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F ebruary 26, 1997 • T he P ortland O bserver
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better
~ölte Editor
n the February 2 4 ,1 9 9 7
New Republic, Roger
Simon summarizes the
latest installments of the Jack-
son/Clinton dance. The thrust
of the article, which makes little
attempt to be fair to Jackson, is
clear from its subhead: “How
Bill Sandbagged Jesse.”
|This is only the most recent ex­
ample of the genre Rev. Jackson
classified under the "Jesus Can t
Swim” category- as in, if the mod
ern day press had been present when
Jesus got out of the boat and walked
across the water, the next morning's
newspapers would have blazed this
headline: “Jesus Can t Swim!” |
As is traditional with the new
Republic, especially in commentar­
ies on Jesse Jackson, the Rainbow,
or anything progressive, there are
belittling insinuations, misleading
assumptions, and inaccurate con
elusions drawn from insufficient
B ernice P ovvei . i . .J ackson
lack History Month, be­
gan as Negro History
Week by the African-
American historian and scholar
Carter G. Woodson, is a time for
all Americans to recall the con­
tributions of black Inventors, phi­
losophers, entrepreneurs, edu­
cators and activists. It is a time
to name for our children the
names of those who helped to
build this nation.
by
Bui this year I am celebrating
Black History Month by remember­
ing those whose names we don’t
know -- ihose who died on the trek to
the coastline while being marched
to the slave ships, those who died in
the dungeons awaiting the boats,
those who died on the waters of the
Middle Passage, those whodiedonce
they reached the shorts of the Ameri­
cas And this year I am remember­
ing those who lived through the
unspeakable horrors of enslavement,
but whose names we will never know.
have any drugs taped to her legs.
Mind you this is out on Hawthorne,
in the middle of the day.
Needless to say this young lady
is hurt and she now fears the po­
lice. B ut she' s also very angry about
this violation of her person. She
promised to come to the next meet­
ing and share this experience with
the group. If anyone from the press
or media wants to talk with her,
please call me I'll try to arrange it
with her mother.
It's so hard to believe I sat here
last night with 15 other people and
we talked in a calm, rational way
about the harm these sweeps were
doing. How we as a community
want to approach this problem dif­
ferently. with compassion and un­
derstanding. Representatives of
both Southeast Uplift (Martha
Gross, 232-0010) and the Haw­
thorne Blvd. Business Association
(Nancy Chapin. 774-2832) were
present at last night’s meeting. The
HBBA met on February 13th at the
SEUL office. Obviously the results
of last night's meeting were com­
pletely ignored. I wonder what kind
of message that sends to the kids?
“Kids & Drugs On Hawthorne''
Tuesday, Feb. 18 7:30 p.m. at the
P hantom G allery 3125 SE
Belmont Street, Portland, Oregon
In solidarity fo r “Drug Peace!-"
Floyd Ferris Icindratli - Director
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O
A L IT IO
N
Not So Simple, Simon
data.
And, of course, there is the usual
snide commentary intended to de­
mean Jackson -what New Republic-
article would be complete without
it?
Despite all that, a close reading of
the essay led this observer to con­
clude that it actually proves Jackson's
clout, rather than the political ir­
relevancy" the article implies
In an attempt to demonstrate that
Bill Clinton and the White House
political team "sandbagged" Jesse
into supporting the President’s re-
election campaign. Simon really
shows that Jackson forced a reluc­
tant White House to
• defend a ffirm ative action
( "mend it, don "t end it ").
• protect Medicare & Medicaid
in the budget negotiations:
• spent! a tremendous amount o f
time and energy worn mg about what
Jesse and therefore his constituen­
cies- wanted (eg., standing strong
Ghana lies on the coast of West
Africa and a pleasant two hour drive
up the Atlantic coastline brought me
to the towns of Fimina and Cape
Coast. Perched on their shores are
two large fortresses; one built by the
English, the other by the Portuguese.
These fortresses were originally
built for their trade of gold and
Ivory and other natural resources,
but these nations soon found a
much more profitable trading com­
modity human beings being sold
as slaves. These building are ironi­
cally and euphemistically called
slave castles.
The fortresses were turned into
dungeons where women and men
were held separately in dark,
crowded, dank conditions for up to
twelve weeks until the next ship
arrived Some had already perished
on the long, tortuous inarch to the
coast and those who remained alive
were weakened and exhausted. They
were herded into large rooms with
little ventilation or light, with few or
no provisions for sanitation. Those
who rebelled were put into rooms
with no light and no air and given no
food or water until they died a slow,
painful death. Women were often
brought out into the courtyard and
chained to cannonballs for the com­
manders and soldiers to choose
sexual partners from.
