«
- H U IHHU a ^ bi •
P age A 2
J 11 y 10, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
The JJortlanb ffibscrucr
s we celebrate the 2 2 0 th
birthday of the United
L j s t a t e s of A m e r ic a ,
JaxFax would like to focus In on
that key phrase of Jefferson ’s from
the Declaration of Independence:
‘All men are created equal...”
America is a nation bom in revolu­
tion, founded on the idea of freedom
and set of principles that the rest of the
world has long admired and respected
Y et the Untied States was also, as Rev.
Jackson says, harking back to Isaiah,
bom in iniquity (and inequity,.
Founded half-slave, and half-free,
with slaveowners prominent in many
of the key positions of power in the
early Republic, America has yet to
resolve the contradictions o f its
slaveholding past, and the legacy of
slavery that still afflicts so many of our
fellow citizens. Many of those who
suffered the most are still waiting for
their long-promised “40 acres and a
mule.”
"All men are created equal...” We
know that this is still not true—too
much of each baby’s future opportuni­
ty is still determined by where, and
how, and to whom that baby is bom.
• 1/5 of all children bom in Amer­
ica live in poverty-over 15 million
kids.
C O A L IT IO N
Born On The 4th Of July
• Child poverty rates in many of our
major cities exceed 35%, with African
American child poverty rates over 50%.
• lOmillion children have no health
insurance.
• 13 million children live in fami­
lies that run out of food before the end
of the month, every month.
• We rank 15th in the industrialized
world in infant mortality.
(Facts taken from Common Agen­
da Coalition report; for more informa­
tion, call 202.388.1535. J
• More whitescommitcnmes; more
Blacks are in jail.
• Most poor people are not on wel­
fare; they work every day. Most prxir
people are not Black; they're white,
and female, and young. In fact. 2/3 of
AFDC recipients are children Yet
poverty in America wears a “Black
mask. “ and is defined as a ‘ special
interest.” We must “whiten" the face
of poverty in America, as was done in
the Dust Bowl ’30s and the Appala­
chian 60s, so that poverty becomes a
national interest again.
Our children may be created equal;
but they are born into such unequal
circumstances—constricted b\ monc-
lary inheritance, no affordable hous­
ing. dangerous neighborhoods, failing
schools, downsizing job opportuni­
ties, and lack of hope-that the course
of their lives is demonstrably unequal
This has been true from the begin­
ning. America’s original definition
of equality was far too narrow, and
fell far short of America at its best.
The "We, the People” that got to
participate in governing our early
nation included only white males with
property No lowerclass while males.
No women No Hispanics, yet to be
conquered into the nation. No Native
Americans, whose land was yet to be
fully stolen, and whose people were
not yet decimated No African Amer­
icans, who were officially valued in
the Constitution as only 3/5 of a
person.
America has gotten better since
then, because everyday Americans
have forced it to expand, to become
more inclusive, to mature as a dem­
ocratic society. America has been at
its best when it has been forced by its
own people toexpand the ranks of its
democracy.
First, white males won the right to
participate. Second, the Civil War
established for a short while the right
of African American males to be
included in government, until lynch­
ings and cross burnings. Jim Crow
laws, and the Plessy v. Ferguson de­
cision ended our first Reconstruction
in 1896.
But our people continued to strug­
gle. Women won the right o f suffrage
earlier this century. The union move­
ment vastly expanded the rights of
average people in the 1930s, and
improved life for millions and mil­
lions of Americans.
P e r s p e c liv e s
Alma Reeves Woods: M aster Nurturer Honored]
ast
aS* Friday morning the
CBS Network high-light­
high-light-
ed the news with a short
I but moving tribute to an African
I American librarian from W atts,
Tl-J
| California.
K now n
over the de-
| cades as the
“ re a d in g
lady”, she was
I h o nored by
having the new
city library named after her
Ms. Woods gained her colloquial
title through 40 years of paid and
unpaid reading to perhaps the most
I appreciative audience of all—a rap­
turously engrossed circle of little ones
at story time Her commitment and
I dedication to task at the most critical
time for early childhood develop­
ment cannot be overemphasized.
