Page 16
'rin pprtlanù (¡Observer
September 8, 2010
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Make it the Best School Year
Encouraging kids with love,
prayers and support
E rvin M ilton
M inister and T eam L eader
Let me begin by saying
that this column is generally
read by adults. It is my hope
that after you read this, you
will share its contents with
young people whose lives are
touched by you
I am a 62-year old, southern,
African American man. Schools
were segregated when 1 was in
what is now called elementary
and middle school.
I did not have equipment, sup-
plies or anything else like some
o f the other schools around me.
I could go on about the inequi-
ties, but I do not think I need to.
In spite of that, I was able to
by
excel.
After 10 years
in the all black
school, 1 tran s
ferred to the pre
viously all white
h ig h sc h o o l. I
g rad u ated from
high school and college. Later, I
graduated from a well known
predominately white university
with a m aster’s degree,
There are serious injustices in
the educational system s that
continue to exist today. It is sad
that in almost 50 years, this has
not changed very much. There
are many persons who are fight-
ing to right the wrongs and make
a more just educational system
for all. I call upon you to join in
that fight either on a local or
national level.
In addition, our youth must be
reminded that they cannot use
the inequities in the educational
is.” My life’s story is not unique.
Many, many minority, op
pressed or poor people have
similar stories. We have learned
to take lemons and make lemon
ade.
There are many persons who
are fighting to right the wrongs
and make a more just
educational system for all. I
call upon you to join in that
fight either on a local or
national level.
systems as an excuse not to do
their best and to succeed in life in
spite o f what they may face.
Life is rough, tough and some
times it is unfair. “It is what it
dents have misplaced values and
spend their money on items that
they want rather than on what
they need. I know that some
teachers are racist. I know that
the im m igration laws w ork
against some students and the
list goes on.
However, as our children go
back to school, I challenge each
o f us to work to make this the
best school year possible. We
can do that by anointing our chil
dren with our love, prayers and
support. We can also do that by
working to make the educational
system better and by supporting
local schools and teachers.
Further, we can tell them how
we made it over, in spite o f the
obstacles in life; and if we made
it, they can too.
I know that some schools will
not have proper equipment. Some
parents cannot afford basic tools,
Ervin Milton is a minister
like pencils and paper. I also and team leader fo r the United
know that some parents and stu Church o f Christ.
■
x MM
Marching in Two Different Directions
Fox host
hijacks MLK’s
message
M arc H. M orial
T w o g ro u p s o f
A m ericans gathered
Aug. 28 on the Na
tional Mall in W ash
ington, D.C to express their vi
sion o f freedom 47 years after
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s his
toric "I Have a Dream" speech.
Unfortunately, the two groups
seemed to be marching in differ
ent directions.
One rally, co-convened by
Rev. A1 Sharpton's N ational
Action Network, the National
Urban League and a coalition o f
c iv il rig h ts o rg a n iz a tio n s ,
m arched from W ashington's
Dunbar High School to the site
by
o f the Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial under con
struction on the National Mall.
That group marched to "Reclaim
the Dream" that Dr. King
so courageously and elo
quently articulated at the
Lincoln Memorial on Aug.
28,1963: "And as we walk,
we must make the pledge
that we shall always march
ah e ad .
W e c a n n o t tu rn
back...W e will not be satisfied
until justice rolls down like wa
ters and righteousness like a
mighty stream."
In the 2 1 st ce n tu ry th at
m eans a national com m itm ent
to quality education for all. It
m eans jo b s and a living wage
for all. It m eans affordable
housing on fair term s for all.
And it m eans quality and af
fordable health care that is
accessible to all.
Jlortlanb (Obseruer
Established 1970
USPS 959-680 __________________________________
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
Speaker after speaker, in
cluding m yself, Rev. Sharpton,
NA ACP President, Ben Jeal
ous; DC D elegate, E leanor
H olm es N orton and M artin
L uther King, III, echoed these
them es, w hich are also the m a
jo r em pow erm ent goals o f the
N ational U rban League during
this, our 100th year anniver
sary.
It was fitting that the Re
claim the Dream rally began at a
public high school. Education
has always been the gateway to
opportunity for African Ameri
cans and Education Secretary,
Arne Duncan was on hand to
once again call education the
"civil rights issue o f this genera
tion."
Underscoring that commit
ment was the presentation by
Larry Handfield, chairman o f
the B o ard o f T ru s te e s o f
Bethune-Cookman College, o f a
$100,000 four-year scholarship
to high school student, Leah Carr,
o f Northwest Washington.
Fox News talk show host,
Glenn Beck, led the other rally,
which took place at the Lincoln
Memorial, the very spot where
Dr. King rallied the nation to
overcome its divisive past.
Beck has made a living de
nouncing the concept o f social
justice, belittling the legitimate
grievances o f African Ameri
cans, using faith as a wedge
issue, and claiming that Presi
dent Obama is racist and his
policies are reminiscent o f Na
zism.
In short, Beck is a world-class
divider, and his march was de
signed to take America in an
other direction - back to its roots
o f states' rights separatism .
U n fo rtu n a te ly , B eck has
amassed a large following. Many
o f them joined him and former
vice presidential candidate Sa
rah Palin at their so-called "Re
storing Honor" rally.
Their rally was not only about
an outdated "us vs. them" vision
o f America, it was a cynical
attempt to hijack the message
and meaning o f Dr. King and the
civil rights movement. As I told
the crowd at the Reclaim the
Dream rally, "We will not stand
silent as some seek to bamboozle
Dr. King's dream. We reclaim
the dream because we are here
to say we must be one nation."
At a time when Dr. King's
message o f unity is more impor
tant than ever, the question must
be asked: Is America marching
in two different directions?
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer o f
the National Urban League.
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