Can You Believe This!?
I OCT08ER 12, 14-92 I\• TO THIS ISJ.ANP I SI/I'£ ,HENAME COLUMOUS MET THE LUCAYAN NATIVES OF THE ISLAND. , SANSALVACJOR INIKJNOI? OF THEYCALLfOTHE /5LANO"GUANAHAN/." . OUR I!JLESSEO LORO"
"THEYAREI/ERYWELL BIiILTpeOPLE WItH ••• HANOSOMe BOPles -- weLL PROPCIRIIOA/EO. SOMe ARER r 'THEYHA/I'£ SO LITTZE TO 61/1'£ 8VT WILL GIVE [IALL FOR WHATEVER WE 61/1'£ tHEM:' ••• This racist material is from Adventures on Santa Maria and Future Ship Sailing the Oceans of Space. an official project of the International Space Year (lSY) and the Columbus Quincentenary Project. The comic comes in Spanish and English, with special bulk rates for 10 copies or even 50,000 copies! Groups can have special advertising printed on the back cover. Are we in trouble!? Educators and parents, this is a fraction of the racist materials produced by the Quincentenary Committee. Educators Against Racism and Apartheid urges you to begin preparations now to: * Bring alternative resources into your school and home. (see the resource list) * Plan alternative events for this school year and for October, 1992 in your school and community. * Plan staff and parent "retraining" and "rethinking" workshops for introducing alternative methods of looking at the Columbus arrival. Colllinutd Oil tht IItn pagt Can You Believe This!? colllbuud * Work with young people to analyze this comic book and other Quincentennial materials. Critical thinking is essential.(Send for Adventures on Santa Maria TADCORPS. 300 7th St.S.W.,Suite 110. Washington, DC 20023. (202) 554-8677 or FAX (202) 836-0265. $5. with "educational papers and letters" * Students can create their own comic books, posters, songs, picture books and videos. * Students may want to send letters of protest to the Quincentenary Committee or their Congressional representatives. * Participate in Walk Across America. (Call 1-800-466-WALK, 9255) * Collect signatures on the petition to transform Columbus Day into a National Holiday that "genuinely reflects the historical experience and the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the Americas." Stop the Chop in '92 Quincentennial Billboard Project Native American activists and supporters The Minnesota Racial Justice Task Force, with the assistance of members have been protesting the use of dehumanizing ofthe local Native American community, mascots, symbols, and practices by organized has launched a bold new project to sports. During the 1991 World Series between the visibly counter the 500th anniversary of Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins, "Braves the Columbus "discovery." On fever took the town by storm. The tomahawk chop Columbus Day, October 12, 1991, five and the war chants started and were carried across University of Minnesota bus billboards the country by satellite... Protesters pointed out that began carrying an alternative message the dehumanization of Native Americans was a about the Quincentennial on routes necessary element in the slaughter of over 60 million around campus and to the suburbs. The human beings by the European invasion..." message and artwork were designed by "When Braves' owner Ted Turner and his local Native American artists. The group fiancee Jane Fonda announced that they would no plans to expand this to thousands of longe"r chop, the rightwingers took up another tack: freeway billboards to raise public this whole issue had something to do with "Hanoi awareness and critical thinking about Jane," referring to Fonda's opposition to the US war the conquest of the Americas, and its in Indochina." consequences. Educators Against Racism And Apartheid Why not take this project to your urges physical education teachers and classroom community? Contact: teachers to investigate with their students the issue Minnesota Peace and Justice Coalition of racism in sports and recreation and to protest this Billboard Project, 1929 S 5th st. Mpls, racism. This includes names of sports teams MN 55454 (612) 338-8111 (Braves, Redskins, Falcons), products, as well as practices. Please let this newsletter know about your activities. In/onnation is/rom Justice Speaks: Black Workers for Justice. P.O. Box 1330, Rocky Mount,NC 27802. Vol.9 #2 Nov. 1991 Resources Rethinking Columbus. 96 pages with teaching ideas and resources, Send to: Rethinking Schools. 