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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2019)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle January 30, 2019 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now The Debt We Owe Haitians Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher O Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS n F ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n d ay ! • L i ke u s o ac it Updated daily online. to y • Opinion n Oct. 9, 1779, more than 500 Haitian soldiers (referred to as “Les Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue”) fought alongside French troops to aid the Americans in trying to force the British out of Sa- vannah, Ga. in order to open its port for the colonists’ use. The attack was unsuccessful, but it has been noted that the Haitians played a significant role in providing cover for the French soldiers who had to retreat from their positions on the battlefield. But even though Haitians shed blood for American independence, the United States in its for- eign policy has always held a deep-seated hostility towards Haiti, despite denials to the contrary. Haiti was born of a slave re- volt that began on the French half of the island of Hispanio- la and resulted in a revolution costing 200,000 Black lives. When the Haitians threw off the French yoke of oppression to become the independent Republic of Haiti, France de- manded recompense for the loss of its slaves. This demand for payment was backed up by the threat of an invasion, with the French navy laying off the Haitian coast. This forced payment, totaling more than $21 billion over the years, be- gan Haiti’s slide from being France’s wealthiest colony to one of the poorest nations in Oscar H. Blayton Attorney, NNPA Columnist the Western Hemisphere. When Haiti gained its in- dependence, Southern slave- holders in the United States were horrified by the libera- tion of enslaved Black people by their own efforts. And in response, the U.S. govern- ment did not recognize the “ lasting until 1934. The U.S. military occupied Haiti again in 1994, the year Haiti’s democratically elect- ed president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, returned from exile after fleeing from a coup by the Haitian military. When Aristide was re-elected in 2000, the U.S. military, in com- bination with the Haitian mil- itary, forcibly removed him from the country and sent him into exile again, this time in South Africa. It is important to point out the irony of how badly the United States has treated Even though Haitians shed blood for American independence, the United States in its foreign policy has always held a deep-seated hos- tility towards Haiti Black nation until 1862, when the United States was in the throes of its own brutal and bloody war over the perpet- uation of slavery and the Southern states had seceded from the Union. But recognition never meant respect. And ever since its creation, Haiti has had to battle against Amer- ican hostility, with the Unit- ed States keeping its heel on Haiti’s economy and domestic politics. This included a U.S. invasion in 1914 that precip- itated a military occupation Haiti, given the presence of a statue standing in Savannah’s Franklin Square. This statue was erected in 2007 to honor the Haitian soldiers that came to the aid of American revo- lutionaries 240 years ago in 1779. But this statue is not the first recognition of Ameri- ca’s debt to Haitians. In April 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had Secretary of State Cordell Hull deliver a commemorative plaque to a cathedral in Haiti that reads, “Today we pay tribute to the courage and spirit of those Haitian Volunteers who in 1779 risked their lives for the cause of American Liberty.” The placement of Roosevelt’s plaque and the assistance giv- en by the Haitians is unknown to most Americans. And even a 10-foot monument standing in a busy downtown square of a major U.S. city does not bring this piece of our history to the attention of most Amer- icans. Haiti’s contributions to the United States are not widely known because, through- out our country’s history, America has shown itself to be hostile towards Haiti and Haitians. On Oct. 30, 2018, the Brit- ish newspaper, The Guard- ian, ran the headline, “Flee or hide: Haitian immigrants face difficult decisions under Trump.” This headline, curi- ous to most Americans, has a backstory. After a 7.1-mag- nitude earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, the U.S. government offered Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to thousands of Haitians whose lives had been destroyed. But now, Donald J. Trump has decided that their imminent deportation is best for America. Haitians who have made new lives in this country are now on the verge of becoming “illegal aliens” by the stroke of Trump’s pen. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com Preventing the Fall of America A s we have celebrated the birthday and con- tribution of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one has to be concerned about the America that has inherited his dream. There is a movement afoot to turn back the clock and to undo all our social gains. If it were not for the internet and the rising tide of social con- sciousness, we would repeat the history of so many civi- lizations before us that fell from within. If we allow the government shutdown to con- tinue, we will accelerate the collapse from within. Consider the hundreds of thousands of people now missing their second pay- check, those responsible for our nation’s security, like the Coast Guard and TSA, work- ing without a paycheck. Food inspectors and those who inspect our airlines working without pay; nation- al parks closed, contractors who perform vital services — out of work and without means of collecting back pay because of the nature of their contracts — and air traffic controllers, who, like so many Americans, are staying on the job out of commitment to this great nation, in spite of the fi- nancial hardships. Dr. John E. Warren Publisher, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Consider the mortgages, rents, loans and car payments not being made with no re- quirement for landlords and banks to understand and ex- tend grace periods for repay- “ There is a movement afoot to turn back the clock and to undo all our social gains ment. The 38 million persons receiving food stamps who are at risk of no food while many good-hearted Ameri- cans are creating food pan- tries to help their neighbors. The homeless, once marked by many, are now on the verge of having company as thousands of persons could lose their federal housing as- sistance for rents. And now we see that even FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation with- in the Department of Justice) employees are at risk to lose their health insurance cov- erage if payments are not re- stored soon. The issue is bigger than “A Wall” and President Trump should be tried for treason and breach of his duties as President of the United States. He took an oath to Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States and, in doing so, the American people. His actions on the government shutdown have done more to support Russia and our “en- emies, foreign and domestic” than pushing the button on his nuclear briefcase. The chaos he and those members of the U.S. Senate who have supported him have created by doing nothing, has caused greater harm to our global standing than the threat of an outright attack. The actions of the President and the Republican Senate that stand with him have sent a global alarm to our enemies that we are now weak and dis- organized. Such a position in- vites military conflicts. We as a nation must not only pray that God will once again forgive our sins and heal the land, even as Dr. King prayed so often, but we must also pressure those Republican members of the United States Senate standing with Trump to either join the number nec- essary to override a Trump veto and a Mitch McConnell block vote in the Senate to end the shutdown, or have them face recall or impeachment for malfeasance in office or trial for high crimes. Eleven to thirteen Republi- can senators joining with the Democrats can pass the bill, which both houses agreed to before Christmas, and over- ride a Trump Veto. The very existence of this nation rests on such actions. Already, over 7 million peo- ple have signed petitions call- ing for the impeachment of Donald Trump. America no longer has the luxury of wait- ing for the Mueller Report. We must reach out to our friends, relatives and neigh- bors in every state in which a Republican Senator sup- porting Trump’s shutdown is seated and demand that he or she (the U.S. Senator stand- ing with Trump on this shut- down) either break away and vote to reopen government or resign. The issue is great- er than our differences and “The Wall.” The Democrats in the House and Senate should “Stand Their Ground.” nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve