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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2014)
Page 6 ^Inrtlauh (Dbseruer May 21. 2014 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service T he g > lorbünd leadm ? color bund Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services)-. $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (RequinngExterLsivePrc-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Backsliding on Education Equality ‘I feel compelled to respond’ B rianna M ontague I believe that landm ark S u p rem e C o u rt ru lin g s like B row n v. B oard o f E d u catio n gave m e a b e t te r ch an ce to get a great ed ucation and to reach m y potential. A nd I am very thankful for ev ery thing C ivil R ights leaders acco m p lish ed — big and sm all. T h eir struggle m ade it easier fo r people o f co lo r like m e to get equal access to o p portunities and receive a hig h er education. I have a b ach e lo r’s d e gree in W o m e n ’s and G en d er S tu d ies from D ePaul U niversity, an d I attended a relatively integrated high school in a resp ected d istrict in M aryland. So, im ag in e m y surprise and a n g er w hen the S uprem e C o u rt upheld M ich ig an ’s affirm ativ e action ban. T he A pril 22 ruling d ealt w ith the M ichigan Civil Rights Initiative (also know n as Proposal 2), w hich passed in 2006. T h e p ro p o sal ch an g e d M ich ig an ’s co n stitu tio n to m ake affirm ativ e action illegal in public by em ploym ent, education, and co n tracting. In 2012, the case w as appealed, and the v oter-approved am endm ent w as ru led u n co n stitu tio n al fo r a s h o rt tim e . T h e S u p re m e C o u rt’s 6-2 ruling u pheld the ban. T he im plications are om i n o u s b e c a u s e th e U n ite d States still has a segregation problem. It is ev id en t in the d isp ro portionate closing o f K -12 public schools that serve black c o m m u n i ties. It is n ’t fair to p unish children for p o o r tests scores and building violations w hen the cities and co u n ties w here they live should address these problem s. It is evident w hen y ou lo o k at w hat happened w hen the Suprem e C o u rt struck dow n part o f the V o t ing R ights A ct o f 1965. A fter the d e c is io n w as m a d e , T e x a s a n nounced that a p reviously blocked vo ter ID law w o u ld go into effect im m ediately. T h at state’s au th o ri ties also declared that any future redistricting o f T exan electoral d is tricts w ould no lo n g er require fed eral approval. It is evident w hen you look at the backsliding w e’ve faced. In the 1970s, black enrollm ent was very low at the U niversity o f M ichigan-A nn Arbor, at around 3.8 percent. D uring that time, protesters called for 10 percent black enrollment, effectively dem and ing affirm ative action. A s a result, black enrollm ent rose to 9 percent by the m id-1990s, until a w hite fem ale student sued the U niversity for “ra cial discrim ination.” N ow , the num bers h o v er betw een 4 and 5 percent, figures w ith d e pressing sim ilarity to the 1970s. T he thought that this ban co u ld spark a spiral dropping below 3.8 percent is alarm ing but possible. M o d em racism in the U nited States has a different twist. M any A m ericans believe w e have attained racial equality due to the rise o f celeb rities, like O prah W infrey, and politi cians, like President B arack Obama. H ow ever, the goal o f affirm ative action w as n ev er to ju s t have a few black people attain positions o f great pow er. A ffirm ative action has alw ays been about helping m inorities a c cess publicly funded schools and get jo b s w ithout being d iscrim i nated against fo r their race, national origin, o r ethnicity. C urrently, around 4 0 percent o f w hite people ages 25-29 graduate from college, com pared w ith 15 p er A frican A m erican s. T h e U n ited States w o n ’t d eliv er equal o p p o rtu nities to p eo p le o f co lo r if other states follow in M ich ig an ’s fo o t ste p s. A lr e a d y C a l if o r n ia , T e x a s , Florida, and W ash in gton have all had som e k in d o f ban on affirm ative action in th eir states w ith m ajo r gaps in m inority rep resen tation in public in stitu tio n s. If you truly b eliev e o u r nation should aim fo r authentic equality, ch eck ou t y o u r sta te ’s affirm ative action law s. F ind ou t w hether they have affirm ativ e action bans o r if any are p ending. C o n tact y o u r local and state rep resen tatives and get involved in efforts to m aintain affir m ative action in ed u cation, go v ern m ent em p lo y m en t, and contracts. In short, speak up and m ake y o u r self heard. A s a black w om an arm ed w ith a b ach elo r’s degree, I feel c o m pelled to respond. A s the poet and activist A udre Lorde once said, “I have com e to believe o v er and o v er again that w hat is m ost im portant to m e m ust be spoken, m ade verbal and shared, even at the risk o f h aving it bruised o r m isu n d ersto o d .” Brianna Montague is an Insti tute for Policy Studies intern and a cen t for L atinos and 23 percent for graduate o f DePaul University.
