■ - w e îA
Volume I, Number I
I ommitted to cultural diversity
S E C T IO N
September 1Î, 1996
In Our Own Words
AND
See Article and photo on
page C2.
■
Special Election Day
is Tuesday, September 17
Y our vote is needed to help set the
course for our community in three
key areas on Tuesday, September
17.
The Zoo:
Adequate funding for the Port
land Metropolitan Zoo is a vital con
sideration when you consider the
overall quality o f life in the N orth
west. The zoo serves a population
far greater than your neighborhood
and our city. The Portland Zoo serves
a civilization. Voting YES on M ea
sure 26-47 will help the zoo fulfill its
mission and lower maintenance costs
at the same time.
Portland City Council:
16 candidates are vying for the
vacant seat on the city council, and
the person filling that position will
have a great deal to say about the
future quality o f life in your neigh
borhood. From a minority perspec
tive, we feel that the race for City
C om m issioner, Position 2, boils
down to a choice between four can
didates who have proven themselves
on issues effecting your communi
ty ’s minority populations, and who
also have the essential combinations
o f experience, committment, lead
ership ability and a broad base o f
support to perform effectively on
your behalf in city government. The
Portland O bservador throw s its
weight behind the candidacy o f
Bruce Broussard, Lucious Hicks,
Berna Plummer and Erik Sten
It’s too bad that there is only one
position open. Now you have nearly
a full week to read your voters’ pam
phlet, do your own homework, and
make a decision among these four
fine candidates.
School funding:
If you are a voter residing within
the Gresham-Barlow school district
boundaries, then you can make the
difference for generations o f chil
dren. This special election offers
you the opportunity to demonstrate
to the rest o f the state that in Gre
sham, education--and the future-
comes first. We urge you to get out
and vote YES on Measure 26-50. Be
a trend-setter!
Mexican
Independence Day
is September 16.
The Observador encourages all
of our readers to vote in every
election. Take every opportunity
to exercise you r rights as a citizen
of the United States and of the
community in which you live. Your
vote is your voice. Su voit) es su
voz.
Latinos caught in technology gap
Computer revolution fails to even playing field
by J eordan
M ercury
L eg on , S an J ose
N ews _______________
Technology has sweetened the
lives o f tens o f thousands o f Sandra
Rodriguez's Silicon Valley neigh
bors—rew arding them with ritzy
homes, flashy cars and six-figure in
comes.
But like many valley Latinos,
Rodriguez has been left behind by
the technological revolution. In
stead, the unemployed 24-year-old
single mother o f two sits in computer
class, catching up on the basics.
As technology transforms the
lives o f millions o f computer-savvy
A m ericans, low -skill, low -w age
w orkers—many o f them Latino and
B lack-stand to lose the most from
global shifts making their jobs obso
lete and pushing em ployers to other
c o u n trie s in search o f ch eap er
labor.
Ethnic technology gap
Is widening
What observers hoped would be
the greatest economic equalizer o f
our time, putting whites and minori
ties on an even technological keel,
has substantially widened the gap o f
wealth, education and power between
the haves and the have-nots.
Technology replaces
agriculture
This paradigm is most evident in
Silicon Valley, where technology has
replaced agriculture as the region's
largest employment source. The
change has left many Latinos who
used to work in the orchards scram
bling to find jobs that don't require
computer knowledge—not an easy
task in an area where almost 50 per
cent ofjobs are linked to technology.
Census statistics analyzed by the
Tomas Rivera Center show that only
oneU.S. Hispanic household in eight
owns a co m p u ter-h alf the figure o f
whites. And Hispanics lag about
seven years behind the total U.S.
population in using computers on the
job: in a 1993 survey, only 29.3 per
cent used a PC at work compared to
47.1 percent o f white employees.
As a result, Hispanics—who con
stitute 22 per cent o f Santa Clara
C o u n ty 's p o p u la tio n —have been
largely unable to take advantage o f
the com puter industry's hiring binge.
An analysis o f federal employ
ment statistics shows that Hispanics
hold only 9 percent o f the jobs in
high-tech firms in Silicon Valley.
Other ethnic groups
fare much better.
Asians, who make up an estimated
18 percent o f the region's popula
tion, account for 29 percent o f the
industry's workers. Whites, 55 per
cent o f the population, hold 58 per
ce n to fth e jo b s. Blacks fill 4 percent
o f such jobs, a proportion eqqual to
the county's population.
