ï$j Minority & Small Business Week
ífage IO
September 29, 2010
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Racism Disguised as Political Discourse
Time to stand
up and make
our voices heard
by E verette
R ice
What began al­
most 30 years ago
w hen
R onald
Reagan started his
campaign for Presi­
dent in the Missis­
sippi town where
three civil rights
workers were murdered by racist
police and local residents, there has
been a slow, but creeping advance
for the acceptance of hatred, racism
and bigotry in our culture. Yes, rac­
ism, hatred, and bigotry never left,
but these extreme views were dis­
couraged by most descent people,
organizations and especially by for­
ward-thinking people of faith.
But since the election of a dark-
skinned, mixed-race President, the
d is c o u rs e has e s c a la te d and
grown faster than most of us would
have ever imagined. Thanks to
racist-based media, Fox News,
racist-based blogging, com pla­
cent people of color, and bigotry-
based faith organizations, racism,
bigotry and hatred is becom ing
a c c e p te d and e n c o u ra g e d in
today’s society.
Just look at the vitriol, slander,
distortions, and lies on FOX News
and on so-called “conservative”
radio in this nation and in Port­
land. It is non-stop President
Obam a hatred and racism dis­
guised as political discourse.
What is worse is that those
who know the truth appear
afraid to speak up. Most trou­
bling is how some churches
and religious leaders are con­
tributing to the most dishon­
est, misleading, slanderous
lies and half truths. Many of
the programs on the religious
channels go nonstop with lectures,
fundraising, lies, distortions, and
diatribes against President Obama.
The religious element in pro­
m o tin g
th e s e
f a ls e h o o d s
em bolden racists in their attacks
against all blacks, African A m eri­
cans, people of color, and anyone
who stands for justice and what
the U.S. C onstitution used to
stand for and should stand for.
If you think I'm being too strong
in my charges, search the many re­
ligiously-inspired websites and pro­
grams on so called mainstream faith
channels on cable TV, locally and
nationally. Notice I am not talking
about Christianity; I am talking about
these so-called faith organizations
that have perverted their organiza­
tions to promote racist, bigoted,
political discourse.
I have many years of experience
working in faith circles and religious
broadcasting, both in the South and
in Oregon. I do not make these
claims lightly. Those who know me
know that I am a person of faith and
what I see and hear disturbs me
greatly.
Those growing up in the South,
know that much of the racism, big­
otry, hatred, and violence of the
civil rights era would never have
happened or lasted two weeks if it
didn' t get tacit approval, a nod, wink,
comfort, and support by so called
leading churches, church leaders
and faith organizations.
It is time for people o f honor,
decency, equality and fairness —
and those who are really co n ­
cerned about the future and direc­
tion o f this nation — to stand up,
be counted and make your voice
heard as never before. W hen was
the last time you wrote a letter,
sent a fax, or sent an e-mail to the
President, to your U.S. R epresen­
tative, to your U.S. Senators, and
their state o f Oregon counterparts.
Stop w aiting for someone else to
do it, because it may never get
done unless you take part!
Ronald Reagan and those who
supported him knew that if they
opened their campaign in the Mis­
sissippi city of Philadelphia it would
send a strong message to Southern
bigots, racists, religious fanatics,
and those who hate civil rights, in-
tegration, equality, fair housing, and
Speak out against those who are
unity, that Regan was reaching out openly racist in their voices, like
to them and sending them the mes­ Glen Beck, Hannity, Savage, and
sage that they were okay and what local idiots we know on the radio
they believed in was fine.
here in Portland.
I was there, and heard all of the
Research the faith leaders who
code words in his speech. A ny­ are leading the discourse and learn
one with a brain knew who and their true rhetoric regarding the
what people he was talking about. President, where they stand on
He made several references to equality, on people of color, fair
w elfare, young bucks not w ork­ housing and equality in employ­
ing, and good taxpaying people, ment. See if their speeches publicly
all code words bigots in the South agree with what they say on blog,
and Pacific Northwest know well. and to openly racist groups. See if
Listen to that speech when you their speech is inherently racist and
get a chance on YouTube, it might bigoted in nature.
open your eyes and show how the
I disagree with the President on
road to where we are right now many issues and most likely will
was encouraged by Reagan, his continue to do so, but I have written
advisors, and started originally him about my disagreements and I
by Richard Nixon with his “South­ encourage others to let the Presi­
ern Strategy” to gain power and dent and other elected officials know
the Presidency by using race, big­ where they stand. But do not use
otry, and hatred to his and the your faith as a baseball bat and
Republican Party’s advantage.
wedge in a racist, bigoted, non-
Now is the time for people of Christian way to hit people and de­
goodwill who want a better nation stroy those who have different opin­
fortheirchildren, grandchildren, and ions or world views.
the future, to stand up and make
I encourage you to stand up,
their voices heard. Encourage your speak out and end the legitimizing
friends and relatives to vote, to get of racism, hatred and bigotry. Fol­
active on issues that affect them, low the example of many young
and affect their children every day, Christians when they ask What
like education, the economy, jobs Would Jesus Do?
being shipped overseas, tax breaks
Everette Rice is a local minister,
for the richest of the rich, corporate former broadcaster and member o f
welfare, and corporations given the the Oregon Commission on Black
same rights as people.
Affairs.
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Closing Gender Pay Disparities
Gains offset by
joblessness
by J udge
G reg M athis
First, the good news.
Women are earning more
money today than they
were ten years ago. Slowly
but surely, gender pay
disparities are becoming a thing of the past.
Historically, women have always earned
less than men. When women first went to
work outside of the home, they typically took
on ‘pink collar’ jobs that, for many reasons,
paid a lower salary. However, as women
began to become more educated and branch
into different fields, even those dominated
Established 1970
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by men, they found that their salaries re­ This is disturbing because it makes one
m ained low er than that o f their male wonder what will happen to the pay gap
counterparts.. .even if they were doing the when the economy rebounds and the men
same jobs.
who are currently unemployed go back to
That is changing. According to newly work. Will it continue to shrink or will it
released statistics, women earned just less widen?
than 83 percent of the weekly wage men did
The fact remains that women, who make
in the second quarter of this year; 10 years up nearly half of the workforce, earn less than
ago, women earned around 76 percent of their male peers at every education level.
what men did. African American women,
It is not a positive sign when a woman’s
especially, have seen the income gap widen: financial success is tied to the financial hard­
the weekly salary for black women increased ships of her male counterparts. The income
by nearly 9 percent, while that of black men gap should be closed not because men are
dropped more than 2 percent.
being locked out of the workplace but because
Now, for the bad news. Women are earn­ employers pay equal money for ¿qual work.
ing more but men, typically employed in
Greg Mathis is a retired Michigan Dis­
industries hit hardest by the recession are trict Court judge and is currently a syndi­
increasingly finding themselves out of work. cated television show judge.
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