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August 27. 2008
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O pinion
Olympic Gold
Swimming
Diversity in sport saves lives
b \
M arc M oriai .
One o f the most
thrilling moments o f
the 2008 Summer
O lym pic games in
Beijing was the Gold
Medal performance
by
s w im m in g
phenom M ich a e l
Phelps and his teammates, Jason
Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale and
Cullen Jones in the4x I (M) freestyle
beside a pool and one de
cides it w ould be funny to
push the otherone in," said
Jones. " I f the one who gets
pushed can swim, maybe
it's funny. I f he can't, you've
got a real problem."
S ta tis tic s show that
about 58 percent o f black
children don't know how to swim.
C learly, more A frica n A m e ri
cans need to know how to sur-
Cullen Jones' Olympic win gives
us a golden opportunity to teach
our children that learning to swim
is not only fun, it can save lives too.
relay.
W hile most o f the adulation
has rig h tfu lly focused on Phelps
and Lezak, whose record setting
com e-from -behind surge earned
ÜdHT SE S o
by
M arian W right
E delman
In Am erica, m illio n s o f
lo w -in c o m e
fa m ilie s
struggle each month to ob
tain a m in im a lly adequate
diet. In 2006, 12.6 m illio n
children and 22.9 m illio n
adults lived in households
struggling against hunger, and
those numbers are expected to
g ro w a m id a w e a k e n in g
econom y, rising joblessness,
and increased food prices.
It is an outrage that hunger
w ould plague so many in one o f
the w orld's biggest food export
The U.S. men celebrate winning gold in the 4x100 meter
freestyle relay. Pictured are Jason Lezak (from left). Garrett
Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Michael Phelps.
the team a split-second victory,
there was another notable mem
ber o f that team who deserves
recognition not only fo r his part
in bringing home the gold, but
also fo r his comm itment (censur
ing that more A frican-A m erican
boys and girls make it home safely
from the pool or the beach.
T w enty-four-year-old, Bronx-
native, Cullen Jones is only the
second A frican American to ever
w in O lym pic gold in swim m ing.
Jones began sw im m ing at age
5 after he nearly drowned at an
amusement park in Pennsylva
nia. He subsequently developed
a love fo r the sport, becoming a
star member o f the North Carolina
State sw im team and has been a
standout amateur and profes
sional competitor.
W hile he is a fierce competitor.
Jones does not just sw im for per
sonal glory. He wants to make
sure that more African-A m erican
youth learn to swim and keep
from drowning.
"Let's say two kids are walking
Am erica backed effort that w ill
include swim meets and clinics
fo r m in o rity youth throughout
the country.
Jones adds his golden touch
to efforts by such pioneers as Jim
Fll is. the legendary founder o f the
Philadelphia Department o f Rec
reation Swim Club, whose com
mitment tolum ing out world-class
black swimmers was chronicled
in the 2007 movie, "Pride," star
ring Terrence How ard.
And this year, the National
Black Heritage C ham pionship
Swim Meet attracted more than 500
African-American swimmers toils
annual event in Orlando, Fla.
As the summer winds down, we
are reminded that every day, nine
African American children drown
and that number is rising. Cullen
Jones' O lym pic w in gives us a
golden opportunity to teach our
children that learning to swim is
not only fun. it can save lives too.
Marc Moriai is president and
chief executive officer o f the Na
tional Urban League.
AVAS j ATMANS
Too Many Kids Struggle With Bad Diets
vive in the water and Cullen Jones
is on a mission to see that they do.
One way he plans todeal w ith that
problem is through the Cullen
Jones D iversity Tour, a Bank o f
AKt
ers, where more than enough
food is produced to feed every
American.
W hile few Americans actu
a lly endure starvation, chronic,
m ild m alnutrition takes its toll
on ch ild re n , damaging their
physical, mental and psycho
logical health.
Poorly nourished children
often suffer from stunted devel
opment and impaired learning.
W hat we need fo r all o f our
people is food security-assured
access at all times to enough
food fo r a healthy life w ithout
having to resort to skipping
m eals o r c u ttin g
back on the quality
or quantity o f food
bought.
The g ro w th o f
hunger is related to
the grow th o f pov
erty and stagnant
and
d e c lin in g
wages among low -incom e w o rk
ing families. W hile incomes have
fallen, the cost o f food, gasoline,
housing and health care have
skyrocketed.
The cost o f food rose 5.1
percent fro m February 2007 to
February 2008, according to the
D epartm ent o f Labor. The per
centage hikes in the cost o f
basics, such as m ilk , eggs,
bread, rice and cheese, have
reached double d ig its.
S ubsistence supports lik e
food stamps are in s u ffic ie n t fo r
many fam ilies' nutritional needs.
As more and more require as
s is ta n c e to p u rch a se fo o d ,
those already re ce ivin g food
stamps are fin d in g they are able
to buy fe w e r groceries. Food
pantries' supplies are stretched
to bare shelves.