Observers say the dismal employ
ment situation among Silicon Valley
Latinos may repeat itself on a nation
al scale when Hispanics become the
largest U.S. minority and technology
becomes the country's chief employ
ment source.
If Latinos continue to be ill-pre
pared to capitalize on technology, a
large num berof adults will be unable
to fill existing jobs.
"This great digital divide is not
just a Latino issue. It's something
that should concern all o f us, " said
Harry Pachon, director o f the Tomas
Rivera Center in Southern Califor
nia, a Latino policy institute. "It
means that as many as a quarter o f
our work-force will not be prepared
to operate in a 21st century."
Technology barriers
Ask Ana Hidalgo the reasons why
so many Latinos are not keeping up
with technology, and the 22-year-old
college student rattles off the same
answers offered by industry insiders:
lack o f money, inadequate educa
tion, hopelessness, fear and language
barriers.
H idalgo has learned these answers
by volunteering in one o f the few
computer centers in East San Jose
The Mexican American Community
Services Agency Youth Center of
fers a gymnasium, pool hall and snack
bar. But the 16 computers monito
red by Hidalgo are the center's most
popular attraction.
"Sal si puedes"
In a neighborhood known as "Sal
si puedes" (get out if you can), more
than 60 students showed up for the
room's opening day, far too many for
the machinesavailable, Hidalgosaid
So now, the center restricts com
puter use to kids under 14 who agree
to complete 45 minutes o f home
work each day.
"They’re really anxious to learn,"
Hidalgo said, struggling to be heard
over the incessant beeps o f computer
games. "But a lot ofthem don't have
any access to the information."
Latinos trail across
income-level spectrum
By most accounts, poverty and
lack of education are the biggest con
tributors to Latino's computer skills
deficit, but middle and high-income
Latinos also trail their non-Hispanic
counterparts in access to personal
computers in the home, as do high
school and college graduates.
Schools appear to add to the dis
parity.
About 53 percent o f Latino stu
dents nationwide use computers at
school, while about 63 percent of
white school children use the ma
chines, according to 1993 Census
figures, the most recent available.
Differences In schools
In California, a Mercury News
survey o f 237 middle schools last
year indicated that the difference may
be even more pronounced. Predom
inantly Latino schools scored 16 per
cent lower than preponderantly white
campuses in the level o f technology
present.
Schools lack resources
A rm ando V aldez, founder o f
LatinoNet, a San Francisco-based
on-line service, said schools in poor,
predominantly Latino neighborhoods
don't have the resources to make
technology a priority.
"They're saying, 'We have roofs
that leak. We have asbestos problems.
We have outdated playgrounds, and
parents and teachers who don't want to
use this stuff (computers). So why
should we buy them?'" Valdez said.
"They should, o f course, because
without computers, the kids’ chances
are diminished. They are...going to
earn less, be less employable. They
will continue to do the service jobs
and be less prepared to go to work in
white-collar jobs."
Computer skills required
About 85 per cent of the job refer
rals at the Center for Employment
Training in downtown San Jose re
quire some computer knowledge, and
the number related to computers
grows every day For example, sheet
metal workers depend almost entire
ly on computers to do their jobs,
unlike a decade ago.
Latinos lack training
Yet almost all o f the center's stu
dents, three-fourths of them Latinos,
have never had computer training.
Many are laid-off farmworkers or
injured construction workers who
cannot return to their unskilled jobs.
After more than 25 years doing
construction, CET student Arturo
Chavez, 50, injured his back last
year. Now he's learning how to de
sign mechanical parts on a computer.
"I'm a little old to be learning this,
but I can't keep building houses any
more," the Mexican immigrant said
in Spanish recently, typing away at a
PC.
Fear of technology
But many others fear the technol
ogy-
After working for weeks with
Plugged In, a computer access pro
gram in East Palo Alto, and even
buying a computer, the Mexican-
American owner o f Los Temos Pizza
on University Avenue abruptly aban
doned the idea o f keeping a customer
database.
"There's a lot o f fear o f the un
know n," said H ecto r C am pos,
Plugged In's associate director. "It;s
a bridge that needs to be crossed, but
they are apprehensive, and so they
put it off."
Don't be left behind
Not wanting to be left behind,
Rodriguez, the former chicken plant
worker, is embrac ing techno logy con
ganas—willingly.
"I didn't want to keep deboning
chicken for the rest o f my life," she
said recently whi le completing a typ
ing lesson. "Maybe now some o f
those computer dollars will come my
way."
