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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2018)
January 17, 2018 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 Look at What We’ve Done with Apprenticeships Bridging the gap for job readiness D onalD ii Over the last decades, many American inner cit- ies have seen an econom- ic resurgence. Buoyed by millennials and people’s desire to shorten their dai- ly work commute, neigh- borhoods and communities that were all but pronounced dead two decades ago now find themselves flush with new businesses and residents. This is no more evident than here in the District of Columbia, where the economic recovery of the city has been nothing short of breathtaking. Howev- er, as many have noted, this growth has not been equally beneficial to all resi- dents. While policymakers and advocates search for answers and solutions to this problem, there is one time-tested and by oDie proven tool that should be a key part of any workforce development strategy -- apprenticeships. Introduced in the 14th century, ap- prenticeships combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, teaching workers the practical and the- oretical aspects of highly-skilled oc- cupations. Apprenticeship programs can be sponsored by employers, labor groups, or employer associations. Traditional apprenticeship pro- grams have been primarily relegated to labor fields, such as carpentry or pipe- fitting, but there are a growing number of companies offering them in high skill and high wage fields, such as IT and engineering. While we understand that the wage and employment gaps cannot be com- pletely closed until the educational and systematic inequalities in this country are addressed, strong apprenticeship programs can help bridge the gap be- tween the shortcoming of our educa- tion system and job readiness for high wage sectors. Urban policymakers should make a strong investment in funding appren- ticeship programs that help those from their most underserved communities enter into career fields with strong earn- ings and growth. By providing strong hands on training in high wage and high growth fields, such as tech or entrepre- neurship, policymakers can help resi- dents who may not have received ade- quate educational preparation build key job skills and find stable employment. Furthermore, in a political environ- ment where big initiatives can often be hard to implement, apprenticeship programs have long had bipartisan support. The U.S. Department of La- bor reports that over 91 percent of all apprentices retain employment upon completion of their apprenticeship. Here in the District of Columbia, we have committed to increasing the num- ber of registered apprenticeships. In September, we awarded approximately $400,000 in grants to local businesses and community-based organizations that target the IT, construction and in- frastructure industries. Apprenticeship DC promotes both pre-apprenticeship and registered ap- prenticeship work-based learning mod- els. Over the next year, we will work with local business owners and com- munity advocates to build upon this effort and target resources to maximize the number of apprenticeships avail- able for our communities. Through this initiative and the D.C. Infrastructure Academy, we hope to prove that we are committed to ensur- ing that all District residents are able to participate in the growing economy. As officials and policymakers in other urban areas deal with their own economic gaps, I hope that they will take a look at what we have done here in the District with our apprenticeship programs and embrace this model as a strong workforce development tool. Odie Donald II is director of the DC Department of Employment Services. Hollywood Won’t Destroy Sexism, But We Can Oprah gives a voice to the voiceless r azan a zzarkani This month’s Gold- en Globes were the first awards ceremony held since #MeToo went vi- ral. To commemorate it, celebrities brought social justice activists along as their plus-ones, and many more wore black to show support with the Time’s Up movement, a new Hollywood initiative to purge the industry of predators. While I’m sure they mean well, re- pairing the damage is going to take more than wearing black. After all, Hollywood has collective- ly spent years perpetuating a rape cul- ture, a sexist culture that did absolutely nothing for women of color, working women, women in the gay and trans communities, women of diverse reli- gious backgrounds, and others. In fact, it often did the absolute opposite. Elite men accused of abusing women have not only repeatedly gotten away with it — they’ve been praised for their work, given awards, and offered new jobs. Men such as Woody Allen, Casey Affleck, Johnny Depp, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein. Only recently have by some faced some sort of consequences. But then there was Oprah. Oprah Winfrey won this year’s Ce- cil B. Demille award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertain- ment.” The first black woman to get the prize, she accepted her award to a standing ovation — and gave a rousing speech that inspire She talked about the women who aren’t talked about: the domestic workers, the women working for minimum wage, women who have who don’t have the luxury of being the famous, rich, mostly white women with more power to speak. No longer will women have to re- main silent and endure because “this is what men do” or believe these are experiences that come with being a woman. No longer will women have to be shamed into silence because they ar- en’t believed, because they’re not rich enough, white enough, pretty enough, whatever enough to be believed. The solution isn’t, as some are al- The solution is to support organizations that give voice to women of color and other marginalized groups – organizations such as Know Your IX, National Domestic Workers Alliance, INCITE!, and Mending the Sacred Hope. no choice but to be silent about their abuse because they have a family to feed. “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up,” she said. Oprah gave a voice to the voiceless, ready demanding, for Oprah to run for president. The solution is to listen to women everywhere, and empower fe- male activists in their work. Women like Tarana Burke, senior di- rector of Girls for Gender Equity and founder of the #MeToo movement, and Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Women like Aniqa Raihan and Lei- lani Ganser, young activists I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with. They were brave and courageous enough to publicly fight back against their abusers after receiving little to no help from their university campuses where the assaults took place. Despite stigma, backlash, and struggle, Rai- han and Ganser continue to fight every day for justice, for themselves and for women everywhere. The solution is to support organiza- tions that give voice to women of color and other marginalized groups – orga- nizations such as Know Your IX, Na- tional Domestic Workers Alliance, IN- CITE!, and Mending the Sacred Hope. Even Hollywood’s getting wise, the New York Times reports. Time’s Up set aside a $13 million legal fund “to help less privileged women — like janitors, nurses, and workers at farms, factories, restaurants, and hotels — protect them- selves from sexual misconduct and the fallout from reporting it.” “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have,” Oprah said. Until “nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again.” A new day is indeed on the horizon. Razan Azzarkani is the executive as- sistant at the Center for Global Policy. Distributed by OtherWords.org.