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iln' JJortlanb (Obseruvr
A p ril Z, 2010
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America Isn’t Post-Racial Yet
Journey for
equality grows,
despite setback
S arah van G elder
I f anyone thought the
inauguration o f B arack
O b a m a as p r e s id e n t,
h eralded the end o f rac ­
ism in A m e ric a, th ey
should look no further
than the racial slogans
and the m ocking signs o f tea
party rallies. Perhaps even m ore
troubling are the econom ic indi­
cators that show how far the
recession is setting back the frag­
ile fortunes o f people o f color.
O n the o th er hand, e x trao rd i­
nary p ossibilities open up for us
as a nation if w e succeed in
com ing together to em brace the
strengths o f the country's g ro w ­
ing diversity,
B efore the G reat R ecession
hit, the average fam ily o f color
had a net w orth o f less than
$ 3 0 ,0 0 0 ; th e a v e ra g e w h ite
by
fam ily’s net w orth w as $ 170,000.
W ith the econom ic dow nturn,
things got w orse for alm ost ev­
eryone, but especially for people
o f color.
W hite u nem ploym ent rose to
9 percent, but unem -
p lo y m e n t a m o n g
blacks is at a w h o p ­
ping 16 percent, and
a m o n g L atinos it's
n e a rly 13 p ercen t.
T he econom ic crisis
h its b la c k s a n d
L atinos in oth er w ays, too. T hey
w ere far m ore likely to be saddled
w ith high-rate, subprim e loans
than their w hite counterparts with
sim ilar q ualifications, and they
are m ore likely to be facing the
loss o f their m ain asset— their
hom e.
In spite o f all this, a real post-
racial society is still possible.
T he U.S. C ensus B ureau says
that by m id-century, people o f
c o lo r will be the m ajority in the
U nited States, and the political
clout o f these com m u n ities is
bound to grow .
tel tee hr Christ Ministries
T he m ovem ents that jo in e d happiness. But an unequal so ci­
hands to elect O b am a continue ety is profo u n d ly unhealthy.
to unite people across race lines
A ccording to research er and
for econom ic ju stic e and livable au th o r R ichard W ilkinson, even
com m unities. M ultiethnic m usic, those at the top o f an unequal
art and culture are p o p u lar— society have a low er life ex p ect­
e s p e c ia lly
am ong
y o u n g ancy and low er q u ality o f life
people— and people o f all ages com pared to those living in m ore
are getting increasingly co m fo rt­ egalitarian circum stances. So the
able being p art o f m ixed-race p riv ileg ed as w ell as the ex-
No matter what our race, we will all
benefit from the historic journey to a
fairer society. Our community life can
be much richer and more authentic
when every member can rely on being
respected — regardless o f language,
religion, culture or ancestry.
fam ilies and w orkplaces.
eluded stand to gain from a m ore
W hite people m ay feel th e y ’re ju s t and inclusive society.
giving up long-held privileges by
N o m a tte r w h a t o u r rac e,
ackno w led g in g o u r nation as a w e w ill all b e n e fit fro m th e
m ultiracial society, one in w hich h isto ric jo u r n e y to a fa ire r s o ­
all its inhabitants are en titled to cie ty . O u r c o m m u n ity life can
Sarah van Gelder is execu­
life, liberty and the p u rsu it o f be m u ch ric h e r a n d m o re a u ­ tive editor o f YES! Magazine.
; ? 1
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Roy Jay Raises the Bar
Pastor <& Elect Lady
Bishop II. L. & Earlean P. Hodge
Pastor/T eacher/Revivalist
Worship Service: Sundays—8:00 A.M.
Seminars: Bible Themes—Wednesdays—6:00 P.M.
“God The Father”; “God The Son”; and “God The Holy Spirit
Bishop Hodge and Congregation invite you to
join us at our appointment with Jesus.
We Reach, Teach, & Preach in Jesus' name!!!
Location: 4800 NE 30th Ave.
