Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
May 8, 2019 Page 9 O PINION Many Fault Lines and a Massive Fissuring 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. America’s promise is in peril by Hakim Hazim The Founding Fa- thers mulled over var- ious approaches to governing before estab- lishing the outlines of our nation. When they framed our constitu- tion, they did so with care, delibera- tion, and foresight. Believing that axioms, self-evi- dent truths, would remain relevant in people’s judgment and conduct, they constructed a new approach for future governance. They factored in various aspects of human nature – paying careful attention to the mor- ally corrosive nature of unchecked power. To guard against this, they instituted three branches of govern- ment, along with a free press, and empowered citizenry. America was not just a place; our nation gave birth to an inspiring idea that people, collectively and individually, could, despite their differences, flourish. Leaders trust- ed the collective will of the people over tyrants, and the people trusted their leaders. This powerful, fragile, dream gave birth to revolution. We became a shining light, a place in which people armed with aspira- tions, gifts, work ethic, and morals, could come and start afresh. Now, America’s promise is in peril. Our leaders have failed us. Today many feel a sense of angst, and powerlessness – believing they no longer matter. They are waiting on a new movement or political fig- ure to arrive on the scene and change the direction we are headed. That direction is likely void of godly principles, logic, and critical thinking. America has always been imperfect and flawed, but the dream has remained and car- ried us. Today, there are many fault lines and a massive fissuring taking place. Cynicism about the other is systematically being fed to us and replacing “we the people.” Despite this, my optimism springs from my forbearer’s history in this country. I recall the salient imagery of my ancestors crossing the North At- lantic under some of harshest and most inhumane circumstances ever thrusted upon a people. People de- prived of the very things America supposedly stood for helped build the American Dream for others, while being subjected to centuries of nightmares. We were excluded; yet, we longed and labored for our piece of the promise. Generations of our leaders fought for the futures of their chil- dren, bearing patiently the injustices of our nation, while keeping a long- term view in mind. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., understood the landscape. He em- ployed godly principles, strategic logic, and critical thinking to arouse a nation’s conscience. He knew that the legal system, religious institu- tions, and scientific community, had long agreed upon our inferior status. As a Christian, I marvel at Dr. King’s use of spiritual values. He shattered those racist perceptions, while unifying a nation. King un- derstood and trusted that the orig- inal idea was good, but it needed to be fully implemented for all. He was grateful to be an American, be- cause the dream, though delayed, proved true. America, from its inception, was a collaborative effort in which the founders considered history, philosophy, principles of govern- ing, and the passions of the people when they decided to wrest power and their future from British tyran- ny. They rightly placed their faith in God and the people. Today, we are returning to the old, divisive politics of exclusion. We are returning to a tribalism that shuns those we don’t agree with and critical thinking about issues. We see politicians on both sides utilizing strawmen argu- ments, victimizing victims, ranting about selective prosecution when justice is at work against them, and not shockingly, debating when a baby can be terminated. Missing from these discussions is our voice. We matter, and a great deal more than we think. I am challenging you to step for- ward and get involved in your com- munity and political discourse—not meme sharing and Facebook rant- ing. America was based on the no- tion that every citizen matters and has a voice. Do you believe that? If you do, are you willing to engage with people you disagree with? Will you break bread with people who are different than you in race, ethnicity, beliefs, and political par- ty? Will you seek common ground? What if we rejected the cynical news cycles that show one side of an is- sue only? What if we, the citizenry, took seriously our civic duty to be educated on matters and critically thought about some of the things taking place in this country? If we did, things would change, and poli- ticians could not get away with their business as usual approach. Corpo- rations could not slant the news they have purchased with impunity. We matter and what we do mat- ters. If we lose sight of this, the American Dream dies, and our children’s dreams will die with it. We can secure the results we seek if we return to the original principles of our nation, trust in God and one another. What we are seeing today are the results of our entrenched po- litical party system, and our apathy. This approach will fill us with fear and angst, while stripping us of our voice. It is time to return to civil, informed conversation. It is time to return to the American Dream. Hakim Hazim is the founder of Relevant Now, a nationally recog- nized consultancy that focuses on security, criminality and decision analysis. Five Years Later and Relisha is Still Missing Out of sight, out of mind by m arian W right e Delman Baby dolls, tiny trucks, toy food and dress-up capes. Scattered about the ballroom of a motel in northeast Washington, D.C., and captured in a Washington Post column by Petula Dvorak, these hallmarks of child’s play are not merely a sign of productive imag- inations—they’re evidence of a larger child and family poverty crisis that must end in our affluent nation. Twenty minutes outside the city’s downtown, a stretch of bud- get motels along a major highway serve as overflow shelters for homeless families in the nation’s capital. They have strict rules about where children are seen and heard. Signs dotting the hallways announce “No Playing on the Ho- tel Premises” and children are for- bidden from gathering in common spaces. The Homeless Children’s Play- time Project, a local nonprofit, re- serves event spaces to carve out ar- eas where children can be children. However, the lack of space and high cost of reserving ballrooms and conference halls means pop- up playtimes are much too limited. Away from the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill where big deals are made and bills become laws, the motels—and the 1,000 homeless children within them—are largely out of sight and out of mind. Other shelters are similarly isolated. Until it closed in October 2018, the city’s largest family shelter was D.C. General, a former abandoned public hospital whose neighbor- ing buildings included a jail and a morgue. Out of direct view and tucked into the nooks and cran- nies of a dense, bustling city, it is too easy to overlook out-of-sight homeless children. Until tragedy strikes. Eight-year-old Relisha Rudd was abducted from the D.C. Gen- eral homeless shelter in March 2014. Relisha loved art and baby dolls and would exuberantly spell V-I-C-T-O-R-Y on her school’s cheer team. For months, Relisha’s disappearance dominated the news cycle and brought the glare of na- tional attention to D.C. General. City officials, pundits, locals and anonymous online commen- tators heaped blame on Relisha’s family, her teachers and her social workers. But assigning blame did nothing to bring Relisha home. Five years have passed and Reli- sha is still missing. Why do we fail to see our poor children until their faces stare at us from a Missing Child poster? Why do we blame parents rather than blame our broken, unjust sys- tem that fails to provide affordable housing for families? Thousands of Relishas live ev- erywhere among us, without safe places to live and grow up. They are homeless because housing is too expensive and their parents’ jobs pay too little; unaccounted for because affordable quality child care is out of reach; finding pock- ets of playtime in motel ballrooms because play is otherwise forbid- den; hurting because poverty hurts. It’s time to stop assigning blame and start taking action. This month, the Children’s Defense Fund will release a new edition of our report Ending Child Poverty Now with an urgent call to action. We must make poor children’s struggles visible to our political leaders and policymakers at all levels of government and in ev- ery state and community. We must lift up child poverty solutions that work including a higher minimum wage, housing assistance vouchers for struggling parents, transitional jobs programs and child care assis- tance. We must keep children front and center, invisible no longer. Marian Wright Edelman is Founder and President Emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund. MCS Still in Business Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may 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) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area and Hallway Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Pre-Spray) Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning Regular Area Rugs $25.00 Minimum Wool Oriental Rugs $40.00 Minimum UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $70.00 Loveseat: $50.00 Sectional: $110 - $140 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $50.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949