And, indeed, “nurture-over-na-
| ture” is the approach we have em ­
phasized in our recent education
articles. In assessing the marvelous
work this woman has done, we
would keep in mind the document­
ed enhancements of intelligence test
scores where this type of early in­
tervention was made available;
whatever IQ measures and howev­
were elected to the U.S. Congress
er important it may or may not be.
and dozens more elected to state
We have made it quite clear by
legislatures. Former slaves learned
either example or documented sta­
to read and write; some became busi­
tistic that African American intel­
ness and farm owners.
lectual abilities rate with the very
The Plessy case was part of a
I best where there has been that child­
reactionary wave of segregation laws
hood nurturing accorded to others.
passed in response to the growing
Interestingly, there was consid­
economic and political clout of Afri­
erable controversy within the ranks
said it, and before the Hebrew sag­
can Americans during Reconstruc­
of the W att’s city council when a
es, the Africans incorporated the
tion.
motion was made that the beautiful
critical advice into their most sa­
Southern stales amended their
new structure be named “The Alma
cred literature, on papyri arid gran­
constitutions to take away practical­
Reeves Woods Public Library "Can
ite steel, “In the beginning was the
ly all of the blacks to vote. African
you imagine? O f course you can,
word.”
Americans were excluded from ju ­
because you and I both know that in
In that “twenty year space” de­
ries and the convict lease system was
the ordinary scheme of things, new
scribed earlier, I have found noth­
rapidly expanded. Lynchings in­
civic buildingsare named after mil­
ing to conflict with thisadmonition-
creased to 161 in 1892 alone; often
lionaire contributors.
-only support for successful teach­
their victims also were burned at the
A commentator ventured aloud
ing paradigms and for winning bat­
stake.
the very same thoughts that I was
tles against those who wanted to
having. The argument for naming
abandon "phonetics” or to intro­
the new library after the "reading
duce the barbarism called “Black
lady” won out due to the dominant
English”. In public meetings I have
I presence on the council and in the
referred to these people as the "ed­
I community o f so many "properly
ucationist aborigines” and felt no
nurtured and successful citizens who
pain (of course not; I have had to |
forgiving people (particularly of oth­
came her way during the past 40
spend valuable academic hours try­
ers). Even as our churches burn.
I years." The citations went on and
ing to resuscitate their victims).
Black pastors exult patience, love,
on; working people, activists, house
Next week we ll spend some |
peace and forgiveness. Such is the
persons, doctors, lawyers, school
more time with "Norma Loquendi’
nature of a people who were en­
teachers, truck drivers, whoever!
and how this lady can aid in the
slaved on the African continent by
Having, already pulled a number
nurture of your children, as well as |
those whom Africans welcomed with
of related files when working on
yourself. The lady can enhance life,
open arms and with whom African
that "Top Educators Catch Up” se-
boost income, whatever.
willingly and graciously shared their
land. African people received a ho­
locaust in exchange for African hos­
pitality. The indigenous peoples of
(USPS 959-680)
the Americas were victims o f a simi­
lar fate.
Established in 1970
Civil Rights Journal: For Fear Of Plessy
by
B ernice P ow ei . i . J ackson
here are students of his­
tory who believe that his­
tory goes in cycles.
That is, the fear of African A m er­
icans who know our history and the
record of this country when it comes
to our community.
One hundred years ago, the Unit­
ed States Supreme Court rendered a
decision which changed the fate of
African Americans for generations.
Known as Plessy v. Ferguson, it es­
tablished the nation’s "separate but
equal’ doctrine which legalized sep­
arate public facilities and seperate
educational failities for African
Americans in states all across the
South. And w hile the seperate part of
the doctrine was strictly enforced.
the equal part was quickly forgotten.
Southern states, for example, quick­
ly decreased their spending on edu­
cation facilities for blacks, with dol­
lars for white pupils often being allo­
cated at twice the amount for blacks.
Southern black school rooms often
had no textbooks and lower salaries
for black teachers.
