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D ecember 11, 1996 • Tm P or h a n d O bserver
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Mitsubishi. Texaco. The
military. Avis. Circuit
City. R.R. Donnelley &
Sons. Call the roll-the list grows
dally.
What is behind the sudden “surge"
in incidents o f corporate racism and
sexism? JaxFax suspects that the
media is finally taking note o f long
standing problems, due to the Texaco
tapes. Rev. Joseph Lowery, head of
‘ the SCLC, says it’s “G od’s answer to
Proposition 209"-just when the right
wing had many Americans convinced
that everyone was being treated equal
ly, so there was no more need for
affirmative action programs, along
came Texaco to expose that myth.
[Unfortunately, the Texaco scan
dal came to light right after election
day, j ust a few days too late to change
the final outcome o f the prop. 209
vote. W eapplaudtheCalifomiajudge
who blocked Prop. 209’s implemen
tation, at least temporarily. And we
should remember what we did ac
complish during that struggle-w ith
far less money, fighting a deliberate
ly mis-labeled initiative which em
phasized “civil rights” rather than
“rolling back affirmative action,”
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Ulte (Svitar
On behalf o f the Portland Art
Museum, I want to thank you for the
privilege to include the Portland
Observer as a member o f the Ore
gon Committee o f Honor for the
Discovering Ellis Ruley exhibition.
There was a wonderful response to
the recent opening celebration, and
we were delighted that so many
guests joined us for this tribute to
Ruley’s artistic legacy.
A special Museum Family Sun
day, entitled “Discovering the Art
ist in You”, will be held on January
19. A variety o f hands-on activities
will help children and families ex
plore the techniques that Ruley used
to create his vivid images, and spe
cial performances by storytellers
and The Jefferson Dancers will cel
ebrate Ruley’s African American
heritage. We are pleased to offer
free admission to the community
for this afternoon event, and hope
that you and your family will be
able to join us.
Thank you again for the Portland
Observer’s thoughtful participation
We appreciate your support o f Dis
covering Ellis Ruley, and hope that
you will have the opportunity to
visit this important exhibition dur
ing the holiday season.
Touching the community
C O A L IT IO N
Corporate racism
starting out 40-50% behind in the
polls, with a media which had al
ready decided that we were doomed
to fail (and thus was not inclined to
examine the issue fully), and with the
other side receiving $3 million from
the Republican Party, while our side
received lukewarm verbal support
from the D em ocrats-despite all that,
we still built a coalition that cut across
lines o f race and sex and class, bring
ing together Rainbow & NOW & the
feminist Majority & Hollywood &
the unions & students & Bruce
Springsteen, so we could cut the final
margin o f defeat down to a mere 54-
46%. If the Democrats had ever tak
en this issue as seriously as the GOP
s
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
-G en esis 11:11
BY Pl
by
P rof ,
M c K inley B ert
<^Ti
ust as I said last week,
“The
M ore
Things
Change The More They
Stay The Same." and as Carter G.
Woodsor said in his magna opus,
“The Mis-Education Of The Ne
gro”, “When you control a man’s
thinking you do not have to worry
about his actions."
O f the group that met at my office
this past Friday, there was a consen
sus on all three counts. I’m gradually
cleaning up enough ‘floor flies’ (and
getting the material computer ready)
to transfer some important meetings
from coffee houses to this more dis*
Crete location. Besides, there is the
advantage o f having such amenities
at hand as a comprehensive library,
fax machine, copier, and access to a
nation-wide WATS line courtesy of
a Beaverton electronics firm.
The title o f this w eek’s article is in
direct reference to a major conten
tion o f the very learned and percep
tive Dr. Woodson” “Those who have
not learned to do for themselves and
have to depend solely on others nev
er obtain any more rights or privileg
es in the end than they had in the
beginning.”
Friday, our discussion centered
around paraphrasing this prescient
21
e
did, we could have won. or if the
Texaco mess had come out 2 weeks
earlier, we would have won. We
should not forget that.]
There’s a new corporate outrage,
at R.R. Donnelley&Sons, the world’s
largest printing company ($6.5 bil
lion in sales in 1994). Despite frigid
temperatures in Chicago, Rev. Jesse
Jackson met with a multi-racial group
o f about 150 current and former
Donnelley workers, and protested
with them outside the plant.
600 African American workers
have just filed a $500 million class
action suit against the company,
claiming that when Donnelley closed
its Chicago plant in 1994, all but 7 o f
c
observation in terms that define an
African American who today is far
out on the periphery o f the techno
logical tide that surges through our
infrastructure and our education sys
tems. One speaker did a caricature of
Adam standing in the garden, trying
to cover his private parts and rolling
his eyes toward heaven, "Ise naked
and helpless oh lawd please help this
ole ‘you-know-what’.”
