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JUNE10, 1998
ffljr IJortlanb (©bscruer
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
(Elie ^Jortlanb ODbserucr
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‘Supper Table Input’; What Was It? What Now? II
B y P rof . M c K inley B ert
It is in striking relevance to our
“Supper Table” thesis that the De­
cember 18, 1996 issue o f the Port­
land Observer featured two power­
ful and sensitive social reports - side
by side, as though to support each
other.
That week’s “Family Living’ sec­
tion was read and commented upon
by many community residents, and
by other citizens as well. The first
report was authored by that devoted
and indefatigable ombudsman for
our nation’schildren, Marion Wright
Edelman, “Childwatch: House par­
ties allow everyone to help black
children” (A suitable multicultrual
model).
As Edelm an described it,
“KCMC” (Karing for Children Is
Our Main Concern), a wonderful
child care center in Kansas City,
Mo., was 'one' of the 270 African
American groups across the country
who hosted house parties to support
a “Black Crusade for Children.”
These inspired and energetic hu­
manitarians ranged from neighbor­
hood people and grassroots activ­
ists to such celebrities as Bill Cosby,
Iman, Whoopie Goldberg, Oprah,
Et Cetera.
The principal thrust was to come
to the aid o f the detached and alien­
ated children and youth such as I
have described in this series as hav­
ing been deprived of such basic so­
cialization processes (once consid­
ered the norm) as occur around the
family dinner table - one is informed,
directed.
The second relevant article,
“Grandparents Raising Grandchil­
dren” described a study by the “Cen­
ter On Aging” at Bradley Univer­
sity, on a research grant from the
National Institute On Aging. The
Grandparent study is intended to
“fill an important knowledge gap by
providing information about the
challenges and rewards’ of grand­
parents who are raising a child.”
I am given to a wry grin (like
many ofour readers) as the research­
ers describe a specific lack of infor­
mation on the new roles of these
grandparents - “a need to identify
those who are struggling socially,
emotionally or financially.” Like you
readers, I can supply a real-time
observation from many points of
our social infrastructure, including
a personal one.
The interaction with the child or
youth is a sort ofvirtual reality’, true
enough, if you are not the actual
grandparent in an interaction with
the child or youth, but the insights of
joy or pain, gratitude or humility are
all there. Your relationship to such a
‘family’ may be as a friend, neigh­
bor or relative - or in a professional
role, teacher, counselor, social
worker, coach, criminal justice, ac­
countant, health care.
But in so many instances all o f us
have been forced to marvel at the
strength and commitment these‘vet­
erans’ in the raising ofchildren have
brought to their surrogate role. Mat­
ters o f finance, health, housing, per­
sonal safety and social mores are
more difficult, now.
In the very first article o f this
series (5/27/98), I described my
household as being headed by a
grandfather. A role model nonpa­
reil, his standards for morality, hu­
man relations and a search for jus­
tice are with me today as with yes­
terday. This, though I was only
eleven when he died - and the ‘ fam-
ily ’ split up very soon afterwards.
This left me to be raised by a mother
who had difficult coping and before
long; I had dropped out of high
school. But grandpa has always
‘been there.’
Those who have had this experi­
ence and the “Supper Table” expe­
rience will understand; the inquiries
and the discipline about school and
home work, about the character of
your peers and associates, about your
ambitions, about your chores’ and
your bedtime. There was no televi­
sion but you can bet your reading
material was censored. A child ran
nothing but his mouth, but was given
more reign as his maturity indicated.
What else?
And given that dinner time in­
formation exchange and data bank.
I, like millions o f others of similar
circumstance, passed college en­
trance exams with no difficulty at
all.
I could remember grandpa dis­
cussing his mortgages, deeds and
giving me the installment book and
interest tables for a math lesson. So
when I got to Northwestern Law
School (Portland), I hooked this
right up with my early reading of
Robin Hood: you know, the Sheriff
o f Nottingham, the ‘Spring Assizes’
when the traveling ‘Circuit Judge’
made his court appearance, the
King’s ‘Eminent Domain’ a piece
o f cake! Next week - Lot of guns in
house.
Greatest Threat to Security Since Cuban Missile Crisis
T he a n n o u n c e m e n t th a t P a ­
k is ta n d e to n a te d fiv e n u c le a r
d e v ic e s , s u rre n d e rin g to th e
te m p ta tio n o f bom b for bom b,
ey e fo r ey e, is the g re a te s t
th re a t to in te rn a tio n a l s e c u ­
rity s in c e the C uban M is s ile
C ris is .
