M a rtin L u t h e r K in g J r .
Page B 12
lanuaiy 14. 2009
2009 special euiiion
I T ALL STARTED ON THE BUS
A SALUTE TO
(1913-2005)
ROSA PARKS
O n December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested
in Montgomery, Alabama after refusing to
give up her seat to a white man while riding
a segregated bus.
Rosa Parks’ courageous act drew national
attention to simple truths: A public transit
system paid for by all must benefit all, and
civil rights must be protected for all.
ROSA PARKS STATION
In honor of Ms. Parks’ courage,
TriMet is proud to announce
the renaming of the
Portland Blvd. Yellow
Line MAX Station to the
Rosa Parks Station on
her birthday, Wednesday,
February 4, 2009.
A multicultural group of activists called “Freedom Riders ” fought for justice and
equality for African Americans in the civil rights movement. A photo from May
19, 1961 shows Jim Zwerg opening the door for fellow Freedom Rider Paul
Brooks as they enter the Birmingham, Ala. Greyhound Station. Both men were
later arrested and jailed for sitting in the white section of a segregated bus.
Partners in the Civil
Rights Struggle
continued
Photo courtcsv o f Alabama Department of
Archives and History, Montgomery, Al.
from B9
president o f Sears, Roebuck
and C o. He fo u n d e d the
Rosenwald Fund which do
nated millions to support the
education of African Am eri
cans and other philanthropic
causes in the first half of the
20th Century.
From 1910 to 1940, over
2,000 primary and secondary
schools and 20 black colleges,
including Howard, Dillard. Fisk
and T uskeg ee u n iv ersities
were supported in whole or in
part by contributions from
Rosenwald.
At the height o f the so-
called R osenw ald schools,
nearly 40 percent of southern
Blacks were educated at one
of these institutions.
In 1909, African and white
Americans worked together to
form the National Association
for the Advancement of Col
ored People (NAACP). Jews
were well represented in the
movement. One year later, other
Jewish and Black leaders cre
ated the Urban League.
About 50 percent of the
civil rights attorneys in the
South during the 1960s were
Jews, as were over 50 percent
o f the whites who went to
M ississippi in 1964 to chal
lenge Jim Crow laws.
Dr. King recognized a rela
tionship between Blacks and
Jews when he said, "the seg-
regationists and the racists see
no distinction betw een the
Negro and the Jew."
T hanks to King and the
m ulticultural arm y o f civil
r ig h ts a c tiv is ts , A fr ic a n
A m ericans enjoy m ore free
dom s today than ever b e
fore. B ut the freedom s we
enjoy today also give us the
o pportunity to m eet our re
sponsibility to help bring more
freedom to others.
As one Rabbi stated, the
m atzah (bread) o f freedom
becom es the m itzvah (com
mandm ent) of responsibility.
Michael Hudson is a la
bor relations specialist in
Los Angeles and a contribu
tor to the Portland Observer.
The first question which the priest and
the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help
this man, what will happen to me?"
But... the good Samaritan reversed the
question: "If I do not stop to help this
man, what will happen to him?"
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Gonzalez Shares Road to Equality
continued
It takes one mind
to have a dream,
and many hands to shape it.
It has been nearly 50 years since M artin Luther King Jr. shared his
vision fo r a gentler, more harmonious world. Today, his words
continue to inspire us all.
At Providence, we're proud to be part o f our Portland communities,
as a caregiver and an employer. We believe every life touches all
those around it. And the best way to fu lfill a dream is to share it
for a lifetime.
PROVIDENCE
+
Health & Services
I
from B5
more advantaged backgrounds
and might have had preschool
or had other activities that gave
them a leg up before they
entered the school system .
Investing more in kindergar
ten could help even this out, he
said.
"We all know that there is
an initial gap that students come
in to the classro o m ," said
Gonzalez.
The Oregonian has reported
that there is stark discipline
gap am ongst students along
racial lines. For instance, in
2006 one in four black middle
schoolers had been suspended.
Gonzalez said that part of
the problem is cultural, with
white teachers m isinterpret
ing students’ behavior. He
added that the problem needed
be addressed on a classroom-
by-classroom basis, with a
I
specific plan targeted at class
rooms that have this issue.
W ith all the other pressing
problem s facing the nation,
Gonzalez isn’t quite sure what
to expect out of President
elect Obama's adm inistration
in the way o f educational
policy. But he is eagerly await
ing the econom ic stim ulus
package, which will likely help
with the schools' aging infra
structure.
The biggest educational re
form to com e along in a gen
eration has been the contro
versial No Child Left Behind
Act, which requires schools to
periodically adm inister stan
dardized tests to students.
S c h o o ls th a t d o n 't m ak e
progress have this fact publi
cized and parents can transfer
their students, and it loses fund
ing.
"I think that from the per
spective of community people.
like m yself ,yeah there has
been some good stuff about
the act in spite of all the com
plaints people might have," said
Gonzalez. He explained that
the law has provided a portrait
of where students stand and
has brought the glowing dis
parity in achievem ent to the
forefront. However, he added
that it was sill an unfunded
m andate and places too much
emphasis on standardized test
ing.
Despite the daunting chal
lenges facing PPS, Gonzalez
said he is optimistic. He cited
the new superintendent, Carole
Smith, and the rest of the board
are open to looking at the " hard
issues" and eager to confront
them.
In particular, Gonzalez said
he is pleased that his colleagues
are willing to give students
falling behind special atten
tion.