% ' •
Page A4
'
----------------------------------- -------
■'
---------(Elie länrtlanh (JDbserucr
«
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views Of
(The |3 o rtlan b (iDbscrucr
Attention Readers!
Please take a minute tn «end us your comment». W e’ re always trying to give
you a better paper and we can’t do it without your help. Tell us what you like
and what needs improvement... any suggestions are welcomed and appreci
ated We take criticism well! Get your powerful pens out NOW and address
your letters to: I ditof Reader Response, P.O. Box 3 137, Portland, OR 9720 8.
(Lite }Jnrtlanb (Ohserlu’r
(I SI’ S 959-680) Established in 1970
C harles Washington
Publisher Jt Editor
Mark Washington
Distsrihution Manager
Gary Ann I ay lor
Larry J. Jackson. Sr.
Director of Operation
Kindness Hanuger
Mike Leighton
Copy Editor
Iesha W illiam s
Graphic Design
( antribating Writers:
Professor M cKinley Burt.
1 ee Perlman.
NeilHeilpern
4747 NE M a rtin L u th e r K in g .J r. Blvd.,
P ortland.O regon 97211
503-288-0033 • Fax 503-288-0015
Etnail: I’ilxobserv « aol.com
Deadline ^
trticlcs liid ii\ 3 id)pm
-l</s Monday. I2:l)lipm
PO STM A STER : Send Address Changes To: P ortland O bserver,
P.O. Box 3137, P ortland. OR 97208.
Periodicals postage p a id at Portland, Oregon.
Subscriptions S3D. DI) per year
I lie Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manu
scripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned
il accompanied b\ a self addressed envelope. A ll created design display
ads become the sole property of the new spaper and cannot be used in
other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the
general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of
such ad < 1996 IH I P O R TLAN D OBSERVER A L L RIGHTS
?
s
c
p
e
c
t
i
v
e
3
The Great American Land Grab; What
Drove (Drives) Those Europeans?
by P roe :
sM t K init
Bt Rl
It IS hardly the ease that many
inner city residents - while or black,
rich or poor devote much attention
to the ideologies and philosophies
that have evolved from the im m i
grant struggle to “ tame the vast w il
derness.”
It is much more likely that their
waking hours are busy w ith a sur
vival spectrum o f nuts-and-bolts
problems: Taxes, HMOs, pension
plans, capital gains, lay offs, public-
education, m utual funds, urban
boundaries, housing costs, crime,
whatever!
However, there does exist for those
o f us interested enough to make in
quiry about these ideologies and phi
losophies - and perhaps we had bet
ter - several revealing books and
essays on these matters. Here, our
thoughts revisit my recent articles on
urban space and the problems m i
norities (and now whites) are having
in maintaining adecentquality ot life
w ithin the imposed boundaries.
“ Interpreting Environments” by
Robert Mugeravert 1995) is just such
a book, one that casts much factual
light on the centuries -long develop
ment o f the disciplines and philoso
phies that are, for want o f a better
term, called "Urban Planning,” and
even "Urban Renewal " ( Many blacks
who have lost homes and businesses
prefer "Urban Removal.”
In
h is very
in tro d u c tio n
Mugeraucuer.p. xlv. firm ly indicates
his direction in interpreting the phi
losophy o f American colonization
and its impact yet today; “ The inter
pretation shows how the orginarily '
twinned religious meanings ol Amen-
can nature as a paradise given and as
a negative wilderness to be over
come are now concealed and
forgotten..they still operate in our
understanding o f parks and w ilder
ness and in our attitudes to the use
and development o f land."
Our author elaborates on pp. 58
and 59, “ O riginally the American
understanding o f nature was substan
tia lly religious, which means that at
tendant practices operated accord
ing to a theologically informed
economy and politics.
...The interpretation o f america
by way o f Scripture was fundamen
tal: Columbus, according to his ' Book
o f Prophecies', believed that he had
discovered the ‘Garden o f Eden’ and
thus had made a significant advance
in the conversion o f the w orld."
Somebody te ll M etro , (see my
"A m istad" article this week).
