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Page A4
November 28, 2007
O pinion
Opinion articles do nPt
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
A Clash Between Poverty and Values C ascade C onnections
Don't blame the victim
m R honda S o io
A frican A m ericans have broken tw o new barriers,
according to the Pew C haritable Trust Econom ic
M obility P roject's new report.
A lm ost half the children o f m iddle-class blacks
have fallen into the lowest incom e bracket in the last
30 years, the first generation in a century to lose so
much ground. And for the first tim e, a m ajority ol
A frican Am ericans polled say that blacks are respon­
sible for their own econom ic situations, and that the
values o f poor and m iddle-class blacks have becom e
more different over the last generation.
Yeah, right, it's the values. T hose m iddle-class
African A m ericans w hose children are now in pov­
erty - rotten parents, every one o f them. W hile going
out to work every day. they were obviously telling
their children not to do the same. The black unem ploy­
ment rate in O ctober was double the w hite unem ploy­
ment, 8.5 percent versus 4.2 percent. Em ployers o f all
races, with their superior values, no doubt rejected
those black pavem ent-pounders because they could
see the poor work ethic a mile away. The quarter
million drop in the num ber o f U.S. jobs in October, and
all the offshore
— -------- -
outsourcing of
the last decade
must be "a poor
b la c k v a lu e s
thing."
It w as poor
b la c k v a lu e s
that led n eig h ­
b o rhoods o f co lo r to be targeted by predatory
lenders. It w a sn 't the secondary m ortgage in d u s­
try that started the current tsunam i o f fo reclosures
now evicting people, d isp ro p o rtio n a tely black and
L atino people - it w as the h o m e o w n e rs' bad v a l­
ues. H igher interest rates charged to borrow ers o f
c o lo r w ith identical credit rating are o bviously
p ayback fo r th eir poor behavior. A nd the m ostly
w hite executives w ho m ade mi 11 ions oft discrim ina­
tory su b -p rim e len d in g , they d eserv ed that rew ard
fo r th e ir ex em p lary m oral character.
The drop in unionization from 20 percent to 12
percent in the last 25 years w ouldn't have happened,
and the A m erican labor force w ould not have lost
265,(XM)black union workers, il those w orkers' values
had been better. The professional union-busting
consulting firm s, who advised com panies how to
illegally fire pro-union w orkers they're role models
o f the A m erican work ethic.
S im ilarly , the m ostly w hite C ongress m em bers
in creased th e ir ow n paychecks o v e r $ 5 0 .0 0 0 w ith
m ultiple raises since 1990 w hile blocking an in ­
crease in the m inim um w age for a reco rd -b reak in g
decade. A nd the m ostly all-w h ite b illio n aire s on
the I o rh es 400 list o f richest A m erican s w ho are
s2 9 0 b illio n rich er than last year- they m ust have
finest values o f all.
P rison se n ten ces are longer for b lack s and
L atinos than w hites co n v icted o f the sam e crim e
becau se judges can just see the d iffe re n c e in m oral
l iber betw een d efe n d an ts o f d iffe ren t races. A nd
o f co u rse em p lo y ers and health in su ran ce c o m p a ­
nies are not insuring 7.2 m illio n black p eo p le -
nearly 20 percent - becau se th eir m oral failin g s
have m ade them too sickly.
T he re-seg reg atio n o f schools and the w idening
gap in class sizes and per-p u p il sp en d in g betw een
mostly w hile and m ostly black sch o o ls? T he ro ll­
back o f affirm ativ e action in h ig h e re d u c a tio n ? All
due to the ch a racter flaw s o f A frican A m erican
s tu d e n ts .
A re valu es really the ex p lan atio n for the racial
incom e g ap ? O r do we too often assu m e that the
A m erican dream o f eq u al o p p o rtu n ity is a reality ?
Do we o v erlo o k g ro w in g stru ctu ral o b stacles that
block the path o f som e m ore than o th ers am ong
u s?
Em ployed African A m ericans on average work
Are values really the explanation fo r the
racial income gap? Or do we too often
assume that the American dream o f equal
opportunity is a reality?
more hours per w eek than em ployed w hite people.
