B lack H istory M Page A 6 onth .W s p e c ia l conera< fe. February 2 .2 0 0 5 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion Honor King and Follow his Agenda Continue struggle against injustice J udge G reg M athis Dr. King would no doubt be honored by the numerous pa rades, dinners, and celebrations held throughout the past holiday honoring his birthday. He would also be proud o f those w ho marched for justice in his name. Indeed many chose to celebrate the King holiday by continuing his legacy o f struggle against injustice. In Colum bus, G eorgia thou- by Jesse Jackson, D ennis Hayes, in te r im p r e s id e n t o f th e N A A C P, and m any others in the m arch for ju stic e on b e h alf o f K enneth W alker. T hou sands o f people from C olum bus and A tlanta, G eorgia cam e togeth er to honor Dr. King by m arching for ju stic e on behalf o f K enneth W alker. In ad d i tion to providing support for his w ife, daughter, and m other, we w ere able to add m om en- turn to the fight for ju stic e on b ehalf o f K enneth and so many other victim s o f police m is conduct and racial profiling. The spirit of Dr. King should live on, not only as a celebra- The spirit of Dr. King should live on, not only as a celebration, but also as inspiration for our continuous struggle against injustice. \ sands m arched for justice over the killing o f Kenneth W alker by a country p olice o fficer. K enneth W alker was an un armed A frican-A m erican killed in a police traffic stop over a year ago. The officer was fired from his job after it was determined he had no legitimate reason for shoot ing the law abiding husband and father. Yet, several months after being fired from his jo b for the shooting, the county’s grand jury refused to indict him for the crime. Currently, federal investi gators are reviewing the case as a possible civil rights violation. Hopefully, they will issue an in dictment. I was privileged to jo in Rev. Ahi H^P p W e k ^ W T he iRAÇf E iE cw M o VIAS ON THEUPAHtUP; ' ELEC TS \ ¡X iC C C I O l X .V BECAUSE THEY E W T SAM E ADVANCED HIGH-TECH WE USED D tló l© © U R , \?RES«)EHT i ÁLEIE c T/ í >HS^ BUSH S>Y 2%. • ] i i 7 ■ M M M M M O M N IN M MMMHBHHMHMNnMHMaillMnMHHnRMBaNMnMnMM Decent Standard of Living Gone Astray Tie minimum wage to salaries in Congress tion, but also as inspiration for our continuous struggle against injustice. Dr. King died as a martyr for the cause of justice and equality, not just for a holi day celebration. by H olly S klar We must not only honor him, D id you know that raising the we must follow his agenda. George W. Bush and many | m inim um w age w as a dem and right wing war-mongering po o f the M arch on W ashington for litical conservatives are now Jobs and Freedom w here the honoring Dr. King but work Rev. M artin L uther K ing Jr. against everything he repre g av e his “ I have a D re a m ” sented. Let us distinguish our sp eech? selves by following Dr. Martin j King, A. Philip R andolph and Luther King Jr. Judge Greg Mathis is chair other leaders o f the 1963 m arch man of the Rainbow PUSH- dem anded “a national m inim um Excel Board and a national \ w age act that wi 11 gi ve al 1 A m eri - board member of the Southern cans a decent standard o f liv Christian Leadership Confer- | ing.” ence. They d id n ’t dream th at four CafdweCC’s CoConiaC Chapel 20 N.E. 14th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97232 (503) 232-4111 Denyse O. Peterson T he . results 0.P THIS jraqi T The Pre-arrangement Concept Dear Family Member: Denyse Peterson represents funeral homes and cemeteries in the Portland Metro politan area. Many families have a difficult time getting through all the associated decisions, questions, grief and financial responsibilities that follow when a loved one dies. Denyse’s responsibility is to provide information. Pre-arranging lessens the burden before the time of death with challenges such as emotional ov erspending, indecision, haste and worry. decades later, the value o f the m inim um w age w ould go dow n as the cost o f housing, food, health care and o th er necessi ties w ent up. T hey d id n ’t dream that four decades later, 36 m il lion A m ericans w ould be below the official poverty line — far below a decent standard o f liv ing. T hey didn ’ t dream that four decades later, the black poverty rate w ould still be triple that o f w hites. A t the tim e o f the m arch, the m inim um w age w as $7.80 an hour, adjusting fo r inflation in 2004 dollars. T o d a y ’s m inim um w age