“ I don’t know how I
got in this mess. The
woman did it, thats what.
Whitey did it. The wel
fare did it. The school
sy ste m ’s responsible.
These cheap shoes done
wore out and 1 can’t march any more.
Our leaders are calling for more
walk-bys’, can’t you get Nike to turn
out a spec ial series9 and another thing,
sir, I've looked over Jordan and I
don't see a damn thing coming for
me but the heat. Also, the library
disappeared.”
W hen everyone had finished
laughing and assigning a date to re
fine this act into a skit for an upcom
ing youth meeting, things got down
to serious business. There were far-
ranging questions and critical obser
vations concerning local leadership
ranging from “who appoints th e n i-
t i v
the African American workers were
terminated, while more than 1/3 o f
the white workers were transferred
to other divisions or given full retire
ment packages and benefits. The suit
claims that the plant was referred to
as the “black problem" by company
executives. The corporation also fac-
esallegationsof“ageism," from both
white and Black workers who were
downsized despite their seniority.
Donnelley prints telephone direc
tories, Sears & J.C. Penney cata
logues, TV Guide, Time, the Nation
al Enquirer, Reader’s Digest, Feder
al documents and tax forms.
The company employs an esti
mated 36,000 workers worldwide on
every continent but Africa and Ant
arctica.
Rev. Jackson announced he would
call U.S. Secretary o f Labor Robert
Reich, and demand a full investiga
tion o f Donneliey’s labor practices.
JaxFax congratulates the Circuit
City workers who have fought so
long and hard for vindication. Shame
on Circuit City for threatening to
appeal the ju ry ’s verdict, and stone-
wallingjustice—their Christmas spirit
seems to have short-circuited.
e
the establishment media?” to “are
‘they’ still giving away millions of
dollars in real estate? What good is a
university education?”
This latter query came as the speak
er drew back the drapes and pointed
at the Umojah complex across the
street (the S.W. corner o f N.E. 17th
and Aberta). The speaker had been a
student in my economics class at
P.S.U. and
had been
p re se n t
twenty two
years earlier
when I out
lined my de
sign o f the
process that secured those valuable
buildings and the former public li
brary around on 17th for the “Black
Educaiton Center" (the only build
ing they still own).
It was pointed out that several of
the whites in the class followed the
process and put it into practice, ob
taining real property for their own
projects, “which they not only still
own but have expanded into both
housing and commercial rentals. Our
well-educated blacks never moved
on step further, and the surrounding
area is now worth millions. But this is
not a phenomena that was confined
to these four comers o f Port land; has
nothing changed since Dr. Woodson
wrote his book in 1933?”
After citing, among others, the
example o f the former Fred Meyer
building at N.E. Killingsworth and
MLK we noted the giant economic
strides made by African Americans
by the turn o f last century. I recently
cited these here from a book by E. F.
Richings, “Evidences o f Progress
among the Colored People”, and at
other times I have cited the docu
mentation o f the U.S. Congressional
Record; at the famed Atlanta Exposi
tion almost a hundred years ago black
inventors and engineers were dis
playing their inventions for railroads,
logging and agriculture.
And in further preparation for a
seminar for black youth we are hold
ing in the facilities o f a Beaverton
electronic plant, we selected key in
ventors from my book “Black Inven
tors o f America" which would dem
onstrate that even without “mis-edu
cation” which would demonstrate that
even without "mis-education” blacks
have been able to develop some o f
the most sophisticated technology
the world has seen. And you can be
sure that a thorough understanding of
the urban infrastructure and real estate
will be incorporated in the series.”
Vantage Point
African America Students
On The Frontline In Pittsburgh
by
R on D aniels
ne of the most dramatic
and significant protest
actions of 1996 received
virtually no attention in the na
tional media.
On November 22 in Pittsburgh,
PA., at 10:00 AM sharp nearly 4,000
high school and middle school stu
dents staged a Walk-Out to protest
—John E. Buchanan, Jr. the acquittal o f one o f the police
The Portland Art Museum officers involved in the infamous
police murder o f Johnny Gammage.
At 12:00 noon more than 2,000 of
these students gathered at the Pitts
burgh Civic Center for a March for
Justice
not only to protest the verdict,
Dear Mr. Washington,
Thank you for being interviewed on our radio program, K BOO 90.7 FM, but to promote “peace amongst the
7:30-9:00am. The innovative work that you are doing is exciting. I look youth” and “mark the beginning o f a
forward to reading the Observer in coming months as it continues on this selective buying campaign." The leaf
new direction. Often people speak o f diversity and coalition building, but let distributed to mobilize for the Walk
few people do it Thank you for walking your talk Again, thank you for out and march made it clear that this
was to be a disciplined and well exe
being a guest on our show Best wishes for the future.
cuted
day o f action: "This will be a
Sincerely yours,
peaceful
& orderly Demonstration by
Cecil Charles Prescod
the African Youth o f Today - No
Weapons, No Drugs, Just Peace.”