D on’ t ask how one equates this
religious fervor to the cruelty and
savagery that Columbus inflicted
upon the Indiansot the New World
- or how the famed ‘ liberal’ philoso
pher, John Locke not only owned
shares in a slave-trading company,
but wrote into this “ Constitution for
the Carolinas” that African slaves
would be held in bondage for all
time.
Nor can we conceive a rational
explanation for relating American
philosophies and visions o f paradise
to the "A tlantic Slave Trade" and the
holocaust o f the "M idd le Passage."
in Sunday’ s Oregonian there is a re
lated book review o f "The Slave
Trade,” by Hugh Thomas (Simon &
Schuster). Again, we find that white
America simply refuses to deal with
the insane horror that their forefa
thers committed ( as w ith many Ger-
mans yet today in respect to theJewish
Holocaust - don't forget the Swiss
and the Church). The fall-out from
sham continues.
This revisionist historian, Thomas,
makes a failed attempt to cleanup a
centuries-long horror, citing a higher
percentage o f deaths among the crew
than for the poor creatures below
dec k -addressing us as though we were
fools, when British and African re
searchers reveal that , quite obvi
ously, deaths were in the millions.
Also sec Black American authors
such as Leronc Bennett (Ebony
Magazine Editor), John Henri Clarke,
W E B DuBois, et al.
It goes w ith saying that a com
panion piece to this institutional-
iz.cd-denial is today s incom pre
hensible denial o f the documented
intellectual and technological con
tribu tion o f A fric a n Americans.
("W e w ould only have done these
evils to in fe rio r' people - we are
“ God Fearing!” ) Our children the
pay the price.
Next week, “ The Philosophy de
velops fu rthe r, “ de T o c u e ville ,
M umford, Robert Moses , and U r
ban Gods.
Rl SI RVI I) Rl PRODUCTION IN WHOM OR IN PARI W ITH
OUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.
I he Portland Observer—Oregon's Oldest M ulticultural Publica
tion—is a member ol the National Newspaper Association—Founded in
1885 and I he National Advertising Representative Amalgamated
Publishers. Inc. New York, N Y. and The Wes, Coast Black Publishers
Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver.
SUBSCRIBE TO <Elic|Jortlanî» (Observer
I I k - Portland ( )bserver can be sent directly to your home lo r only $30.00
per year Please t ill out. enclose cheek or money order, and m ail to:
St l»S< R ll’ l IONS
Tin P o r ii \ xd O bserver ; PO Box 3137
P o rii vM), O regon 97208
Name:
Address;
__ ___________________________
City, State:________ _______ _________________________
Z ip -C o d e :__ __________ __________________ __________________
T hank Yot F or K i aping T he P orii and O bserver
To Be Equal
Robbing Our Future
B y J ames T . M< L awhorn , J r .
(G uest C olumnist )
C olumbia (S .C .) U rban L eague
When it comes to crime, A m e ri
can society seems eaught in a para
dox Crime rates have plummeted in
cities across the country, in the down
towns and in poor neighborhoods,
too
Yet, w hile actual crime has abated,
the crime scare rhetoric has not. More
dangerously, the imprudent rush to
build more and more prisons-a d i
rect consequence o f die crime-scare
rhetoric o f the 1980s-hasn't eased,
nor has the push to try more and more
juveniles as adults. Both are among
the reasons why so many young A f
rican-American males wind up in
corrections systems throughout the
country
President Clinton during an inter
view from the Oval Office referred to
another reason discriminatory be
havior by police officers, and he
vowed to "fin d a highly visible pub
lic forum" to discuss the issue.
O f course. African Americans
have long been aware o f such unf air
treatment, as President Clinton has
heard from black professionals and
young people around the country.
According to a U S. Department
o f Justice survey released last month,
law enforcement officers threatened
or used force in encounters w ith an
estimated 500.000 people in 1996.
The report especially noted the dis
proportionate number o f encounters
African Americans and Hispanic
Americans have with law enforce
ment personnel. W hile these groups
together represent only 20 percent of
the population 12 years o f age and
older, they make up 50 percent of
those w ho’ ve had intim idating and
threatening experiences w ith law
enforcement.
R ep re se nta tive
N y d ia
M.
