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Charles H. Washington
T
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C 1 1 t n t e I) 1 1 1 i r o i
Paul Neufeldt
O ffic e M a n e o e e
Kathy Linder
E D I T O H
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Lack of progress
in jobs, wealth,
education and
health
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How much closer is America to
achieving equality between blacks
and whites since the civil rights
m o v em en t? N ot clo se
enough, and black progress
is precarious at best accord
ing to a report released by the
National Urban League, “The
State of Black America 2004.”
As part of the report on
black progress, the league
unveiled its first "Equality
Index” a statistical measure
ment of the disparities that
e jis t betw een blacks and
whites in economies, hous
ing, education, health, social
justice and ci vie engagement.
The report found that despite
substantial progress, the status of
African Americans is 73 percent of
white Americans.
Marc H. Morial, president and
CEO of the National Urban League,
said African-American progress has
been precarious since the civil rights
era.
“W hile there have been in
creases in business form ation,
home ow nership and educational
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attainm ent, equality gaps remain
between blacks and whites, par
ticularly in the area o f econom
ics," M orial said. "A s our nation
becom es more racially diverse,
we must work together to close
these disparities. This iserucial if
A merica is to maintain its posi
tion as an econom ic pow er and
world leader.”
The urban league report found
Urban
League
President
Marc H.
Morial
that black economic status mea
sures 56 percent of white counter
parts, while blacks’ health status
measures 78 percent of whites, and
educational performance measures
76 percent as compared to whites
When it comes to equality under
the law, blacks’ status is 73 percent
of whites. However, in civic en
gagement - blacks out measure
w h ites in v o te r re g is tra tio n ,
volunteerism, and government ser-
viee at 1.08 percent.
The report also surveyed the
attitudes o f African Am ericans,
Hispanic Am ericans and Asian
Americans concerning quality of
life, education, finances, discrimi
nation and pertinent social is
sues.
It found 52 percent of minority
respondents believe the country is
headed in the wrong direction. The
same figure rated public education
as fair to poor. 55 percent of the
minority respondents want voting
bans forex-felons lifted and 88 per
cent believe in alternatives to im
prisonment for non-violent offend
ers
Forty percent of African Ameri
cans believe "little progress” has
been made since the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the
same amount of respondents feel
ing “very little or no improvement”
has been achieved in economies
and social mobility.
The Urban League said it is com
mitted to filling the equality gaps
through measures such asjob train
ing and housing development as
sistance.
"The point is to keep our eyes on
the prize of African Americans and
al I people of color striving to achieve
their full measure o f American citi
zenship and opportunity,” Morial
said. "It is time to dream bigger
dreams”.
Supreme Court Opens
Itself to Corruption
J udge G reg M athis
Everyday in America, dozens
o f low er court judges through
out the country recuse th em
selves from a case that may rep
resent a conflict o f interest or
give the appearance o f im propri
ety. The judges withdraw from
such cases voluntarily to avoid
the em barrassm ent o f being o r
dered o ff the ease by a higher
court.
C ourt rules and the law pro
vide such protections in effort to
avoid the possibility o f corrup
tion in the justice system. U nfor
tunately, the U.S. Suprem e Court,
the highest court in the land, has
no such safeguard against co r
ruption.
Suprem e Court Justices can
not be forced to recuse them
selves from a case that presents
a conflict o f interest for them.
The court rules and the law pro
vides that only the Suprem e Com !
Justices them selves can decide
w hether they should withdraw
from a case, and if they decide
for them selves that they have no
conflict, their decision is final
and they cannot be forcefully
rem oved from the case.
This lack o f safeguard in the
U.S. Supreme Court is currently
creating cause for concern be
cause o f a case involving S u
prem e C ourt Ju stice A ntonin
Scalia and Vice President Dick
Cheney.
The case involves a lawsuit by
the environment group SicrraClub
by
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Equality Gaps Persist
B ecom e a Teacher
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against Vice President Cheney in
effort to force him to release
information on private m eetings
he held with energy executives
w hile creating Federal energy
policies. The Sierra C lub and
many others believe that corpo
rate executives from energy com
panies may have unlaw fully in
fluenced those energy and oil
policies and want to force a re
luctant Dick Cheney to disclose
who was at his m eetings and
what was discussed.
The conflict for Cheney and
despite calls for his recusal from
law m ak ers, new s m edia and
many in the legal community.
Clearly Justice Scalia’s pres
ence on this case creates a poten
tial for corruption and certainly
gives the appearance o f im pro
p rie ty . N e v e rth e le ss, Ju stic e
Scalia refuses to recuse him self
from the case and there is noth
ing in the law that can force him
off the case.
The only action possible is his
impeachm ent and that can only
occur if there is evidence that
The conflict for Cheney and
Justice Scalia occurred when
the two o f them decided to go
on a private hunting trip three
weeks after the U.S. Supreme
Court agreed to hear the
energy task force case
involving the Vice President.
Judge Greg Mathis
Justice Scalia occurred when the
two o f them decided to go on <a
private hunting trip three weeks
after the U.S. Suprem e Court
agreed to hear the energy task
force case involving the Vice
President. The two o f them flew
together in a governm ent plane
accom panied by Justice Scalia’s
sons.
The tw o claim they did not
discuss the upcom ing case and
as a result. Justice Scalia refuses
to remove him self from the case
indicates he may have com m it
ted a crime. His reluctance to
remove him self from this case
underm ines the credibility o f the
U.S. Supreme Court. No w onder
people are so suspicious o f our
Justice System. It appears the
highest Court in the land has the
highest potential for corruption.
Judge Greg Mathis is Chair
man o f the Rainbow PUSH-Ex-
cel Board and a National Board
Member o f the Southern Chris
tian Leadership Conference.
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