Though a number o f civil rights
To the editor:
nitely a noteworthy paper that is and community based organizations
We are so grateful that your paper
touching the community in a posi supported this dramatic day o f ac
tion, the protest was conceived and
has taken an interest in featuring His
tive manner.
panic children who are waiting to be
We commend you on your ef executed by young people, (recently
adopted! There are so many children
forts and greatly appreciate all your had the privilege o f interviewing
who are in desperate need o f loving
help in the area o f adoption Many Daud Lane and knowledge Truth,
families, and it is through the consis
thanks from our organization and two youth who were involved in the
tent efforts o f your paper that they
Walk-Out and March, on a nation
from the children we serve.
may have a chance to find homes.
—Deborah Barnhart, Boys wide hook-up on Bob Law’s Night
The Portland Observer is defi-
and Girls Society of Oregon. Talk on the American Urban Radio
Innovative work at The
Portland Observer
H J
R iubji W
e r s p
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
To the editor:
N A T IO N A L
Network. They were joined by veter
an social and political activist Rick
Adams, who is associated with a
number o f community based organi
zations in Pittsburgh. Rick had noth
ing but praise the for seriousness o f
purpose, dedication and discipline
o f the students who planned and ex
ecuted the bold action on November
22. On the line with the Night Talk
audience, Brother Daud and Knowl
edge Truth made a big impression
with callers who joined the conver
sation from around the country. Dur
ing the conversation, these two broth
ers were also careful to give credit to
an African American sister, Aisha
Taylor, for originally coming up with
the idea o f the Walk-Out.
What is most impressive about the
November 22 day o f action, howev
er, is that it was not just a one day
event. The students envisioned the
Walk-Out and March for Justice as
the K ick-off o f designed to protest
the general lack o f respect for Black
people in the City o f Pittsburgh as
reflected in a number o f incidents in
the past few years. An end to the
fratricidal violence between rival
street organizations is also a key ob
jective o f the overall mobilization
for justice. Indeed, the street organi
zations joined the November 22 day
o f action and are supporting the fol
low-up initiatives.
The centerpiece o f the mobiliza
tion is a youth and student spear
headed selective buying campaign/
boycott o f downtown businesses in
Pittsburgh. Clearly cognizant o f the
power o f the $450 billion Black con
sumer market the students have out
lined how Black people can use their
dollars to achieve justice in Pitts
burgh. The youth are asking Black
people not to spend any money in
downtown Pittsburgh except with
Black owned businesses and to take
a brown bag lunch to work rather
than buy lunch downtown. Consis
tent with Dr. Claud Anderson’s con
cept o f powemomics, the youth are
also asking Black people to take “the
money you don’t spend and invest in
Black-owned Dwelling House Sav
ings and Loan.”
In short these African American
youth and students have put together
a thoughtful and workable plan for
protesting against the injustices be
ing heaped upon African people in
Pittsburgh. When I talked to young
Aisha Taylor by phone, she informed
me that the Mobilization of African
Students for Justice was planning to
open an office and was busy refining
the organizations short term and long
term goals and objectives.
At a time when so many people are
lamenting the tragic state o f affairs
among African youth in America, it
is critically important to highlight
and uphold examples o f youth en
gaged in positive actions like the
mobilization against injustice in Pitts
burgh. Fora longtime I have asserted
that African youth can and must come
to the forefront to spearhead critical
aspects o f the struggle for Black lib
eration in this country; that our young
people must be turned around; that
rather than venting our anger and
frustration as an oppressed people on
each other, we must take down the
racist-capitalist system o f exploita
tion that is oppressing us.
In the tradition o f the Student Non-
Violent coordinating Com m ittee
(SNCC), which was at the cutting
edge o f the Black Freedom Struggle
in the ‘60's, and the students who led
the rebellion in Soweto in South Af
rica, African youth in Pittsburgh have
taken a major step towards creating
thisgeneration’snew Freedom Fight
ers. Along the way they may well
make some mistakes. However, I
would rather see our youth make
mistakes trying to end injustice and
oppression than to see them over
come by alienation, apathy and inac
tion. When young brothers and sis
ters make the decision to become
warriors in the Black Freedom Strug
gle, it is imperative that the older
generation embrace them, advise
them, and give them as much support
as possible. With African youth ac
cepting the torch, the future o f the
race is assured.
To contact the Mobilization of
A frican Students for Just ice cal 1:412-
361-3719