Public facilities suffered the same
fate, with train cars for African Amer­
icans being dirty, noisy, and ram ­
shackle, while white passengers rode
in com fort Separate bathroom s,
water fountains and eating facilities
were the rule of thumb in the South,
even in my childhood. Separate had
nothing to do with equal.
The Plessy case came about as a
result of the attem pt by Homer
Adolph Plessy, a New Orleans shoe­
maker of color to ride in the first
class coach on a train between New
Orleans and Covington, L A. He
boarded the train, taking a seat in a
coach reserved for whites only. When
he refused to obey the conductor's
command to move to the car for
blacks, he was arrested and impris­
oned The New Orleans black com ­
munity hoped that they would find
justice in the courts, but instead they
found segregation legalized and "Jim
Crow " laws established.
But the Plessy case was really
only one response o f the county to
the period after the Civil War called
Reconstruction, when freed slaves
found newly-won political power.
During Reconstruction. 22 blacks
Vantage Point
ries, I pulled from my shelves two
books where the ’distance' in years
between their respective publica-
lions embraces what seems more
like a lifetime of learning the sub-
~] ject matter rather
than the actual 20 [
years:
By
Book I. 1972,
Professor
"Early Childhood]
Mcklnley
Development Pro­
Burt
grams And Servic­
es: Planning For Ac­
tion”, Batlelle Memorial Institute
Book 2. 1992, “Montessori Play
And Learn: A Parents Guide To |
Purposeful Play From T w oT oSix”,
Leslie Britton Crown Publishers.
I have a call in for Ms. Woods,
for I know it would be wonderful to |
be able to talk with that woman; to
see if she has been to any of the |
'places' I’ve been. Our high school
English teacher teased us for many
a year about this "story teller"
Norma Loquendi, before we found
out that was the Latin term for“com-
mon speech" or the colloquial. We
forgave him, for this was the same
man who motivated us by pointing
out it was the Greek, Plato, who said
that the Africans invented letters’
numbers, and astronomy.
As the reader and former stu­
dents know, I have always taught
and demonstrated that ‘language’
(letters) is the key to all knowledge,
all disciplines-the code that will
reveal the inner workings of mathe­
matics, chemistry and all the other
disciplines. Long before the Greeks |
“To Every Thing There Is A Season”: It’s Time For War
by R on D aniels
he terrible toll of the as­
sault on the heart and
soul of Black America
continues to rise.
According to data compiled by
the Atlanta based Center for Demo­
cratic Renewal, nearly 100 African
A m erican c h u rc h e s have been
burned, vandalized or desecrated
since 1990. There is yet another sea­
son of discontent in Amerikkka and
Black churches are being burned as
white supremacist sects in general
and much of White America in gen­
eral scapegoat/blame Black people
for the woesof this nation. In a broader
sen se, it is really the soul o f
Amerikkka which is singing from the
(lames of its own historical legacy of
conquest, colonization, disposses­
sion, racism, white supremacy and
capitalist exploitation of indigenous
people, Africans, Latinos, Asians,
women and the masses of White poor
and working people. As W E B
Dear Lucious,
/ cannot begin to tell yon how
disappointed I was to read your com ­
ments in The Oregonian article re­
garding Nike issues. Somehow I ex­
pect more from you. I expect that at
least you would understand by the
middle age we share, that justice
most often is created not from the top
down but from pressure below. The
federal government is made up o f
representatives fro m a one (corpo­
rate) party state with two branches,
termed Democrats and Republicans.
Without major change in how cam ­
paigns are financed. this will remain
our sorry condition. .3 national gov­
ernment so elected will not seriously
challenge multinational corporate
practices at home or abroad. We
have to; you and /.
/ have my voice and my body. You
have a position o f power from which
you can advocate the change that
will help create a ju st future fo r your
children and all children and adults.
So far. when it counts most on the
School Board you seem to have a b ­
dicated your responsibility, washed
D uB ois prophesied, the root o f
Amerikkka’s woes is the "color line,”
the problem of race and racism in
U.S. society.