Portland, OR. 97211
To inquire about our Church please call
(503) 863-6545 or email: hodgehspks@msn com
wwwnwvoiceforchnst.com
th e n tic w h e n e v e ry m e m b e r
can rely on b e in g re s p e c te d —
re g a rd le ss o f la n g u a g e , r e li­
g io n , c u ltu re o r a n c e stry .
I f w e learn to w o rk to g e th e r,
w e m ay fin d th a t th e sh o u tin g
a n d v itrio l o f ta lk sh o w s m ak e
w ay fo r re sp e c t. A s th e to n e
o f o u r n a tio n a l d ia lo g u e im ­
p ro v e s, w e h a v e a m u ch b e tte r
c h a n c e o f c o m in g to g e th e r
b e h in d re a l a n s w e rs to o u r
n a tio n a l c rise s.
T h e e le c t i o n o f B a r a c k
O b a m a b u ilt on c e n tu rie s o f
stru g g le ag ain st injustice. It’s a
m ilesto n e in the h ealin g o f a
nation to m ap art by c o n trad ic­
tions— the thirst for freedom and
the desire for fresh o p p o rtu n i­
ties, but also the m assacres o f
native p eo p les and the e n slav e­
m ent o f A frican fam ilies.
T he p ro m ise o f a m ore p e r­
fect union can o n ly be realized if
w e w alk to w ard a future co m ­
m itted to liberty and ju stic e —
this tim e— for all.
I had the good fortune to attend last m onth’s Port­
land Development Com m ission’s North/Northeast
Economic Development Committee meeting at Billy
W ebb’s Elks Lodge. My husband had encourage me
to attend since he had heard Mr. Roy Jay speak at a PDC
stakeholders meeting the previous evening as there
was continued discussion about the Memorial Coli­
seum and Rose Quarter expansion and the effects o f the
urban renewal areas.
Although I do not know Mr. Jay, I was highly
impressed with his presentation o f community, which
calls for accountability and revenue sharing for over 40
different local nonprofit, community based organiza­
tions including people o f all races, genders and geo­
graphical locations throughout the north and north­
east communities. Why didn’t someone come up with
this marvelous idea earlier?
The redevelopment o f the Coliseum/Rose Quarter
properties will hopefully generate millions o f dollars in
new revenue if it is operated properly and profitably.
Mr. Jay’s concept o f one percent o f the gross revenue
coming back to the impacted communities is a stroke o f
genius which appears to have been supported by
nearly everyone in the room.
He also recommended a community subsidy o f $ 1.99
on all tickets for sports, entertainment and other ven­
ues in the proposed redevelopment area earmarked to
those agencies and individuals that are in dire need,
including our seniors and long time residents o f St.
Johns, Kenton, Overlook and other parts o f north and
northeast Portland.
Will the recommendations hold water? I am not sure,
but this gentleman has now raised the bar and was not
afraid to lay it out on the table. It seems like in the past,
minority and small contractors as well as the community
has received little if anything from some o f these urban
development deals. It took guts and a well thought out
plan to bring these recommendations to the table.
I am truly a Portland Trailblazer fan and supporter.
My husband, I and our family can afford the price o f
tickets, but I am fully aware o f the fact that many other
people are struggling to keep their electricity on or pay
for tuition, rent or other basic necessities.
It is not unreasonable that one percent o f gross be
the benchmark o f negotiations? If the figures are
anywhere near accurate, 1 percent o f $300 million
annually is $3 million a year to be dedicated to various
north and northeast Portland programs, services that
need funds to keep doors open and provide services.
When you combine that along with Mr. Jay’s rec­
ommendation o f guaranteeing at least 33 percent o f the
construction, project management, development and
professional services go to the businesses in the
affected area first, that would make the Trailblazers
motto o f “Rise with Us” become a reality.
Mr. Jay is correct, an enforceable community ben­
efits agreement needs to be in place, signed sealed and
delivered before PDC, City Council or anyone else
makes a final decision as to who gets the brass ring.
This has to be enforceable. I urge people to support
this. Simply settling fora few temporaryjobs and meeting
some quotas is an insult to not only the African American
community, but the entire north and northeast commu­
nities that have impatiently sat back waiting for their
opportunity for growth and prosperity.
Virginia Cohen