Page 12
January 17, 2018
New Prices
Effective
April 1, 2017
O PINION
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$50.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or more
$30.00 each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$50.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $30.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
$10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25.00 - $49.00
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Enabling White Supremacy Takes Place Every Day
We can’t afford
to delude
ourselves
o sCar h. b layton
Most black folk
might get offended if
it is suggested that they
are enablers to white
supremacists. Yet, this en-
abling takes place every day.
In 1966, I was a 20-year-old
Marine Corps draftee-recruit
at Parris Island. I also was ap-
plying to get into the Marine
Corps’ aviation program similar
to what was depicted in the film
“An Officer and a Gentleman.”
As a part of the application
process, I had to be interviewed
by a Marine colonel. At one
point, the white colonel, who
was seated behind his desk,
asked me “Who do you ad-
mire more, Jackie Robinson or
Cassius Clay?” A black mas-
ter sergeant, who was standing
behind the seated colonel, gave
by
me the “Don’t be a fool” look.
That look made me know what
answer the white man wanted
to hear, so I loudly af-
firmed, “Jackie Rob-
inson, sir.”
Having lived most
of my life in the seg-
regated South, I knew
danger lay in mak-
ing white people feel
uncomfortable, particularly a
white man with power over my
future.
A year later, I was a fresh-
ly minted lieutenant receiv-
ing flight training in Pensaco-
la, Fla., and I never gave any
thought to the fact that I had
enabled that white colonel in
maintaining his sense of racial
superiority.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m
grateful to that black master
sergeant for keeping me from
falling into a white superiority
trap. The wrong answer would
have sent me to Vietnam as an
infantryman.
This little drama took place
almost 52 years ago, but there
are times today when people of
color feel the need to play the
white superiority game for the
sake of survival. Moving for-
ward in the world as it exists,
black folks must develop strat-
egies that tear down notions
of white supremacy so there
no longer will be a need to tell
white people only what they
want to hear.
We must yank white people
out of their comfort zones by
emphatically and unapologeti-
cally making them feel uncom-
fortable. Many black folks are
in positions where they can do
this and still survive. Former
San Francisco 49ers quarter-
back Colin Kaepernick is do-
ing it. And while he is paying
a high price, he still survives.
White supremacy and racial
microaggressions intrude into
the lives of people of color ev-
ery day and we must begin to
push back. It is important to
push back even if we cannot do
it in as visible a fashion as Colin
Kaepernick. Particularly, these
assaults can be challenged suc-
cessfully in private settings and
in one-on-one interactions with
our white “friends” because
they often do not realize that
their actions are based upon
notions of white supremacy as
well as implicit bias.
In this era of Trump, Ameri-
ca is growing uglier and white
supremacy is resurging. If peo-
ple of color do not push back,
we will lose our opportunity to
ever speak freely and live free-
ly in this country.
We can’t afford to delude
ourselves into believing people
of color have the freedom to
speak and live freely in Ameri-
ca. I knew I did not have those
freedoms in 1966 when it was
clear that I could not correct
that white colonel and answer
his question by saying, “His
name is Muhammad Ali.”
Oscar H. Blayton is a former
Marine Corps combat pilot
and human rights activist who
practices law in Virginia.