Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2011)
opinion king Memorial: Fix the Quote “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 h ELEN S ILvIS Multimedia D avID k IDD graphic Designer m oNIca J. F oStEr Seattle office Coordinator J uLIE k EEFE S uSaN F rIED Photographers D r. Martin Luther King, Jr. was anything but an “arro- gant twit”. Yet Dr. Maya Angelou called it entirely correct- ly when she said that one of the quotes engraved on the side of the new memorial to Dr. King por- trays the man as a braggart, not the humble servant leader that he was. “I was a drum major for jus- tice”, the memorial reads. The actual “drum major” speech is a profound speech about the herd instinct that many human beings have, much to their detriment. As part of a herd, we often buy what we can’t afford, put on airs that serve no purpose, and fail to speak up when it is unpopular with the crowd. Dr. King said, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. Say I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” Maybe that full quote was too long for the slab of stone, but the “if” clause is extremely important to its meaning. Dr. Angelou, a personal friend of Dr. King’s, raises her voice represent- ing so many when she says the out B ENNEtt c oLLEgE Julianne Malveaux of context quote does not do Dr. King’s message justice. I am amazed at the glib excuse major” speech. I am also bothered at the response that some of the King memorial leaders had for Dr. Angelou. “She didn’t come to meetings,” said one, implying that absence is consent. Did she ever get the minutes? Was there a vote? Executive architect Ed Jackson, Jr., says they ran the change by an oversight group, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and “they didn’t have a problem with it.” I’d like to know whether this Dr. Angelou, a personal friend of Dr. King’s, raises her voice representing so many when she says the out of context quote does not do Dr. King’s message justice for editing the quote, because of “space constraints”. Find another quote that fits better into the space, instead of mangling one and tak- ing a civil rights icon’s message out of context, changing the mean- ing, intent, and spirit of the “drum group’s major concern is aesthet- ics or historical accuracy. Dr. Maya Angelou’s principled stance is appropriate. Many of us may know the cor- rect quote and its context, but many do not. A generation from now, when millions of people from all over the world are coming to visit the monument, will the quote show Dr. King and his mes- sage in its full authenticity? This is the only monument on the National Mall that lifts up an African American. It is a tremen- dous accomplishment. It ought to be correct. I can already hear someone say “don’t sweat the small stuff”. A quote out of con- text is no small thing, especially not when it alters the meaning of the message. My grandmother is not the only elder who made young’uns cringe when she railed, “If you are going to do something, then do it right.” I sure hope the folks who made quote decisions had those kinds of grandmothers. Then they would understand that Dr. Maya Angelou is simply an advocate for historical accuracy, for Dr. King’s dignity, and for a monument that fully reflects the years of dedication, commitment, and effort that have gone into it. Do it right. Fix the quote. Don’t take Dr. King out of context. Obama: Demonstrate Bold Leadership 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 A ny compromise President Obama reaches with Congress will fail to sig- nificantly reduce Black unem- ployment unless the plan is crafted to address joblessness in the three industries where African- American workers are concentrat- ed – government jobs, education and health services. According to a University of California-Berkeley Labor Center research brief titled, “Black Workers and the Public Sector,” 20.9 percent of African-Americans are employed in what is called the public administration sector and 18.5 percent work in education and health services. The report, written by Steven Pitts, shows some variations with- in the Black community. For example, most Black males (18 percent) are employed in the pub- lic administration sector. However, most African-American females (27 percent) are employed in education and health services. Public administration is the sec- ond-leading employer for Black women at 23.3 percent. But the gender differences don’t stop there. After public adminis- tration, the next highest employers for Black men are manufacturing (14.7 percent), wholesale and retail trade (14.3 percent), profes- sional and business services (9 percent) and educational and health services (8.4 percent). By contrast, after education and health services (27 percent) and public administration (23.3 per- cent), Black women were employed in wholesale and retail trade (11.3 percent), professional and business services (7.2 percent) and manufacturing (7.1 percent). Thus, when looking at the top five employment industries, the sector most likely to hire Black women – education and health services – was the one least likely to hire African-American men. page 4 The Portland Skanner September 7, 2011 t hE c urrY r Eport George E. Curry Any successful job plan must take into account these gender differ- ences. UC-Berkeley Labor Center research challenges President Obama’s contention that a rising tide lifts all boats. In a 2009 interview, Obama said: “The most important thing I can do for the African American Latinos. Overall unemployment peaked at 10.1 percent in October but fell to 9.1 percent in July and August. Black unemployment had peaked at 16.5 percent in March and April of 2011. But that was eclipsed last month when Black unemployment rose to 16.7 percent – twice as high it was when Obama assumed office. Although President Obama shouldn’t be blamed for the increase in Black unemployment, he does have a responsibility to effectively address the issue. And there are no simple solutions. There is a tendency to discuss Black unemployment in the abstract, but a look at the numbers When looking at the top five employment industries, the sector most likely to hire Black women – education and health services – was the one least likely to hire African- American men community is the same thing I can do for the American community, period, and that is to get the econ- omy going again and get people hiring again.” But as the Labor Center brief observes, “…Often policy pre- scriptions that, on the surface, are race-neutral can have decidedly racial impacts.” That’s crucial when considering Black unemployment is at the highest level in 27 years. As the U.S. Department of Labor report titled, “The Black Labor Force in the Recovery” notes, the unem- ployment rate of Blacks in 2007, the year the recession began, was 8.3 percent, compared to 4.1 per- cent for Whites and 5.6 percent for reveals gender and racial varia- tions. The overall unemployment rate in August was 9.1 percent. The unemployment rate for Whites was 8 percent, 11.3 percent for Latinos and 16.7 percent for African-Americans. Unemployment among Black females edged up slightly from July to August from 14.3 percent to 14.5 percent. Over this same period, Black men saw their unemployment rate jump from 17.7 percent to 19.1 percent. African-American female teens, ages 16-19, had a higher unem- ployment level (47.9 percent) than their male counterparts (45.2 per- cent). The teen female unemploy- ment rate has risen steadily, from 26.8 percent in December 2007 to 33.8 percent in June 2009, to 40.4 percent in July 2011 and to a top of 47.9 percent in August. Black male teens experienced a more uneven ride, increasing from 39.8 percent in December 2007 to 45.1 percent in June 2009 before falling to 38 percent in July 2011 and rising again to 45.2 percent last month. Commentators like to remind President Obama that his ability to keep his job in 2012 is contingent upon how well he handles the jobs issue. From time to time, President Obama places the unemployment issue at the top of his agenda. Often – as part of an agenda driv- en by his political opponents – his attention is diverted by some superfluous issue as his birth cer- tificate or the phony debt ceiling debate. As evidenced by his speech Thursday night to a joint session of Congress, job creation is back at the top of the White House agenda. After a net loss of jobs in August, the president can’t afford to allow himself to be diverted from his main challenge again. That will necessitate taking bold action to restart the economy and not proposing only what he thinks can be passed in Tea Party-domi- nated House of Representatives. Great presidents – including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson – are still respected decades after leaving the White House because they molded public opinion during a time of monumental crisis. If Barack Obama wants to be consid- ered a great president or to even get re-elected, he must demon- strate strong leadership as his opponents try to deliver on their pledge to deny him a second term. george e. Curry, former editor- in-chief of emerge magazine and the nnPa news Service.
