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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 2004)
Page A4 ìlìr|Ju rtlan ò (©hseruer August 25, 2004 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of The Portland Observer O pinion Obama’s Message Vs. Cosby’s Opportunity expands with government’s role by D edrick M oham mad I’d like to invite Barack Obama and Bill Cosby over for dinner, and listen to them hash out their dif ferences about the causes of black poverty. In his keynote speech at the Democratic Na tional Convention, the sen ate candidate from Illinois had a healthy balance between public and indi vidual responsibility; a balance that eluded Mr. Cosby in his tirades against African American parents and youth. Obama did call for holding up high expecta tions forourchildren, decrying “the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.” Mr. Cosby reinforced the stereotypes used ever since enslaved Africans were first brought to the shores of the United States, that white Americans were more prosperous because they worked harder and upheld better moral stan dards. He claimed that low-income African Americans are not taking advantage of the opportunities theCivil Rights movement brought them. When sociologist Dalton Conley analyzed educational outcomes, he found that family net worth, not race, was the best predictor of high school graduation and college enrollment. At a given level of assets, black students are actually Letters to slightly more likely tograduate from high school by three-quarters in the 1980s, and the majority than white students. The drop-out rate for black of families of color have been unable to achieve students has declined 44 percent since the as the American dream of homeownership. sassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Direct discrimination still exists in the job African Americans with graduate degrees market, as evidenced by recent studies. One are two to three times more likely than whites to found that job applicants with white-sounding engage in the rough-and-tumble world of entre names are 50 percent more likely to be invited preneurship with small business start-ups. for an interview than applicants with black Yet African Americans have not been re sounding names. warded for all this effort. Forevery dollar of per Another found that white applicants with capita white income, black families had 57 cents prison records are more likely to be hired than in 2001, up from 55 cents in 1968. The racial black applicants without a record. • The United States has never invested in African-American communities in the same way it did from the late 1930s through 1950s to create the white suburban middle class. % wealth divide is even worse: the typical black These obstacles are not African Americans’ family has less than one-tenth of the median fault. The United States has never invested in white net worth of $120,000. African-American communities in the same way In the decades when white income and wealth it did from the late 1930s through 1950s to create soared, it was not only due to hard work and the white suburban middle class. talent. Those factors are present in every race Barack Obama’s hopeful vision of America and every era. It was because of public invest will only come to pass when African Americans ment in a ladder of opportunity. The New Deal and all Americans focus theirenergy on improv and the generous post-WWII veterans' benefits ing both their own behavior and on expanding largely excluded people of color. society’s infrastructure of opportunity. Affirmative action and the Great Society Dedrick Muhammad is the Racial Wealth programs of the 1960s and 70s helped create the Divide Coordinator at United fo r a Fair first large black middle class. But since that time, Economy and co-author o f U FE’s report public investment in opportunity has eroded. “The State o f the Dream: Enduring Dispari Federal spending on affordable housing was cut ties in Black and White. ” Voting Empowers Black Citizens Black people are continually degraded by the dominant society because blacks placed in "head positions” do the cause of keeping blacks down and beaten by those within the dominant society. There are no logically and truthful reasons tor James Jahar Perez and Kendra James to have been murdered, and for the dominant society to say the police are in their rights to shoot unarmed persons. Historically to keep blacks out of education, employment and housing, the dominant society has always found a “spokesperson” to keep blacks “in their place.” If blacks really want to get ahead in their lives, they will have to get rid of “spokesper sons" and “leaders.” Blacks must be more politically influential in voting toelect the proper person for all people. The black race is the only race of people who’ve suddenly had “leaders” to appear to speak for them. Malcolm X encouraged black people to be independent. Walter F. Morris Jr., Northeast Portland W h e r e IS Olli* O u t i ¿Ige? Assault weapons back in business by M orna M urray Gun manufacturers are eagerly ratcheting up their military assault weapons production lines as they count down the final days of the 10- year-old Federal Assault Weapons will be back in business on the mass killings: 21 killed and 19 Ban. Congress is scheduled to be in streets of America, just as our chil wounded at a McDonalds in San session for a mere four days before dren are returning to school. Ysidro, Calif, in 1984; six killed and the ban expires on Sept. 13. Soon The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban 14 wounded in Palm Bay, Fla. in after, these deadly killing machines came about in response to horrific 1987; five children killed and 29 children and one teacher wounded in Stockton, Calif, in 1989; eight killed and 12 wounded in Louis ville, Ken. in 1989; two killed and three wounded in Langley, Va. in 1993; four killed and 16 wounded in Waco, Texas, 1993; and eight killed and six wounded in San Fran cisco in 1993. Overall, crimes involv Since the ban went ing assault weapons into effect, child and teen have dropped 79 per deaths from firearms have cent since 1994. dropped 50 percent. Over- President Oeorge W. all, gun deaths have Bush has stated his sup dropped nearly 25 per port for the ban, saying, cent. “It makes no sense for Child and teen death Morna Murray assault weapons to be rates from firearms had around our society.” increased every year from 1983 But when the U. S Senate renewed through 1994, but have decreased the ban in March, the president each and every year since the ban. stood idly by while the National INFORMATION SESSIONS a MBI W ELCO M E •A \ S W DISCOVER MARYLHURST SAMPLE MARYLHURST On the road with Family. It's your world and this is your road! Loving the whole experience between point A and point B. Peace of mind has no boundaries when you’re traveling with family. American Family Insurance. 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John Administration Building To reserve a place, call 503.699 6260. ★ US News 1 World Report BEST COLLEGES 2 0 0 4 "Number one in Oregon with classes under 20 students" Rifle Association snuffed out the underlying bill. There’s widespread and diverse support for the ban, including an overwhelming majority of citizens, active duty and retired military fami lies, NASCAR fans and a clear majority of gun owners. Every ma jor law enforcement organization and nearly 900 police chiefs from across the country support ban ning these military-style guns. Assault weapons are designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the maximum number of human beings as quickly and effi ciently as possible. They are not hunting weapons. They are not necessary for protecting one’s home and family. Sounds like renewing the As sault Weapons Ban is a no-brainer, doesn’t it? But even this kind of overwhelming support can’t force the passage of the utterly common sense legislation that will extend the ban. Not in this country, not with the financial backing and power of the NRA. Our political will has been ma nipulated, subverted and hijacked by an extraordinarily well-organized lobbying group that contributes millions of dollars to members of Congress and whose message is at best, non-representative, and at worst-deadly. Where is the president? Where is the Congress? Where is our out rage? Morna Murray is co-director of Education and Youth Develop ment at the Children's Defense Fund. Found on the web at www. childrensdefense. org To work with an advisor, e-maii studentinfo@marylhurst.edu or call 503.699.6268 MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY N o r t h w e s t C o m m is s io n o n C o lle g e s a n d U n iv e r s it ie s a c c r e d it e d I n t e r n a t i o n a l A s s e m b ly f o r C o lle g ia t e B u s in e s s E d u c a tio n a c c r e d it e d I 7 6 0 0 PACIFIC H IG H W A Y (H W Y . 4 3 ) M AR YLH U R S T W W W M AR YLH URS T.EDU L llU 't lt t n Ò f U (' f t i i l i ' ’ O R E G O N - JUST 10 M IN U T E S SO U TH OF P O R T LA N D S e rv in g s tu d e n ts since 1 8 9 3 I ',l'crli'cwi,hdi''er I U 1 (O lv ,t' B H ( i l l Ñ I 1 3 TOO I ‘U* • I ‘ll P<’lT Ia f illi)K SCIA 8 0 0 .6 3 4 .9 9 8 2 D C l Cl j 1