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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
November 1, 2017 Page 13 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. O PINION When Soldiers Die in Wars We Don’t Know About What on earth are we doing in Niger? p eter C erto , In our military-re- vering culture, it’s a strange thing for a president to start a war of words with the grieving families of slain soldiers. Strange, yes. But from Donald Trump’s campaign season feud with the parents of Humayun Khan, who died protecting fel- low soldiers in Iraq, to his recent feud with the mourning widow of La David Johnson, who died on patrol in Niger, it’s no longer sur- prising. At root in the latest spat is a comment Trump made to La Da- vid’s widow Myeshia Johnson: by “He knew what he signed up for.” Myeshia thought that remark was disrespectful — she later said it “made me cry.” Beyond insensitive, though, there’s a good chance it simply wasn’t true. Why, after all, should La David have expected to die in a dusty corner of Niger — a Saharan coun- try most Americans (and, one suspects, their presi- dent) couldn’t find on a map? And where the U.S. isn’t actually at war? If you were surprised to learn the U.S. has nearly a thousand troops in Niger, you’re not alone. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who serves on the Armed Forces Committee, told NBC he “had no idea.” Nei- ther did Chuck Schumer, the Sen- ate’s top Democrat. Well, the surprises may keep coming. The New York Times notes that the U.S. now has “over 240,000 active-duty and reserve troops in at least 172 countries and territo- ries.” Count it again: 172 coun- tries, out of 193 UN member states. Most of us remain at least dim- ly aware that we still have thou- sands of troops in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in Cold War outposts like Japan, South Korea, and Germany. But what about the 160-plus others? And where are the nearly 38,000 troops whose location the Penta- gon lists as “unknown”? We catch an occasional glimpse of this global footprint when a U.S. service member dies some- place surprising — as Ryan Ow- ens did earlier this year in Yemen, and a Navy SEAL did several months later in Somalia. More rarely we catch darker reminders still, when our wars abroad come home in the form of terrorist at- tacks. But mostly the American people remain every bit as in the dark as Graham and Schumer. Americans like to imagine our- selves as citizens of a democracy that rejects the colonial ambitions of Old World powers like France and the UK. And yet we’ve de- ployed troops to literally most of the planet, and our leading law- makers — tasked by the Consti- tution with the exclusive right to declare war — don’t even know about it. Worse still, Congress appears to be abetting its own irrelevance. Earlier this year, House Speak- er Paul Ryan quietly killed an amendment by Democrat Barbara Lee that would’ve revoked Con- gress’ post-9/11 Authorization of Military Force, which has been used as a fig leaf of legality for this global war making. And last month the Senate voted 2:1 to re- ject an amendment from Republi- can Rand Paul that would’ve done the same. Odds are, the real victims from our post-9/11 wars live in coun- tries we seldom see or hear about. But as veteran and Army strategist Danny Sjursen writes, “the poten- tial, and all too pervasive, deaths of American service members de- mand a public hearing” too. Espe- cially when 16-plus years of war doesn’t appear to have made the world any safer. When our soldiers kill and die in fruitless wars we don’t know about and can’t end, we’re not a democracy anymore — we’re an empire. And perhaps a fading one at that. Peter Certo is the editorial manager of the Institute for Policy Studies and the editor of Other- Words.org. A Digital Revolution Powered by Black Millennials A megaphone for justice, awareness and change m arC h. m orial The presence and influence of black millennials on our shared digital frontier can neither be denied nor dismissed. From viral memes that catch celebri- ties at their best—and worst, to trending hashtags like #Black- LivesMatter and #OscarsSoW- hite with the power to spark social awareness and compel offline action, black millennials are digital pioneers. They have eagerly and creatively adopted the medium, using its emerging technologies as a megaphone for justice, raising awareness and ef- fecting change. Statistically, black families continue to remain less likely than white families to have ded- icated Internet access at home and are more likely to access the internet from their mobile phones. According to the latest Niel- sen reporting on the online pres- ence and participation of black millennials, “Young, Connected and Black: African-American Millennials Are Driving Social Change and Leading Digital Ad- by vancement,” 91 percent of Af- rican Americans report owning a smartphone—this comes only second to Asian Americans who report 94 percent smartphone ownership—and 91 percent of African Americans also report that they access the Internet through mobile de- vices. Tech-savvy African Americans, particularly the more than 11 million iden- tified as black millennials are influential, leading us- ers of mobile technology and platforms, and voracious con- sumers and creators of digital content. They are also uniquely positioned to usher the move- ment for social justice into the digital age and have done so one hashtag, meme and social cam- paign at a time. From Ferguson to the Oscars, we have witnessed the power of e-amplified activism and its ability to exert its influence and pressure to effect change beyond the world wide web. It is clear that civil rights, activism, and large-scale national conversa- tions will exist more and more at the curve of technology. In com- parison to previous generations, black millennials earn more, spend more and are experiencing increased educational advance- ments. We must ensure that this progress and the narrowing of our nation’s digital divide con- tinues unabated. The National Urban League understands that our world is in- creasingly global and networked. We believe that being left out of the digital revolution, whether you are an activist fighting for equality or attempting to access employment opportunities, is a detriment to our communities and, ultimately, our nation. Committed to economic em- powerment, we have consistent- ly called for the expansion of high-speed broadband to urban and rural America, including as recently as in our Main Street Marshall Plan. At this year’s an- nual conference we convened a Hackathon, challenging partici- pants to create apps that address racial and social justice. We also featured Tech Connect, a space to explore the complex intersec- tions between tech, race and so- cial change. We have not only committed to talking about the digital econ- omy, and the digital space as a tool in the fight for social justice, but we actively prepare people for it. As black millennials forge ahead on the digital frontier, we acknowledge and celebrate their collective strength and power— and recognize the decidedly ana- log roots of their movement. Despite attempts to restrict communication among enslaved Africans, these men and women used their ingenuity and creativ- ity to communicate in the beat of a drum, the clap of roughened hands and the moans of spiritu- als. With these early tools they were able to communicate sor- row, joy and revolution. Today, the tools are differ- ent and more powerful, but the impulse to use what we have to raise awareness, evoke discus- sion and trigger action remains the same. To access the new dig- ital economy and to take advan- tage of the power of technology to impact our lives, we must con- tinue to ensure access and pro- mote STEM education. We applaud those leaders and young professionals in our com- munities who are rising to the occasion and using digital ad- vances to bring online pressure to bear on our offline realities. Marc H. Morial is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League. Got Loved Ones You Want to Visit? Coffee Creek, Two Rivers, Snake River, OSP, Deer Ridge, Mill Creek, Federal, OSCI, Eastern Oregon or other institutions? We can Help. Carpool with us on the weekend. Lunch Included. Space is Limited, RSVP required. For More information . . . Call or Text 503-447-6550