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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2006)
M a r tin L u t h e r K ing j R . and R o s a P a r k s January 11, 2006 t a Page BS / Many Civil Rights Leaders Arrested in Bus Boycott Wften threatened by legal action that first day she refused to take a seat at the back of the bus, Parks told the driver to “go on and have me arrested." As she sat in the front of the bus, refusing to give up her seat, Parks reportedly recalled Bible lessons teaching people to stand up for their rights as the children of Israel stood up to Pharaoh. The next year, in 1956, Rosa Parks (left), along with nearly 100 other people including (from left) attorney Fred Gray, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Proffessor Jo Ann Robinson and Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were arrested for violating the bus segregation law. Montgomery's buses were integrated later that year. King's Dream of Economic Justice Unfulfilled Gap between haves and have-. nots too wide by K haya D arko T he P ortland O bserver A m erica has com e a long way in dealing with issues o f poverty since Dr. M artin L uther King J r.’s battle for ju stice in the late 1960s. H ow ever, there are still instances o f extrem e poverty and areas o f the w orking poor, according to Dr. T. Allen Bethel o f northeast Portland’s M aranathaC hurchofG od and presi dent of the A lbina M inisterial A lli ance. Low earnings for m any people m ean they don’t have enough dollars Dr. Rev. T. Allen Bethel of the Albina Ministerial Alliance says the economic justice wanted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has yet to be realized. to take care o f health or household expenses. The recent ravages o f Hur ricane K atrina exposed poverty in Am erica even more. Dr. Bethel says the gap betw een the haves and the have-nots is simply too wide. Taking advantage o f opportunities such as libraries, universities. Internet, and furtherresources, including higher education financing is not practical for many black families. Barriers hold back a lot o f m em bers o f the African American community. In generations past, the level o f econom ic prosperity was often only so high, regardless o f dream s, and people settled for whatever they have with a few exceptions. A constant barrage of frustration, injustice, bar riers and despair broke the drive for prosperity to many Americans. “Even aftercollege blacks still have doors shut in their faces com pared to th e ir w h ite c o u n te r p a r t s ,” said Dr. Bethel. Today, m any fam ilies cannot af ford com puters, even as prices drop. People live from paycheck to pay check. A lso the fear o f technology and lack o f proper guidance causes people to shy aw ay after one or two m istakes, Dr. Bethel said. There are African American lead ers who are doing a great jo b given the circum stances and barriers they themselves face. Dr. Bethel said. But he encourages the community at large tocommunicate more with their sena tors and leaders and voice their con- continued P ortland S tate UNIVERSITY Portland State University is a nationally aeelaimed leader in eommunity-based learning. reaching, research, diversity, and service from the cornerstone of Oregon’s only public urban university. We offer more than 100 undergraduates. M aster’s and doctoral degrees, as well as graduate certificates, continuing education and distance learning programs. The PSU campus is located along the tree-lined South Park Blocks of downtown Portland, in the heart of the city’s population, economic, industrial, and cultural center. With a current enrollment of approximately 25,000 students, Portland State is Oregon's largest and most diverse university, serving more students and conferring more graduate degrees annually than any other university in the state. PSU recognizes that diversity in faculty, staff, and student populations enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth, strengthens communities and the workplace, and enhances personal and professional opportunities. As a public university we strive for equity and social justice and to make our programs truly accessible to our diverse constituents. Our University values campus diversity and demonstrates this in campus program and initiatives; we particularly encourage members of historically under-represented groups to apply for positions. Portland State U niversity invites you to vie w current openings on our website at w w w .hrc.pdx.edu. Portland State University isan Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity institution and, in keeping with the President's diversity initiative, welcomes applications from diverse candidates and candidates who support diversity. on pape B9
