July 11.2007 Page A4 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Unfortunate Rewriting of Equal Protection L im e PICK CHEHfcY AHP THE CHERRY TREE K nockdow n o f school integration plans was a wake up call as A frican -A m eri M atthews S r . cans, have been d i T he d ecisio n by the S u m in ish ed by this p rem e C o u rt to strike dow n d e c isio n b ec au se v o lu n ta ry school in teg ratio n it d o es not allow p la y s in L o u isv ille, K y., and states to use race S eattle w as as d isap p o in tin g as a facto r in d e as it w as a w ake up call. term in in g w ho sits It is truly u n fo rtu n ate that k—1 next to w hite c h il the S uprem e C ourt has re w ritten the m eaning o f the Equal dren in a classroom . But I ask the q u estion, do black P ro te ctio n clau se o f the U nited S ta te s C o n s titu tio n to p ro tec t ch ild ren need to sit next to w hite th o se acts that it w as w ritten to ch ild ren to learn? Do w e need an integrated classro o m to elev ate p ro tect against. But the co u rt d id o u r co u n try a our c o llec tiv e in te llig e n tsia to fav o r by aw ak en in g a sleeping com pete, as a people, in the now g ian t; a giant w ho w ill channel its global eco n o m y ? W hat w e need is a co llec tiv e en e rg y o f d isa p p o in tm en t into effort to raise the level o f e d u c a en erg y o f action — action to raise tion in our co m m u n ities such that the level o f qu ality ed ucation in c o u rt o rd e re d in te g ra tio n b e o u r co m m u n ities and the level o f com es a relic o f a b y -g o n e era. o u r ex p e ctatio n s o f tho se we e d u For KM) years the Brothers of cate. W e can no longer accept or Alpha Phi A lpha Fraternity. Inc., ex p ect m ed io crity . W e m ust not have been at the forefront o f efforts only expect ex c ellen c e, but also to improve educational opportuni d em an d it. T his is not an easy ties and to ensure equal opportu nity for all of America's citizens. We task but it is w orthw hile. T he hue and cry o f m any civil will continue to fight for the rights rig hts pu n d its and citizen s has o f children in this nation. Darryl K. M atthew, Sr. is gen been that the decisio n could set th is co u n try back to its p r e - 1954 eral president o f the Alpha Phi sep arate but equal w ays; that we. Alpha Fraternity. by D arryl R. Ç n h c r r i h p t 5O3-288-OO33Ì F ill O u t & Send T o: (The i b rt lattò (Ohseruer I I I Atttv. Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 | I s u b s c r i p t i o n s a re j u s t $ 6 0 p e r y e a r I (please include check with this subscription form) I I N ame : ___________________________ I I .A ddress : T elephone : I I or email subscriptions® portlandobserver.com I J Advertise with diversity zzi 11,1 I t l n r t l a n h ffifrs e ro e r ( all 5()3-288-(X)33 ads@portlandob server.com uTl/Æ • MMMMMMMMHMMNNNMMMMNNMNNHNHHMHMnMMNHMMHMM PCC C ascade C onnection Get involved in the Urban League by A lgie C. G atewood O ne o f the m ost rew arding ef forts o f my tim e in Portland has been my past year as board chair for the Urban League o f Portland. Few experiences have taught me as much about the kind o f city that Portland is, and no experi ence has m ade me feel m ore like a Portlander at heart. T he Urban League is an orga nization that is hardw ired into seem ingly every distinct com m u nity in Portland. Its m em bers and leaders are draw n from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, and com prise a cross-section o f nearly every racial, ethnic and cultural group in our city. T his diverse collection o f citi zens is united around one, broad objective: toelevate the economic, educational and social condition o fo u r entire city. A nd 1 am happy to say that over the past year, the Urban League added significantly to both its individual and corpo- rate m em bership. The organization has much to be proud o f these days. In the arena of education, our prim ary area o f in terest, the Urban L eague’s pro gram s have show n categorical im provem ents in student attendance, test scores, grades, and - most significantly - a 100 percent gradu ation rate for all participating high school seniors over the past two years. O ur team o f Portland Public S c h o o ls - c e r tif ie d A c a d e m ic Coaches continued their fine work with local young people, helping 60 percent o f their charges to increase their grade point averages, with 40 percent posting significant GPA increases, som etim es as m uch as 50 percent. The Urban League Foun dation has been an outstanding partner with our city ’s public ed u cation