opinion
Martin Luther king day of Service
“challenging People to Shape
a better future Now”
b ErNiE f oSTEr
Founder/Publisher
b obbiE D orE f oSTEr
executive editor
T ED b aNkS
advertising Manager
j ErrY f oSTEr
account executive
l iSa l oviNg
news editor
b riaN S TimSoN
reporter
D aviD k iDD
graphic Designer
m oNica j. f oSTEr
Seattle office Coordinator
j uliE k EEfE
S uSaN f riED
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper, established
in October 1975, is a weekly publica-
tion, published each Wednesday by
IMM Publications Inc.,
415 N. Killingsworth St.,
P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228.
Telephone (503) 285-5555.
E-mail: info@theskanner.com
World Wide Web site:
http://www.theskanner.com
Fax: (503) 285-2900
the Skanner is a member of the
National
Newspaper
Pub lishers
Association and West Coast Black Pub -
lishers Association.
All photos submitted become the
property of the Skanner. We are not re -
spon sible for lost or damaged photos
either solicited or unsolicited.
© 2011 the Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED.
knowing What’s
important can
change Your life!
Subscribe to The Skanner –
don’t miss an issue!
Please sign me up for:
q 1 year $74
q 2 year $140
q New Subscription
q Renewal
________________________
Name
_________________
address
_________________
city
_________________
State
______
ZiP
________
Phone
Mail with check or money
order to: The Skanner
P.O. Box 5455
Portland, OR 97228
M
any may view the life
and legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. solely
through the lens of civil rights. For
the two of us, the centerpiece of
his message is the power of serv-
ice and volunteering to heal racial
wounds and lead America into a
new era of shared responsibility
and equal opportunity. Much of
Dr. King’s service message can be
summed up in one of his most
famous sayings: “Life’s most per-
sistent and urgent question is what
are you doing for others.”
For a quarter of a century, the
nation has set aside a day to honor
one of the great heroes of
American history. In recent years,
the holiday has been designated as
a Day of Service — “a day on, not
a day off” — to honor Dr. King’s
fundamental commitment to
engaging people of all races and
walks of life in service to our
nation and our world.
Nowhere is Dr. King’s persistent
and urgent question more fully
pursued and realized than in the
two agencies we lead; the Peace
Corps and the Corporation for
National and Community Service.
Fifty years ago, Senator John F.
Kennedy posed Dr. King’s ques-
tion to an audience of 5,000 stu-
dents on the steps of the
University of Michigan with a
challenge that they serve people in
need around the world.
The eager response of those
willing students ignited one of the
signature service movements of
our times. Since 1961, more than
200,000 Americans have volun-
teered through the Peace Corps to
fight poverty, disease, illiteracy,
S PEcial To THE NNPa
Patrick A. Corvington and
Aaron S. Williams
and a host of other challenges in
139 countries around the world.
President Kennedy’s vision of an
army of domestic anti-poverty
volunteers was realized in 1965
with the creation of VISTA .
In 1993, millions more
Americans were given the chance
to serve with the creation of
communities across the country;
feeding the hungry, helping strug-
gling students in our schools,
responding to natural disasters,
and serving in many other ways.
Dr. King understood that work-
ing together in common purpose
was essential to building what he
called “the beloved community.”
The desire of Americans to bridge
divisions in order to lend a helping
hand has always been bigger than
politics. In 2009, in a spirit of bi-
partisanship, rarely seen these
days in Washington, it took
Life’s most persistent and urgent
question is what are you doing for
others
AmeriCorps and the Corporation
for National and Community
Service (CNCS). Each year,
CNCS engages more than five
million Americans in “getting
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-
MA), working with leaders in the
House, just weeks to introduce,
debate, rally the votes, and pass
His life of service reminds us that the
everyday acts of ordinary citizens
make this country extraordinary
things
done”
through
its
AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and
Learn and Serve programs. Our
service members, who represent
all races, ages and walks of life,
stand shoulder to shoulder with
the Serve America Act — the most
sweeping expansion of national
service in a generation.
Like Dr. King, these visionary
leaders understood that as a
nation, we are strongest, we are
more united, and we are at our best
when we do for others. Our own
service work has taught us that
doing for others is also a powerful
way to do for yourself.
We both grew up at a time when
leadership opportunities for
African American men, both in
and out of government, were just
beginning to open up. Inspired by
the sacrifices of Dr. King and oth-
ers, we chose the path of public
service. That path has taken us
from volunteering in poor villages
abroad and homeless shelters here
at home to leading America ’s
service agencies at a time of great
need for grassroots hope among
communities worldwide.
Today, we are pleased to
announce that the Peace Corps and
CNCS are partnering to bring the
rewards of service to more people
and communities – especially to
those who may not have had that
chance before. It is our privilege to
be inspired by the Americans who
make a commitment to service
opportunities that have led them to
a better life and opened new doors
of opportunity.