prescribed by federal law is far low er — ju st $5.15 an hour. In “W here D o W e G o From H ere?” K ing w rote, “T here is nothing but a lack o f social vi sion to prevent us from paying an a d e q u a te w a g e to e v e ry A m erican citizen w hether he be a h o s p ita l w o rk e r, la u n d ry w orker, m aid o r day laborer.” T he m inim um w age reached its peak value in 1968, the year King was assassinated. T o d ay ’s $5.15 m inim um w age is 41 per cent less than 1968’s inflation- a d ju ste d m in im u m w ag e o f $8.78. Full-tim e, year-round m ini m um w ag e w o rk e rs m ade $18,262 in 1968, adjusting for inflation. T oday’s full-time m ini m um w age w orkers m ake ju st $10,712 a year. T he m inim um w age sets the w age floor. A s the floor sinks, m illions o f w ork ers find them selves in poverty. C ertainly, K ing d id n ’t dream th a t fo u r d e c a d e s a fte r th e M arch on W ashington, the U.S. C onference o f M ayors w ould find in its annual “H unger and H om elessness Survey” that 17 percent o f the hom eless w ere em ployed, as w ere 34 percent o f adults requesting em ergency food assistance. M ost A m e ric a n s b e lie v e a jo b sh o u ld keep you o u t o f p o v e rty , n o t k e e p y o u in it. M ost A m e ric a n s w ant to raise C ongress earned nine tim es the pay o f m inim um w age w orkers. N ow , they earn 15 tim es as m uch. T o reverse that grow ing gap, C ongress should tie their pay raises to raises in the m ini m um wage. G e o rg ia C o n g re ssm a n John L e w is, a le a d e r o f the M arch on W ashington, has said if King w ere aliv e, “ he w o u ld be in the fo refro n t o f rem inding the g o v e rn m e n t th at its first c o n cern sh o u ld be the b a sic n eeds o f its c itiz e n s - n o t ju s t black 1 At the time o f the 1963 March on Washington, members o f Congress earned nine times the pay of minimum wage workers. Now, they earn 15 times as much. t th e m in im u m w age s ig n if i A m e ric a n s but all A m erican s - fo r fo o d , sh e lte r, h e a lth care, can tly . Yet, Congress has had seven e d u c a tio n , jo b s , liv a b le in pay raises since 1997, w hen the c o m e s and the o p p o rtu n ity to m inim um w age w as last in re a liz e th e ir full p o te n tia l.” C o n g re s s a n d th e W h ite creased, while approving no in creases for minimum w age earn H ouse should stop taking a holi ers since then. This month, con day from K in g ’s dream and gressional pay rose to $ 162,100 - enact, “a national minimum wage way up from $133,600 in 1997. act that w ill give all A m ericans That $28,500 congressional pay a decent standard o f living.” H olly Sklar, a longtim e hike is more than the total eam - ingsof two minimum wage w ork journalist and activist, is co author o f “Raise the Floor: ers. At the tim e o f the 1963 M arch Wages and Policies That Work on W ashington, m em bers o f fo r All O f Us. ” CLARK COLLEGE Our personal planning guide can I k - a great benefit to loved ones. Overall, pre arranging will benefit families tremendously. Creating (fportimities Providing quality education for more than 70 years: The pre-arrangement Dignity Memorial providers are honored to help families in our community with your funeral and burial needs. T ra n s fe r D egrees • The Arts • Science Fields • Education Representing these fine funeral homes: • Caldwell’s Colonial Chapel • Sunnyside Chapel & Memorial Gardens T e ch n ic a l Training • Lincoln Memorial Park& Funeral Home • Hennessey, Goetseh & McGee Funeral Directors • Gateway I Jltle Chapel of the Chimes • I jncoln-Willamette Funeral Directors • Business • Healthcare Killmgsworth little Chapel of the Chimes • Ross I iollvwoixl Chapel • Skyline Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home • Computers • Technical Trades Continuing Education President Branch talks with students about their carter plans Clark College I* committed to enriching the cultural diversity of our campus through: • Professional • Personal Development Enrichment • Contract Training • Increased employment of faculty and staff of color into a record number of new positions for 2004-05 • Creation of a learning environment that models a respect for differences For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Denyse Peterson at (503) 232-4111. • Sponsorship of community events and lectures that reflect diverse populations and cultures I. (3 8 0 ) 9 9 2 -2 0 0 0 w w w .c la rk .a d u 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, W A 98663 5598 1