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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2011)
September 14, 2011 ^ortlanh (fihserurr Page II Back to School and Back to Work Don’t sacrifice education in budget battle M arc H. M orial Education has always been the gatew ay to good jobs and a better life for the American people. This has never been more true than today. According to the U.S. Census B u rea u , p e o p le w ho hold bachelor’s degrees earn on av erage $58,000 a year compared with just $31,000 for high school graduates and only $21,000 for those without high school diplo by mas. We also know that a growing number o f 21st century high- tech jobs require higher skills and more education than ever before. That is why for more than 50 years, the National Urban League’s Education & Youth Development di vision has worked to im prove educational opportu nities for African-Ameri can and underserved stu dents by developing innovative programs to support their aca demic achievement, encourage theircivic involvement, and con tribute to their healthy physical and emotional development. We have also made education a cor- nerstone of our 21 st century em powerment agenda with a chal lenge to the nation that every American child will be ready for college, work and life by 2025. The Urban League serves more than 200,000 children and youth each year through Head Start, after-school programs and charter schools. As the nation struggles to find the right balance between fiscal austerity and necessary invest ments in our future, the educa tion of our children must not be sacrificed in the process. Doing so would not only short change their futures, it would cripple our ability to grow the American economy and remain c o m p e titiv e in the g lo b a l economy. We are encouraged by the Obama Administration’s com mitment to education, including signing into law the largest in vestment in education in history as part of the President’s 2009 stimulus package - some $115 billion over two years to save education jo b s, send young people to college, modernize America's classrooms, and ad vance education reforms. We are also pleased that Edu cation Secretary Arne Duncan has set aside this week for an “Education and the Economy” bus tour to urban centers, includ ing Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Mil waukee, Detroit, and Chicago to highlight the important connec tion between quality education and quality jobs. “No other issue is more critical to our economy and our way of life than educa tion,” said Duncan. So, as our children head back to the classroom, we urge stu dents to do their part by studying hard and making the most of what their schools and teachers have to offer. We ask parents to do their part by getting involved. And we urge local school dis tricts and Congress to do their part by ensuring that all our stu dents have the resources and support they need to succeed. M arc H. M orial is president and ch ief executive officer o f the National Urban League. HH m m h m m h h h i Post 9/11 : Cloak of Fear, Cloak of Hope J im M oos For most of us, the day began like any other day. I was eating breakfast, listening to a news program when the first images were shown— smoke rising from a World Trade Center tower. There were unconfirmed reports that a plane had struck it. The heart-wrenching hours that fol lowed are deeply etched into the memories of most Americans. Thousands of innocent lives were lost, and grief remains. Sadly, the terrible losses of that day multiplied over the past decade. A “war on terror” was quickly declared, and Afghani stan and Iraq were invaded. Over 4,000 American service person nel have died in those actions— more than were killed on 9/11 itself. In addition, tens of thou sands have been injured. They will carry physical, emotional and spiritual scars for the rest of their lives. Less a part of the American consciousness are the massive losses suffered by Afghani and by Iraqi citizens as a result of the A Vietnam era general said wars and the chaotic forces they that “war is fear cloaked in cour unleashed. Over 100,000 of them age.” What is true of individual have been killed and over 5 mil combatants is also true of soci lion have been displaced from ety as a whole. The war on their homes or become refu terror is grounded in fear— fear gees— mostly innocent civilians. of the other, fear of the un Their names, faces and stories known, fear of losing control. A are largely unknown to us, but decade o f violence has not their families and communities brought us peace and security. continue to experience pain and Instead, we have suffered and grief. inflected grief upon grief. Post 9/11 losses include vast Faith calls us to shun fear and amounts of money spent on the embrace hope. For those of us wars, even in the midst of an who are Christian, our hope is in economic crisis. Sadly, some have Christ who taught us to pray for also lost sight of the full human the establishment of God’s realm, dignity of our Muslim brothers on earth as in heaven. Ours is and sisters through stereotyping, the hope that our labors on be profiling and the bearing of false half of that realm are not in vain; witness against them. transform ation of hearts and As we remember and mourn minds, of institutions and struc the losses of 9/11, we must also tures is possible. ask why losses continue to mul Fear causes us to see the tiply. A partial answer is that we other as an enemy to be mis have viewed the future through trusted, m anipulated and de the lens of fear. The debate over stroyed. Hope, on the other hand, building a Muslim community welcomes all as neighbors with center near ground zero reflects whom we seek understanding, the persistence of that fear. reconciliation and fellowship. clu )Jnrthmb (Observer Established 1970 USPS 9 5 9 -6 8 0 47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 Fear leads to revenge, while hope nurtures forgiveness. Fear per petuates a never-ending cycle o f violence, but hope seeks peace with justice. As we remember the losses of 9/11, let us not be led by the terror we fear. Rather, let the hope of God’s future lead us to transform ed relationships, at home and abroad. Jim Moos writes fo r Justice M in is tr ie s in the U n ite d Church o f Christ. 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