T h e o p p o r t u n i t y fo r an
arm s ra ce b etw e en In d ia and
P a k is ta n and th e s p e c te r o f
C h in a ’s re sp o n se d e s ta b iliz e s
th e e n tire w o rld . T he in t e r ­
n a t i o n a l c o m m u n ity m u st
c o m e to g e th e r , sp e a k w ith
o n e c le a r v o ic e , d e n o u n c e
th is
gam e o f “ n u c le a r
c h ic k e n ,” and sto p th is im ­
p e n d in g arm s ra c e .
A lth o u g h P a k is ta n , In d ia
an d o th e rs claim th at n u c le a r
w e ap o n s have a d e te rre n t
4 better Tfe Tfdie (Süfîitcr
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Dear Editor,
I have watched TV and read newspapers articles, about two Portland public schools, Humboldt
and Jefferson. What 1 haven’t heard is anyone taking the blame for the poor academic failure o f
our children, and the dismal future they all face.
Jefferson High School has always been blamed for the failure o f the School Board and its
Superintendent, for the poorjobs they’ve done. In our negotiation the School Board promised the
Community Coalition for School integration, equity and quality education for all children in the
Eighties. That was over eighteen years ago, in most cases we are worse off now than we were then.
The Hierarchy at the top is still blaming the low people at the bottom o f the totem pole. They knew
there were a lot o f deficiency in most o f the teachers who were placed in the Albina area schools.
At that time there were not too many good qualified teachers, the best ones were sent to the white
area schools and the worse ones over here. Some did not have degrees and most o f them were not
even certified. I fyou could manage to keep some control in your classroom, (most o f this was done
by letting the students have their way) you had a job.
The school district has waited almost twenty years before they decide to clean the house,
unfortunately for our children the damage has already been done. The price we suffer for this is
having so many o f our people on crack cocaine, or other drugs. Also, a lot o f our young people
are being in the State Jail system, for either selling or using drugs. You don’t have to be smart; in
fact the dumber you are the better those rich men who set up the drug houses like it. They know
if you are dumb, you w on’t have sense to tell.
Students attend eight years o f school, Elementary and Middle school before they enter into
Jefferson or any other high school The School Board must thing that Jefferson’s staff and teacher
is Jesus Christ, M iracle doctors who should be able to perform surgery on a brain that has been dead
or on ice for eight years without proper food to keep it operating. Something is wrong with this
picture that I have presented to your. Those at the TOP MUST BEAR TH E BIGGEST PORTION
OF THE BLAME. It is up to them to stop blaming the staff, the parents, and the students; they all
have been out on the playing field, was too long. The Superintendents both State and City,
Governors, past and present Legislators, The Board o f Education, past and present and everyone
who is considered A LEADER. We can pass laws like measures to rid ourselves o f the problem
that we have created by gross neglect. W hen a person’s skill level in math and reading is at a 3rd
to 5th grade level, the persons mind has only been developed up to a nine year old. What kind o f
job can that person expect to obtain? We can continue to build nice jails to lock up our uneducated
people. But when will we all start sharing some o f the blame, after all we are our brothers keepers.
Sincerely,
lesia DeWeese Loving
c o m p o n e n t, th e re ca n be no
co m fo rt in “ m u tu a lly a ssu re d
d e s tr u c tio n ” b e c a u s e th e o p ­
e ra tiv e w o rd is d e s tru c tio n .
T he w o rld id e n tifie d w ith
In d ia in its lo n g and g lo rio u s
s tr u g g le fo r in d e p e n d e n c e
from c o lo n ia l ru le , and c o n ­
tin u e s to h e ra ld th e g re a t and
s p iritu a l le g a c y o f G a n d h i.
T he te s tin g o f n u c le a r b o m b s
r e t a l i a t i o n a n d r e v iv a l o f
m e a n in g fu l d ia lo g u e o v e r r e ­
je c tio n . We m ust c h o o se
h e a lin g and h o p e o v e r fe a r
and h y s te ria .