Velasquez, D-N.Y., pointed out that
in New York City people o f color
register 80 percent o f the police bru
tality complaints
Law enforcement officers are the
gatekeepers of the criminal justice sys
tem. Their discretion at the point of
arrest often determines whether juve
nile offenders especially are given a
simple warning, a citation, taken into
custixly. or referred to juvenile court
As criminologist A R. Roberts wrote
in a recent issue o f Juvenile and Fam
ily Court Journal, “ to a great measure
it is the officer’s exercise ofdiscretion
that really controls the disposition o f
juvenile eases."
I better 'Crd
CSJditdr
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland. OR 97208
Dear Senior Editor
I was appalled to hear that there
was less than MMX) people that
turned out for Eddie Robinson's
Iasi hurrah at Grambling. That is
pathetic, here is a man who was
very committed to his college, and
to have only 1,000 fans. W ith all o f
these black dignitarians we have,
where were they in atte nd an ceIn
closing we spend to much time talk
ing the talk, and not walking the
walk Good luck to you Eddie, in
your retirement, go see the world
Anthony Jacobs
Vancouver, W A
B y V alora W ashington
People are often surprised to
learn about the disproportionate
number o f children o f color there
are in this country waiting to be
adopted.
More than 60.(XX) boys and girls
- enough to fill 3,000 classrooms,
field 12,000 basketball teams or
form a line I I miles long -- arc
growing up without a family. In a
year, these c h ild re n spend
21.900,000 days w aitin g, and
31,536,000,000 minutes feeling
unloved and unwanted.
The numbers tell a dramatic
story: African American children
make up 46.3 percent o f the c h il
dren in foster care, nearly three
times their representation in the
general U S. population o f c h il
dren.
Stunned by the size o f this "fos
ter earc gap," more than 30 African
A m e rican org an izatio ns have
moved into action. They have come
to realize that too often the foster
care system is grinding the lives of
children to a halt, trapping them in
an uncertain future. They recog
nize, too, that children o f color, in
particular, wait years for adoption.
A dditionally, they often are repeat
edly shuttled through fostercare with
little hope o f a permanent home.
These organizations also realized that
they need to serve as strong advo
cates for children and young people
who are moved from one temporary
“ home" or juvenile facility to an
other, to keep them from growing up
without the physical or emotional
security o f a strong, family connec
tion.
Who arc these organizations .’ They
include such diverse organizations as
the National Medical Association,
National Urban Coalition. National
Council of Negro Women and Na
tional Black Child Development Insti
tute. In May of 1997, at a conference
in Washington. D.C., they committed
themselves to do more to promote and
speed adoptions and to strengthen the
family links in black communities.
"W e have always taken care o f
ourchildren in our families, extended
families, churches, communities, and
neighborhoods," said NC NW Presi
dent Dorothy I. Height. "B ut too
many are entering the foster care
system, and we are losing sight o f
them. We need to reclaim them as
part o f the black fam ily.”
The black community takes pride
in a long history o f the resilience and
resourcefulness o f family in times of
crisis. As U S. Delegate Eleanor
Holmes Norton (D -D C ) told the sum
m il a few months ago, “ Nothing can
replace family. Family is genesis;
family is first The obligation to re
build fam ily
is the most important
obligation ot Black leadership.
The system has been slow to recruit
adoptive parents in black communi
ties, a critical need in which black
churches and programs like One
Church, One Child, are helping. There
also are some innovative approaches
being tried, with impressive results.
ThcW .K KelloggFoundation’sFami-
lies for Kids program, for example,
has been working to step up recruit
ments and reduce court backlogs at 11
sites around the country.
Quicker, less complicated strate
gies for achieving permanent place
rnents also are producing results. Ac -
cording to recent news reports, adop
tions o f children in foster care have
shot up 72 percent in Philadelphia,
since steps were taken to make that
c ity ’ s jud icia l processes less cum
bersome; and 74 percent in New York
City, since it began offering financial
incentives to foster-home operators
who help speed adoptions.
Sometimes the best strategy is g iv
ing families support. In Grand Rap
ids, Michigan, parents charged with
abuse or neglect have alternatives,
Instead o f court action and foster
care placement, extended family
members, friends and neighbors can
participate in a conference to de
cide who w ill care for the child
while the parents undergo treatment.
Kinship care is an established ap
proach, validating the child's need
to remain connected to grandpar
ents, cousins or fam iliar settings.
