Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, February 24, 1999, Page 22, Image 22

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    BLACK HltTORY MONTH
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3
___________
l DIALOGUE
, 1999 - W Ï M
ü
ON RACE SEI
reaking The Chains Of Psychological Slavery
our loss o f personal power.
For exam ple, we then put m ost
A frican A m erican com m unity
I nterview m J oy R amos
We need to take a m ore active
people d id n ’t understand the
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m il n il F
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are
no
longer
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im portance o f that as a symbolic
the things that are pulled back with
o f our resources back out of the
role in determ ining w here we
(A frican A m ericans) are going as a
gesture until the w hole Clinton
affirm ative action could be ear­
com m unities rather than turn them
people. W hen you look at us in
scandals cam e up and how even
m arked as reparation program s.
back into the com m unities. We are
term s o f the statistics on Black
those people w ho w ere m aking a
A frican A m erican students should
thinking, the young people (o f
actually bleeding out our personal
m ockery at the significance o f an
have easier access to educational
G eneration X ) are probably the
econom ics, crim e and health
“one o f the
least capable o f dealing w ith racism
conditions, w e d o n ’t look very
funding. And, A frican A m erican
w o rld ’s preem i­
pow er and econom ic resources.
apology suddenly found that if they
than any generation o f A frican
healthy. But, w hen you look at
could ju st m ake C linton apologize,
nent African
A frican A m ericans are engaging in
businesses should have easier
things as in increase in self-esteem
access to start-up loans in order to
that because w e have not healed to
and self-aw areness, there is a
tion o f A tonem ent. It’s very
be com pensated.
psychologists
A m erican youths.
T he reason this is true is because
m any self-destructive things. We do
at least there w ould be a dem onstra­
American
and pioneer in
these kids were raised by parents
regain the personal pow er o f o n e’s
grow th in those things that is
w ho bought into the idea that things
noticeably positive.
gestures w ould show an ow nership
the developm ent o f an African-
w ill or self-determ ination to affect
significant.
I think there needs to be som e
type o f reparations program. I’m
centered approach to m odem
Q : Is a fo rm a l apology a n d
not sure a direct financial paym ent
psychology.” His books and articles
are better now. O ur prom inent
presence in the m edia began to dull
their lives in positive kinds o f ways.
o f the destruction and a w illingness
can be done. The im m ediate victim s
our sensitivities to the fact that even
re p a ra tio n s given by th e fed e ra l
exploring the personality o f
understand ourselves and m ove
to engage in the healing process
from the European-A m erican side.
though w e w ere present, w e still
beyond the continuous hurt, what
g o v e rn m e n t n ecessary in h ealin g
developm ent o f the A frican
A m ericans have led to num erous
w eren’t pow erful. We began to
confuse presence w ith true change
w e begin to discover is our capacity
for self-determ ination in w ays never
fro m ra c ism ?
A k b a r: A n apology is an important
and influence. O ur young people
imagined.
sym bolic gesture. A nd, 1 think that
Na'im Akbar
N a’im A kbar has
across the board, even though
been described
by Essence
there’s a grow ing level o f con­
sciousness and progressive kind o f
m agazine as
netw ork television appearances,
including “Phil D onohue,” “ Oprah
W infrey,” “G eraldo”, and “Tony
As w e are able to accept and
T he point is that those kinds o f
T h e N a tio n a l C o u n c il o f N e g r o W o m en , Inc.
Tri-County Section Spring Fundraiser
Presents
13™ A nnual
then have been brought up liking
inform ation and abilities to really
B row n’s Journal.”
C
deal w ith the realities o f racism . So,
Q : W h y do A fric an A m ericans
they then som ehow see them selves
h av e so m u c h tro u b le getting
as kind o f floating in a m orass.
O ur young people d o n ’t really
b ey o n d ra c ism ?
N a ’im A k b a r: I think it should be
^
b
^
t t o
^
a
n
p
e
r
understand that a lot o f our barriers
phrased the other way. W hy doesn’t
to our advancem ent are racist
racism go aw ay? I think that’s the
barriers. We still interpret ourselves
reason w e ca n ’t get aw ay from it. It
as being inferior and incapable
changes its forms and m anifesta­
rather than understanding the real
tions. W e’re not on plantations or
dynam ics o f society and until we
the back o f buses, but w e’re still
can realistically assess w here our
dealing w ith the daily confronta­
tions o f corporate America. So, the
personal lim itations and w here are
ongoing rem inder is that racism is
d on’t believe w e’ll be able to m ove
an essential discrim inating force in
ahead to heal ourselves.
S a tu rd a y , M a y 0 1 , 1 9 9 9
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the persisting barriers o f racism , 1
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W a k e u p to th e M o rn in g -a fte r B r e a k fa s t B u ffe t
this society m ade inescapable. As
long as there’s a reality, it w ould be
Q : H ow ca n one heal fro m rac ism
actually psychotic to not be
to get th e ir p erso n a l p o w er b a c k ?
conscious o f a reality that con­
stantly confronts you you if are o f
A k b a r: H ealth is the ability to
African descent.
The m ore the people are able to do
w hat’s necessary to preserve their
engage in self-affirm ing behaviors.
Q: A re A fric an A m eric an s
psychologically co p in g w ell w ith
racism ?
A k b ar: W hen you look at the
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as w e are engaged in these m as­
sively self-destructive behaviors, it
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