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Page A4
O pinion
December 31. 2008
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Families Getting Stronger
Slowly, surely,
things are changing
m J iijg e G reg M athis
For decades there has
been much discussion
about the disintegration
of the black family and of
the n e g a tiv e e ffe c ts
sin g le paren t h o u se ­
holds tend to have on our chil­
dren and our communities.
It is no coincidence that many
young gang members come from
families where
there is no real
father figure or
that teen moth-
to search for work in other areas,
often far from home. Even then,
father’s played a part, sending
money back to their families.
It wasn’t until the late 70s
that the fatherless black fam­
ily became the standard and
two parent households were
a mere fantasy. As our fam­
ily unit began to disappear,
the teen pregnancy, high
school drop out and incarcera­
tion rates in our communities be­
gan to increase.
America is currently in a place
where economic
circum stances
may begin to
weaken families.
As more people
losetheirjobsor
th e ir hom es,
> .
,
co u p le s find
th e m s e lv e s
bending under
the weight of it
all. Black couples must avoid this.
If financial pressures threaten
to drive a couple apart, counsel­
ing may be one way for them to
continue to stand strong. Many
churches and community groups
offer free couple’s groups or coun­
seling for those who are inter­
ested.
it's not simply about keeping
a couple together, though that
certainly is important.
The fact is, with fathers at home
and present in their children’s
lives, black families are statisti­
cally destined to do better eco­
nomically and socially. Our kids
perform better in school, they stay
out of trouble and our neighbor­
hoods are safer.
Strong black families are the
cornerstone of a strong black
community. Ifwe are to reach our
full collective potential we must
individually make acommitment
to family and children.
.
PiRACf AND
breakdown O F -Ote w v e
O F IANM..4N
Strong black
families are the
cornerstone oj
ers often had
poor, if any, re-
la tio n s h ip s
with their own
fathers. These
young people
would follow in
their parent’s footsteps, creating
a vicious cycle where active black
fathers were the exception and
not the rule.
Slowly but surely, things are
changing.
According to new data from
the U.S. Census Bureau, two par­
ent black households now make
up40 percent of all black families;
that's a five percent increase from
2(X)4 data. Some of this can be
attributed to the bureau’s new
definition of family.
In the past, only married
couples with children would be
counted as a two parent house­
hold. Under the new guidelines,
unmarried couples living together
with children are now counted as
a two parent family.
Though the increase in black
two parent households is mod­
est, it is promising. Foryears, that
numbered hovered at or near a
very low 30 percent, lagging far
Judge Greg Mathis is vice
behind white two parent house­
president of Rainbow PUSH and
holds.
The traditional black family a board member of the Southern
began to crack during the 1950s Christian Leadership Confer-
when father’s had to leave home
;
AFRICA'.
R O T I,
m iliti
ci strong black
community.
î,'r JJnrtlanh (Dbscrucr
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Winds Blow of Profound Change
Community
colleges can
help prepare us
C. G atewood
As is so often the case, the
holiday season marks a time of
transition - from warm weather
to cold, old to new, from the year
gone by to the one yet to come.
This year, however, something
seems different. This year, a wind
blows which portends changes
more profound than perhaps any
in recent memory.
In my estimation, we stand at
a point in time when the threads
of history have gathered together
to pass through the eye of a
single needle. The decisions we
collectively make in the months
and years ahead will have broad-
reaching ramifications for us al I.
Consider the many momen­
tous events that confront us -
on the one hand, we have elected
our nation’s first African-Ameri­
can president, in defiance ofcen-
turiesof institutionalized bigotry
and injustice. On the other, he is
inheriting the most formidable
set of economic chai lenges since
the Great Depression.
On the one hand, our nation
has never been more honest with
its e lf about the need to
reconfigure our society around
by A lgie
a sustainable ideology. On the green technologies and sustain­ the lbnger term, the workforce
needs the resources to prepare
other, we are still embroiled in two able practices?
for the new jobs that will inevita­
Fortunately,
at
a
national
level,
wars bom of the very lifestyle we
bly
accompany the President­
the
incoming
administration
has
need to leave behind.
On the one hand, the youth of indicated that it intends to enact elect’s infrastructure and sustain­
America are as socially, politi­ big sol utions to our big problems. able technology investments.
President-elect O bam a has
Where can we turn, today, to
cally, and environmentally en­
gaged as they have ever been. On spoken of a new New Deal, with take these steps? Fortunately, the
the other, they face a future where massive public investment in both answer is with us already - your
the prospect of affordable higher rebuilding decaying existing in- local community college campus.