At the Cape Coast slave castle
there is a narrow door marked the
Door of No Return Through that
door those surviving the forced
march and the imprisonment were
taken, single-file and still in chains,
into the waiting ships for the long
trip over the Atlantic. Once through
that door, those men and women
would never again see their fami­
lies, their friends, their native land.
It was a doorway into hell for them
and they would never again return
or be free
More and more African Ameri­
cans are visiting Ghana and visiting
the slave castles in order understand
our history Very few of us are blessed
as was Alex Haley to have the stories
of our ancestors passed down from
generation to generation so that we
can actually identify where our an­
cestors came from. But we can see
for ourselves the places in Ghana
and Senegal which our unnamed
and unknown ancestors endured so
that we might live.
As you walk over the bridge which
spans the moat around the Elmina
slave castle, the guide asks all to stop
for a moment of silence and to let
visitors know that you are stepping
onto sacred ground. And the sign
inside calls upon the world to never
again allow such genocide, such
atrocities to occur.
As we celebrate Black History
Month, let us recall with a new sense
of awe those whose names we don’t
know. And let us understand that we
who are African Americans may
truly be the Eighth Wonder of the
World simply because our ancestors
did survive those unspeakable hor­
rors so that we might exist.
Part I: The Triumph and Tragedy of Bill Cosby
BY E a RLO ea RI H i rC H IN S O N .P lI.P .
Dear Friends:
On February 12 it was not a good
day for the kids on Hawthorne or
nearby Belmont Street. The police
were out in force, undercover buy­
ing and busting, buying and bust­
ing. Like shooting fish in a barrel,
why go after real criminals when
it’ssoeasy to bring down some kids
for pot. After all; in the stats it's
just another drug bust to justify a
continuation of "war."
Consider what happened to one
young lady as she was using a pub­
lic pay phone adjacent to Coffee
People at SE 35th and Hawthorne.
I'm not going to reveal her name,
because her mother - a local busi­
ness owner - is out of town at the
moment and 1 want her to hear it
from her own daughter First I can
tell you this though, she is one of
the best kids I've ever known, she's
considerate, intelligent, and about
as big a risk to this community as a
fly
She explained that as she was
talking on the phone a couple male
officers came up behind her.
grabbed the phone out of her hand
then proceeded to search her. Why ?
Because she had reached into her
pack for something and the officers
thought that was justification for a
search A search that involved these
two male officers making this young
girl lift her skirt to prove she didn't
C
against the church burnings);
• refuse the bad budget deal o f­
fered by Gingrich and the Republi­
can Congress, leading to the gov­
ernment shutdown which America,
and boosted Clinton's popularity
back up to a level which eventually
led to his re-election. (We should
note here that Jackson "s position o f
standing firm on the budget won out
over the objections o f Dick Morris;
in short, even according to the New
Republic, Jesse's politics svere a
main force in Bill Clinton's victory,
over the opposition o f his much-
touted experts! Good, progressive
principle and policy was also good
politics--take that, conventional
wisdom!)
The truth is, Rev. Jackson made a
conscious decision not to challenge
the President. He concluded this was
the best strategy he had to defend his
principles, and the people he fights
for, over the long run.
Celebrating Black History: Reflections On The Motherland
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
All Young People, Their
Parents, and the
Community-At-Large
N A T IO N A L
^ |J
hat started out as a re­
laxing evening at a local
jazz club in Hollywood
quickly became an annoymg
experience for me sitting at the
table next to Bill Cosby.
Cosby had barely taken his seat
when people began parading to his
table waving their business cards
and shouting one scheme or another
in his face. They bumped and jostled
me as they passed with no thought of
apology. This incident happened
several years before NBC's The
Cosby Show, enshrined him as
America's number one dad, and
made him one of America's wealthi­
est men.
But that evening Cosby was al­
ready a hot commodity. He was the
firs, black to co-star in a network TV
series I Spy, the national pitchman
for Jello-O and Coca Cola, and a
popular nightclub comedy per-
former. Cosby took the intrusion in
stride. He smiled at each supplicant,
shook their hands, took their busi­
ness cards and listened patiently to
their pitches.
As I watched the spectacle at his
table I sudden ly felt intense empathy
for him. He was a public figure who
could not relax and enjoy a quiet
night out. Once or twice when I
caught his eye, he nodded at me,
faintly smiled, and shrugged, as ifto
say, this is the price I must pay for
being a celebrity.
Two decades later, Cosby was
still paying that price. He was voted
by an MCI Father’s Day Poll, in
USA Today in 1996 as the most
memorable TV dad of all time. And
was at or near the top of Forbes
annual list of the richest entertain­
ers in America, with his net worth at
an estimated $300 million. He was
so idolized that the FBI enlisted him
in its national publicity campaign to
find missing children.
