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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2002)
December 18, 2002 Page A4 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The P ortland Observer S __________ USPS 959-680_________ T E s ta b lis h e d 1 9 7 0 A 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., F F Portland, OR 97211 3 E The Portland Observer d it o r - i n - C h ie f ,P C u b l is h e r E A d it o r is t r ib u t io n M ir e c t o r Paul Neufeldt s s o c ia t e E d it o r Wynde Dyer Michael Leighton D D r e a t iv e Charles H. Washington W r an a g er it e r , P ho to g rafher David Plechl Mark Washington P osthaste »: Send address changes to Portland Observer PO Box 3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR 97208 _________ Periodical Postage paid In Portland, OR ■ Subscriptions a re $ 6 0 .0 0 per year__________ 503-2880033 • FAX503-2880015 • EMAIL news&DOrttandobserver.CQm ^ i ^ O Q !l !andQtSSrySWn The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad. © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART W ITHOUT PERM ISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication-is a member o f the National Newspaper Association—Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. Republican Leader Must Step Down Lott Mindset is Hateful bigotry has no place in the halls o f Congress No Surprise to Mississippians T he N A A C P has c a lle d for S en ato r T rent L ott to resig n from the m ajo rity le ad er-elect post c itin g re c e n t b ig o te d rem ark s he m ade d u rin g the c o n g re ssio n a l c e le b ra tio n for S e n a to r S trom T h u rm o n d ’s 100th birth d ay . T he ju n io r sen ato r from M ississip p i said: “ W hen S trom T hurm ond ran for p resid en t w e voted for him . W e ’re p ro u d o f it. A nd if the rest o f the c o u n try had o f fo llo w ed our lead we w o u ld n ’t o f had all th ese p ro b lem s o v er all th e se y ears, e ith e r.” T h u rm o n d , the o u tg o in g sen ato r from South C a ro lin a , ran for p re sid e n t in 1948 on a stau n ch se g re g a tio n ist p latfo rm . Kweisi M fume, N A A CP President & CEO, said: “ Senator L ott’s statem ent is the kind o f callous, calculated, hateful bigotry that has no place in the halls o f the C ongress. His rem arks a re d a n g e ro u sly d iv is iv e an d c e rta in ly unbefitting a man who js to hold such a highly esteem ed leadership role as the m ajority leader o f the senate.” Lott is scheduled to becom e the senate m ajority leader next m onth when the 108th C ongress convenes. M fume added, “Sen. Lott should resign from the position o f m ajority leader-elect to m ake way for another m em ber o f the Republi can Party whose moral com pass is pointed The recent statement by U.S. Sen. Trent Lott regard ing his support and M ississippi’s support o f Sen. Thurmond’s candidacy for President ofthe United States in 1948 is shameful, disrespectful, insensitive and racist! S en . Trent Lott, R-Miss. The mindset that produces such a statement from a tow ard im proving race relations and not dredg ing up this natio n ’s poor, polarizing perfor m ance o f the past.” Mississippi Senator comes as no real surprise to the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus or most black people in the state o f Mississippi. W e live with and experience such attitudes at all levels on a daily basis. Don'T T ake T he B lack W hile such attitudes o f racial bias and indifference exist throughout our country, it is very disappointing to note most are prevalent in the South and seemingly ' V ote F dr E moted “housed” in “the Republican Party.” We hope this embarrassing exposure to “truth” re Political pundits were quick to attribute the Republican sweep on low voter turnout among Blacks, however, as actual numbers are slowly compiled, it appears that African American voter turnout did not “plummet.” Political parties must stop taking the Black vote for granted and pay closer attention to issues that affect the Black community, said a panel o f Afri can American leaders during a post election brief ing hosted recently by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. The panel suggested that candidates stop blaming their losses on low voter turnout and focus on creating clear messages and agendas garding Sen. Lott and others with similar beliefs will cause them to reexamine their values o f morality, their commitment to our Constitutional Principals and be guided by “where all men are created equal” from our Declaration o f Independence. We hope and pray Majority Leader Trent Lott would take the necessary steps to genuinely change his heart A p a n el o f political e x p e rts a n d a c tiv ists d is c u s s black voter turnout in th e recen t election during a post-election briefing h o s te d by th e National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. that include the needs o f those in the Black community. Also, elected officials need to recog nize that they will be held accountable once they’re in office. • nw-ifl or “do the right thing” by declining any and all positions According to anecdotal evidence collected from NCBCP at sites in 60 cities across the coun try, Blacks went to the polls at about the same rate they did in past midterm elections. o f public leadership. Phillip West, Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus chairman ff 0 I light this candle fo r the bus who walked f or an cmireycar. I light this candle ,o Garrett Morgan fo r inventing the traffic light a n d to Dr. Charles D rew fo r discovering the m ethod o f preserving blood plasma. I light this candle fo r the punches thrown by Joe Louis. I light this candle fo r the punches not thrown by Dr. M a rtin Luther King, Jr. I I light this candle in honor o f the slaves, who stuck together. - I light this candle fa r the fa ith that lit the way fo r a ll o f them. This week, we jo in the community in lighting Kwanzaa candles to the African-Americans who made the path brighter fo r all o f us. Happy Kwanzaa. Washington Mutual MORE UHM INTEREST. Ìli FDIC insured a f
