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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