lune 25, 2008
Page A4
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AM S5ÍM G IN A C T IO N ...
Black Women Can’t
Remain Invisible
Americans must
treasure female
achievement
M arc M oriai .
This year’sS tateof Black
A m erica report shines a
m uch-needed spotlight on
the struggles and triumphs
o f black women.
Too often invisible in
m ainstream society or depicted by
dem eaning stereotypes in "popu­
lar” cu ltu re, A frican -A m erican
women are at once the m ost op­
pressed and m ost resilient group in
America. M illions o f them work
harder, earn less and shoulder the
b u rd e n s o f b r e a d w in n e r an d
caregiver in their families.
At the sam e time, many step up
and stand out as leaders in their
churches, schools, businesses and
local com m unities. Lest we forget,
it was H arriet Tubm an who led us
out o f slavery and Rosa Parks who
m ortally w ounded Jim C row .
Dorothy H eight has spent most
o f her 96 years on this earth stand­
ing on the front lines o f freedom,
not only for black women, but for us
all.
C urrently the Chair and Presi­
dent E m eritao f the National C oun­
cil of N egro W om en, H eight has
been com m itted to equality and
justice for all since 1933. A sayoung
woman, she becam e a civil rights
w orker with the U nited Christian
Youth M ovement of North America.
D orothy Height has been active
in every stage o f the modern civil
rig h ts a n d w o m e n 's rig h ts
struggles. She has taken her m es­
by
End Weight Discrimination Now
by J udge
G reg M athis
Body-type bias
dangerously on
the rise
ju st plain foolish and needs to end.
T w o recent studies report dis­
crim ination based on body size has
increased more than 60 percent in
the last ten years and has becom e
as nearly as com m on as prejudice
based on race or gender.
T he studies report that the dis­
to overcome, since 60 percent o f our
men and 78 percent o f our women are
overweight. Whether in a profes­
sional or social setting, blacks not
only have to deal with the assump­
tions people make based on their
race, but also because o f their weight.
Like other forms o f discrimina­
America has far too many
excluded classes; we do not
need to create another one.
Nearly two thirds o f Am ericans
are o v erw eig h t o r obese. Y ou
w ouldn’t know this, how ever, by
skim m ing through the pages o f a
fashion m agazine or watching tele­
vision on any given night.
Popular culture prom otes a thin,
som etim es dangerously so, body crim ination experienced is varied:
image that most A m ericans do not Some overweight people say they
live up to. The "thin is in" m entality are m ade to feel a sh a m e d in
has made its way into the nation's healthcare settings or were fired or
workplaces and overw eight indi­ not prom oted becau se o f th eir
viduals are experiencing discrim i­ weight. In their personal lives, they
nation now more than ever before. reported that they are subjected to
Discrim ination of any kind is un­ insults and harassment from strang­
just and intolerable. But weight dis­ ers and loved ones.
For African Americans, this new
crim ination in a nation that super
sizes and autom ates everything is inequity presents another obstacle
tion, this type o f bias is destructive.
It m ay n e g a tiv e ly a ffe c t an
individual's self-esteem , causing
them to eat more, do less and, possi­
bly, gain weight. To be fair, being
overweight is unhealthy and can
lead to a host of health problems,
including diabetes, high blood pres­
sure and heart disease. That aside, a
person's physical size should have
no bearing on whether or not they
get ajo b or a promotion and should
not subject them to taunts and rude
stares.
Currently, there is no federal law
that protects overweight people
from workplace discrimination. Ad­
ditionally, healthcare providers
should be held accountable for their
rude treatment of heavier patients;
sensitivity trainings are one way to
address such behavior. The gov­
ernment should increase access to
healthcare so the overweight can
receive solid advice on diet and
ex e rc ise p lan s; m any o f this
country's obese people are poor.
Just like the battle against race
and gender bias, the fight against
weight discrimination cannot be
won overnight. And legislation is
only a tiny piece o f the pie. As
individuals, we have to take a look
at our behavior. America has far
too many excluded classes; we do
not need to create another one.
Judge Greg M athis is vice presi­
dent o f Rainbow PUSH and a board
m em ber o f the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
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 .
sage o f human rights and w om en's
em pow erm ent to places like India,
M exico and Africa. In 1947 she was
elected National President o f Delta
Sigm a T h eta S orority
and for a decade, led the
organization into a new
era o f activism.
