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.
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