Portland Advocate_1981-06

Northeast community advocate testifies on redistricting before the House Elec– tions and Reapportionment Committee at the King Facility. (Continued fran page 8) We nrust use our percentage of the vote to the ma.xium advantage possible. We alone will be able to create better conditions for our community. &meone has amply coined the definition that "politics is the art of the possible. " Once again, without representation in Salan, we have no one to voice our opinions and participate in the de– cision making process. As a result of the recent joint House and Senate Conference Committee vote . in favor of a "new" House District with a 44% Black population, our ~ nunity realizes we can make a differ– ence with collective voices. and rmnipulated in whole or in part by outsiders. America does not have any new fron– tiers and Black people are going to have to make their stands wherever they are. Many Blacks have historically marched, prayed, picketed, fought and died for same kind of change in this country and this is no tline for than to become an inert, nebulous rmss. Hilliard obviously does not compre– hend nor relate to what it means for .... ,-,y:- 0 -u--can--, t-be--f-r_ee_ 1_· f----t Black to develop and maximize therr someone let's you be free" political, econanic and ·social inter– ests by their own efforts. The signif- Harlen subway graffiti icance of Black people raising their L--------..::_.:::::....:..:...___:_:..:....... political consciousness, increasing ters; criticised Herndon and Eaton for supporting Jefferson; inferred that the race issue is used judgmentally to clutter the minds of young people and insinuated that Blacks speaking strong– ly against racial bigotry, polarize the romrunity. In addition there w~ a re– quest for the NAACP, Urban League and "Blacks of relative security" to make thanselves; heard. Along with these, he recited his pleasant experiences as a Lincoln parent. Well this can be countermanded a hundred t:imes over by other Black parents of Lincoln students who encountered for many years extrene– ly hostile attitudes fran administrators and teachers. For most Black people in Portland it is painfully evident that discrimina:...· tion against Black children in the pub– lic schools is not just a faulty funct– ioning of the systan. It is the intent and purpose of the systan. The BUF and all others who are concerned about this are involved politically and socially with removing disabilities imposed by unconscionable administrators and racist group cohesiveness and denouncing with– out reservations white bigotry and tyr– anny eludes h~ campletely. White racism has inrneasurable h~ ful effects on the quality for Black people in Portland. The Oregonian as one of Oregon's major racist institut– ions has played an :important role in shaping many of the despicabl e atti– tudes and social relationship polic1.es that have been characteristic of thiS environment for more than one hundred and twenty years. Hilliard has the audacity to find Blacks in error who attempt to confront the situations which have resillted from this newspap– er's deep implication in creating and maintaining the anti-Black structures in the educational systan. In perfor– ming this service he appears as a relic left over fran the bad old days. He is revealed clearly to Blacks as the . Oregonian 1 s staff link to connect the white racist codes of the slave era to the social programming of the pre– sent. Unfortuately for some Blacks the meaning of civil rights suggests that they will be allow the freedom to honor, obey and ally thanselves ex– clusively with those ideas, which stren– gthen and expand white racisn. These people are canfortable in their pre– dicaments of preferred servility. They admire what they perceive to be white power, authority and influence. Anyway they are used or misused does not make than uneasy, uncanfortable or guilty. They have no conception of the real meaning of liberation ... and that "jS really sad. MOST OMINOUS OPPONENT! advocates who nay be or become board members. by Henry Garfield In Arrerica, in Oregon and in Portland ~~~~~-~-'"'!--~---~- the socio-political systan is unable to "We(African-Americans) are the It is not of interest to most Blacks to be raninded that The Ore– gonian newspaper historically has been one of the strongest consistently anti-Black media in the state. There– fore, the comments of Willirun Hillard (May 6, 1981) criticizing the Black United Front and its supporters for vitriolic criticisms of the school board 1 s proposed school closures did not find an enthusiastic reception in the Black carnmunity. However, for the benefit of those who are actively in– volved in dealing with rmtters of mal– treatment and maleducation of Black children in the Portland public schools, an added assessnent is pro– vided. Hilliard praised the Lincoln and Jackson school facilities and suppor~ provide an equitable existence for the only people who are at war and Black population. The economic proces- don't know it." Jerry Henderson ses do not intend to offer Blacks equal– ity in life and legal structures are arrayed against justice for Blacks under-----------------....1 law. Generally all levels of the Black :population nave varyrng degrees of awareness of these circtlliEtances. For Hilliard to argue against Blacks challenging impositions of racist dis– respect and contempt is both stupid and irresponsible. He displays an appall- ''The Black tifeader" wb:>m white men con– sider to be "responsible'.' is invari– ably the Black "leader" who never gets any results. You only get action as a Black man if you are regarded by the white man as "irresponsible" . ing ignorance of Black history in re- El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz commending that the NAACP and Urban (Malcolm X) League be propelled into the most pran- .___ ...;;;;;;;;;;;.;;;;.;.;.;-"----------J inent roles in these critical Black struggles. No other people in this country or in the world now would sub- ject their political fates to organi- zations that are financed, controlled