1001 E. Keefe Ave. Milwaukee, WI, 53212. $4. + $2 p & h. Bulk copies are available. Huracan. P.O. Box 7591, ~inneapQlis,JVIN 5.5407. $15. Alliance for Cultural Democracy. Racial Justice Working Group. National Council of " Churches. 475 Riverside Drive. NYC, NY 10115 . Re-View. P.O. Box 801, New· York, NY 10009 . Whites Only eferendum on Negotiations in South Africa President F.W. DeKlerk's decisions to call a whites only referendum is being hailed by the western press as a bold refreshing move, which will give him the mandate to continue the process of negotiations with South Africa's democratic movement. This analysis seems to have forgotten a number of salient facts: ·:::::::::;:::;:::::;:::::;:::::::::::::::;::;::;; ~:~:~ ::.:::::::.:.:.:::.:.:;:;: :::.;::.:.:::::::::.::::.:: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~;~~~;~;~~~;~;~~~t~~~:~:~:~::::::::: ::~:}:::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:::::::;:::::.:.:.:.: ::::::::::::::.:::::::::::.:::::::::::::.::.::::::::.:.:.::..:.:::::::.;:;.:.:::::.::::;:;:;:.:-:::.:.:.:.:.:':':'..:'.' Here is some of what white only decision making wrought in South Africa. The following were passed by the all white parliament: 1936 Africans were completely stripped of voting rights. 1949 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act. 1950 Population Registration Act, introduced the Group Areas Act and strengthened the Immorality Act to to ban interracial sex. 1952 Native Laws Amendment and introduced reference books for Africans. 1953 Separate Amenities Act, the Public Safety Act, the Bantu Education Act and created the Bantu Authorities. 1954 Native Resettlement Act. 1956 Used the court system to remove the Colored franchise. 1957 Barred blacks from attending public funded institutions. 1962 12 day Detention Act 1963 90 day Detention Act introduced 1964 180 day Detention Act 1968 Banned all multi-racial parties. 1970 Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act, stripping Africans of their South African citizenship. 1977 Indemnified the security forces. Prevention of Squatting Act, allowing demolition of shelters without warning or appeal. 1984 Tricameral parliament came into being, creating lesser houses of govt for Indians and Coloureds. Real control remained in the hands of the all White House of Assembly. The African majority continued to be denied representation. Apartheid was created by 42 years of whites only decisions making'. The cost in terms of human suffering has been staggering, and the cost in terms of wasted resources, economic destruction has left all of Southern Africa in economic turmoil. The economic cost was one of the key factors in forcing Pretoria to the negotiating table. Apartheid was a crime, not a mistake as members of the DeKlerk regime have described it. HOW THEN CAN ONE ADMIRE OR SUPPORT THE CALL FOR VET ANOTHER WHITES ONLV REFERENDUM TO DECIDE ON HOW TO REFORM APARTHEID? The decision to have a whites only referendum is not only a slap in the face of the whole struggle, it reveals that the Nationalist Party still does not understand its crime in creating apartheid. From Unlock Apartheid's Jails, a campaign initiated by the Africa Fund. Please contact the Africa Fundfor exceUent books and resource materillls, speakers, posters, etc. about apartheid and the situation in Southern Africa. 198 Broadway. New York City, NY 10038. (212) 962-1210 Demand an Interim government NOWl "Bloody Bones" CURE Offered for Racial Stereotyping Communities United Against Racism in Education "Let us put our heads together and see what life we will make for our children. " (Tatanka ]otanka) CURE is a group of Bay Area parents, students, school workers, and community activists, who came together to work on creating a more just and humane educational environment. Upon a thorough analysis of the Houghton-Mifflin history/social science K-8 series, we find the series to contain stereotypes, omissions, distortions, exaggerations, and outright lies about peoples of color; and the justifications and trivializations of some of the most vicious social practices in our history. The texts are racist, sexist, and classist; marginalizing the lives and struggles of women, working and poor people, people with disabilities, and gay and lesbian people. Houghton Mifflin's idea of a "common history," is