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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2005)
^ ‘TJ art lattò © bseruer Page A 4 November 2, 2005 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion Fight Back Against Injustice from seem ingly ordinary people S en . B arack O bama O ur nation mourns Rosa Parks, doing extraordinary things. The image of Rosa Parks that a genuine A m erican hero, who died Oct. 24 at her home in D e will stay with so many Am ericans com es from a photograph that troit. Through her courage and by was actually taken over a year herexam ple, this giant of the Civil after she refused to give up that Rights m ovem ent helped lay the fifth-row seat. Taken on the very foundation for a country that day that the M ontgom ery, Ala. could begin to live up to its creed. transportation system was legally W ith a simple act o f civil d is integrated, it show s her once obedience that will forever be again seated on a bus, hands etched in A m erican history, she folded peacefully, gazing out the reminded us of the central truth w indow w ith a look o f quiet of the American experience - that determ ination. A w hite man is our greatness as a nation derives sitting behind her. by U . S. Rosa Parks H er gaze in this photograph is one o f a woman who was not looking for trouble the day she refused to give up her seat; one w ho was not planning to get ar rested, or there as an NAACP plant, as some have suggested. And yet, in her eyes you see a w om an w ho was ready for the choice she made. One who when confronted with a decision that could have meant physical harm, and certainly m eant the loss o f her ow n freedom , was prepared to accept all consequences in the nam e o f w hat was right; o f what was true. And so as we honor the life of Rosa Parks, we should not limit our commemorations to lofty eulogies. Rosa Parks showed the way Instead, let us commit ourselves to U.S. Sen. carrying on her fight, one solitary Barack act at a time, so that her passion Obama, may keep inspiring all of us, half a D-lll. century later, to find within our selves that courage to stare down ever we go, that all o f us should injustice and fight back, no matter be free and equal and have all what the cost. opportunities that others should Let me leave you with some have. And that is why I’m trying w ords o f inspiration from Rosa to instill and encourage and in Parks herself: spire young people to reach their “As I look back on those days, highest potential.” it’s just like a dream. And the only U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is a thing that bothers me was that we Democrat from Illinois and m em w aited so long to make this pro ber o f the Congressional Black test, and to let it be known wher- Caucus. NHM Bush’s Court Pick Insults Rosa Parks’ Memory by R ev . J esse J ackson Bush nominee adverse to civil rights While the nation and Congress honored Rosa Parks at the Capitol Rotunda Monday, the same morn ing President Bush recommended tion, and the denial of civil rights to the appointment of Samuel Alito, a all Americans. She defied the su state’s rights conservative judge, preme law sof the land,challenging the state’s policies of segregation. to the Supreme Court. Alito is considered a favorite of She changed the law and sparked a the conservative rightwing in the movement that brought us the 1964 nation that has stood on the oppo Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Vot site side of history from Rosa Parks. ing Rights Act. Our nation, and today’s Supreme His legal foundation is clearly ad verse to ci vil rights, w om en' s right Court, cannot turn its back on these to self-determination, la b o r-a n d it landmark accomplishments. We want three things to happen: has even earned him the nickname, “Scalito,” after the court’s most Support for a bill by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill. to place a conservative member. Rosa Parks was arrested forchal- permanent statue o f Rosa Parks in lenging states’ rights and segrega the Great Hall o f Congress. In Rosa We must address the lack of access to our current Department of Justice and the likelihood of a Supreme Court hostile to the fun damental legal gains we have made in advancing civil rights for all Americans. Finally, we cannot honor the legacy o f Rosa Parks and at the same time appoint supreme court justices with strict construction ists’ state rights legal philosophy. Rights Act; and we need a national The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is conference on civil rights to ad- fo u n d e r a n d p re sid e n t o f the dress the key civil and constitu- RainbowPUSH Coalition and a tional rights battles of our time. longtime Civil Rights advocate. We cannot honor the legacy of Rosa Parks and at the same time appoint supreme court justices with strict constructionists’ state rights legal philosophy. * Parks’ honor, Congress must ap prove and President Bush must sign legislation to extend the key en- forcement provisions o f the Voting Squandered Opportunity for Diversity President caters to far right wing F R I D A Y , N O V E M B E R 11 M E M O R IA L C O L IS E U M 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Be a Yood entrepreneur - lo\n trie Yood YXejrit'. B y wk ^ ouy best <A\sV\, and compete to \N\n a pvxxe o\ V25QQ worth o\ assxstanee to he\p br\n^ \ jouy product to market'. 