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 * } 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 CaCdwelï’s CoConiaC Chap e t 20 N.E. 14th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97232 (503) 232-4111 Denyse O. Peterson The Pre-arrangement Concept Dear Family Member: Deiiyse 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. 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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. \dveriisc m ¿rh ^Jortlanh (Observer 5O?-2ss 0033