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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 2016)
VETERAN’S DAY Special Edition November 9, 2016 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Page 9 O PINION Creating a More Equal and Just America Museum a tribute to shared past M arian W right e delMan The recent opening of the National Museum of African American History and Cul- ture in Washington, D.C. is the realization of a dream that’s been a very long time coming, beginning a century ago when black leaders first proposed a memorial to black Civil War vet- erans. Dr. Rex M. Ellis, the muse- um’s associate director for cura- torial affairs, speaking to young teachers during the Children’s Defense Fund’s 2016 Freedom Schools training, shared his hopes that the museum will help light the way for the next gener- ation of Americans and that the museum’s vision will “change the master narrative of our na- tion:” The new museum opens at a by critical inflec- tion point in our nation’s history. By capturing America’s strug- gle to overcome our birth defect of slavery and our ongoing struggle to close the gap between America’s creed and deed, for the first time our children will be able to accurate- ly learn the too often hidden or misstated history of America. With this museum, I hope new generations of children will grow up not only learning the truth about who we are and where we came from but also what they can do to create a more equal and just America. The struggle to build the mu- seum often seemed to mirror the story it was trying to tell. One that required grit, determination, and persistence — a struggle Dr. Ellis feels was well worth hav- ing: “When we began back in 2005, we had nothing. We had no building. We had no collec- tions. We had no land to put a building on and very little mon- ey. We had a very small staff of about three people. Now, just 11 years later, we have a staff of over 180 people, nearly 37,000 objects, five acres of land that shares our neighborhood with the Washington Monument and the White House and the United States Capitol and the National Park Service and 18 Smithsonian museums.” Ellis said there were many people who never believed they could raise the $540 million to build the museum and doubted organizers could find a world- class collection. But they accom- plished both feats. The museum’s artifacts in- clude the vest Michael Jackson wore during his Victory Tour and one of his signature gloves — but that’s not all. “We’ve got Chuck Berry’s Cadillac,” Ellis said. “We’ve got Maybelline, his guitar. But that’s not all. We got hip-hop artist Chuck D’s jacket. The origi- nal funkmaster George Clinton, we got his Mothership. We got Prince’s tambourine.” Dr. Ellis went on as the au- dience cheered. “We got Nat Turner’s Bible. We got Harriet Tubman’s shawl. We got Radio Raheem’s boombox from Do the Right Thing. We got a training plane flown by Tuskegee Air- men. We got the Olympic torch that Muhammad Ali signed in the 1999 games in Atlanta, his head gear, his training robe, and on and on and on . . . We never stopped believing that we could do it. We could build this museum. We could make it happen. We didn’t give up, didn’t turn back, didn’t listen to those who said that we would fail, and the more people saw and experienced our belief, they caught the fever too.” The African American experi- ence has always been an integral and essential part of the larger American experience. Now, with this beautiful and powerful new museum finally open in the heart of the nation’s capital, many of those connections that help com- plete the true and full American narrative are on full display. Ac- knowledging our shared American past and all of the ways it echoes in the present is the only way to keep moving forward together. Only the truth can make us free. Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s De- fense Fund. Support Open and Accountable Election Reform City Council proposal builds trust s teven C arter Recent polls show the pub- lic is increasingly distrustful of government, is angry over big money in politics, and is con- vinced that the common interest takes a back seat to special inter- ests with large wallets. Here in Portland there’s an opportunity to fight these per- ceptions with the Open and Ac- countable Elections reform pro- posal before the City Council. AARP Oregon, and many oth- er civic groups, are backing this proposal because it will encour- age the kind of government we all want: elected representatives who reflect the increasing demo- graphic, cultural and economic diversity of our city, the ability of small donors to amplify their voices in elections and the abili- ty of ordinary Portlanders to run competitive campaigns for may- or, city council and city auditor. The proposal would empow- er qualified candidates who opt into the program and prove they have a wide base of public support to run their campaigns – matching six-for-one every dollar they raise up to $50 per donor with limited public funds. In return, candidates would face strict limits on what they could spend the money for and could accept donations only from indi- viduals, and not political groups by or corporations. In addition, requirements for reporting contributions and ex- penditures would be tightened, producing greater campaign transparency. Only donations from Portlanders would be matched, and donations larger than $250 per individual would be banned. Candidates using the sys- tem would have every reason to spend their time campaigning among and listening to a wide spectrum of Portlanders because individuals with limited means would have the ability to mag- nify their donations with public dollars. It will help bring bal- ance to our political system so that big donors don’t have the loudest say. Small donor matching is proven way to create more open and accountable elections. Thir- teen states have some form of small-donor funded elections, as well as local governments like Seattle, New York City, and Al- buquerque. In New York, for ex- ample, their matching program has led to much wider array of candidates for office, a greater number of citizens contributing to campaigns and an increase in the percentage of small donors. Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Ernest J. Hill, Jr. Agent 4946 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217 503 286 1103 Fax 503 286 1146 ernie.hill.h5mb@statefarm.com 24 Hour Good Neighbor Service R State Farm R The new proposal is a great improvement on Portland’s ear- lier experience with publicly financed elections. Candidates won’t get all their public money up front once they qualify, rath- er they will have to prove that they have community support to receive matching funds. Expen- diture reports are required more frequently, and any campaign violations can result in very stiff fines – up to $10,000. The City Council would con- trol how much public money is used in the program, and it would require no new taxes. The program may take no more than two-tenths of a percent of the city budget. In return voters will get a government accountable to everyone. AARP Oregon believes the Open and Accountable Elections reform is a big step in the right direction toward more open, fairer and accountable Portland elections. We believe it will cre- ate a wider array of candidates for city positions and make the voices of ordinary Portlanders count much more in our elec- tions. We urge the Portland City Council to approve this program. Steven Carter is an AARP volunteer and past member of AARP’s Oregon Executive Coun- cil. The Law Offices of Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law 1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon Portland: Hillsoboro: Facsimile: Email: (503) 244-2080 (503) 244-2081 (503) 244-2084 Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
