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March 15. 2006
Celebrating Women's History & Careers
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
FROM THE GOOD MEWS/BAD NEWS DEPARTMENT:
Imagine Rosa
Parks Way
Getting on board
E ditor’s note: The following is
from Rev. Willie Banks, the first
community leader to petition the
city to name a street (Sandy Bou
levard) in honor o f Rosa Parks.
Banks is now lending his support
to a proposal by City Commis
sioner Dan Saltzman to re-name
Portland Boulevard in honor o f
the late civil rights leader:
\ street named 'Rosa Parks Way’
is a very simple way of keeping her
name in our commu
nity. It is a wonderful
idea and a wonderful
way to honor her civil
rights achievements.
The m ore Rosa
Parks’ is said, the more
those w ho alread y
know her will be re
minded of her great
munity center. Business ow ners
will advertise on Rosa Parks Way ’
rather than Portland Boulevard’.
The name 'Rosa Parks' will be
th ro u g h o u t the pages o f the
phone book. The name will pro
mote pride in the surrounding
n eighborhoods and encourage
new businesses.
‘Rosa Parks W ay’ will be posted
on a large highway sign on Inter
state 5, leading people to the beau
tiful neighborhoods of north and
n o rth east P o rtlan d . E ven the
Internet will be affected.
As people map out driv
ing
d ire c tio n s
on
MapQuest, Google Lo
cal, Google Earth, Yahix)
Maps, Microsoft Virtual
Earth mapping web sites
will have 'Rosa Parks
W ay’ in their database.
Rosa Parks will not be
forgotten in Portland and
The more 'Rosa Parks'
is said, the more those
who already know her
will he reminded of her
great place in history.
Unwelcome Outlook for College Graduates
Financial aid,
jobs worsen
by
J udge G reg M athis
Rising college tuition
and cuts in federal Pell
grants and state aid pro
grams have caused more
students to rely on loans
to pay for their educa
tion. As such, the aver
age student's debt in
creased by more than 50
percent over the last 10 years.
With an increase in student loan
interest rates looming - rates are
scheduled to go up July 1 --current
and future student loan borrowers
will see large percentages of their
future income go towards repay
ing their education debt.
With the increasing cost of
higher education, one would ex
pect that a college degree would
guarantee a secure future. That is
no longer the case. As more and
more American jobs are taken
overseas, we will see more of our
young people invest in a college
education that cannot guarantee
them a job in a rapidly changing
v
place in history a?d those who do neither will civil rights or the fight
not know her will be provoked to for freedom. In northeast Portland
ask "Who was Rosa Parks'.’’’ and where the two streets intersect,
Rosa Parks will meet up with Martin
learn about her life.
When people ask where is ‘The Luther King Jr. once again. This will
Peninsula Park Rose Garden,' they be a fitting tribute to these two
will be told “700 N. Rosa Parks great people and to all who have
Way" rather than “700 N. Portland fought along their sides for the
Blvd." Buses displaying ‘Rosa equality we sometimes take for
Parks W ay' will drive students to granted.
Please show C om m issioner
Portland Community College. Kids
Dan
Saltzman you support this
will dance at the Faubion SUN Com
name
change by em ailing him at
munity School at 3039 N.E. Rosa
dsaltzm
an.ci.portland.or.us or by
Parks Way and working men and
calling
hisoffice
at 503-823-4892.
women will take the Max to the
Also,
show
your
support by at
‘North Rosa Parks W ay' transit
tending
the
public
hearing on the
station.
proposal
April
19
at
6 p.m. at the
The community will walk, drive,
In
te
rsta
te
F
ire
h
o
u
se
C u ltu ral
and take the transit system up
Center,
5340
N.
Interstate
Ave.
and down ‘Rosa Parks W ay’ to
—
Rev.
Willie
Banks
the Peninsula Park pool andcom -
global economy.