Blacks are slightly less likely than whites to use illegal
drugs. They are more likely to be affiliated with a
religiouscongregation. Poll afterpoll show s no differ­
ence between races in attitudes tow ards education,
paid work, or expectations for ch ild ren ’s advance­
ment.
As a form er teacher I know that some young people
have sell-destructive attitudes and behaviors - some
black and Latino youth, some w hite youth, and some
youth of 30 years ago. Ear more young people have
talent, am bition, and a work ethic that go underutilized,
especially w orking-class youth o f color in this 'have
and have-nots' econom y.
W e as people o f color are used to noticing racism
and putting it into words. W e're less accustom ed to
nam ing classism but it's ram pant am ong middle-
class people o f color.
Is this what racial progress has com e to: M ore
m iddle-class blacks taking up the previously w hite
sport o f blam ing the victim ?
Higher Education and Your Future
by A lgie G atewood
O ne o f the best things about
being a com m unity college cam ­
pus president is the opportunity
to participate in the larger d ia­
logue about the future o f educa­
tion in our state. For som e tim e
now, I have had the good fortune
to serve on the O regon Board of
H igher E ducation’s Student Par­
ticipation and Com pletion sub­
com m ittee, a group led by the
very able Dr. Dalton M iller-Jones
o f Portland State University.
Right now, the subcom m ittee
is in the m idst o f the largest, most
com prehensive study ever un­
dertaken o f the barriers that can
prevent m em bers o f traditionally
underrepresented com m unities
from seeking a college degree.
Perhaps m ore im portantly. the
group is form ulating a com pre­
hensive set o f strategies to help
young students o f color o ver­
com e these barriers and em bark
on a life o f study and achieve­
ment.
In conducting its research, the
subcom m ittee discovered that,
in addition to the barriers that
one m ight expect to find between
a young student o f color and
higher education - low er expec­
tations from teachers and adm in­
istrators, the cycle o f generational
poverty - there is a pervasive
"lack o f preparation for college-
level coursew ork," as well as a
"lack o f understanding by stu­
dents and fam ilies around co l­
lege costs, financial aid, borrow ­
ing, applying for college and aid,
and the entire process o f select­
ing and getting into college.”
O ne o f the subcom m ittee's
Rhonda Soto is bi-racial activist who grew up in
Harlem.
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Inspiration
We’re all about that
When I Pooh a psychology
c la s s ap PCC. ip was
Phe firs P piene I didnP
s ip in c la s s and spare
aP a dock
! P ho u g hp, y
Phis is iP! This is
A
eny calling!
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by P edro S osa and A lice P erry
The A m erican Friends Service
Com m i (tee joi n s other fai th-based
organizations in expressing its
d is a g r e e m e n t
w ith
G ov.
K ulongoski’s recently signed Ex­
ecutive Order()7-22.
The order instructs the state's
D river and M otor V ehicle S er­
vices D ivision to tighten rules for
the identity verification require­
m ents for d riv er’s licenses and
identity cards.
T h e G o v e r n o r ’s o r d e r is
counter-productive and a setback
for O regon. T his d o esn ’t m ake
our highw ays any safer. Instead,
this will com plicate the daily life
o f im m igrants w ho drive to work,
shop for groceries, or drive with
their family m em bers to eh u reh o r
other places.
The order adds hardships for
(he state's 120,000-plus undocu­
m ented w orkers and im m igrants
already saddled with econom ic
in s e c u r ity d u e to in c re a s e d
I f students are exposed early and
often to a college environment, it will
seem less mysterious, they will be
better prepared fo r more rigorous
coursework and they will be instilled
with the realization that higher
education is, in fact, within reach.
behind this is that if students are young p erso n 's life can change in
exposed early and often to a college an instant. This is som ething that,
environment, it will seem less myste­ in my opinion, is beyond price.
rious, they will be better prepared for
If you are a student or a parent
more rigorous coursework and they from Jefferson or Roosevelt, and
will be instilled with the realization you h av en 't yet becom e involved
that highereducation is. in fact, within in the M iddle C ollege program, I
urge you to find out more about it.
reach.
