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A p ril 16. 2008
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O pinion
King Legacy Grows
Honor his memory,
but don’t give up
on his dream
B y M arc H. M orial
I was only 10-years-old
(he day a single bullet was
perm anently lodged into the
psyche o f the United States
o f America. W ith a Nobel Peace Prize and
the adm iration o f m illions under his belt.
Dr. M artin Luther King Jr. was already the
nation's undisputed cham pion o f free­
dom. But, on April 4, 1968, Dr. King be­
cam e a m artyr for a global m ovem ent that
continues to strengthen over time.
Forty years have passed since our
great "drum m ajor for justice" was assas­
sinated on the balcony o f the Lorraine
Hotel in M emphis. Bpt his drum beat
Four decades later, my ow n three chil­
dren are growing up in a much different
w orld thanks to the m ovem ent Dr. King
led. The num berof A frican-American col­
lege graduates and political leaders
has grown significantly. T he black
m iddle class is now a m ajor force in
America. And, we are in the midst o f a
historic presidential campaign in which,
for the first tim e, an African A m erican
and a w om an are leading contenders
for the W hite House.
But if Dr. K ing were still alive today, he
would not be silent in the face o f the
prevalent and tragic disparities in jobs,
hom eow nership, entrepreneurship and
the well being o f our children that con­
tin u e to im p e d e A fric a n -A m e ric a n
progress. And neither should we.
For98 years, the National Urban League
has stood with those who have fought for
equal opportunity. O ur own W hitney M.
Four decades later, my own three
children are growing up in a much
different world thanks to the
movement Dr King led.
continues to call us to the march o f free­
dom, not only in the United States, but all
over the world. Dr. K ing's legacy o f non­
violent resistance has played a part in the
end o f apartheid in South Africa, the tall
o f the Berlin W all, as well as the continu­
ing fight for equal opportunity here in
America.
For African Am ericans, Dr. K ing's life
and legacy have special significance. He
sym bolizes that m om ent in tim e when
Am erica was com pel led to com e to terms
with the hypocrisy o f a constitution that
proclaimed all men as equal, except us. His
relentless dem and for civil rights and
universal human rights put the face of
dignity on an A labam a woman just trying
to take a bus ride hom e after a hard d ay ’s
work. It pul the heart o f humanity into the
struggles o f sanitation workers in M em ­
phis. It gave moral authority to leaders in
W ashington who knew the time for change
had come.
Young was one o f the “ Big Six” civil-
rights leaders, along with Dr. King, who
organized the 1963 M arch on W ashing­
ton. And we are very proud to be a part of
keeping the dream alive today.
O ne way we continue to uplift the
A frican-A m erican com m unity is through
our O pportunity C om pact, a com prehen­
sive set o f principles and policy recom ­
m endations designed to expand econom ic
opportunity and bridge the gap betw een
the prom ise and the reality o f the great
American Dream.
U nderlying all that we hope to accom ­
plish is Dr. K ing's refusal to believe that
there are "insufficient funds in the great
vaults o f opportunity o f this nation.”
Forty years later, let us honor his
m em ory by refusing to give up on his
dream.
Mari H. Morial is president and chief
executive officer o f the National Urban
League.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO
Knocking Down the Barriers
No cost program
makes college a
reality
by A lgie C . G atewood
“ If you w ant to make
som ething o f yourself, go
to college.”
It's one o f the oldest
sayings in the book, right
up there with “eat your vegetables” and
“look both ways before you cross the
street.” But th e re’s a reason such slogans
becom e em bedded in our collective con­
sciousness - because they’re true.
As an educational adm inistrator, I can
talk all day long about the virtues o f higher
education - about the doors it opens,
about the possibilities it reveals, about the
w ays in w hich it can lead to a deeper
understanding o f o n e’s self and surround­
ings. But all o f these things are abstract.
W hat do they really mean to a young
person living in the real world? Most o f all,
w hat do they mean
to a young person
w ho b elieves co l­
lege to be too ex­
pensive, som ething
re s e rv e d fo r th e
privileged?
T hese questions
are all too real for
many young people,
p a rtic u la rly those
from trad itio n ally
u n d erserv ed co m ­
m unities. And too
often, the barriers
b e tw e e n
th e se
young people and
higher education -
w h e th e rit'sa la c k o f
funds, a dem anding
BUILD YOUR SMALL CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS?
life that leaves little tim e for school, or the
belief that college is sim ply not an option
- are enough to deny the potential that
college might unlock.
But here in Portland, concrete steps are
being taken to m ake education’s abstract
virtues a reality. Through the M iddle C o l­
lege program, students from Jefferson and
Roosevelt high schools are able to enroll
in college classes at Portland C om m unity
C oordinator, w ho helps them with every­
thing from course selection to study hab­
its. And because each M iddle College
student is also a PCC student, they are
entitled to all o f the com m ensurate ben­
efits, such as access to counselors, and
use o f Cam pus technological and research
resources.
A nd even better, once they’re up to
speed. M iddle C ollege students earn ac-
Beyond helping Jefferson and Roosevelt
high-school students become acclimated to
college life and coursework, the Middle
College program helps them to succeed.
C ollege’s C ascade C am pus w hile th ey ’re
still attending high school.
