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Page A4
August I, 2007
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
Black Community
Must Be Heard
Critical issues
left out of
debate
D r . L enora Ft i . ani
The more you look at
it, the more you see an
absence o f dialogue
about the choice between Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton. The
majority of the black political estab­
lishment in my state of New York
has closed ranks behind Hillary and
used that to tamp down public de­
bate on which candidacy - Obama's
or Hillary's - makes the most sense
for black voters to support.
Let me be very clear here. I have
not endorsed Obama's presidential
campaign. Moreover, I am an inde­
pendent and therefore not a voter
by
we have the opportunity to elect a
black president and to "turn the
- is thrashed out from the
barbershop to the bar­
becue.
Rev. A1 Sharpton has
noted that he intends to
endorse in the fall. But
he is far from neutral,
even now. He suggested
that Obama's candidacy is merely
"symbolic" and raised questions
about why Obama hasn't gotten
"more traction."
The answer is that the Clintons,
in conjunction with black Demo­
crats and the media are creating an
environment where there can be no
real debate, much less traction.
It's time for the black community
to speak out.
We can't allow the Clinton-allied
black Democrats to "suck up all the
We can't allow the Clinton-
fjz.cw\ 'Tt^ Hi
Racial Diversity in Schools Matters
But tools to
make it happen
are taken away
M. L inda J aramillo
Many years ago, I was
privileged to serve on the
Board of Education of a
local suburban school
district in Oregon. Prior
to the early 70s, the sur­
rounding community was
primarily comprised of
Caucasian families. As
demographics began to change and
hundreds o f Hispanic fam ilies
moved in, the face of the schools
became a reflection of a new diver­
sity. The struggle to adapt began.
Anytime a community faces
change and transition, tensions and
growing pains are commonplace.
Anytime the status quo is disrupted,
there will be some level of grief and
lamenting the loss of the "good ole
days.”
It is no, unusual to be anxious
and afraid when we are forced to
engage with different cultures and
traditions. So the change in the
cultural environment in the com­
by
munities and schools surrounding of every family, not just some.
The board made a difference in
this small town was met with much
such
serious matters as school
trepidation.
boundaries
that created opportu­
In te re stin g ly , during those
nities
for
students
of different ra­
changing times the community
cial
backgrounds
to
go to school
elected two Hispanics to the local
Board of Education, who together. This small Oregon school
then represented 40 per­ district boldly established values
cent of the five-member that were later substantiated by
Board. I wasoneofthem. research that continues to demon­
Even in times when strate that all children benefit from
anxiety about losing the learning with and from children
status quo was at its whose backgrounds are different
height, the makeup of from their own.
However, last month, the high-
the school d is tric t’s
The highest court in this
nation made a decision that will
have a serious impact on school
districts that value diversity.
policymaking body symbolized the est court in this nation made a de­
new diversity. The difference it cision that will have a serious im­
made was not so much because of pact on school districts that value
us personally, but because this di­ diversity and are trying to live into
verse board was able to make con­ it. I fear the decision will result in the
scious and challenging decisions re-segregation of schools.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck
that considered the cultural values
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down voluntary school integra­
tion programs in Louisville and
Seattle, and rejected school racial
integration itself as a compelling
interest, even as it affirmed the
need for diversity. The majority
agreed that diverse and inclusive
schools are important to the fu­
ture of our country and that com­
munities have a clear stake in
overcom ing the isolation and
marginalization of children.
Four Justices lament that this
decision will make it harder for
school districts to design pro­
grams that bring chi ldren together
across racial lines.
“Many parents want their chil­
dren to attend schools with chil­
dren of different races. Indeed,
the very school districts that once
spurned integration now strive
for it. The long history o f their
efforts reveals the complexities
and difficulties they have faced.
And in light o f those c h a l­
lenges, they have asked us not
to take from their hands the
instrum ents they have used to
rid their schools o f racial segre­
gation, instrum ents that they
believe are needed to overcom e
the problem s o f cities divided
by race and poverty," the d is­
senting opinion said.
It is a mixed message. The court
affirms that diversity matters but
they have taken away the tools
necessary to make it happen.