On this 25th anniversary of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday,
with so many problems facing our
nation, we say to all Americans –
if you have not already made serv-
ice a part of your daily lives, get
started today. And don’t just do it
for one day. Make it a lifetime
commitment. Dr. King changed
the course of history armed only
with the power of his ideals and
grassroots citizen support. His life
of service reminds us that the
everyday acts of ordinary citizens
make this country extraordinary.
the diminished Power of the Black Caucus
A
s they assembled at the US
Capitol for the 112th
Congressional session a
record number 44 African
Americans were sworn in as
Members of the House of
Representatives.
The
Congressional Black Caucus
(CBC) gained national recognition
when its Members met with
President Richard Nixon in March
of 1971 and presented him a list of
60 recommendations for govern-
mental action on domestic and for-
eign issues. Today, the CBC,
whose membership is exclusive to
Blacks, represents the political
aspirations of 13 percent of the
American population and com-
prises 9.6 percent of the Congress.
There are no Blacks in this
Senate session. The CBC Chair is
Emanuel Cleaver, a three-term
Congressman
from
Kansas
City. Cleaver, elected to Congress
from Missouri’s 5th District in
2004, is a United Methodist pastor
who was Kansas City’s Mayor for
two-terms. Joining Cleaver will
be four Members newly elected as
CBC officers 2011 – 2013: Del.
Donna M. Christensen (D- U.S.
Virgin Islands) as First Vice-
Chair;
Representative
G.K.
Butterfield (D-NC) as Second
Vice-Chair; Representative Yvette
D. Clarke (D-NY) as Secretary;
and Representative Andre Carson
(D-IN) as Whip. Like Cleaver’s
Congressional District, most CBC
Members’ districts are not majori-
ty-Black. Except for the District
Page 4 The Portland and Seattle Skanner january 12, 2011
S PEak o uT
William Reed
of Columbia (DC), a mainland US
Congressional District usually has
about 700,000 residents.
The CBC is officially non-parti-
san, but in practice it has been
closely identified with the
Democratic Party, and tends to
function as a lobbying group with-
they’re race-hustling poverty
pimps.”
Because of their tilt toward the
Democratic Party, CBC members
were uniquely impacted when
Republicans won control of the
House of Representatives. In the
112th, CBC members lose three
full committee chairmanships and
over a dozen subcommittee chair-
manships. As a result, the CBC
and its members’ clout and influ-
ence are greatly diminished and
Congressman Jackson has asked job-
seekers to send their résumés to him
in that Party. Only four Black
Republicans have been elected to
Congress since the CBC was
founded: Senator Edward W.
Brooke
of
Massachusetts,
Representative Gary Franks of
Connecticut, Delegate Melvin H.
Evans of the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and Representative J. C. Watts of
Oklahoma, who became the first
Black member of Congress that
did not join the CBC citing its
close Democratic affiliation and
goals. Watts said of his refusal to
join the CBC, “...they said that I
had sold out and was an ‘Uncle
Tom’… and I said well, they
deserve to have that view. But I
have my thoughts…and I think
scrambling to identify ways to
leverage their power.
New to Congress and the CBC
are Hanson Clark who defeated
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in their
Detroit primary; Terri Sewell is
the
first
Black
female
Congressperson from Alabama.
She replaced Artur Davis who lost
his bid for governor. Karen Bass,
who was Speaker of the California
Assembly, replaced retiring
Congresswoman Diane Watson.
Cedric Richmond now holds the
New Orleans seat formally held by
convicted
felon
William
Jefferson. And Frederica Wilson
took over the Florida seat that has
been held by Kendrick Meek and
his mother Corrine before him.
All the new Democrat Members
are former state or local elected
officials. The two new Black
Republican Members come from
majority-White districts and are
split in their allegiance to the CBC
agenda. Rep. Allen West (R-FL)
is a retired Army Colonel who will
join the CBC, while Rep. Tim
Scott, a former South Carolina
state legislator and owner of an
insurance business, will not.
Because of the November 2010
elections, Republicans gained the
majority in the House and at their
behest, the 112th Congress was
opened by readings of the US
Constitution. Each Member of
Congress read an average of 17
words. Georgia Congressman
John Lewis was given a standing
ovation when he read the 13th
Amendment, which bans “slavery
[and] involuntary servitude.”
Before the readings, Illinois
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.
pointed out that the original docu-
ment counted “Blacks as three-
fifths of a person.” To illustrate the
plight of the 14 million Americans
that are either under or unem-
ployed, Congressman Jackson has
asked job-seekers to send their
résumés
to
him
at
ResumesforAmerica@mail.house.
gov. Or to: 2419 Rayburn House
Office Building, Washington, DC
20009.