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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2012)
Page 8 May 30, 2012 The Changing Time to end the old divisions M arc M orial W e ’ve b een h earin g about it for years, and now the time has come. The C ensus Bureau ju st an nounced that for the first time, the birth rate of people of color exceeded that of whites: 50.4 percent to 49.5 percent. America is still a majority white coun try, with whites comprising 63.4 percent of the total population. But, the Census Bureau report covering the 12-month period that ended last July reveals that at a time when the w hitebirth rate is declin ing, there are now 114 million minorities in the United States, or 36.6 percent of the population. Hispanics, now America’s largest mi nority group, led the way last year with 26 percent of total births. The African by of America American percentage was about 15 per cent, and for Asians it was about 4 percent. The country now has five major ity-minority states: Hawaii, the Dis trict of Columbia, California, New Mexico and Texas. Clearly, we are moving inexorably towards the day in 2050 when the United States is a majority-minority nation. As noted in a recent H uffington Post colum n, “With few er white ba bies being born than Latino, black and Asian babies that may com e a lot sooner than 2042 - the target year which dem ographers repeatedly cite.” This increase in the minority popula tion is due in part to the influx of Hispanic im m igrants over the past few decades, a trend which is now slow ing. It also reflects the fact that with a median age of 42, the white popula tion is aging while younger m inorities, especially H ispanics, are m oving into their peak child-bearing years. W ith A fric a n A m e ric a n s and ending “ separate but equal” segrega Latinos still over-represented am ong tion in our nation’s schools. the unem ployed and high school drop W hile the hope was that Brown v outs, this dem ographic shift should be the D epartm ent of Education would a w ake-up call to policy m akers and lead to better schools and a better em ployers. A m erica cannot move e d u c a tio n fo r all o u r c h ild r e n , forw ard if it continues to leave com A m erica’s public schools are more m unities o f color behind. segregated today than ever. And We will not be able to grow our schools serving A frican A m erican and economy or compete in the 21 st century H ispanic students rem ain unequal in global marketplace if we continue to term s o f resources, funding and qual squander so much of our young human ity teachers. capital. Recent political attacks on affirm a Even as job creation continues to pick tive action, im m igration and voting up, the unemployment rate for African rights also make it clear that while Americans has exceeded 10 percent African A m ericans and H ispanics are since 2008. It now stands at 13 percent. growing in num bers, our fight for civil The rate for Hispanics also outpaces the rights and equality is far from over. national average at 10.3 percent. The It is tim e to put these old divisions high school dropout rate is also highest in behind us. The future is fast approach these communities. ing and its color is going to look a lot It is ironic that the Census Bureau different than the shades of the past. report was released on May 17, 58 Marc Morial is president and chief years to the day that Thurgood Marshall executive officer o f the National Ur won the landm ark Suprem e Court case ban League. Portland’s Progressive Community Falls short of the political scene was the lack of diversity between the fro n t-ru n n in g c a n d id a te s, whether it was creed, race, class, sexuality, age, etc., there was a huge void of represen tation within our repre sentative democracy. I quickly becam e ob sessed. My biggest dismay was the lack of empowerment I endured from Portland's progres- sive community. Most notably, by organizations who were founded on achieving social justice for marginalized demographics. When I informed Pride North west that I was the only queer identified candidate, they re- sponded that I would not be in vited to their Evening with the Candidates, that it had nothing to do with me. The Skanner re- fused to return my calls and emails, despite being the only Reflecting on my run for mayor C ameron W hitten I re m e m b e r the Willamette Week inter v iew , w h ere M ark Z u sm an to ld me I sounded bitter, after lamenting how I was being snubbed by the media and forum organizers, de- spite my endorsements, rising familiarity, and service in the community. I replied, "Not bit- ter, just stating the facts." It was the biggest lie I told during the entire campaign. I entered the race because I felt betrayed by our mayor and police chief who had misin- formed the public in order to take the easy route in dealing with America's budding social movement. My first impression by ^ ìln r t la n ò (Pbsrmer Established 1970 LISPS 959-680 47 47 NE Mdrtin Luther King Jr Blvd Portland OR 97211 ..... i i ■ ■ Charles H. Washington EDiTOR.Michaet L e ig h to n D is t r ib u t io n M a n a g e r : M a rk W a s h in g to n C r e a t iv e D ir e c t o r : P a u l N e u fe ld t E d it o r - I n - C h ie f , P u b l is h e r : A frican A m erican running. Street Roots, which advocates for the houseless community, never published an article, de spite knowing that 1 had experi enced bouts of homelessness while living in Portland. My biggest disappointment was the Urban League of Port land, which initially invited me to participate on their forum of eq uity, diversity, and inclusiveness, then ultimately decided that I shouldn't be included. These are only a few examples of injustice, but as a whole, the lengths that many of these institutions went to neutralize the voice of their community was extensive. It was not all disappointing, and I thank organizations and commu nity leaders like the Portland Ob server, PQ Monthly, the Q Cen ter, the Working Families' Party, Bruce Broussard, and Eileen Brady for their commitment to a more equitable society. But w hen it co m es to Portland's claims as the most progressive city in America, I was clearly in want of more. I scratched my head when I over heard others say that 23 was a lot of candidates, as Portland contains a population well over 500,000, and in this recession, our society is in desperate need of leaders who will respond to the call of civic duty. In the aftermath of the pri mary, media outlets and nomi nees who survived the ax boasted that Portlanders don't respond to big money candidates, although in truth, the only options they had to choose from were big money. In absence of Voter Owned Elections, candidates without heavy outside contributions were treated as invisible, despite their unique proposals and commit ments to civic responsibility. The 99 Percent is constantly disen chanted by this political apart heid, which I believe is the main reason why there is low voter turnout in local elections. In my strong, five month run, our energetic team achieved mile stones, whether it was making news, meeting influential figures like Ralph Nader and Rocky Anderson, or challenging other candidates on their priorities and standards. My gratitude is boundless for the people who believed in me, and I am inspired to continue with my head held high, due to your rare qualities of courage and understanding. This isn't going to be my last appearance on Portland's political stage, but I hope in sharing my experi ences, we might all learn a little, and become better from it. Pragmatism is the bane of an evolved society. Cameron Whitten is a former candidate fo r mayor o f Port land. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned i f accompanied by a self addressed envelope. A ll created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage w ithout the w ritten consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the com position o f such ad. © 2008 T H E P O R T LA N D OBSERVER A L L R IGHTS RESERVED, R E P R O D U C TIO N IN W H O L E OR IN PART W IT H O U T PER M ISSIO N IS P R O H IBITE D . 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