February 13. 2013____________________ port|and
Observer
Black History Month
Page 19
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America Stands at a Crossroads
Sharp divisions are
reflections of our times
by
R ev . J esse L. J ackson S r .
Am erica stands at a
crossroads.
We can take the high
road toward equal access
to high quality public edu­
cation, reaffirm our com­
mitment to democratically
elected public officials, end the failed war
on drugs, recommit to the right of work­
ers to bargain for better conditions, lower
our dreadful rate of hyper-incarceration
and implement the affordable care act. Or
we can travel in the opposite direction and
move the nation away from equal oppor­
tunity and justice.
One reason our political bodies are so
sharply divided is over this question of
justice. Some Americans seem to believe
that we have done enough to achieve
justice. Others understand that the struggle
for justice and equality is a continuing
American project that requires patience
and perseverance.
There are some disturbing trends. A
decade ago there were 40 million unin­
sured people. Today the number is closer
to 50 million. There is greater income
inequality and more poverty.
Average Americans have lost trillions
of dollars in family wealth - largely the
result of unregulated real estate markets.
We have not yet regulated exotic Wall
Street investments like derivatives. Our
incarceration rate continues to grow; we
imprison more people than any other de­
veloped nation in the world, per capita,
while drugs are more plentiful and lower
priced than they were a decade ago.
Fewer boys are finishing college and
the rate at which we produce engineers is
dropping. We rank lower in health out­
comes than much poorer nations. These
trends must be addressed and reversed if
we are to continue to prosper and lead the
world.
We seem fatigued with questions of
racial and ethnic justice. Affirmative ac­
tion is under attack, again. Racial profil­
ing, abuse of prosecutorial discretion,
excessive use of police force, runaway
juries, disparate sentencing and selective
prosecution are generally accepted as
normal, not exceptional.
While we celebrate the promise of the
Lillie Ledbetter Act, too much race dis­
crimination lurks in our work places.
Instead of looking at our immigrant popu­
lation as a strength to be cultivated, we
ignore, or pander to them.
Our civil rights apparatus is fraying.
There is a trend away from joining and
supporting organizations - churches, unions,
and civil rights organizations. Rugged indi­
vidualism is no substitute for institutional
voices for justice and equality.
Noah built an ark to withstand the
flood. Those who could swim died out­
side the ark. Those who could not swim
survived inside the ark. Good swimmers
can't swim 40 days and 40 nights. We
need strong institutional bulwarks to pro­
tect us from exclusion and prejudice.
Perhaps the most disturbing trend is
away from the universal franchise. The
right to vote secures every other right. We
are encountering stiff headwinds that
threaten to undermine democracy itself.
Despite "Citizens United," money is not
speech. Our elections should not be bought
and sold like vacation homes and yachts.
Latter day, politically driven obstacles -
voter suppression - is un-American. There
is no political goal that justifies dishonest
schemes to disenfranchise American citi­
zens.
America is not a race, or a religion, color
or language. America is built on a set of
noble, but fragile premises: All men are
created equal; one person-one vote; major­
ity rule. It is these principles that make the
American experiment work - undoing them
could unravel the fabric of the nation.
Yet, I remain optimistic. Our union has
been in the process of perfecting itself
throughout its entire existence. America
has been a laboratory experiment in jus­
tice and equality.
The enslaved never adjusted to being
considered less than human. Women never
adjusted to second-class citizenship.
Workers refused to acquiesce to exploita­
tion. Seniors refused to accept the indig­
nity of poverty after a life of industry.
Young people refused to be seen and not
heard. That is the genius of the American
experiment - we become a better, stron­
ger nation when we insist that the nation
live with its conscience.
Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is president and
chief executive officer o f the Rainbow/
PUSH Coalition.
A Path for Those Who Live in the Shadows
O ur strength com es
from our diversity
by
M ari C astellanos
President Obama has
ju s t
released
his
adm inistration’s blue­
print for immigration re­
form. It is notable that
this is one of the first
acts of his second term in office.
Though some may ascribe political mo­
tivation, the President will lay out a path­
way for justice, a way for those who have
lived in the shadows to come out into the
light. This is not just politics; this is doing
what is right.
The United States is a multi-racial,
multi-cultural country. The strength of
the nation comes from diversity and unity.
We who are many, who come from many
cultures, choose to be one people, de­
voted to shared principles and committed
Jlnrtlanh (Dhseruer
P u b lis h e r :
to the wellbeing of all.
For. over a decade, lawmakers and
citizens alike have recognized the pres­
ence among us of newcomers from many
lands, who have journeyed, like so many
before them, fleeing wars and poverty,
and seeking work and safety.
Men and women cross barren deserts
on foot under cover of darkness. As we
increased surveillance in areas close to
towns, the pilgrims ventured farther into
the desert where many lose their lives.
We erected three layers of wall, crowned
by barbwire.
Still the migrants came. They fled
poverty, and violence. Many perished
trying. Those who made it across told
horrible stories of wars and violence, as
Mexican law enforcement battled the drug
traffic.
Many businesses were happy to wel­
come these new laborers. From farms to
meatpacking plants, to restaurant kitch­
ens, they were welcomed and often paid
Established 1970
Mark Washington
less than minimum wage.
Almost all work at least two jobs to
make ends meet. They are human shad­
ows silently walking in the light of dawn
and in the moonlight. All fear “la migra”,
the Immigration and Naturalization Ser­
vice (INS) police'w ho raid factories,
taking away those lacking proper papers
and sometimes leaving behind terrified
children, who don’t know where their
parents are.
During hard times, even tender-hearted
people can get tough. Perhaps the eco­
nomic downturn of the past few years
fueled it. Immigrants through many states
suddenly had to fear, not only “la migra”,
but law enforcement agents from states
and municipalities who had passed their
own immigration laws. In at least one
infamous case, they had to endure terrible
hardship and humiliation. Immigrants
fled once more.
The Latino community mobilized, and
leaders denounced the inhuman condi­
USPS 959-680
tions of the INS detention centers and
other facilities where the undocumented
were held. Religious leaders of all faiths
condemned the treatment of immigrants.
President Obama seems to have heard
the cry of the poor, the undocumented
immigrant women, men and children who
want to remain a family, an American
family. The President has introduced his
plan for immigration reform. A bi-parti-
san group of senators have produced a
plan as well.
In the Nation’s Capital, where Ethio­
pian and Salvadoran faces abound, where
people from the entire world visit to be­
hold the experience that is America, the
President and the Congress must find a
way to incorporate the undocumented to
the American story, a story of resilience
and perseverance, a story of freedom and
grace.
Mari Castellanos is the policy advo­
cate fo r domestic issues with the United
Church o f Christ.
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