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.
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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.