Children know what they need,
even if they don’t always know where
to find it. They are enthusiastic about
the modem marketing techniques,
ranging from television commercials
to get-acquainted suppers at black
churches, which promote adoptions.
W aiting children embrace every
means available to find a home and to
stop the revolving door to juvenile
centers and prisons.
In November, as people around
the country pause to celebrate Na
tional Adoption Awareness Month,
we ask our friends and partners in
all communities toeonsider not only
how much joy an adoptive child can
add to a fam ily; hut also, what can
be done to sim plify adoptions and
make them less daunting.
Civil Rights Journal
My Christmas Wish List
B y B ernice P owell J ackson
This has been one o f those d iffi
cult years for me. A year in which I
lost trusted friends and colleagues. A
year in which I found family mem
bers and friends facing illnesses and
crises. A year when I have seen is
sues which are important to me and
to my people under vicious attacks.
A year which has forced me to stop
and care for m yself and those I love
So, this year my Christmas wish list
is a little more reflective and a little
less optimistic.
My first wish is, o f course, for
peace peace in Africa, peace in the
M iddle East, peace in Europe But
not just peace, but peace with justice.
Peace w ith justice for the people of
Tibet, peace w ith justice for the
people o f Haiti.
My second wish is for peace -
peace in this nation, where people o f
color arc still beaten and killed be
cause o f the color o f theirskin. Peace
in this nation where black churches
continue toburn. Peace in this nation
where children in cities are still killed
in drive-by shootings and gang vio
lence. Peace in this nation where
families are still subject to terror and
which can mean life to H IV /A ID S
patients. M y prayer is fo r our
churches and mosques that they may
embrace those infected and affected
by this virus. M y prayer is for those
teenagers not yet infected that they
might understand that teens o f color
arc one o f the fastest-growing groups
infected by this virus. My prayer is
for the babies who are born with H IV
that they may be healed
My fifth wish is that our nation
w ill reach beyond the political rheto
ric and come to understand that to
end affirm ative action w ill not only
be bad for communities o f color, but
w ill be had for the whole nation. M y
wish is that those o f us who have
bene fitted the most directly from af
firmative action over the past gen
eration - women o f all colors, men o f
color w ill tell our stories and help
others to understand the positive
impact for everyone or wc w ill find
affirmative action dying state by state
M y sixth wish is that every child in
this nation would have access to
health care and quality education and
housing and food. How wonderful
that would be What a statement about
violence in their homes. Peace in this
nation where our elders are afraid to
walk the streets.
M y third wish is for peace - the
internal kind o f peace which still
eludes so many people in this fast-
paced, crazy world. Peace o f mind
that the world is not spinning out o f
control and that God is still in charge.
Peace o f mind in our places o f work
and in our homes and our communi
ties. Peace of mind that comes with
knowing that we are here for a reason
and that we can make a good life for
ourselves and our families,
M y fourth wish is really a prayer.
As we mark another W orld AIDS
Day. my prayer is for the end ol H IV /
AIDS in this century. M y prayer is
for all those living with H IV and
AIDS, especially those in communi
ties o f color That they might be able
to reach out to someone else, that
they might find love in their family
and friends, that they might know
andexperience God's healing power.
M y prayer is for those pharmaceuti
cal companies that their hearts may
be softened and that they might re
evaluate whether they have to charge
such exorbitant fees for medicine
this nation
I
My seventh wish is that every po
lice officer tempted to brutalize a
civilian w ill see the face o f his/her
child in the face o f the person they
are about to hit May we have a year
with no police brutality or harass
ment.
My eighth wish is that all o f the
commitments made during the M il
lio n Man and M illio n W om an
Marches w ill come to fruition. That
our people w ill continue to rededi
cate themselves to their fam ilies
and their com m unities and to their
own spiritual growth and develop
ment
M y ninth wish is that somehow we
can reach beyond the political machi
nations, beyond the personal blind
ers, beyond the historical mis-educa
tion and beyond the institutional bar
riers and really end racism in my
lifetime What a gift that would he to
our children and grandchildren.
My final wish is a wish for all who
read these words. May you and yours
find new knowledge o f the depth of
God’ s love, may you find health and
wholeness in your life, may you know
nurturing relationships and may you
share your blessings with others.