Fortunately,just such a program D am on H iekok, the M iddle C o l­
a lre a d y e x ists fo r stu d e n ts at lege coordinator, can be reached
Je ffe rso n and R o o se v e lt H igh by e-m ail at dhiekok@ pee.edu.
Schools. T he M iddle C ollege Part­ It’s a choice that can m ake the
nership between Portland C om m u­ di fference o f a I i fetime.
nity C ollege'sC ascadeC am pus and
Algie C. Gatewood, Ed.D., is
the tw o high schools offers young president o f Portland Commu­
students the chance to take col- nity College's Cascade Campus.
w orksite raids, expedited deporta­
tions and increased public hostility
and scapegoating.
Im m igrant com m unities need a
path to legal residency and citizen­
ship, not added burdens.
T his new action is certain to
increase the fear in O re g o n 's un­
docum ented imm igrant com m unity
and there is a likelihood o f racial
have faced abuse or violence.
W e are losing sight o f the A m eri­
can values o f respect for each indi­
vidual and the human dignity of
every person.
A FSC will w ork with faith and
com m unity partners to protect the
civil and hum an rights o f the state’s
im m igrants. Indeed, this state deci­
sion is another indication that the
Immigrant communities need a
path to legal residency and
citizenship, not added burdens.
profiling. Prohibiting im m igrants
from taking driver education from
obtaining a license and therefore,
from becom ing an insured driver
increases the danger on the state’s
highw ays. U nlicensed and unin­
sured drivers lose the ability to
protect them selves or others should
an accident occur.
In addition, the order not only
affects licenses and ID cards; un­
docum ented im m igrants m ay be­
com e increasingly reluctant to work
with local public-safety agencies
and unw illing to contact the police
in situations where they or others
U.S. C ongress m ust act on hum ane
imm igration legislation.
A F S C callso n G o v . Kulongoski
to rescind the executive order. In­
stead, the G overnor should work
with O reg o n 's Congressional d el­
egation to exert pressure that will
lead to constructive national im m i­
gration legislation.
Pedro Sosa and Alice Perry work
with the American Friends Service
Committee, a Quaker organiza­
tion that includes people o f vari­
ous faiths who are committed to
social justice, peace and humani­
tarian service.
It’s not your standard funeral home...
it’s the new standard in funeral homes.
C r is p in
R R Y F A M IL Y
Psifchologtf M ajor
Future M a s te r's is Social
Winter term
starts January 7
Portland
< 9 > Com m unity
College
lege-level courses - for free - while
still enrolled in high school.
Students in the program are
helped through the college appli­
cation, adm ission, and registra­
tion processes, and receive hands-
on academ ic guidance through­
out their participation.
T he result o f program s like the
M iddle C ollege is that young stu­
dents o f color learn that higher
education can be part o f their fu­
ture plans. O nce that realization is
m ade, once a future o f possibility
is grasped, the entire course o f a
A Wrong Turn for Oregon
New LD. policy
brings undue
T“ " " “ “ “ — — — “ “ — “ “ “ “ — — " “ — “ “ — “ “ “ “ “ “ “
)3-288-00 3 3 'ri,‘TTutlaui» (Ohsmier I
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strategies for addressing these is­
sues involves the creation o f addi­
tional and more effective mentoring
andearly eollegeentry program s in
order to better acclim atize young
students to the w orld o f higher
e d u c a tio n ,
e s p e c i a l ly
w hen those
s tu d e n ts
m ight be the
first in their
families to at­
tend college.
T h e idea
We're all about
your future.
w w w .p c c .e d u
F u n e r a l H om
In a business where things seemingly stay
the same, a change has taken place. A
change that may raise the bar on the
level of service a family can experience
from a funeral home.
T erry
You see, w hen we w ent into business we
aspired to be so far and away the best
that a new level of excellence was to be
created. We w ould like you to know that
w e've achieved our goal.
23 37 N Williams Ave
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