to portray our lives as a mere peripheral part of world history; to place the white establishment at the center of the universe and all the rest of us as their "burden." The insidious message is: in order for some children to be proud of their histories, other children must be made ashamed oftheirs. We must defeat the Houghton Mifflin textbooksI ... Houghton Mifflin and the Bloody Bone June 19, 1991 - After more than a year of fire from angry parents, students, and educators throughout the state, Houghton Mifflin is still refusing to address the issues. The main issue is this: as people committed to the welfare of our children, we will not settle for textbooks which demean, stereotype and trivialize us. Here, as an example, is Houghton Mifflin's infamous "bloody bone" selection (from the sixth grade text). We present it along with our comments, followed by our rewrite, which neither stereotypes nor demeans early African peoples. 1 Imagine you could be moved back in time about two million years to 2 the plains of eastern Africa. You find yourself settled on the shores of a large 3 quiet lake. Resting under the shade of a tree, you soak up the unfamiliar 4 landscape . 9 Two naked (dark-skinned people) persons walk down to the lake 10 not far from you. Your only hope of survival is make friends with 11 (these people) them . 19 Soon the first person returns with a (bloody) bone. The people 20 place it on the ground and pound it with the sharpened stone. They 21 invite you to eat the (red) marrow (oozing from) found inside the 22 bone. (HM was forced to make several "corrections" in this selection. We have enclosed their original wording in parenthesis.) Reject Racist and Sexist Textbooks! Excerpts of this article about CURE community send a message to publishers. If were taken from Indigenous Thought, October, no decenttextbooks are available, schools can '991, Vol. 1 # 4 and 5. The article goes on to purchase primary source materials, pamphlets, explain the problems with the text. It then and other materials. For more information shows a non-racist rewrite of the topic. about the work of CURE, please write CURE, Educators Against Racism and Apartheid c/o Oyate. Beverly Siapin. 2702 Mathews salutes the work of CURE and other efforts Street. Berkeley, CA 94702. (415) 848-6700. around the country which are forcing Educators Against Racism and publishers to rethink and rewrite textbooks. Apartheid urges you to subscribe to Indigenous EARA urges your school district to REJECT Thought, 6802 SW 13th Street. Gainesville, FL RACIST AND SEXIST TEXTS. Let the school 32608. (904)378-3246. Subscriptions are $10. , Racism in Education AIM: Young people will examine inequities in funding of education. They will investigate the issue of institutional racism in education. INTRODUCTION: The difference in funding per pupil between neighboring school districts is both significant and dramatic. In a landmark decision affecting all school financing, in October 1989, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that "the old school financing system that was based primarily on property taxes," was unconstitutional. This case is now on appeal to the Supreme Court. The current system of financing of education guarantees the perpetuation of racism. ACTIVITIES: School Funding in the Chicago Area (Figures for 1988-1989 Year) School or District spending (Town) Per pupil I Glencoe (elementary and junior high schools) 7,363 Winnetka (elementary and junior high schools) 7,059 Wilmette (elementary and junior high schools) 6,009 Chicago (average of elementary, junior and 5,265 senior high schools) East Aurora (elementary schools) 2,900 from Jonathan Kom/, Savage Inequalities. Contemporary Boo s, New York, 1991 ACTIVITIES: Math: Fact: The schools in the above table with the lowest per-pupil spending have predominantly African-American populations. Make a bar graph showing the spending per pupil in the schools in the chart above. Which schools have the greatest spending per pupil. Compare the differences. For a class of 30 students, how much more would be spent for an entire class for one year in Glencoe than East Aurora? What would that mean in real terms (salaries, purchase of books, supplies, facilities)? What would that mean in terms of quality education? Find data for your local schools. Compare