The program m akes college studies
possible for its students by rem oving some
o f the more significant barriers that stand
in their way, most notably c o s t-th e Middle
College is free to all participants. Perhaps
more importantly. Middle College students
get hands-on assistance navigating the
som etim es-intim idating world o f college
adm issions and registration.
This can have a profound effect on the
m inds o f young people w ho may have
believed college to be beyond their reach.
Suddenly, college is not so m ysterious
and remote, its processes not so com pli­
cated. Suddenly, higher education be­
com es a tangible possibility. And once
these young people are in the classroom ,
studying alongside other PCC students,
college is a concrete reality.
B e y o n d h e lp in g J e f f e r s o n an d
Roosevelt high-school students becom e
acclim ated to college lifeand coursew ork,
the M iddle C ollege program helps them to
succeed. Each student receives one-on-
one attention from the M iddle College
tual. transferable college credit that they
can apply tow ard an eventual two- or four-
year degree, professional certification, or
skilled apprenticeship.
There is no doubt that education is the
m eans by w hich anyone can transcend
their circum stances, but if opportunities
to do so are not present - or, if such
opportunities are not perceived - even the
m ost brilliant m ind can fail to reach its full
potential. And if that happens, we all fail to
reach our full potential.
This is what the Middle College is about:
perceiving -- and taking - opportunities.
With the opportunities available to them at
Cascade Cam pus, young Jefferson and
Roosevelt high-school students can indeed
make o f themselves whatever they wish.
But they should still rem em ber to eat
their vegetables.
Algie C. Gatewood. Ed.D., is president
o f Portland Community’ College’s Cas­
cade Campus. If you are interested in
learning more about the Middle College
program, call Damon Hickok, the Middle
College Coordinator, at 503-978-5552,
or e-mail dhickok@pcc.edu.
No More Saggin’ for Youth
The City of Portland is Re-opening the application period for the Construction
Sheltered Market Program. Certified Minority, Women and Emerging Small
Businesses (M/W/ESB) in business for two years or more may apply for
the program. Program participants will have opportunities to bid on City of
Portland construction projects, and can receive free technical assistance to
improve their business management skills.
The following areas of work will be open for applications from
Monday April 7 to Friday May 30
Street Improvements
Concrete flat work
Sewerage treatment lines
Reinforced concrete construction
Structural Demolition
Excavation
Plumbing
Building construction
For more information, contact:
Gene Jackson, Program Coordinator
(503) 823-9166, Eugene.jackson@ci.portland.or.us
by
J udge
G reg
M athis
Sad truth for
self-defeating
behavior
W e’ veall seen him: A young black
male wearing a white T-shirt and
jeans sagging so low than his under­
wear was on display for the whole
world to see.
And w e’ve all shaken our heads,
wondering what he was thinking,
com ing outside dressed like that.
The sad truth is that he probably
w asn't thinking. He was simply em u­
lating popular fashion, not knowing
where the trend originated and not
understanding the potential social
and p erso n a l co n se q u e n c e s o f
blindly following the masses.
The sagging pants trend started
in prison. Inmates, not allowed to
have belts, wore their pants slung
low.
Once home, they kept up the prac­
tice. Young boys in their neighhor-
hixxl saw the look and took it as their
own. The trend grew and is im­
mensely popular in both urban and
suburban areas: many white teens
can now be found with their pants
low when our girls - and some grown
dropping below their butts.
C onsciously or unconsciously women - are wearing low-rise jeans,
em ulating prisoners, or any other cut so low the top b f their thongs
group for that matter, without under­ peek out. That particular style has its
standing what you're doing is dan­ roots in prostitution. As a com m u­
gerous. For young black men, who nity, we must be consistent in what,
are preyed upon by the prison indus­ who and how we criticize and en­
trial complex, the trend is especially courage our young people.
O ur youth overuse the phrase
self-destructive.
Copying prisoners can often times “keeping it real" and they are big on
contribute to a prisoner mentality. demonstrating just how “street" they
Already, our young men refer to a are. What many do not realize is that
prison stint as a state paid ‘vacation’ they are engaging in self-defeating,
ortim e away at ‘school.’T obeclear: self-destructive behavior.
The current generation o f young
prison is not luxurious and the edu­
cation received there is not one that African Americans is one o f the most
will serve the inmate well once he talented we ’ ve ever seen. O ur people
returns home. Prison, for many, is an dominate athletics, music, fashion
and now politics.
unfortunate rite o f passage.
Wc have repeatedly proven that
Instead of fighting against the
odds and working to stay in front of we can rise above obstacles and do
the bars. t<x> many o f our boys arc whatever it is we set our minds to.
Unfortunately, too many of our
em bracing the street mentality.
Perhaps they should be told that youth are still trapped in a mindset
prison is nothing more than inixlem- that ultimately puts them at com peti­
day slavery. Inmates in some pris­ tive disadvantage against those who
ons in this country are made to pro­ are more privileged.
O ur young people already have
duce products sold on the open
market. For their work, they receive enough to deal with: crime-ridden
just one dollar a day. The prison n eig h b o rh o o d s, p o o rly fu n d ed
system is highly privatized: large schools and more.
corporations make millions while our
Judge Mathis is national vice
young boys waste away mentally president o f Rainbow PUSH and a
national board member o f the
and spiritually.
Women hew are: you cannot criti* Southern Christian Leadership
cize our boys for wearing their pants Conference.