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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
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I
by
J ohn J . 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.