that with the schools on your graph. Critical Brainstorm means for funding of schools which would provide equity and quality. thinking: Why do we find this pattern of school funding found throughout the United States? Is the U.S. a democracy? Critical "Every year in February we are told to read the same old speech of Martin Luther King. We thinking: read it every year. "I have a dream..." It does begin to seem -what is the word?" she hesitates and then she finds the word: "Perfunctory." I ask her what she means. "We have a school in East St. Louis named for Dr. King. The school is full of sewer water and the doors are locked with chains. Every student in that school is black. It's like a terrible joke on history." from Jonathan KomI. Discuss this statement. Action: Work with local unions or community organizations to fight for equitable funding. Urge the transfer of defense funds to education. (Excerpted from the draft Activity Guide For Combating Racism: For PeoDIe ofAllAges. The infonnation for this activity is from The Inequality ofFunding for Public Education in the United States in the 1990's. by Jay Schaffner. Please let us know whether this activity was effective with your class or famUy. Write to P.Bower. 625 Unden Ave. Teaneck, NJ 07666) Apanheid Is Wrong: African-American A Curriculum by Young People Children's Books A hands-on multidisciplinary curriculum for There is a tremendous selection of grades 1-12. by Paula Rogovin Bower. children's books by African-American Published by Educators Against Racism authors or about African-American people. and Apartheid. From a number of publishers. $17 + $5 p &. h. Make checks to Red Sea Press. Call for a catalogue: (609) Educators Against Apartheid. Send to 771-1666 or FAX (609) 771-1616 EARA. 164-04 Goethals Ave. Jamaica. NY 11432 u.s. Response to National Crises $150. r------, $100. $50. This puppet show was created to open students' hearts and minds to a time 500 years ago when Columbus arrived on the o shores of lands already richly inhabited. ww. For grades 4-8. Narrated by Spiderwoman. $61'" a character found in Native American stories. For booking info. call Margo Sources: Bread ror the ~. Resolulion Trust Corpor2Iion. Center ror Defense Infurmalion. Mccreary (612) 825-3533 WAMM 3255 1992 Budget of lhe u.s. Governmenl Hennepin Ave.S Minneapolis.MN 55408 ·em.read for theWorld a::.. 802 Rhode Island Avenue. N.E. Washington. DC 20018 Poems for Young People, by Edith Segal Human Rights Review Take My Hand. Be My Friends. South Africa 1991 Excellent for classroom use. Has The Greatest Wonder. information about legislation. housing. These poems for young people are great land. health care. education. and more. for classroom use. They help build Africa Fund. 198 Broadway understanding and friendship. New York City. NY 19938 Write to: Edith Segal. 60 Plaza St. single copies 30 cents. over 20. 15 cents Brooklyn. NY 11238 . + 15% postage. Ask for a list of other resource materials. What You Can Do Ban Waste Trade! * Write or call your representatives and ask Four thousand tons of ash from a U.S. him/her to co-sponsor the Waste Export and garbage incinerator are sitting in a beach town Import Prohibition Act, H.R. 2580 which bans in Haiti right now. A ship carrying this ash international waste trade. Get your friends from the city of Philadelphia dumped it there involved. more than three years ago. The heavy metals * Join the Greenpeace Action Activist and other toxics in the ash are blowing in the Network. 1436 U St.NW. Washington, DC tropical wind and being carried into the sea by 20009. (202) 319-2454 the heavy rains. Cadmium and lead, two This article was excerpted/rom Action Alerl. Help Stop metals present in this ash, contribute to the International Waste Trade. Greenpeace neurological damage, lung and bone damage, nervous systems disorders, birth defects, and other health problems. Unfortunately, Haiti is not the only country being poisoned by our country's waste. U.S. hazardous wastes-heavy metals, llilitlil:J.)tlij)jljbp(;ly]»·>····· dioxin, PCB's, medical waste, and even radioactive wastes-are threatening people and ecosystems all over the world. Instead of 1!'ll\.III!IIIJIl~~ ending the production of toxic wastes, M companies are trying to ship them to other •.'::.·:·.,:•.•.•....1.:·.:•...