Racism and white supremacy are
the unresolved contradictions in the
American character. It is racism and
the ideology of white supremacy
which fuels the hatred towards A fri­
cans in Amerikkka and other people
of color. It is racism and White su­
premacy that allows a few, mostly
W hite men, at the com m anding
heights of capital and finance, the
rich and the super-rich, to grow fat
off the ruthless exploitation of Black
people, people of color and white
supremacy which blinds most White
people to their own exploitation/op-
pression away from the real enemy It
is racism and white supremacy which
divides White poor and working peo­
ple from potential allies with whom
they should be working in concert to
create a just and humane society
There is yet another season of
discontent in Amerikkka as corpora­
tions by the hundreds downsize hurl­
ing millions of workers into the un­
employment lines or low wage jobs,
ruining the promise o f the "Ameri­
can dream ." The work i ng poor are on
the increase. Welfare, social pro­
grams and the safety nets are being
shredded. Schools in the ghettos,
barrios and reservations are crum­
bling and dispensing inferior educa­
tion. The housing stock is blighted
and inadequate. Homeless people
roam the streets of every urban cen­
ter Bridges are falling down Ihe
stock market keeps going up. The
prison-jail industrial complex is an
excellent investment. Stock holders
rejoice as the bottom line keeps im­
proving. The rich are getting richer
and the poor are getting poorer. There
is anxiety in the land It is yet another
season o f discontent in Amerikkka.
Black people arc being blamed. Black
churches are being burned.
African people are a loving and
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
your hands o f weighty issues, tried
not to offend any group that can help
or harm a candidate's future aspira­
tions. It won t wash to say you need
to be elected first to have the oppor­
tunity to do good; you are elected
and I supported you.
However, if in my m ind you can­
not better perceive the true interest
o f those voiceless souls you purport
to champion, I will have to take my
tiny vote and support elsewhere. You
have to know, Lucious, that if local
boards and local/state governments
stood up with social and economic
justice groups there would he further
chance fo r needed change. You are a
bright man and you do a great jo b o f
running a meeting. But I think you
need to again consider, now that you
have reached a position o f relative
comfort and beginning authority,
whose side you are on
Ifyou do not work fo r cooperation
and compromise from a position o f
justice, you will be useless to those o f
us who have placed some trust and
hope in you.
It is nor enough to work fo r school
funding or other worthy local goals;
how you accomplish these matters.
Likewise, Nike needs to be held ac­
countable by all o f us, not just for
showing local benevolence, but for
how they operate in the world to
create wealth.
I f their child laborers and grossly
underpaid and police/military re­
pressed parents were African, would
that strike a responsive chord in you ?
How big is your embrace fo r human­
ity?
I have fo u n d the follow ing useful
in finding my way in a world that
daily asks us to compromise our prin­
ciple and integrity.
The Seven Deadly Sins
Wealth without work;
íb i' ^ o rtía n b (Obscrricr
In Ecclesiastes, it is written that
there is a “time for love, and a time
to hate; a time of war, and a time of
peace. It is time for war. Africans in
Amerikkka must not be caught in
slumber while the conflagration con
sumes/destroys the gains of our long
march toward freedom and libera­
tion in this land and the world. Afri­
cans must declare war, righteous war
on racism. White supremacy and an
exploitative/oppressive system
Pleasure without conscience;
Knowledge without character;
Commerce without morality;
Science without hum anity;
Worship without sacrifice; and
Politics without principle.
M ahatm a G andhi
I have not written such a letter
before. I do not enjoy so doing. /
imagine you will be offended; I con­
sidered that because I like you and
wish you well. But issues today are
not just interesting questions fo r law
school debate, as your fellow board
member Mr Abrams seems to feel.
Unless we fin d our common hu­
manity and proceed as an African
proverb I learned teaching BUF Sat­
urday School says, "Love is an atti­
tude acted upon ”, then our path to
destruction is writ large.
I urge you to again fin d your love
fo r humanity ’s masses, most o f whom
do not have white skin and most o f
whom are being immiserated by cor­
porate greed and contempt, and chart
you r st ill fresh political path accord­
ingly.
Sincerely, Claudie Fisher
Publisher—Charles Washington
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