Cosby had seemingly smashed all
the barriers to African-American
progress in entertainment and soci­
ety. The New York Times called
him “The black face that’s a mirror
for everybody.” He had become a
mythic icon and America’s univer­
sal symbol of hope and accomplish­
ment.
That all suddenly paled when
Cosby heard the shattering words
from an LAPD official, "I have the
worst news to tell you,” during a
rehearsal for his CBS show. The bad
news was that his son Ennis had
been murdered.
The public reaction came as close
as American comes to a national day
of mourning that is traditionally re­
served after the deaths of Presidents
and revered public figures. Ennis’
life even offered tragic vindication
for Cosby’s preachments and ideals.
H is was a story of a directionless and
underachieving young man strug­
gling to get out from under the mas­
sive shadow of his superstar father
The Cosby image was carved from
a life that is a storybook testament to
the American dream. The son of a
Navy messman, Cosby grew up in a
rough Philadelphia neighborhood,
dropped out of college, bounced
around for a short while on the com­
edy circuit before finding success
with his nightclub act.
His first big break came in 1964
when he landed the co-starring role
in the I Spy TV adventure series.
Cosby was paid $ 1,250 per episode
and for a time spent money like
crazy.
Despite his achievements there
were still two huge problems that
money and fame couldn’t erase:
negative stereotyping and racism in
the entertainment world. Cosby re­
alized that even his legendary stat­
ure didn't exempt him from either
The Renaissance Market: an idea whose time has come
by
E ugene R ashad
'V f }
ju \
CT*
esidents of Portland get
another opportunity to
patronize a minority-
owned grocery store with the
grand opening of The Renais­
sance Market.
Formerly F.&M Market, located
at 909 North Killingsworth St., last
year Emmanuel Temple Full Gospel
Pentecostal Church purchased the
store. The Emmanuel Community
General Services, a non-profit de­
velopment organization, will over­
see the day to day operation of the
market.
SUPPORT YOUR
LOCAL GROCER
Nothing explains why people
would complain about the need for
minority-owned business, but refuse
to patronize Previous owners fi­
nally had to shut down for good last
April due to poor sales overhead.
The new owners taken in all past
mistake and plan to market the store
with great energy and enthusiasm
The blending of community spirit
and commerce comes at the right
time and could lead to a cultural
renaissance
PEOPLE OVER PROFITS
Market must depend on loyalty of
neighborhood residents for support
to keep the door open.
In his book TRUST Francis
Fukuyama writes, “..The ability to
associate depends on the degree to
which communities share norms and
values and are able to subordinate
individual interests to those of larger
groups." Fukuyama concludes that
out of such selflessness and shared
values comes trust, and trust has a
large and measurable economic
value.”
The store must now show people
something they can touch which
demonstrates that community in­
vestment and pride is a priority. The
stores must offer tangible proof that
something is being put back in the
community. And this is where the
greatest chance for success of The
Renaissance Market lies Here's why.
Operators of the market have a
stated goal to make the store more
than a place to get groceries. For
example, with each purchase shop­
pers are contributing to the building
and support of community based
programs that assist youths.
Monies will be reinvested into
social service programs to create
mentorships, and job training.
The store wants to convey the
idea of a community, family-ori­
ented market. Hence, no cigarettes
or alcoholic beverages will be sold.
And because members of the church
nearby will undoubtedly shop at the
store, a real opportunity for connect­
ing with people exist.
REINVENT C APITALISM
There must be a blending of so­
cial values with economic reality to
generate consistent commerce and
growth in business. A task which
now confronts The Renaissance
Market and the community it seeks
to serve. Thomas Gladwin observes
in his book Sales Of The White
Myth ‘‘. The most profoundly de­
structive effect of capitalism on a
communal, kinship-oriented soci­
ety lay in undermining the bonds of
family, clan and community.” Most
people stake a claim in familial ties
and bonding with each other.
Capital To The People
TRUST IS THE KEY
In order to succeed, smaller op­
erations such as The Renaissance
i
Individual gains must not dis­
place the idea to serve one’s commu­
nity. The people should come first,
not profits The business commu­
nity wonders why the original store
had such a rough time convincing
people to shop there.
One major obstacle is fragmenta­
tion of the community. The compe­
tition will not be with large chain
grocery stores that can offer a cheaper
price. The community must see that
the store represents cultural pride,
community spirit, and with support,
reasonable prices.
UNITY IN THE C O M M U N IT Y
With the backing of Emmanuel
Temple Church history is on the
store's side this time around. That’s
because of adherence to an age old
lesson: The parts are no greater than
the whole. With the opening of the
store under the auspices of the church
community, shoppers can be taught
that “Charity begins at home and
spreads abroad.” It’s been a long
walk down the aisle, but the basket
always returns with tithes.
The Renaissance Market, with
community support, is an idea whose
time is now
t