Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
Page 12 October 24, 2018 O PINION Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Mobilize the ‘Mob’ to March on Ballot Boxes Remember Dr. Christine Blasey Ford en Kavanaugh who viciously and violently assaulted her. The whole world witnessed her courage and determination to come forth under adverse circumstances, an unlevel playing field, to tell her story as a mat- by D r . r on D aniels ter of non-partisan civic We must never forget duty. She was believable the humble, dignified and credible. She told and courageous testi- the truth! mony of a Dr. Christine Then came the calcu- Blasey Ford before the lated, angry, defiant, bel- Senate Judiciary Com- mittee. With no outside witness- ligerent, hyper-partisan testimony es being called, the hearing was of the “choir boy,” Judge Kavana- deliberately rigged to be a “she said, he said” spectacle. We must never forget the bias treatment of Dr. Ford by the committee’s chairman Charles Grassley, who complimented her for coming into the lion’s den, and then attempt- ed to discredit her in his opening statement. He also slammed Sen. Diane Feinstein, ranking member of the committee, another woman, for messing up the coronation of the “choir boy,” Judge Brett Kava- naugh, by not violating Dr. Ford’s explicit wish that her story be held confidential until she was pre- pared to make it public. Grassley ugh, who proclaimed that he was and the Republicans were more “100 percent certain” that he did concerned about the “process” not assault Dr. Ford. The cow- than a credible allegation of sex- ardly Republican senators quickly ual assault. To add insult to inju- pushed Mitchell aside, tripping ry, the hearing proceeded with the over themselves for a turn to heap cowardly, Republican white men praise on Kavanaugh for his judi- hiding behind a hired hit woman, cial record and life of public ser- attorney Rachel Mitchell, to do vice. They expressed sorrow and outrage over the shameful way he their dirty work. Through it all Dr. Ford, who was treated in having to face a de- volunteered that she was “terri- cades old accusation based on “no fied,” calmly and courageously corroborating evidence.” Sudden- told her story, emphatically assert- ly, the alleged perpetrator of the ing that she was “100 percent cer- sexual assault against Dr. Ford tain” that it was a youthful, drunk- was being treated as if he were the victim! When the Democratic members sought to question Kavanaugh, he arrogantly tried to turn the tables by refusing to answer or posing questions back to the senators. When Mr. “choir boy” was asked about reports by high school and college classmates that he drank heavily, he cavalierly dismissed the inquiries and even insulted Sen. Amy Klobuchar, another woman, by asking her if she had ever drank too much! The sense of privilege and entitlement oozed into the halls of Congress to challenge senators to believe Dr. Ford’s truth. For a brief moment a memorable encounter in an ele- vator, with wavering, retiring Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, gave rise to hope that an FBI investigation would reveal the lies of the choir boy and validate Dr. Ford’s truth. But, the White House deliberately limited the scope of the investiga- tion in a manner that rendered it a charade. Neither Dr. Ford, Ka- vanaugh nor scores of witnesses to the choir boy’s drunkenness We must never forget the legions of women and men who courageously organized protest rallies and demonstrations in support of Dr. Ford and marched into the halls of Congress to challenge senators to believe Dr. Ford’s truth. out of every pore in his body. Judge Kavanaugh lied about his habitual drunkenness and if he lied about that, he most certainly lied about assaulting Dr. Ford. The image of this angry, defiant, belli- cose, arrogant, truth-denying man interrogating the members of the Judiciary Committee is a specta- cle that should forever be seared into our consciousness. We must never forget the le- gions of women and men who courageously organized protest rallies and demonstrations in support of Dr. Ford and marched and out of control behavior were interviewed. It was sham foisted on the American people under the guise of conducting a thorough in- vestigation. The white men, who controlled the process, were not interested in justice, they had a po- litical agenda; the decisive control of the Supreme Court to sanction their retrograde policies for de- cades to come. Finally, against the backdrop of the choir boy’s belligerent be- havior during the fake hearing, we must never forget the “orange man’s” despicable, repeated mock- ing of Dr. Ford at a campaign rally and his subsequent characteriza- tion of the women and men who marched, rallied and protested to support her as a “mob;” a label that was subsequently echoed by Grassley, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lind- sey Graham to feed “red meat” to the Republican base and fire them up for the mid-term elections. These white men readily put pow- er over principle and their political agenda over the truth of a victim of sexual assault; they spat in the face of the untold thousands, if not millions of victims of sexual as- sault, by insulting demonstrators, many of whom were women by branding them a “mob.” But, “truth crushed to earth will rise again.” The “mob” of righ- teous, indignant people, some of whom have never voted before, must be mobilized to rise up and defiantly march on ballot boxes with the words “we remember Dr. Christine Blasey Ford” reverber- ating through-out the land. Lest the nation forget, the images of the “orange man” mocking Dr. Ford should be replayed repeatedly on social media platforms and in cam- paign commercials. The vile ug- liness of Trumpism and all that it represents must be eradicated and the cleansing must begin with the massive, irresistible mobilization of the “mob” to march on ballot boxes on Nov. 6th in the critical mid-term elections. We remember Dr. Christine Blasey Ford! Dr. Ron Daniels is president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and distinguished lecturer emeritus, York College City University of New York. Endearing and Rewarding Community Activism Thanks to all who join in work for progress D r . a uDrey t errell I relocated from the Midwest seven years ago to here in the Pacific Northwest. As you know there has been an influx of people moving here in the past several years. As one of the relocators, I would like to give a special thanks to the many peo- ple who have shown me support in my various endeavors while living here. As a retired International by United Auto Worker Union ex- ecutive from the headquarters of car-making Detroit, Mich., and as vice president of the Oregon Co- alition of Black Trade Unionists, I have gained much support. I have found solidar- ity among the many union brothers and sisters who seek to broaden the mindset of the age old labor movement. In addition, as a licensed minis- ter, I have bonded with numerous community women of faith in the Women at the Cross Ministry. I have seen and participated in the group’s yearly dual events which have brought tremendous encour- agement and value to my spiritual growth. As President of the Portland NAACP in 2013 and 2014, and even when not being a Portland native, the support and outpour- ing to my services and the orga- nization was phenomenal. Port- land residents rendered special efforts to bring the chapter into compliance, increase its mem- bership, and move the agenda of the organization. At the year end of 2014 and with active community supporters, all the chapter’s issues had been pos- itively addressed and $800 was in the chapter’s bank account to move forward. Supporters are to be commended for all your hard work. As president and chief execu- tive officer of Dr. Audrey Terrell Institute (DATI), the support and contributions from this area has been limitless. The International UAW Education Department sup- ported my academic goals through tuition assistance in earning a B.A. from the California State Hay- ward, a M.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a PhD. from the California Institute of Integral Studies. The importance of education and working are a necessity in my personal opinion. In further- ing this ideology, a special thanks goes out to churches and pastors, stores, eateries, restaurants, TV, print and radio media and most importantly community organiza- tions and leaders, and academians in making the past four years at DATI growth and accomplish- ments immeasurable. Thanks to all who have made my efforts as a community activ- ist endearing and rewarding. The field of activism is broad. So to those who have set up roots here, please be encouraged to go forth to make a difference in the lives of the many underserved and dis- enfranchised to gain the quality of life we all deserve. Dr. Audrey Terrell is president and chief executive officer of the Dr. Audrey Terrell Institute.
