Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 2004)
B lack H istory M on th .W s p e ç ia l ca o e ra ye Page A2 Februaiy 25. 2004 Education Secretary Apologizes Retracts ‘terrorist organization’ label on teachers union (A P) — Education Secretary Rod Paige ap o lo g ized a fte r c a llin g the nation’s largest teachers union a “ter rorist organization” Monday. P a ig e ’s com m ents, taking on the 2.7-million-member National Education A ssociation, were made to the nation's governors a, a private W hite House meeting. T he education se c re ta ry ’s w ords were “pathetic and they are not a laugh ing matter,” said NEA President Reg W eaver, whose union has said it plans to sue the Bush adm inistration over lack o f funding for dem ands included in the “ No Child Left B ehind" schools law. Paige said later in an Associated Press interview that his com m ent was “a bad joke; it was an inappropriate choice o f w ords." “As one who grew up on the receiv ing end o f insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better,” said Paige, the first black education secre tary. He said he had made clear to the governors that he was referring to the W ashington-based union organization, not the teachers it represents. W eaver dismissed Paige’s distinc tion between the union and its m em bers. "W e are the teachers, there is no Winfrey Gift Supports Black Male Students (AP) — Talk-show host Oprah W infrey has given Morehouse College, the nation’s only private, historically black, four year liberal arts college for men, another $5 million donation to fund scholar ships at the Atlanta school. The gift, announced Saturday night, brings to $ 12 million the total contributions to the college by Winfrey, making her the school’s largest individual donor, said M orehouse spokeswoman Elise Durham. Winfrey was in Atlanta Satur day to accept Morehouse’s first “Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Humanitarian Service" award. So far, scholarships funded by the talk-show host have helped about 250 students continue or com plete their education, Durham said. Winfrey said her original goal had been to put 100 students through school. She told the audi ence Saturday that she now wants to see 1,000 students get their di plomas. W infrey was one o f several Oprah Winfrey people honored during the 2,800- student school ’ s gala. Other hon orees included actor Ossie Davis, sy n d ic a te d ra d io host Tom Joyner, A tlanta businessm an Jesse Hill and U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop. distinction,” he said. Paige has made no attem pt to hide his frustration with the NEA, which has long supported D em ocratic presiden tial candidates. Education Secretary Rod Paige gestures during an interview with the Associated Press at the Education Department in Washington Monday. During a private meeting with governors at the White House Monday, Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a ‘terrorist organization.' (AP photo) Education has been a top issue for the governors, who have sought more flexibility from the adm inistration on B ush's “ No Child Left Behind” law, which seeks to improve school perfor mance in part by allow ing parents to move their children from poorly per forming schools. Democrats have said Bush has failed to fully fund the law, giving the states greater burdens but not the resources to handle them. The union backs the intent o f the law but says m any o f its provisions must be changed. When Faith and Politics Intertwine continued from Front Party. Its origins can be tied to a ballot in Oakland, Calif, that failed, but still created the idea o f the com munity controlling policing. “The B lack P anther Party, through its national effort accentu ated and educated the nation in the concept of community policing, of the community controlling polic ing. The national organization cre ated an awareness in the nation of community policing,” Haynes said. Would the gun toting tactics of the Black Panther Party be appro priate against the modem Portland Police Bureau? Probably not. In the 1960s, the party’s activi ties occurred in a context of a social reform movement involving the Vietnam War, desegregation of America and the struggle for an African-American Bill of Rights, which essentially was an extension o f the A m erican R evolution, Haynes said. The efforts o f the Black Pan ther Party led to activism by other m in o ritie s such as H isp an ic One o f my major critiques o f the Black Panther Party in contrast with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is that the party lacked a spiritual movement to sustain it. - Dr. Rev. Leroy Haynes of Allen Temple Church. Americans, Native Americans and Asian American, which remain relevant today. The W om en’s M ovement also is a legacy of activism , b eg in n in g w ith the Black Panther Party. Haynes’ experiences in 1963 with the student chapter of the South ern Christian Leadership Confer ence established by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his experiences with the Black Panthers led him to ask whether or not national reform efforts for African Americans could be accomplished through peaceful or violent change. “O neof my majorcritiques of the Black Panther Party in contrast with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is that the party lacked a spiritual movement to sustain it,” said Haynes. Haynes uses the modem example of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela being the head of the African Na tional Congress and the Army of South Africa during the changes leading to the revolution from apart heid. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the spiritual leader of the South African revolution. It was the combination of the revolutionary Army o f South Af rica under Mandela and the spiri tual leadership of Tutu, which led to the changes which have trans formed South Africa. Haynes notes theBlack Panther Party needed this kind of spiritual guidance. “A great many people died in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. People are still in prison today from the B lack Panther Party. We call them the political prisoners of the Black Panther Party,” Haynes said. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s led to significant national reforms for African Americans, but work remains to be done. Haynes believes such change can be ac complished, but it must be spiritu ally based. Vancouver NAACP Honors Teen Director Johnnie Stevenson Tucker, di re c to r o f teen se rv ic e s fo r Vancouver-Clark County Parks and Recreation, has been selected as the recipient of the 2004 Vancouver Branch NAACP Diversity Award. The local civil rights group cited T ucker’s achievem ent and commitment to young people and his work with the NAACP, City of V ancouver, the Forest Service and the U .S . D ep t. o f A griculture’s Coalition of M inor ity Em ployees to develop and sustain an Urban Youth Camp Out program. This program pro vides environm ental education. outdoor recreation, and em ploy m ent o p p o r tu n itie s for u n d e r r e p r e s e n te d g ro u p s in V ancouver and Clark County. “Johnnie continues to provide an inclusive leadership model that values all cultures,” said Earl W. Ford, president of the Vancouver Branch NAACP. “I am honored to be associated with this man. We thank him for his work in making children of color an integral part of the parks and recreation programs that he manages. Vancouver Safeway Stores will receive the group’s “Employer of the year Award." Ford praised Karen Seivert, the hiring coordinator for Safeway for her work with the V ancouver NA ACP's Youth Employment Pro-, gram. “Karen employed over a dozen- young people in Vancouver and’ Portland stores through our YEP program. Some of these students have continued their employment after graduation from, high school,” Ford said. Also recognized was over 20 African American students from V an co u v er M iddle and H igh Schools who have maintained at least a 3.00 grade point average. MULTNOMAH COUNTY We want to hire you! If you can do any of the following jobs, contact us. We recognize and appreciate all of our heroes, big and small. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon celebrates Black History Month. Multnomah County Job Listing Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Mental Health Consultant, Program Development Technician, Probation/Parole Officer, Investigative Technician, Applications Architect, Applications Systems Manager, Acute Care Coordinator, Clinic Medical Assistant, Community Licensed Practical Nurse, Community Health Nurse, Mid-Level Provider. Dentist, Expanded Function Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist. City of Portland Job Listing Office Support Specialist II. Accounting Clerk, Accountant I, Police Officer, Fire Fighter, Fire Fighter Trainee. Police Records Specialist Trainee, Building Inspector, Emergency Communications Operator Trainee, Engineering Associate, Financial Analyst, Information Systems Technician, Information Systems Analyst, Plan Review Code Specialist, Customer Accounts Specialist. Completed job applications will only be accepted for those positions which are open. Contact us to receive information regarding current job openings. ßfueCross BlueShield o f Oregon For your health Multnomah County www.multcojobs.org Job Hotline 503-988-5035 City of Portland www.ci.portland.or.us/jobs Job Hotline 503-823-4573 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS t
