ílK JJo rtla n b (lf)hseruer
Page A 4
March 16, 2005
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Staggering
Unemployment
by U.S.
i
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SílfÍHG °N EVÍPEHC6
5 YEARS
R eh .M ei .W att
U nem ploym ent numbers re-
leased last week show that African
American unemployment has in­
creased to a staggering 10.9 per­
cent, once again widening the al­
ready dramatic gap that existed
between White Americans and Af­
rican Americans in jobs, economic
opportunity and ability to survive.
"The rate of unemployment for African Americans is
consistently more than double the rate for White Ameri­
cans. This is simply unacceptable and must be dealt with.
It can only be dealt with by an aggressive commitment to the
Agenda outlined to the President by the Congressional
Black Caucus in our meeting with him in January - acommit-
ment to closing disparities that continue in every aspect of
our lives.
We call on the President, once again, to show his personal
commitment to closing these disparities and call on him to
rally the country behind the persistent and unfinished
business of closing these disparities.
Only then can our country realize its full potential and
honor its commitment to provide equal opportunity for all.
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt. D-N.C., is chairman o f the Congres­
sional Black Caucus.
Fighting for Economic Justice
Remembering ‘Bloody Sunday’
Wage increase would have helped impoverished
Anniversary reminds us o f need fo r voting rights
by
J udge G reg M athls
The minimum wage pro­
posal recently voted down
by the U.S. Senate could
have helped m illions o f
people move out of poverty.
The federal government
measures the poverty levels
at $ 18,660fora family of four,
$ 15,700 fora family of three and less for smaller and
single households. If the minimum wage had been
increased to $7.25 an hour as Sen. Edward
Kennedy proposed, it would have brought a
family of three within a few hundred dollars of
climbing above the poverty rate with a yearly
salary slightly over $15,000. It would certainly
have lifted a family of two above the poverty rate.
The minimum wage increase also would have
helped the so-called working poor, who may have
tw oor three family members working at minimum
wage jobs. The increase would have helped such
fam ilies deal with unexpected emergencies,
healthcare insurance or college tuitions.
Instead, the U.S. Senate took a different path
and made it harder for the poor to eliminate debt
and rise out of poverty by voting in favor o f a new
law that limits bankruptcy.
Some argue that increasing the minimum wage
would hurt the economy by cutting into corporate
profits and thereby reducing economic growth. It
may very well reduce the billions of profits being
hoarded by the super-rich. However, most mini­
mum wage increases in past years have excluded
some small businesses with limited employees,
thereby limiting the effects on small businesses,
which by the way employ more people than big
corporations when totaling all employment num­
bers.
Although the current fight to increase the
minimum wage has been lost, we must not give up.
We must fight for economic justice for the poor.
The last minimum wage increase approved by
congress occurred nearly nine years ago. Com ­
paratively, Congress has voted to raise their
salaries seven times since then. There is definitely
something wrong with that picture.
Judge Mathis is chairman o f the Rainbow
PUSH-Excel Board and a national board mem­
ber o f the Southern Christian Leadership Con-
ference.
by A nthony
D. R omero
Forty years ago, television view­
ers saw 500 peaceful demonstrators
in Selma, Ala., teargassed and beaten
with billy clubs by police.
The marchers were protesting the
murder of a young unarmed black
man and the continued disenfran­
chisement of blacks in the South. The
brutal, unprovoked attack o f them
sparked national outrage, and was a
catalyst of the civil rights movement.
Just five m onths after "B loody
Sunday,” C ongress passed the V ot­
ing Rights A ct, one o f the most
successful civil rights law s in our
nation’s history. It put an end to
poll taxes, literacy tests, and other
discrim inatory barriers. It helped
in c re a se the n u m b e r o f black
elected officials from 300 in 1964 to
over 9,100 today. And, through its
checks and balances on state poli­
cies, it continues to guarantee that
m inority voters have th eir voices
heard at the polls.
Now, portions of the law are up for
renewal. On the anniversary of Bloody
Sunday, we should remember the his­
toric struggle of those who have sac­
rificed their lives for civil rights. We
should take stock of all that the Vot­
ing Rights Act has accomplished.
But we should also recognize, as
President Johnson said, “the battle is
not over.”
A federal court ruled in 2004 that
S o u th D a k o ta d is c r im in a te d
against N ative A m erican voters
through redistricting: Lines were
draw n so that N ative A m ericans
were over-concentrated in a single
district, in an illegal tactic called
“packing,” thereby diluting their
strength at the polls. Recent redis­
tricting schem es in T exas, L ouisi­
ana, A labam a and other states have
also been challen g ed using the
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Voting Rights Act. Clearly, the V ot­
ing Rights Act is still needed. H ow ­
ever, in 2007, three crucial parts of
the act will expire unless C ongress
votes to renew them.
The Voting Rights Act w asn’t a
quick fix, it was one part of a very long
process. The act’s mission-ensuring
fairness in our political process and
equal opportunity for minorities in
American politics-is enduring.
P resident R eagan understood
this, as he and a near unanimous
Congress reauthorized the law 25
years ago with virtually no dissent.
In fact, each time the law has been
renewed, it has been ratified by a
Republican president: Johnson, Ford,
Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Presi­
dent Bush should make sure he fol­
lows in those footsteps.
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