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.