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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2015)
HONORING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. education and the legacy of dr. king By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist A s he labored for social, civil and eco- nomic justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was extremely concerned both about the educational inequities that were a func- tion of segregation, and about the purpose and qual- ity of education. As early as 1947, as a Morehouse Col- lege student, he wrote an article, The Purpose of Edu- cation, for the Maroon Tiger, the college newspa- per. His article is as relevant today as it was then. Today, much of the focus of education is on passing standardized tests; and while educational measure- ment is important, Dr. King suggests that these meas- ures are insufficient. In his article, he pondered the meaning and purpose of education. He wrote that B ENNETT C OLLEGE Julianne Malveaux “Education must enable a (person) to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legiti- mate goals of his life.” King was critical of the results of specific aspects of education when he wrote, “education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think, incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our men- tal life become invaded by legions of half-truths, preju- dices, and propaganda. A great majority of the so- called educated people does not think logically and sci- entifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths.” True in 1947, but even more so today with 3-minute com- mentary passing for news, and some classrooms the site of propaganda deliv- ery. Some Southerners still believe that the South won the Civil War, and they fly the confederate flags to honor it, and teach this falsi- ty in their classrooms. A friend who lives in Georgia said nearly half of her junior high school-age daughter’s U.S. history curriculum covered aspects of the Civil War. From that perspective, young King was quite criti- cal of segregationist, their intelligence, ad their preju- dice. “The late Eugene Talmadge, in my opinion, possessed one of the better minds in Georgia, or even America. Moreover, he wore the Phi Beta Kappa key. By all measuring rods, Mr. Talmadge could think critically and intensively yet he contends that I am an inferior being. Are these the types of men we call educat- ed?” King said that intelligence is not enough. He said, “Intelligence plus character See EDUCATION on page 21 The Skanner News would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Edition African American Chamber of Commerce City of Portland - Procurement Services Enterprise Holding Family Care Health Plans Home Forward Kaiser Permanente Legacy Health Lincoln City Macy's Metro Multnomah County Oregon Episcopal School Oregon Health & Science University OHSU Office of Diversity Oregon Lottery Pacific NW Regional Council of Carpenters Pacific Power Port of Portland Portland Community College Portland Development Commission Portland State University Portland Trailblazers Providence Health Systems Safeway Stores TriMet Turner Construction United Way of the Columbia- Willamette University of Oregon USDA Forest Service Wells Fargo Bank Senator Ron Wyden January 14, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 11