T ra g e d y in S p r i n g f i e l d ;
C u ltu re in C ris is
T h e T ra g e d y in S p r in g -
fie ld , OR d e m a n d s th a t we
e x a m in e how o u r c u ltu re is
f a c ilita tin g and e x a c e r b a tin g
A4/JMBOHfPU$H
C O A L IT IO N
is a ste p b a c k w a rd fo r th is
p ro u d n a tio n - th e w o r ld ’s
larg e st d e m o c ra c y . M ore than
th a t, it is a m o ral d is s e rv ic e
to th e hu m an ra c e . I n d ia 's
g o v e rn m e n t sh o w e d n u c le a r
p o w e r o r n u c le a r fo rc e , but it
d id not sh o w w h at th e I n d i­
an s call S a ty a g ra h a o r “ so u l
f o r c e .”
B oth In d ia and P a k is ta n
h a v e c h e r is h e d t r a d i t i o n s ,
so m e o f th e w o r ld ’s m o st t a l ­
e n te d p e o p le , y e t, so m e o f
th e w o r l d ’s p o o r e s t. T h e y
sh o u ld be ra c in g to e ra d ic a te
p o v e rty , to p ro v id e u n iv e r ­
s a l e d u c a t i o n , to e n d th e
s c o u rg e o f d is e a s e an d to lift
th e liv in g s ta n d a r d o f th e
com m on p e o p le .
A n u c le a r arm s te s tin g race
is a step in th e w ro n g d ir e c ­
tio n . W e u rg e th e le a d e rs
from In d ia and P ak ista n to
c h o o s e r e c o n c ilia tio n o v e r
o u r d y sfu n c tio n . O u r sc h o o ls ,
w h ich sh o u ld be s a fe h a v e n s
fo r o ur c h ild re n , are s u d d e n ly
s h o o tin g g a l l e r i e s . S o m e ­
th in g is d e s p e ra te ly w ro n g in
a s o c ie ty w h e re c h ild re n k ill
c h ild re n .
S p rin g fie ld , OR is o n ly th e
la te s t c o m m u n ity s h a k e n by
th is tra u m a . S p r in g f ie ld is
A n y to w n , U SA . T h e re is a
S p rin g fie ld in e v e ry s ta te .
W e are d ro w n in g in a c u ltu re
o f v io le n c e fed by a c o n s ta n t
b a rra g e o f TV m u rd e rs w h e re
th e lin e b etw een n ew s and e n ­
te rta in m e n t is b lu rre d o r r e ­
m o v ed e n tire ly .
T urn O ff th e T e le v is io n fo r
th re e h o u rs e v e ry n ig h t
In s te a d o f s u b je c tin g o u r
k id s to th e m in d le s s sex and
v io le n c e th a t is so o fte n g lo ­
rifie d on T V , tu rn th e TV o ff.
T alk w ith o u r k id s. R ead w ith
y o u r k id s.
As R ev. J a c k s o n s a id , “ As
p a re n ts , o u r c h a rg e is to m ake
o u r c h ild re n s m a rt, p ro v id e
th em w ith o p p o rtu n ity , g iv e
th em c h a r a c te r , and in s till in
th em a s e n s e o f f a it h .” If we
do th e s e fo u r th in g s ,
our
c h ild re n w ill be p ro d u c tiv e
m e m b e rs o f s o c ie ty .
T r a g ic a lly , h o w e v e r, th e
lo v e and c a re p a re n ts g iv e to
th e ir c h ild r e n is s o m e tim e s
n o t e n o u g h w h en o u r c u ltu re
se ts ro a d b lo c k s b e tw e e n o u r
c h i l d r e n a n d t h e i r m e ta l,
e m o tio n a l, and s p ir itu a l
g ro w th .
G un C u ltu r e i s t h e P rim a ry
C u lp rit
This is not fundam entally a
public policy issue. It is a moral
issue. O regon has laws in place
that seek to keep guns out o f our
k id ’ hands. A lthough Oregon,
could enact stricter sanctions
and m ore com prehensive ju v e ­
nile gun law s, legislation p ro b ­
ably w ould not have prevented
the tragedy in Springfield. We
need to teach our children by
our w ords and acts that violence
is not a solution.
Our so c ie ty ’s gun cu lture is
largely to blam e for the trag ­
edies in S pringfield, Jonesboro
and Peducah. The NRA is m ar­
keting to o ur children. T heir
“ E ddie E ag le” program is to
guns as “Joe C am el” is to cig a­
rettes.
We have to reevaluate our p ri­
o ritie s . Do we c o n tin u e to
blindly defend our rights to own
guns or do we exercise som e
degree o f restraint, and think
first o f our children?
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