we can defeat the political
tyranny that fear will otherwise bring
us. As a community activist, so I am
pleased that more people are active in
neighborhood organizations due to the
siting issue. Now is the time to resist
be ing mired i n b lame games and stand
offs. By supporting the goals o f com-
mun ity corrections our neighborhoods
can become stronger and safer. Let’s
build bridges and seek a win-win situ
ation. It is time to begin.
Sincerely: Julie Mikalson, Co
nominee, Oregon State Senate Dis
trict #8
Observations On Memorial Day
bv
J essie B rown
re m o ria lD a y has tradi
tionally been one of the
most solemn and patri
otic days for Americans.
Rightfully so.
Memorial Day is a day when all
Americans, regardless o f ideologies,
race, creed, or political persuasion,
join together to remember the sacri
fices o f those who answered their
nation’s call.
The significance o f this day is
some, imes con fused or d istorted The
true meaning o f Memorial Day be
comes, at times distant or vague, lost
to commercialism, or drowned in
forgetful indulgence. Som etim es
there is a failure to recognize the
magnitude o f the deeds o f the men
and women who held true to the
notion that evil and tyranny must no,
prevail
It is our sacred duty to keep the
legacy of our nations patriots forever
fresh in the memories o f future gen
erations We are bound by honor to
do so. They fought and died to pre
serve this land o f hopes and dreams.
Without the courage, valor and
singleness of purpose o f our nations
veterans, the values that have always
made it possible for us to meet new
challenges and move forwards a na
tion, would have been lost.
The freedoms that so many Amer
icans enjoy did no, come cheaply.
They were paid for with the flesh and
blood o f American servicemen and
women, and with the tears o f those
i
whose lives were changed forever by
the loss o f a loved one.
Memorial Day is a day o f opportu-
nity to give thanks for all that we are
blessed with. It should also be a day
that we rededicate ourselves to our
community and to America’s living
veterans and their families in memo
ry o f the sacrifices they and others
have made.
Veterans will gatherto honor fall
en comrades on this day — friend
with whom they shared a foxhole or
a meal. Their,im e together may have
been brief, but he bonds were deeply
formed. Life and feeling are intensi
fied when there is sharing o f hard
ship and laughter, fear and loss.
As Americans pay tribute to those
who perished, we must be determined
to assure that those who served and
returned to us receive proper care and
compensation for their wounds and
infirmities. Wc must insist that every
veteran has an opportunity for em
ployment, education, and a home in
which to live. We must vow that our
veterans be treated with the dignity
and respect they so richly deserve.
To properly honor our dead, we
must honor our living. The defenders
o f this nation have fulfilled their ob
ligations to us; it is now our duty to
honor all o f the obligations owed to
them.
Jessie Brown is the U.S. Secretary
o f Veterans Affairs He has been a
lifelong veterans advocate The U.S.
Marine Corp veteran was injured on
patrol in Vietnam
/ p
e r s p e c tiv e s
Our Summer Reading List:
Motivating And Factual History; Part I
51
t seems only proper to
follow that three-part
series on Black History
with a reading list on the same
subject.
That series,
“Jus, W hat Is
ml
H istory, Any-
| w ay ?” began
May 1,1996and
took a hard look
at the craft or
discipline we call “history.”
It was noted that this particular
approach with its emphasis on crit
ical examination is termed “histori
ography." And it was expressly stat
ed that there should be an unbiased
acceptance or rejection o f sources;
not a paradigm based on race or
cultural one-upmanship. Several
readers said they better understood
the school districts “hang-up" on
the multicultural "Baseline Essays."
Now, we w i II o f course cite many
o f those books considered Stan
dards’ for the retrieval o f valid in
formation on the African and the
African American past. But today ,
lam goingto begin by citing several
tested’ volumes from my personal
library. These are priceless refer
ence texts and you will not run into
them every day. It seems so strange
that those whom I referred to as
“tabloid historians' cannot find the
sources essential to a good historio-
graphical approach I can over on
N.E. Alberta.
“Staying Power: The History o f
Black People In Britain," Peter Fry -
er, Humanities Press Inc., 1984.
This treasure o f African history lives
up to every praise by the famed
historian and researcher, “This book
is rare in its mastery o f the constant
historical contradiction" range and
at the same time, event.”
The book is fascinating in its
documented coverage o f the inter
action o f Africans and whites at
every level, including the nobility.
Further, the extensive ‘chapter
notes’ and “suggested readings”
have proven to be not only factual,
but priceless in that they open up
even more areas that have mostly
been ignored by American authors
(for instance I gained new insights
into the Revolutionary War and the
real’ role o f tens-of-thousands o f
blacks fiercely fighting the slave
masters as “soldiers o f the Crown":
many retiring to England on pen
sion" Be, they didn't tell you that in
school
For those who have been seek
ing documented evidence o f the
important role in
medicine o f the
ancient Africans,
By
I recommend the
Professor
fo llo w in g tw o
Mcklnley
books. "M ag ic
Burt
Myth and Medi
cine,” D.T. Atkin
son, M D. A Premier pb., Fawcett
Publications 1956 or 1958. Again,
a British scholar tells it like it is
(was) beginning with the rather
sophisticated level of much o f Egyp
tian medical practice.
Further, Dr Atkinson details
how “Greek" medical practice was
based on A frican precedents,
"Pythagoras (550 B.C.) thought to
be one o f the first medical practi
tioners in Greece. What he knew
and practiced appears to have been
a direct transference o f Egyptian
medicine to Greece".
Atkinson detai Is how Pythagoras
founded his own’ medical school
at Crotona to which students flocked
in "from other parts o f Greece, and
from Rome". Hippocrates is be
lieved to have been a student there
since his writings show “great sim
ilarity” to the ’ Pythagoras/Egyp-
tian’ methods (and see Moors-
Arabs).
The second book is a jew el
among jewels, “The Physicians o f j
P h a ra o n ic E g y p t” , by Paul
Ghalioungvi, prepared for the na
tional Library o f Medicine, U S.
Health Service in 1983. Available
from the U.S. Dept. o f Commerce,
National Technical Information
S ervice, S pringfield, V irginia
22161. This is a product o f joint
projects between the national Sci
ence Foundation and the African
Ai-Ahram Center for Scientific
Translations (Cairo, Egypt).
This marvelous text covers the
scope and breadth of ancient Egyp
tian medicine; nothing like this or
ganization and sophistication in the
G reek L ite ra tu re : “ P hysician
Scribes, specialists and their titles,
Medical auxiliaries, occasional
therapists and nurses aides, veteri
narians; board-certified,’ embalm-
ers and bandagers, etc.” Excellent
charts and outlines/pictures in this
8X 11 book.
C ontinued next week.
(The ^portlanh © hseruer
(USPS 959-680)
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