We can blame Congressional
budget cuts for the pending rise in
student loan interest rates. The in
crease will result in pay
ments that are 20 per
cent higher than those
made on loans locked in
under lowerrates. A drop
in direct aid - money that
doesn’t have to be paid
back - also contributes
to the rise in student
debt. Congress hasn't
increased the Pell Grant, the most
common direct aid for low-income
students, since 2003. As a result,
low-income students are carrying a
disproportionate amount of stu
dent debt. Not surprisingly, people
ofcolor are carrying more than their
fair share of student debt.
According to the Project for Stu
dent Debt, one fourth of low-in-
come students, many of them Afri
can-Americans, have more than
$27.(XX) in loans.
A country’s economic growth is
significantly impacted by the num
ber of adults that have a college
degree. By making it difficult to pay
for higher education, America is
jeopardizing itschances for contin e v e r, as it c u rre n tly sta n d s,
ued success in the global market A m erica is asking its citizens to
place. Countries like China and In invest time and money in an edu
dia, that educate a large numbers of cation that d o e sn ’t guarantee
students, are posing a serious threat sustainable em ploym ent.
With the cost of education so
to the way the U.S. does business.
Already, nearly halfamillion Ameri high and no relief in sight, it’s no
cans have been laid off because wonder that more young people are
their jobs were outsourced to for putting off college. If policymakers
By making it difficult to pay fo r
higher education, America is
jeopardizing its chances fo r continued
success in the global marketplace.
eign countries, where the laborforce
is educated and much cheaper.
Experts expect the num ber of
outsourced U.S. jobs to grow to
3.3 million by 2015: causing about
250,(XX) layoffs a year. W hile dis
cussing the outsourcing trend.
President Bush recently remarked
“ ...le t’s make sure people are edu
cated so they can find - fill the
jobs o f the 2 1 *' century.” There is
no doubt that an education in
creases an individual's ability to
com pete in the w orkforce. How-
want to ensure A merica's place in
the marketplace, they must enact
legislation that controls the cost of
higher education while increasing
aid to students. This country’s
future as an economic powerhouse
rests on its ability to ensure a col
lege education is within financial
reach of its citizens.
Judge Greg Mathis is national
vice president o f Rainbow PUSH
and a national board member o f
the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.
Respecting the Vote in New Orleans
Clear confusion
for fair elections
OFF
TAX PREPARATION FEE
RAPID REFUND
JACKSON i TAX
HEWITT’
SERVICE
Two Locations:
2808 #PNEM LK
4100 NE Killingsworth
by U.S.
R ep . J ohn C onyers
In December, our country
provided Iraqi immigrants in
America the opportunity to
vote in Iraq's elections. We
provided satellite polling lo
cations across the United
States where they could vote
just the same as if they were in
Baghdad.
Is it asking too much that we
extend this same courtesy to our
own citizens that have suffered
devastating losses and were dis
persed across the country follow
ing Hurricane Katrina?
The sad fact is that the state of
Louisiana is about to conduct an
election with the largest disenfran
chisement in the history of this
nation.
What is happening in New O r
leans is that special elections,
scheduled to be held
on April 22, have been
planned with no notice
that the Voting Rights
Act applies to the state
of Louisiana.
According to Sec
tion 5 of the Voting
Rights Act, any proposed changes
to voting dates or precinct loca
tions must be pre-cleared by the
Department of Justice. So far, this
has not happened. In fact, 3(X) of
the city's 442 precincts are unavail
able for voting because of the dam
age from Hurricane Katrina.
And yet, the state has pushed
for early elections, when in fact,
suitable conditions will not yet ex
ist for free and fair elections.
Voter confusion and disenfran
chisement will be the clear conse
quence of the Apri 122 New Orleans
municipal elections.
When we passed legislation
addressing the possibility that a
terrorist attack on the U.S. Con
gress would require special elec
tions to reconstitute Congress,
even in those remarkable circum
stances it was held that the Voting
Rights Act was inviolable.
There is absolutely no circum
stance for which the Voting Rights
Act is too cumbersome to uphold,
and we must act now to ensure that
the state of Louisiana respects the
voting rights of every citizen of the
city of New Orleans.
Congressman John Conyers is
from Michigan. He is a member o f
the Congressional Black Caucus.
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