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S weeney It is ironic that on the day we remember ci vil rights hem Rosa Parks in Washington, President Bush re jected an opportunity to unite our country with a nominee to the Su preme Court who could help bridge the difficult divides of race and class and politics in America today. Instead, he catered to the de mands of the far right wing of his party — a decision guaranteed to spark a fight over the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. And President Bush squandered an opportunity to bring greater di versity to the Supreme Court by choosing a woman or a person of color for this seat. On issues of equality, workers’ rights and the power of our elected representatives in Congress to im prove A m ericans’ lives, Judge Samuel Alito has repeatedly put basic rights at risk. It is critical that senators of both parties thoroughly scrutinize Judge A lito’s record and views on the rights of working people in order to evaluate his suitability for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s high est court. The Supreme Court hears and decides cases involving crucially important rights and protections— from the right to a safe workplace to minimum wages, family leave, free dom from discrimination and the right to form and join a union. It is imperative that any nominee to the nation’s highest court ap proach cases with an open mind free of ideological bias or agenda, and with understanding and re spect for the hard-fought gains workers have won in the legisla ture, in the executive branch and in the courts. John J. Sweeney is president o f the AFL-CIO. Integrated Schools Increase Opportunities For All by J udge G reg M athis The 9th U.S. Circuit C ourt o f A ppeals re cently upheld a ruling that gave Seattle public schools the authority to use race as a determining factor when admitting students. W hile many opponents of the prac tice say the ruling is harm ful to the public school system, research shows that all students benefit from ethnically diverse schools. W hite students are able to learn from others with different backgrounds, helping to dispel ste reotypes, and minority students gain access to a variety of networks - such as those that open the doors to college or jobs - that are often missing from racially segregated schools. T he c o u r t’s d e c isio n w ill strengthen voluntary - and much needed - integration efforts in school districts across the coun try. In Seattle, students are allowed to apply to any high school they want. When a school has more applicants than open slots, three “tiebreakers” are used to decide who gets in. Students with a brother or sister already enrolled at the school are selected first. Then, stu dents who will help keep the school in line with the entire district’s ra cial mix, which is over 60-percent minority, are chosen. Any remain ing openings go to students based on how close they live to the school. Such “balancing” ensures that all students have access to the educa tion and resources they need to succeed. Study after study has show n th a t schools with large mi n o rity p o p u la tio n s have a disproportion ate number of under q u a lifie d te a c h e rs with fewer years of ex perience than racially diverse schools or those with a majority white population. Add to this the lack of essential resources - current textbooks, up-to-date computer labs, tutoring for those who need and want it - and it’s no gardless of their own economic background, when the average s tu d e n t’s e c o n o m ic sta tu s is higher. Exposure to a world outside o f their own also increases a student’s am bitions, providing motivation to break down a variety o f barriers. M ore than half a century after Brown v. Board o f E ducation ended legal raced-based school segregation, many U.S. com m u n itie s and, as a re su lt, th e ir schools, are voluntarily separated along racial lines. However, several school dis tricts across the country have be- ' Several school districts across the country have begun to realize the importance o f a racially diverse educational system.^ wonder that nearly half of all black and Latino students drop out of high school. Many of those that do graduate are ill prepared for college and the American workforce. Because race and class often go hand in hand, it is no surprise that economics plays a big part in the success rates of racially diverse schools. Integrated schools tend to have higherenrollments of middle class students. Research has shown that students perform better, re- gun to realize the importance of a racially diverse educational sys tem. Much like affirmative action, school integration levels the play ing field, giving minority students the edge they need to be success ful in an increasingly competitive society. Judge Greg Mathis is Chair man o f the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a National Board Mem - her o f the Southern Christian Lead ership Conference.