V ital food supplement projects
supported by the federal govern
ment need to be fu lly funded to
accommodate the grow ing need
to provide basic nutrition fo rc h il-
dren in low -incom e fam ilies. Pro
grams w ith long track records o f
success are the W IC program, the
Our nation must end this cruel
paradox o f hunger in the midst
o f plenty.
Food Stamp Program, and the to cut Food Stamp e lig ib ility fo r
School Lunch and School Break three years in a row , although
Congress has consistently re
fast programs.
This com bination o f services jected that.
O ur nation must end this cruel
has been shown to im prove a
paradox
o f hunger in the midst o f
e h iftl's chances o f h a v in g a
plenty.
We
have both the eco
healthy start in life by increasing
nomic
means
and the governmen
the lik e lih o o d that pregnant
tal
resources
to ensure every
women w ill seek early prenatal
care, reducing the rates o f infants body an adequate diet. It is past
b o rn p re -te rm o r at lo w tim e to correct and strengthen
national nutritional programs i f
birthw eight.
As effective as they are, all o f we are to prevent fam ilies in need
these programs are com ing up from being abandoned.
Hunger must no longer plague
short o f providing the nutritional
support many low -incom e fa m i Am erican households.
Marian Wright Edelman is
lies require, and the benefit most
fam ilies receive is not enough to president o f the Children's De
support a healthy diet through an fense Fund and a working com
entire month.
In addition, red tape, funding
BV R alph N ader
The T roy U n i
versity Rosa Parks
Museum is located
on the side o f the
old Empire Theatre
in M o n tg o m e ry ,
A la ., w here th is
courageous A frican-A m erican
woman declined to "m ove to the
back o f the bus" in 1955.
A visit to the museum honor
ing her and other c iv il rights
cham pions is a sobering re
m inder o f just how coura
geous such a refusal was in
that very segregated South.
Mrs. Parks was prom ptly ar
rested and thus was launched
the h is to ric M o n tg o m e ry
Bus Boycott, w hich is cred
ited w ith ig n itin g the C iv il
Rights M ovem ent o f the 1950s.
W hat most people do not
know about Rosa Parks is that
she was a trained c iv il rights
w orker who knew the significance
o f staying in her front seat and
not g iving it up to a w hite man.
But she could not have predicted
what happened after the police
took her away.
Four days after she was ar
Louise Sm ith— who earlier that
year were arrested and fined lo r
refusing to give up their seats.
The fly e r went on to urge "e v
ery Negro to stay o ff the buses
Monday in protest o f the arrest
and trial. D o n 't ride the buses to
w ork, to town, to school, or any
where on M onday." They stayed
o ff in the thousands.
Since th re e -fo u rth s o f the
Montgomery bus riders were "N e
groes," the grow ing boycott grew
to become a serious economic
drain on the bus company.
Each historic, citizen-m oving
movement has its own style and
personality. Granted, the mass
media can be very picky indeed,
as it has been w ith the soldiers
who have refused to return to the
I WORK ON
OREGON’S HIGHWAYS
Please, be patient, be safe and be prepared:
Visit TripCheck.com or dial 5-1-1 before you go.
SLOW DOWN!
BETTER ROADS AHEAD
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TICKETS
$20 per Person
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In PoriUnd cell
One Stop W eak D t
12 Nads
GerevA , Sheer Peder
Chmk Heiton
In Vancouver r a il
In n rlr Man M ayfwM
tw o teenage “ N egro" women—
C la u d e tte C o lv in and M a ry
rested, the bus boycott started
on Dec. 5. 1955. A fly e r d istrib
uted on that date by the W om en's
Ti
Please drive cautiously in all work zones. Because at the end
of the day, just like you, I want to come home to my family.
This summer the Oregon Department of Transportation is
working on our highways, repairing and replacing bridges on
Interstate 5.
P olitical C ouncil o f M ontgom ery
noted the arrest o f Mrs. Parks and
Each historic, citizen-moving move
ment has its own style and personality.
O regon
D e p a rtm e n t
o f T ran spo rtatio n
• « ( M N T M M SPM TITIM «VISTMOT ACT
mittee memberof the Blin k Com
munity Crusade for Children.
ROSS Parks, Hail to Thee! We need your rightious example
AAMC, INC. PRESENTS
OB
cutbacks, and shifting national
p olicy are denying e lig ib le fa m i
lies access to benefits. A nd about
a third o f those elig ib le fo r food
stamps do not receive them.
The president has proposed
AUGUST 30, 2008
Sheraton at the Airport
Mt. St Helen* Foyer
t a 15 NF Airport Way • Portland. OR 97220
(SOU 2»1 2500
unconstitutional, illegal war-oc
cupation in Iraq.
*
One must believe there is al
ways a way to produce the human
spark fo r a broader public m oral
ity and a deeper com m itm ent to a
more ju st society.
FOOD
-FUN
■RAFFLE
■ 50/50 SPLIT
— DJ MUSIC—
8:00 PM TO 1:00 AM
"AAMC, INC IN THE COMMUNITY FOB THE COMMUNITY"
Rosa Parks, hail to thee!
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