Thousands of people in the
Portland area are already turning to
community colleges as a remedy to
the economic downturn, and many
thousands more will do the same
as more and more “green” jobs
become available. But community
colleges can only provide these
services if they remain fiscally
strong. Paradoxically, budgetary
constraints at the state level are
education and its corresponding frastru ctu re and
endangering the community col­
b u ild in g a new
security are in grave doubt.
lege system at the very time that we
The questions before us as a “green” infrastruc­
need it the most.
nation and as individual citizens ture for the future.
So please - support your local
in these exciting and daunting This carries the twin advantages
times are many and complex. How of putting people back to work community colleges by enrolling
do we rev iv e our flag g in g ( and putting money in their pock­ and taking courses. And perhaps
economy while maintaining the ets) and focusing national invest­ more importand y, support them by
social safety net and keeping en­ ment on the sweeping changes calling and writing your represen­
vironmental concerns a top prior­ we need to make in order to shift tatives in Salem and letting them
our economy to a more sustain­ know, as they develop the budget
ity?
for the coming biennium, that com­
In the short term, how do we able footing.
help people make it through the
At the local level, this makes munity college funding isessential
lean times when jobs are being education more important than for a healthy and prosperous Or­
lost and the focus of our regional ever. In the short term, people egon, both now and in the future.
economy ischanging? In the long who have lost their jobs need
Yes we can!
term, how do we position our­ low-cost educational and train­
Algie C. Gatewood, Ed.D., is
selves and ourcommunity to pros­ ing options to enable them to president o f Portland Commu­
per from the predicted boom in transition into new careers. Over nity College’s Cascade Campus.
Thousands o f people in the
Portland area are already turning
to community colleges as a remedy
to the economic downturn,
0
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Civility for 2009 and Beyond
Living without the fear of harm
by
B entley
de
B ardelaben
I n the aftermath of the 2008
presidential election, I have
been conflicted about local
and national news coverage,
or lack thereof, regarding the
1st Time Homebuyers
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record number of death
threats made against
President-elect Obama.
On T h an k sg iv in g
Eve, Barbara Walters,
asked Mr. Obama dur­
ing an interview, how he lived
with the fear of someone wanting
to harm him.
He informed her that he was
a man of faith and thus he didn’t
allow that reality todistract him.
M oreover he acknowledged he
had an excellent team of people
whose job was to protect him.
(Being a television interview,
there was a cut away to an SUV
on the road containing armed
secret service agents.)
Living with the fear of some­
one wanting to harm you is not
something of which most of us
consciously ponder. Sadly, I
have.
O ne such occurrence e n ­
tered my life as a result o f a two
page article about me and the
charitable institute in which I
had been recently employed and
the vision for ourcom m unity in
a local newspaper. I was her­
alded as the firs, African Ameri­
can to oversee a mostly white
organization.
W ithin a week of that being
featured, an anonymous enve­
lope was delivered to my office did 1 try to ignore the reality of
addressed to me. Inside I found the threat. However, I realized
a section o f the article, which that there w asn’t much I could
had my face and a couple of do to prevent someone else from
African American youth on it. w ishing me ill will based upon
The picture was defaced. All of words and pictures printed in a
our faces had been draw n over local new spaper. I had a life to
in black m arker in an attem pt to live and a jo b to do.
Having reflected upon this, I
make us look like monkeys. A
caption read, “Go back to A f­ believe I can relate, at least in
part, to the President - elect
rica, you Ni__ers!”
M u ltip le
e m o tio n s , facing an undeserved, imminent
thoughts, and feelings flood­ threat of harm, and responding
ing my mind and body caused to that with a personal faith.
I had never experienced a level
o f hatred such as that in my life.
my legs to give way. I had never
experienced a level o f hatred
such as that in my life.
Then there were the two young
girls who had been victims of this
ignorance too. To say the least,
fear, paranoia, anger and confu­
sion began to immobilize me. The
local police, FBI and my company
were informed. After a few days
of uncertainty, 1 knew that I had to
find a way to deal with this crazed
situation.
The bottom line, I chose to
rest upon the faith which I had
openly and boldly professed.
G ranted I did n 't have armed
body guards to protect me, nor
This holiday season, I have
received a stocking stuffer in
the form of a book. Return to
Civility: A Speed o f Laughter
Project. Perusing between the
pages, 1 have gazed upon many
easy steps suggesting ways to
live in harm oniouscom m unity.
I will pass one forward. I hope
you will also:
“ D isplay, Learn and Teach
Com passion. You owe it to
yourself and your children. If
not from you, where else will
they learn it?” Happy Holidays!
Bentley de Bardelaben is
Ministerfor Communication for
the United Church of Christ.