system , at every level from pre-school through high school and beyond. Safeguarding the respected el- NEW S E A S O N S M A R K E T N O W D E L IV E R IN G Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e . ders o f our com m unity has also been a focus o f the Urban League since its inception, and this past year w as no different. Through our Senior C enter in northeast Port land, as well as through ongoing outreach and advocacy, the o rga nization has helped area seniors to liveem pow ered, independent lives. The Urban League’s efforts have helped our seniors with energy a s s is ta n c e d u rin g th e w in te r months, with transportation around the m etro area, and with a wide- ranging slate o f enriching activi ties, classes, and trips. Finally, the U rban League has been in the vanguard o f the con tinuing effort to advance the causes o f civil rights, social justice and e c o n o m ic e m p o w e rm e n t. T h e organization’s leadership worked closely with state legislators dur ing the 2007 session to identify le g is la tiv e p r io r itie s fo r th e underserved populations o f Port land and beyond. At the local level, the Urban League o f Portland continues to advocate for enlightened policies that benefit the less fortunate, in cluding reducing tobacco adver tising in low -incom e com m unities, protesting against county budget cuts to social program s, and work- » ing to retain funding fo r sen io r se rv ic es. Sim ply p u t, there is no b etter ad v o cate in P o rtlan d for people o f c o lo r, p a rtic u la rly A fric an A m e r ic a n s , th a n th e U rb a n L eague. O n m any o f the p e rn i cio u s p ro b lem s that co n tin u e to tro u b le o u r so ciety - uneq u al treatm ent for D riving W hile Black or G ettin g a H om e L oan W hile Black, for ex am p le - th e U rban L eague co n tin u es to lead the w ay tow ard g rea ter to leran ce and u n d e rsta n d in g . As long as the struggle contin ues, the Urban League will be there. But how ever much good work the Urban League carries out, with ad ditional resources - both financial and human - we can do even more. W hile my term as Board C hair is com ing to a close, my efforts on behalf o f the League will continue, and I hope you will join me. I urge everyone to get involved with the Urban League - make a donation, volunteer your time, and help ad vance the cause o f liberty and ju s tice for all. Algie C. Gatewood, Ed.D., out going Chair o f the Board fo r the Urban League o f Portland, is presi den t o f P o rtla n d C om m unity College's Cascade Campus. Discriminatory Drug Sentencing Fix disparity in jail terms for crack, powder cocaine by C aroline w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up) A lgie G yieyhxi ) F redrickson The Am erican Civil Lib erties U nion praises Sen. Joseph Biden, D -D el.,forhis introduction o f a bill aim ed at addressing the sentenc ing disparity betw een crack and pow der cocaine. U n d erth ecu rren t law. distribut ing five gram s of crack cocaine car ries a mandatory minimum sentence o f five years in federal prison, while distributing 5(X) gram s o f pow der cocaine carries the same sentence. Senator Biden's bill would fix this I (X): I sentencing disparity, raising the am ount o f crack cocaine re quired to trigger the ten-year m an datory m inim um to 5(M) gram s, the same as pow der cocaine. The law establishing this federal drug sentencing policy has been in place for 2 0 years now. What's clear - to the ACLU, to the U.S. Sentenc ing C o m m issio n th at's rec o m m ended a change on four separate occasions, and to Sen. Biden - is that it doesn't work. It hasn't suc ceeded in getting crack cocaine off the streets or targeting m ajor drug dealers. Instead, the m andatory m ini mums have subjected low-level par ticipants in the drug trade, such as couriers and look outs, to the same or harsher sentences as m ajor dealers. Senator Biden's bill will re pair an unjust and ineffec tive law. and we urge his colleagues in the Senate to support it The A nti-D rug Abuse Act of 1986, passed during the m edia frenzy follow ing the death o f U ni versity o f M aryland basketball star Lcn Bias, established mandatory minimum sentences for distribution o f specific am ounts o f cocaine. However, it also established the KM): I disparity between distribution of powder and crack cocaine. The discrepancy rem ains despite re peated recommendations by the U.S. Sentencing Commission toCongress to reconsider the penalties. Caroline Frederickson is the director o f the American Civil Lib erties U nion's Washington Legis lative office.