Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
Opinion The Importance of Summer Jobs “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 C hristen M C C urDy 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, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 E-mail: info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com 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 unsolicit- ed. © 2015 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE- SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To view The Skanner website on your mobile device, scan this QR code • Local news • Opinions • Jobs, Bids • Sports • Entertainment • Music reviews • Bulletin board • RSS feeds Summer jobs for youth are an investment in America’s future our first job brings you more than just a steady paycheck – the experience teaches young peo- ple life and work skills that serve them long after the job is done. But as our nation continues to recover [from] the deepest reces- sion since the Great Depression, American youth are struggling to get the work experience they need for jobs of the future.” – White House, “We Can’t Wait Initiative” Statement Release, January 2012 “Y Marc H. Morial National Urban League ability of teens to jump-start their future careers, as they were once able to, remains in jeopardy. Not only did jobs disappear Like so many millions of teens before and after me, I had the chance to be exposed to the world of work at an early age. And I earned more than money from the experience I can still remember my very first job – and the valuable lessons I learned from it that continue to inform my career to this day. I got my first taste of entrepreneurship as one-third of a three-man jani- torial company I started with two childhood friends. We mowed lawns, washed cars and cleaned windows. If it needed fixing or cleaning, we were the ones to call. At the age of 15, I earned my first steady paycheck as a copy boy for a local newspaper. Like so many millions of teens before and after me, I had the chance to be exposed to the world of work at an early age. And I earned more than money from the experience. With work came important les- sons about responsibility, effec- tive communication, time man- agement, interpersonal skills and more. Today, as our nation contin- ues to recover from the crippling impact of the Great Recession on our economy and job market, the during our nation’s economic downturn, summer jobs – widely acknowledged as the traditional means of entry into our nation’s workforce for teens and young adults – became scarce. Competi- tion from older workers for those entry-level jobs once reserved for teens increased as the labor mar- ket weakened, and with states slashing budgets to make ends meet, state and federally-funded summer jobs placement programs were either underfunded or cut. But teen employment matters for their future and for our nation’s. It not only gives young people something productive to do during the summer months, that job in the retail store, library or the local newspaper is money in their pock- et and money being spent within the community. Studies have also shown that those who work when they are young are more likely to be employed in the future and will earn higher salaries. After a high of 27.2 percent teen unemployment in 2010, accord- ing to the Bureau of Labor Statis- tics, unemployment for workers ages 16-19 is now down to 17.9 percent. As is the case with adult workers, teens are beginning to find jobs as the market recovers, but unemployment remains high for young people—disproportion- ately affecting low-income youth and Blacks and Hispanics. The national unemployment rate stands at a staggering 30.1 percent for Black teens and 19.2 percent for Hispanic teens. The groups of teens who need the work most in order to help themselves, and very often make a significant contribu- tion to their family’s budget, are not finding the jobs. Our nation’s answer to this dilemma has been a fractured portrait of private and public ini- tiatives and success. Cities and states have cobbled together money – when it’s in the budget – and have funneled it to local groups or agencies that connect youths to jobs or job training. In 2012, the White House launched services through the Urban Youth Empowerment Program. While all of these efforts are laudable and have changed many lives and communities for the better, it is not enough. Our nation needs to expand summer job programs and create year-round employment for our young people. We need a com- mitment that says yes to teens and to their future. Our nation needs a comprehensive jobs solution for young people, because piecemeal solutions will only deliver far- flung pockets of success. Investing in our young people is an investment in the continued strength of this great nation and its workforce. Young people need the formative workplace skills they can get in those entry-level jobs to move on to greater career success and higher salaries in the future. Our nation, and its local economies, benefit when teens spend their disposable income. Surely there are tax loopholes, corporate or otherwise, that can be closed, bringing additional dollars to the table to invest in our young people. The financial cost of not Studies have also shown that those who work when they are young are more likely to be employed in the future and will earn higher salaries. Summer Jobs+ as part of the “We Can’t Wait” initiative. The project brought together the federal gov- ernment and the private sector to create 180,000 employment op- portunities for low-income youth. At the National Urban League, we work with at-risk youth to in- troduce them into the workforce through a comprehensive set of investing in teens, not creating opportunities for future success, is what will cost this country, and our future in the fast-paced global economy, the most. Marc H. Morial, former may- or of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. Bigotry was the Problem in Charleston D ylann Roof did not kill people in South Carolina because they were Black. He killed nine people because he is a hateful bigot who despises Black people. We must not articulate these murders as though being Black is the problem. Being a bigot is the problem. Roof is the Bigot. Roof is the problem. I am also sick of newscasters Kathleen Saadat COCL/ COAB Optimally, they would say some- thing like, “Most Black people I want to know: for whose benefit is anyone pretending that we don’t understand what happened? saying, “People are trying to un- derstand what happened here.” Page 2 July 1, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner and many white people understand what happened here. Black peo- ple are overwhelmed with grief at the loss of family and friends. Black People are also sad and an- gry knowing that American white supremacist thinking will contin- ue to foment violence, and that this violence will be denounced by much of America while at the same time they will remain silent about the very American roots of Mr. Roof’s beliefs.” Could newscasters and analysts say this, please? They could add, “Most Ameri- cans will continue to remain silent about the everyday violence of poor schools, substandard hous- ing, the school to prison pipeline, the buying and selling of women and children etc. -- all phenome- na that are outgrowths of the same principles Roof used in his mur- derous thinking.” That quote would be a really nice addition. I want to know: for whose ben- efit is anyone pretending that we don’t understand what happened? What are we looking for as an explanation for this act? Why are we even looking when we experience the crux of the an- swer in our daily lives? When will we recognize that it is not Black and brown people who are threats to America, but the people filled with such hatred that they can justify discrimination, bigotry, racism and nurder. They are truly high-level threats to our national security. If this young man was try- ing to act as a catalyst for a race war, what does he know that we are ignoring? Let’s stop the B.S. Kathleen Saadat, COCL/COAB community liaison for police re- form
