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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.
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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