Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, November 17, 2004, Page 4, Image 4

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    November 17. 2004
Page A4
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Teachers
A Bitter Reality We Must Overcome Minority
Increase ranks
Day will come
when we will
be stronger for
this defeat
by U.S. R ep . E lijah C laimings
On the night of Nov. 2. most of
us shared the disappointm ent
that made it difficult for nearly
half of America to sleep. Despite
a hard-fought and historic effort,
we fell short in our campaign to
elect a President who would re­
store a measure o f fairness and
balance to the government of the
United States.
The consequences of this de­
feat cannot be minimized - nor
should they be. The next few
years will be more difficult for
tens o f millions of Americans,
including many people in our
own communities.
We must do what we always
have done. We must reach out to
those in need, offering whatever
help we can provide. We must
encourage each other - and our
neighbors - to hold onto the
faith that better times and a bet­
ter country are never beyond our
reach.
We lost an important battle, a
loss that will cost us dearly. I am
convinced, however, that the day
will come w hen we will be stron­
ger for this defeat. Consider all
that we accomplished.
The more than 13million Afri­
can American voters who cast
our ballots on Election Day rep­
resented a 25 percent increase;
Improve
School
Lunches
and our percentage of the overall
vote also increased to more than 11
percent.
No other group of Americans
matched the 89 percent Black vote
for John Kerry and progressive
change. Although a number of com­
mentators have made much of the
fact that the African American vote
for President Bush increased to 11
percent nationwide, the more lasting
political realities cut the other way.
It is no surprise to us that A fri­
can Americans continue to balance
Congressional Black Caucus that I
have been honored to lead for the
last two years.
In the upcoming Congress, our
numbers will increase from 39 to43.
This gain will be significant not
only in the quantity but also in the
quality of the representation that
we can provide toourcom m unities.
Sen. Barack O bam a o f Illinois,
only the third Black Senator to be
elected to the Congress since Re­
construction, will restore our pres­
ence in the Senate. Rep. Cynthia
struggle has never been a cam ­
paign for momentary power for
pow er's sake alone. Like those
great Americans on whose shoul­
ders we now stand, we have been
called by God and history to par­
ticipate in a great movement.
We are both the beneficiaries
and the trustees of the most im ­
portant calling in life - the mis­
sion to create a more fair and
humane country and a safer, more
peace-filled world. This is the true,
unalterable vision of our move­
ment toward universal civil rights.
At this time when we must set
our sights on creating a better
future, I recall for you a lesson
from our past. Dec. 10th o f this
year will mark the fortieth anni­
versary o f that moment when Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., stood
before the world in Oslo, Norway,
and accepted the Noble Prize for
Peace on behalf o f all who struggle
for civil rights.
Dr. K ing's words at that diffi­
McKinney of Georgia will be re­
turning to her seat, joining a strong cult time are worth remembering
and principled class o f 2(X)5 that today. They remind us that we are
includes Reps. Emanuel Cleaver o f a strong people, a people of abid­
M issouri, Al G reen o f Texas, and ing faith - and they encourage us
Gwen Moore o f Wisconsin, the first to move forward toward the mis­
African American to be elected to sion that we have been called to
fulfill.
the Congress from her state.
“ W hen o u r d ay s b eco m e
It is true that we have lost a
campaign at acritical moment in our dreary with low-hovering clouds
history. This is a bitter reality that and our nights become darker
than a thousand midnights,“ Dr.
we must face and overcome.
Yet. as Americans of color, this King observed, “we will know
election year has also evoked an that we are living in the creative
em otion that has even greater turmoil o f a genuine civilization
power — a sense of ourselves that struggling to be born."
Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., is
is the very foundation of our char­
chairman o f the Congressional
acter as a people.
We do well to recall that our Black Caucus.
We must encourage
each other - and our
neighbors - to hold onto
the faith that better times
and a better country are
never beyond our reach.
our support for progressive eco­
nomic, foreign and military policies
with a significant appreciation for
more traditional social customs and
religious beliefs. Likew ise, it should
be no surprise to anyone else that
we remain the Democratic Party's
most loyal constituency.
I am especially heartened by the
knowledge that more than 21 mil­
lion Americans under the age o f 30
voted this year, 8 m i 11 ion of them for
the first tim e - and that these
younger voters supported Senator
Kerry over President Bush by a
margin o f 54-45 percent.
Finally, although progressives
lost strength in the Congress over­
all, this was not the result within the
Some 28 million children in 100,000
schools and childcare centers partici­
pate in the U.S. Dept. o f Agriculture’s
National School Lunch Program.
Unfortunately, the lunch fair is made
up largely of U SD A 's surplus meat,
milk and cheese commodities, which
k
contain excess protein, saturated fats
and cholesterol and account for the
epidemic o f obesity, diabetes and heart
disease. These early dietary Haws be­
come lifelong addictions, contributing
to an escalating public health crisis.
A number of national health advo­
I
t
cacy groups are mobilizing to improve
school food. Parents and others who
care about this critical issue should work
with their Parent Teacher Associations
in demanding healthy school meals,
snacks and vending machine items.
Lionel Inman, Southeast Portland
This means money. As we all know,
teacher is a grossly under funded
profession and a lot o f times, prom ­
ising minority candidates choose
to enter into professions based
upon financial considerations.
by J udge G reg M athis
Providing school loan forgive­
It may take an entire village to ness, graduate study scholarships
raise a child, but it takes excellent and housing financing plans are
teachers to educate and nurture a just a few methods the government
child.
could use to entice top quality mi­
A recent report by a coalition of nority candidates into the teaching
school groups indicates that a lack profession. As part o f their orienta­
o f minority teachers is
tion, non-white teachers
hurting minority stu­
could undergo training to
dents' chances for suc­
make them culturally sen­
cess in school. While
sitive to the needs o f their
the federal government
minority students.
These suggestions are
focuses on increasing
student standards and
but a few of the possibili­
ties our government could
testing, perhaps a bet­
and should be doing to
ter public policy would
be to minister to the source o f stu­ ensure that new teachers receive
dents' achievement and failure: the the proper incentives to do their
teacher.
The problems in education can­
not be solely laid at the feet of our
children. Teachers suffer real bud­
get and training constraints that
frustrate their ability to lead, teach
and inspire.
Although black and Hispanic
students make up nearly 35 percent
o f A m erica's public school student
population, black and Hispanic
teachers make up less than 10 per­ best to educate, uplift and empower
cent o f Am erica’s educators.
our children.
Ninety percent o f the teachers
Rather than spending time and
that minority children learn from resources creating artificial hoops
look differently than they do. Why through which our children can
does this matter'.’ Because research jump, the federal government would
shows that minority children excel be much better off bolstering the
at higher rates when taught by ranks of the teaching profession
teachers from their ethnic group. with qualified and dedicated minor­
When minority teachers teach mi­ ity teachers whose very presence
nority children, the children face would help to leave no child be­
higher expectations. The teachers hind.
Indeed, it takes a village to raise
expect more, demand more and the
a child, but it takes a teacher to raise
children achieve more.
The current focus on increasing a nation.
Judge Greg Mathis is chairman o f
student performance will not suc­
ceed without additional resources the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board anil
that increase and enhance the na­ anationalboardmemberof the South­
tions cache of minority teachers. ern Christian Leadership Conference.
with teacher
incentives
When minority
teachers teach
minority children,
the children face
higher expectations,