- OV
This "'.leek In
Black History
r7:l· 0 m r2
Wh' h nation' the poor t
01 all island nations in the
Caribbean?
Who was th first foremo t
leader of the jazz form, be­
bop?
OCTOBER 29, 1945 -
Melb Moore, inger and
ctre ,w born. 1936 -
cn to B. Jo , educator,
born.
Melba Moore
In which year did the /UJ­
tion 01 Ethiopia accept Chris­
tianity?
OCTOBER 30, 1974 -
Muhammad All won
heavyweight boxing title.
· 1979 - Richard Arrington
as elected first Black Mayor
of Birmingham, Ala. 1923 -
Gloria Oden, poet, was born.
Which bank is thought to be
the largest Black-owned bank
in tbe US in 1984?
OCTOBER 31, 1896 -
Ethel Waters, actress, singer,
was born. 1915 � Richard
K. Barksdale, educator, was
born.
How many Blacks were in
the U.S. Congress in 1982?
NOVEMBER 1, 1945 -
John H. Johnson published
the first issue of Ebony. 1924
David McLaughlin,
protozoologist, was born.
Who was the first well­
known dermatologist of Afro­
American ancestry in the US?
No.VEMBER 2,1954 -
Charles C. Diggs was elected
Michigan's first Black Con­
gressman. 1928 -, Price
Cobbs, psychiatrist, was born.
What is the name of the first
Black N atioiaal Basketball As­
sociation coach? .
ANSWERS TO BLACK
HISTORY QUESTIONS
27th - Haiti.
28th - Saxophonis t Char­
lie Parker, and with others like
Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie
Christian.
29th - About 300 AD (as
Axum).
30th - Seaway National
Bank of Chicago.
31st - Eleven (11), plus
one non-voting delegate from
Washington, DC.
November 1 t - Dr.
Theodore K. Lawles of
Thibodeaux, LA.
2nd - Bill Russell, former
player, Boston Celtics.
BE 2,1 1
com-
ymptoms of lhi urban
re a widespread drug
epidemi Blac -again t-Blac
violen ,th growth of urban youth
gang, and th destruction of Blac
cial institution .
BY TH T 1980s, about
12,000 African-Americans were
being murdered annually.
For young African-American
male in their twenties, the murder
rate was Ie than one in twenty.
Such violence inevitably spread
to the character of social relation­
hips. People concerned with street
VIEWS OPINIONS
within contemporary Bl c li� m t
be understood against the c drop
of corporate and government I
decisions, which deliberately called
for the underdevelopment of the
ghetto.
Millions of higher p ying in­
dustrial and manuf cturing job fled
the central cities in previo dead ,
corporations liquidated their as­
ets and relocated to nonunionized,
low wage tate and countries.
The Rainbow Coalition of Jesse
Jackson repre ented the only viable
READERS WRITE:
War of Black
Conservative
There is a mistaken view among
African Americans that the war be­
tween two Black Conservatives has
something to do with the Black
Community. A quick summary of
that view is that the controversy
makes all African Americans look
bad when two exemplary African
Americans are caused to fight
against each other publicly. This
view further decries of role
models for African merican
children and youth.
The facts of the situation when
properly analyzed prove that none of
these perceptions is true. There is no
reason to believe that either Anita
Hill or Clarence Thomas are role
models for those who wish their
African American children to suc­
ceed, unless you wish your children
to attain success at the expense of .
their very souls.
Black Youth
Ani ta Hill and aren Thomas
types support two presidents who
have cut monies for education and
programs to alleviate human suffer­
ing while indebting the country
building weapons of human destruc­
tion. Some call these types Black
Conservatives others call them BUP­
PIES but a more appropriate term for
them is "Sellouts". The term is most
descriptive of those fromuus polin­
cal camp.
Those who heard the testimony.of
Michael Doggett will recall that he
said that he went to confront his
friend Clarence Thomas about the
appointment of William Bradford
Reynolds, Mr. Doggett perceived
Mr. Reynolds to be a racist and asked
Qarence Thomas how could he sup­
port a man who appointed him. Ap­
parently Clarence Thomas did not
deny that Reynolds was a racist but
according to Doggett said that Black
Republicans only have themselves to
blame since Reagan offered the eat
to Black Republicans which they all
declined but were afterward unhap­
py with Reagan's choice. In this ex­
change we have a case study in Black
Conservative thought.
SOMEHOW THOMAS CON·
VINCED Doggett that the unwill­
ingness of Black Conservatives to
take the job excuses Reagan from the
re ponslbility' of picking omeone
wbo is not bostile to protecting the
civil rights 9f tax paying American
citizens. Secondly many Civil rights
activist at the time were also com­
plaining about Reagan's appoint­
ment of William Bradford Reynold
but there I no record of any
prominent Black Conservative
peaking out against Reynolds.
The reason is simple Black Con­
servatives dare not to express dis­
sent. Their assigned role is merely to
justify the attacks on the Black Com­
munity. This is confirmed by
Clarence Thomas' own statements
in a speech where � decried the fact
that Reagan appointees were always
being accused of being "closet
liberals" and having to prove their
conservative credentials over and
over again by becoming what
Thomas described as a "reservoir of
Anti-Negro quotes". Veteran
Washington observers would recog­
nize the late Clarence Pendelton as
the epitome of the Black Conserva­
tive described by Thomas.