•.:.:·...... : :••.:•. :.:.:•...... : ,.·.::·:·:·..,•. :•..:o:·:··:·.:..:·.·x::·.•.·.:·.·.:·.·.:··.:·c·:·.·.:.:.::•.,·.:•.::.:.•,::·:•.:·.•..:·.•.::.•.::.•.:·:!:·.•.:··::.:·.. •..:·.w·.:·,··:··:·.::...:·.·.:.·:.·:·a·:::·:··:·:::·:·.:.n.~~'~~]~:~~),..,·:.·:•.:.:.:··::·:'·:e··.·.··:.:·::d·:::]·· countries. In the last year, U.S. companies are , p : •.•..·..•.•.·.I.•t~a·••y..•t:e[t.".••••e·.Tn••. e.••• ·.•••....••...••...t...••. 81 :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: ·:·:,:,.'.:.:.:.:.:::i:i:·::::·:·:·:······· {~...... ;.:.;.:.;.;.;.:::;::::;::;:::::::.:.;.; . trying to send toxic waste to Brazil, Canada, .:;: ;.;.:-:.;.;.;.;.:-:-.,;.; ;.;.:.;.::-;".;.:-:.;. t ...... ••....•...... •...•.....•..:.:-:-:;:.:.:;:::::;:;:;..-::;.;:::.:;:.:;::.:::::;::.;.:.y . Jamaica, Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, :;:: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~j~~~:~~~~~~~~~~:~:~~:~:: ::.: :.:':..':':'.':':':':':':':':':';';':';':'::::'::::::.:::.::::::::::::::::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.::::::::::::::.::::::;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::... Tonga, and dozens of other countries. ·lhl'llr;!gl~9 •• I':lt!ll.l.~~lpg~~:~9!:i.91H~\ There is no safe way to dispose of :9~§~?II~~!t!.I.rf9:if!£9mR9nj,n! •• ~9.!~!~: di ~ y.~9·pq!UnyQ!!i.!!.·~§§~P!.!§.ii§} hazardous wastes. Whether U.S. wastes are :?:::.....::.•:.•:·.::•.:•.,:..·:.. .: .•,·.:.•,.•,••.•:..•,•.•,·:.. .•.:.:w..•..••.•.•.. .$.a••.••. p..•s•.••. O.•.••J.!;.•e•.p.•s•.•••.·.,:r::.. .• W:.•..•:.•.•.:.•.•..::...•...•::....•.....•...b:.•.:.•....•.: ;:;;:::;::::::::::::::::::::::;:::;:;:;:;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.:.:.: . sent to landfills, incinerators, or so-called "treatment" plants abroad, their poisons will be released into the air, soil, water, and food supplies of foreign countries. Mercury waste from American Cyanamid, for example, has contributed to Board ofDirectors-Educators Against Racism and Apartheid contamination of the Umgeni River in Natal, Paula Rogovin Bower. Arthur Colen. Joyce Duncan. South Africa to a level 8,600 times higher Joseph Edelman. Pam McCarthy-Bamba. Rebekah Richie-Pagan. Carole Storch-Dladla. Claudia Zaslavsky than EPA standards... Toxic Dumping Can Be Stopped Since 1987 the international loin Educators Against Greenpeace network has exposed and stopped Racism And Apartheid hundreds of toxic "waste trade" schemes I want to join EARA. Membership around the world. We have documented and contribution $10. Make payable to created worldwide awareness of the problem. Educators Against Apartheid. To date 83 countries have banned the import _I want to make a contribution to help of toxic waste... expand the work of EARA. _I want to help field test the Activity On June 6, 1991, Representative Ed Guide For Combating Racism. Towns from New York introduced legislation to prohibit U.S. participation in this deadly Name. _ trade in wastes. For this bill to pass Address, State__ Zip_ guaranteeing that U.S. industrial profit-seeking Phonel ). School or org.__ will not poison other countries-our members of Congress must hear from us. Keep the Pressure On! Maintain State and Local (\PSI: ENO\l~ ... Sanctions Against Apartheid '(au WIN! :. SheD Gets Canned in New Jersey ~:~,." ,1: ',. '•.••.. ,. The Shell Oil Co. will not be allowed to . ~..., operate service stations along the New Jersey ~ '. . Turnpike after its current contract expires on ~ April 1, 1992, because its parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, has petroleum and mining operations in South Africa that support the apartheid system. The contract is worth $50 million in revenues. This is a result of work of the NJ anti-apartheid movement. Until April, EARA encourages you to exit the NJ Turnpike to get your gas. Yes, the international SHELL BOYCOTT is still onl Apartheid Kills! Boycott KeUogg's! Kellogg's continues to sell cereal from its factory in Springs, SA to the South African Defense Force-which is part of the "third force." Evidence now points to the government, the SA military, and police for their direct role in the violence against the anti-apartheid movement. Yes, the KELLOGG'S BOYCOTT is still onl Educators Against Racism And Apartheid 164-04 Goethals Avenue Jamaica, NY 11432 Say No to racism and apartheid! Get involved!