M. Linda Jaramillo is execu­
tive minister o f Justice and Wit­
ness Ministries fo r the United
or email subscriptions® portlandobserver.com j
Church o f Christ.
NEW S E A S O N S
in New Y ork's Democratic presi­
dential primary on Feb 5. But I am a
political leader and I am concerned
that the Clinton steamroller has shut
down public discussion of critical
issues affecting the black commu­
nity.
Obama must more directly con­
front Hillary about the real record of
Clintonism in the 1990s, a philoso­
phy that means feeding the corpo­
rate sector through liberalized free
trade, while failing to address the
needs o f the American people,
whose wages and living standards
have stagnated or declined, while
Wall Street is making record prof­
its.
Globalization is a fact of 21st
century life. But the political ques­
tion is how the interests of the
American people will fare in that
environment. Clintonism is famous
for "putting people first" in rheto­
ric, but putting "supercapitalism"
first in reality. This issue - among
others - must be pursued, particu­
larly in terms of how the interests of
black America are affected.
In South Carolina, an early pri­
mary state with a large black voting
population, the O bam a/Clinton
debate has been very intense. The
question - Is it "Hillary's time" or do
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oxygen." We need to challenge
those black leaders who are partici­
pating in this by demanding that
there be a real public dialogue on
the choices.
In 1992,1 stood up on a chair at
Harlem Hospital to confront Bill
Clinton about his refusal to sup­
port open debates. He got very
pissed off and said "Dr. Fulani, the
world doesn't resolve around you."
I never thought it did. Nor did I
think the world would resolve its
problems "around" him - and I was
right.
Clintonism was eight years o f
a g g re s s iv e p r o -c o rp o ra tis m ,
w h ile " tria n g u la tin g " to get
elected. Is it any w onder that
G eorge Bush cam e next? His so-
called "com passionate conserva­
tism" was barely distinguishable
from Clintonism.
Let's have a forum at the Apollo
where SenatorCIinton and Senator
Obama discuss the issue of how to
open up and expand political dia­
logue in the black community. Let's
make sure the people, not the poli­
ticians, decide the 2008 presiden­
tial election.
Lenora Fulani is a developmen­
tal psychologist and a long-time
political activist.
Dems in Congress
Are No Bargain
Replace the
business as
usual crowd
by J im
M A R K E T
yigf/
allied black Democrats to
'suck up all the oxygen.
H ightower
To the Democratic lead­
ers of Congress. I can only
say: Heck of a job!
In less than six months,
the top D em ocrats have squan­
dered the outpouring o f public
support gained from last year’s
congressional elections. On the
war, on ethics, and on challeng­
ing corporate power, American
voters expressed faith that Demo­
crats would change Congress and
begin to serve the public interest.
But - poof! - that faith is gone.
The latest polls show that only 27
percent of the people approve of
the way Congress is doing its
job.
Why the precipitous decline?
Because the "new" Democrats are
still burdened with too many don't-
rock-the-boat, money-soaked, cor­
porate-backed old Democrats who
sit in key leadership posts. They
are so entrenched that they don',
feel the public's anger about Iraq,
so they have no sense of urgency
about confronting this out-of-con-
trol president.
Even on congressional ethics
reform, which should be a slam-
dunk for Democrats, some of the
old bulls have balked. They don't
want an independent ethics com-
they don't want to limit
their own possibilities
of cashing in to become
lobbyists, and they don',
want to stop using lob­
byists as their campaign
fundraisers.
Then, on their first
chance to co n fro n t corporate
power, some old-guard Dem o­
crats have w easeled. Rather than
an honest, bold energy bill to
stop the corporate causes o f c li­
m ate change, the D em o crats’
House bill would prevent the En­
vironm ental Protection Agency
from regulating greenhouse gas
em issions from cars and trucks,
would prevent states from doing
so, and would se, fuel economy
standards w eaker even than Mr.
Bush has proposed!
What this means is that our job
of congressional clean up is not
complete. Voters made a good star,
las, year, but we must continue next
year, recruiting and electing more
true reformers to replace the busi-
ness-as-usual crowd that's clog­
ging up both parties.
Jim Hightower is a national
radio commentator, writer, public
speaker and author o f Thieves In
High Places: They've Stolen Our
Country And It's Time to Take It
I