Further proof is found in
Thomas's testimony to the Senate
Judiciary Committee where he
shrugged off his endorsement of a
magazine article which essentially
stated that a woman's place is in the
home and not the job market.
Clarence Thomas claimed that he
only endorsed the article because he
was speaking before an extremely
conservative audience, in this case
the Heritage Foundation. In other
words he admi ned to tailoring his
comments to these white conserva­
tives because obviously thats what
they wanted to hear.
A QUICK REVIEW of the
newspaper columns 'of any of the
darlings of the rightwing such as,
Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams
and Emmet Tyrell will reveal not one
word of criticism for the Reagan
By the late 1980s,
about 12,000
African-Americans
were being muraetea
annual/y. For young
African-American
males in their
twenties, the murder
rate was less than
ne in twenty.
tions.
Unfortun tely, de pite the
mobilization of millions of voters
nd rticul tion of progressive
economic d ocial program, the
Rainbow Coalition failed to live up
to its full promi e.
Part of the problem w the b­
sence of organization, the failure to
establish a national publication or
training schools for local organizers.
Because no matter woo is in the
Whi te House, African!.Americans
need to develop politi gy
hicb ddre e community
problems. Local ctivi could tart
"freedom hool" in church nd
neighborhood cen which c e
drug bu e , Btack-on-Bl c
violence, and encourage educatio I
e cellenee.
Tecbniqu from the civil righ
movement, ucb lective buying
campaigns and civil disobedience,
hould be revived.
In bort, we need to realize that
we cannot 100 to the electoral arena
for providing the answers to the
Blac urban crisis.
Dr. Mtl1Ulink Marab�·is Profes­
sor of Political Science and History,
Univet_sily of Colorado, Boulder.
Bush establishment. There are no
end to the vituperous and venomous
attacks on Black leadership both in
the United States and abroad.
We have to ask for who'soeneflt
are Black Conservatives remaining
silent while the African American
community suffers from the policies
of their employers?
Please understand this is not a
critique of those many African
Americans who choose to join the
Republican Party. However those
who choose to advance their careers
by attacking the Black Community
deserve neither our sympathy nor
respect.
Once it is understood that a Black
Conservative in government is by
definition a careerist and an oppor­
tunist we can understand why Ms.
Hill chose to remain silent all these
years. Sbc had put up with the rise
in homeless ness, the decline in the
number of African Americans at­
tending college, massive unemploy­
ment and the first decline in the life
expectancy of African American
males, all of which were caused by
policies of the Reagan Bush ad­
ministration, without protest, why
should protest a obscene and ob­
noxious behavior from her boss?
ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS
boss could advance her career. Sure
she coulq make a claim against him
",
and she would be legally protected
from dismissal but the political
reality is that she would be stuck in
that same position without someone
as her mentor and patron. Even
when she was insulated in a tenure
position at Oklahoma State Univer-
ity she kept her eye on her future
and tried to wreck Clarence's chan­
ces without ruining any future
chance at an appointment in a
Republican Administration.
She decided to strike out at him
from the hadows of anonymity.
That she decided to strike out at him
at all i a testament to the probabUity
that he committed the act that she
alleged. She did not differ with
Clarence ideologically nor is it likely
as some Thomas proponents theorize
Clarence declined her advances.
This is contradicted by Judge
Thomas' own testimony denying
that she had ever acted in anything.
other than a business Uke manner.
Further the witnesses who tes­
tified in her behalf all corroborated
ber story that she had complained to
them 8 years ago about Thomas.
Thoma's witnesse on the other
hand could only testify that they
were not harassed and Clarence w
a nice guy. This would be akin to
bringing women to a rape lilat and
saying that the alleged rape victim
couldn't have possibly bave been
raped because seven other women be
kne were not attacked.
Thom 's vicious lies agal t hi
own sister, Emma Mae Thomas arc
revealing as to how he views and
IY HEllER FOt Tlif OMEN lAY P'ttEss-GAnm. WIS.
trealS women. Columnist JuUane
Malveaux speculates in her Septem­
ber 12, Collumn tbarIt w his
storie about his sister as a welfare
queen that propelled him to the atten­
tion of the Reagan administration
back In October of 1980. He held
white conservattve audiencel
spellbound u he told them about
how his lister rctlaed to ork and
preferred welfare no matter what
ldnd of job she w offered.
, LOS ANGELES TIMES
repOrters caught up with and uked
ber about the stories. Ms. Emma
Mac Thomas stated that ber aunt was
terminally ill and needed around the
clock attention. She got on welfare
and moved in with the aunt to lake
care of her. All of the other membel'l
of the. family gave money � help
take care of the medical expcDICI
except Clarence Thomas. Jmtice'
Thomas was to bmy making money
and in typical Black Conservative
style, regaling conservative audien­
ces with stereotypes, to nd aid to a
dying aunt.
Now that Jmtice Thomas i COD­
firmed he exposed and will con­
tinue his career with a cloud over his
head. 1bia is not Ukely to be the
result of lOme co piracy on the part '
of white feminist or other Ubcra1l but
rather a natural outgrowth of the ln­
dividualistic and mercenary nature
of Black ConscrvatiJm practiced
by its chief proponents.
Mauriee, Saunden