She was one o f a few
w omen w ho stood with
men like Martin Luther
King, Jr. and W hitney
M. Y oung, Jr. at the
height o f the civil rights m ovem ent
and she was on the platform when
Dr. King delivered his historic “I
H ave a D ream ” speech. For her
many outstanding achievem ents,
Dorothy Height has been honored
by presidents and peers. She is the
recipient of the Presidential Medal
o f Freedom, the NA A C PSpringam
M edal and the C ongressional G old
M edal, ju st to nam e a few.
At the tender age o f 96, Dorothy
Height is still a pow erful voice for
black women. As she writes in the
forew ord to the State o f Black
A m erica 2(X)8, "W ho better than us
understand and em pathize with the
very real challenges that our broth­
ers, fathers, husbands and sons
fa c e .. .and who better than us can
understand the very real bound­
aries that all women face in navigat­
ing a cultural dynam ic that still as­
signs roles and oftentim es lim ita­
tions based on g en d er...W ith no
apologies, the time is now to finally
focus on us.”
Dorothy H eight is an A m erican
treasure and I am proud to call her
my friend.
M arc M oriai is president and
c h ie f executive officer o f the N a ­
tional Urban League.
Voting Restrictions
replacing lost docum ents.
W hat do all these people have in
com m on? Senior citizens, the dis­
abled, students and low -incom e
w orkers all tend to vote for D em o­
by T anya C lay H ouse
On the heels of the Supreme crats. And that fact m akes voter ID
C ourt’s recent decision upholding legislation very attractive to Re­
Indiana's restrictive voter ID law, publican officeholders in state af­
lawm akers in three states— M is­ ter state—ju st look at who is intro­
souri, Kansas and Oklahom a— have ducing the bills.
A dvocates o f v o ter ID bills
wisely rejected sim ilar voter ID leg­
islation. But d o n 't think this is the would have you believe that th ey ’re
fighting fraud. Nonsense. There is
last word.
L et’s be clear. This is not about no evidence o f w idespread voter
election reform . This is a partisan fraud in this country.
In fact, even with the record-
light about access to the ballot
box— who gets in, and who does shattering voter turnout in the presi­
not— and the voting rights o f hun­ dential primaries, all across the na­
dreds o f thousands o f Americans tion this year, supporters o f voter
ID cannot point to any significant
are at stake.
On the surface, a voter ID law instances o f voter impersonation
doesn’t sound like a big deal to fraud at the polls.
D ead people are not voting.
those o f us who have a driver’s
license or a passport. Look deeper, U ndocum ented im m igrants are not
and it's clear that voter ID laws voting. But innocent, eligible vot­
pose a significant barrier to the ers are being caught up in the mess.
ballot box for all kinds o f people— During the primary election in Indi­
and that discouraging those people ana this year, 12 nuns were turned
from voting gives a clear partisan aw ay from the polls because they
d id n 't have photo ID. Som ething
advantage to Republicans.
W ho are the people who might tells me they w eren’t trying to pull
find it difficult tocom ply with voter a fast one.
Sim ply put, voter ID legislation
ID laws? Folks who d o n ’t drive or
is
partisan
politics at its w orst—
travel abroad, or who have lost
piling
up
barriers
for people who
their birth certificates. Senior citi­
have
every
right
to
vote, in order to
zens w ho hav en ’t had a current
gain
political
advantage.
It’s wrong.
d riv er's license in years, or dis­
W
e
should
be
passing
laws that
abled voters. Victim s o f natural di­
make
it
easier
for
citizens
to vote,
sasters like Hurricane Katrina, who
not
harder.
lose all their personal papers. Stu­
Tanya Clay H ouse is the People
dents w ho drive in one state, but
vote in another. Low-incom e w ork­ F or the A m erican Way director o f
ers who ca n ’t afford the costs of public policy.
Laws don’t
target cheaters
“W c are ab o u t n eig h b o rs
helping n eig h b o rs im prove
th e ir com m unity.”
M ary Harrell
nt Friendx rtf 7> w a
507 ¿Hl 8846
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