U.S. schools suffer from textbook shortage
Escuelas E.E.U.U. sufren la falta de textos
— U SA T oday
Nearly 20% o f public school teachers in the United
States have problems stemming from outdated or
insufficient supplies o f textbooks.
According to a recent survey, o f the 20% who cited
problems:
70.6% have spent their own money for materials
and 4 1.6% lack sufficient books to assign homework.
43.1% described class disruptions from students hav
ing to share books.
Additional problems included the use of texts
which contain outdated or incorrect information, cit
ed by 5 1 .8%, and 56.5% saw that text materials were
either in such poor condition or were so tedious that
students lost interest.
These are serious factors that contribute to teacher
fatigue, academic failure and an increased dropout
rate.
Casi 20% de maestros en escuelas publicas en los
Estados Unidos tienen problcms que nacen de textos
anticuados o suministros insuficientes.
Deacuerdocon un agrimensura reciente,de los 20%
quién mencionaron problemas: 70.6% han gastado sus
propios dineros para materiales y 41.6% les faltan
libros su ficien tes para asignar tareas. 43.1%
describieron interrupcióncs por estudiantes teniendo
a compartir libros.
Problemas adicionales incluye el uso de textos los
cuales contienen información anticuado o incorrecto,
mencionado de 51.8%, y 56.5% miraron que materiales
de textos estuvieron de condición pobre o tan tedioso
que los estudiantes perdieron interés.
Esos son factores seriosos que contribuyen a fatiga
de maestro, fracaso académico y un proporción de
retirarse incremento.
Welcome to the Portland Observador
Bienvenida al Portland Observador
Read! Learn! Act!
The Portland O bservercelebrates Na
tional Hispanic Heritage Month with
our prem iere issue o f The Portland
Observador. This section will appear in
The Observer every other week. Some
portions o f the new spaper will be pub
lished in a bilingual format. Spanish-
language text will appear in grey-shaded
sections.
Among the highlights o f our first
Observador is the first annual Observador
Community Betterm ent Award. This
prestigious award honors a person or
organization that has during the previ
ous year benefited the Hispanic commu
nity in some singular way. Our charter
winner, you will see, sets the mark high.
In O ur O w n W ords (E n N u estras
P ro p ria s P alab ras) w ill be a re g u la r fea
ture o f T he P ortland O b se rv a d o r, o ffe r
ing to H ispanic youth the o p p o rtu n ity to
exp ress th e ir thoughts and fe e lin g s—
and to d e sc rib e th e ir e x p e rie n c e s— as a
L atino in a pred o m in an tly A nglo e n v i
ronm ent. T he O b serv ad o r en courages
our young read ers to subm it your own
w riting and a photograph. We w ill try to
find space in our pages for you.
O u r 1996 C h a rte r Issue w in n er
is.........well, read! the Observador and learn!
for yourself. Then act! You can be next
year's winner Léalo! Apréndalo! Hazlo!
»
Léalo! Apréndalo! Hazlo!
El Portland Observer se celebra el Mes Nacional
de Herencia Hispano con nuestra edición estreno
de El Portland O bservador. Este sección se
aparecerá en El Observer cada otra semana.
Algunas porciónes del periódico estarán imprimido
en una forma bilingüe. Texto en Español se
aparecerá en secciónes grisáceos.
Entre de los puntos más destacados de nuestro
primero Observador estarán el primero anual
Observador Galardón de Mejora del Comunidad.
Este premio prestigioso la honra una persona o
organización lo que ha mejorado la comunidad
Hispano durante del año previo en alguno modo
singular. Nuestro ganador fundadora, ustedes lo
verán, se pone la norma alto.
En Nuestras Proprias Palabras (In Our Own
i
Words) será un sección especial de The Port
land Observador, ofreciendo al los jovenes
H ispanos y H ispanas el oportunidad a
expresar sus pensamientos y sentimientos—
y describir sus experiencias— como un Lati-
noouna Latina en un m edioam hiente locual
es predominante Anglo. The Observador los
estim u lan n u estras joven es le c to r e s a
som eterse sus proprias e scrito s y una
fotografía. Nos tratáramos a hallar espacio
en nuestras paginas para ustedes.
Nuestra ganador de 'a 1996 Edición
Eundadorestá........pues Léalo! el Observador
y Apréndalo! por ustedes mismos. Después
Hazlo! Usted puede ser el ganador el año que
viene. Read! Learn! Act!
!