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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
Opinion Michelle Obama Speaks Her Mind “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor P ATRICIA I RVIN Graphic Designer A RASHI Y OUNG D ONOVAN M. S MITH Reporters 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 M ore than any other first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama continues to stand above those who would attempt to distort her leadership. First Lady Obama’s recent commencement address at the Tuskegee University in Alabama exemplified her courage to speak truth to the world without fear of repercussions. Michelle Obama’s resilient opti- mism is refreshing as well as sobering. I am certain the class of 2015 at Tuskegee will always remember the strong and poignant words of wisdom that they were given during their graduation cer- emonies. But we all can learn from her timely remarks. We live today in an increased atmosphere of racial polarization in America since the election and re-election of President Barack Obama. We, therefore, should welcome public utterances that transcend the prevalent negativity surrounding any attempt to address the question of race in the United States. Michele Obama is perfectly qualified and strategically posi- tioned to use her leadership in a constructive manner to advance the interests of Black America and all those who struggle and cry out for freedom, justice and equality. As a talented Harvard Law School graduate, devoted mother, and loyal spouse to the president, the first lady has risen to become one of the most admired persons in the world. NNPA C OLUMNIST Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. The first lady eloquently stated, “But here’s the thing – our history provides us with a better story, a better blueprint for how we can win. It teaches us that when we pull ourselves out of those lowest emotional depths, and we channel throughout the world proves our ability to overcome the hardships of oppression and injustice. It was also good to hear Michelle Obama call for Black American unity and “banding together.” Our families and communities across the nation are certainly in critical need of greater unity and collective resolve to stand up together to provide leadership and direction in particular for our youth and young emerging lead- ers. We cannot afford to permit the evolution of an ahistorical genera- tion of young people who have not ‘When we pull ourselves out of those lowest emotional depths, and we channel our frustrations into studying and organizing and banding together – then we can build ourselves and our communities up’ Michelle Obama our frustrations into studying and organizing and banding together – then we can build ourselves and our communities up. We can take on those deep-rooted problems, and together – together – we can overcome anything that stands in our way.” In other words, we should strive to avoid complacency and the cyn- icism of hopelessness. The history and the centuries-old legacy of African people in America and been given the truth of our history nor given the encouragement that they need to excel and make their mark on history today. In fact, over the next weeks we will witness numerous graduation ceremonies in particular at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The good news is that thousands of Black American college graduates from HBCUs and from other institu- tions of higher learning will be pushing forward to demand greater access to wealth-building careers with the intent on giving more back to the communities from which they have emerged. Like the first lady, I am optimistic about the future to the extent to which we continue to stand up to injustice while at the same time pressing forth to economically empower our families and com- munities. Education and empowerment are both goals that must be attained and each generation has to rise to the occasion with persist- ence and focus. There will be setbacks and sometimes disap- pointments in everyone’s life. Yet, the enduring lesson from Michelle Obama’s magnificent address was that when those life challenges happen, do not let your problems or critics define who you are. We have to have faith in our own capacity to rebound and to stand for truth even when it might not be the popular or politically expedi- ent. We are a resilient people. We resist oppression. We are against inequality and injustice. We stand for liberation and freedom for our- selves and for all people. The more we stand together, the more we make progress. We are grateful that in our lifetime we are privi- lege to witness how the first lady epitomizes what it means to be a freedom fighter with courage and grace, but most of all, with a glow- ing resilience that motivates and inspires others to excel. 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 Associ- ation 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. © 2015 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds The Case for Student Loan Forgiveness B y the time you read this article, millions of college students will have graduat- ed and be looking for jobs, many will be going on to grad school and millions will suddenly be faced with paying off college loans or contemplating obtaining a loan for graduate studies. Neither option is attractive. Even if students are fortunate enough to have a job when they graduate, if they are laden with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, it will be very difficult to save money for their future, pay living expenses and costs associat- ed with the job they accept, and make $300-$600 in monthly pay- ments for college loans. For those moving on to grad school, unless they have a fellow- ship or some other kind of grant, they will have a tough decision to make when the loan officer at their school or the bank says, “No prob- lem, here’s a $30,000 check to pay for your degree.” I hate to think what it costs for a medical degree these days. At more than $1 trillion, having surpassed credit card debt, college loan debt is an albatross around the necks of students, some of whom had no idea of what they were getting into and some who did know but refused to do any- thing about it until now, when it’s too late. With the job market the way it is and has been for Black people for decades, some graduates will have an overpriced college degree with- out a commensurate job prospect. Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner May 20, 2015 E CONOMIC E MPOWERMENT James Clingman They will be faced with the chal- lenge of paying back their loans while looking for a job that does not exist. Or, they will have to accept the prospect of joining the ranks of the “underemployed.” struggling just to pay the rent and keep the lights on. What can we do? High on our agenda should be a demand made, to Congress and whoever is running for president, for student loan debt forgiveness. A strong, independent bloc of vot- ers must go to candidates in both parties and make this demand. Keep in mind, however, as I have said before, a demand without power backing it up is just rheto- ric. I think we have heard enough and had enough of empty words by some of our leaders to know With the job market the way it is and has been for Black people for decades, some graduates will have an overpriced college degree without a commensurate job prospect This is indeed a sad state of affairs for our best and brightest, the grandchildren of the baby boomers. It is said that “millenni- als,” as they are called, are the first generation that will be worse off than their parents. Most parents want their children to do better than they did, and most parents participate in that aspiration by putting a little money aside to help their children get off to a reason- able start in life. However, in today’s economic climate, there is very little of that kind of help available from parents who are that it will take more than just ask- ing for what we want. We must be willing to withhold our votes in order to get what we want—and that goes for both parties. The banks and other financial entities got their $780 billion bailout. Where is ours? Why not bail the students out, and why not bail the homeowners out rather than merely “adjusting” their loans? The bankers were given billions that they used to make even more money from the tax- payers (That be us, y’all) who paid their bills. Contrary to what we were told, lending was curtailed rather than expanded, and hun- dreds of thousands of folks are still homeless because there was no real bailout program for them. The so-called American Recov- ery and Reinvestment Act, as of January 1, 2014, had paid out $816.3 billion in tax benefits, grants, contracts, loans; and enti- tlements. Who got that money? In my neck of the woods, the folks who got the most were those who worked on the roads and express- ways; of those contractors and workers, few if any were Black. Georgia recently embarked on a $1 billion-plus road improvement project, and even with 3.2 million Black folks in that state, the fourth highest in the nation, Black con- tractors and workers will not benefit as much as they should. Department of Transportation inclusion rules are based on Dis- advantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Programs, in which White female businesses get a significant share of the contracts, and “front” companies rule the day. So with all of the barriers facing our 2015 graduates, and the bleak outlook for improvement of their lot, the least we could do is bail them out of their student loans. Politicians said the banks were “too big to fail,” and I guess the bankers were “too big to jail.” They caught a huge break from George W. Bush and Obama. It’s time for a break for Black and poor people now. Hey politicians, forgive student loans.
