Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2018)
Page 2 The Skanner January 10, 2018 Opinion Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher MLK’s Legacy for 21st-Century Black America Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor A Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 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 unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. The Skanner Martin Luther King, Jr. BREAKFAST Jan. 15, 2018 s the United States of America and the global community salutes, rec- ognizes and commemo- rates the 89th birthday of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is a providential time to reassess the meaning and challenges of Dr. King’s legacy for Black America in this year of profound change, anxiety, and hope. It is quite appropriate to ap- ply some the long-lasting and enduring tenets of Martin Lu- ther King’s leadership, teach- ings, and perspectives. Dr. King and the Southern Chris- tian Leadership Conference (SCLC) prophetically stood strong for freedom, justice, and equality for Black Amer- icans and for all people who cried out for a better quality of life throughout the world. Dr. King was more than one of the greatest orators and preachers of the 20th century. He was one of the most effec- tive intellectual theologians whose moral genius and cour- age helped irreversibly to change the course of Ameri- can history for civil and hu- man rights. No man or wom- an is perfect.Yet Dr. King’s leadership inspired and moti- vated millions of Black Amer- icans and others to strive toward the perfection equal justice for all through nonvi- olent social change and trans- formation. As a young teenage staff worker for SCLC in North Carolina in the early 1960s, I witnessed firsthand how Martin Luther King, Jr. would stir the consciousness of the The Skanner News would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Edition Bureau of Environmental Services CARE Oregon City of Portland Procurement Services Clark College Energy Trust Enterprise Holding Hoffman Construction Home Forward Kaiser Permanente Lilly Macy’s METRO Multnomah Athletic Club Multnomah County Purchasing Oregon Historical Society Oregon Lottery Pacific Power & Light PCRI Portland Community College Portland State University Portland Trail Blazers Prosper Portland Providence TriMet Turner Construction U.S. Forest Service Region 6 UBER United Parcel Service University of Oregon Commisioner Loretta Smith Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church Wells Fargo Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA President and CEO masses. We overcame the fear of standing up for righteous- ness in the presence of evil powers and unjust systems of oppression and suppression. Legacy is about establish- ing, in one’s life and work, that which will endure and last for generations to come. “ of the Black Press in the Unit- ed States. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. King and other leaders, the mainstream press would often attempt to undermine the legitimacy and purpose of the movement for change. But the Black Press always chronicled the news of free- dom movement with strategic visibility and editorial sup- port. In Dr. King’s last address in Memphis, Tennessee on the night before his assassina- tion on April 4, 1968, he made statements that still apply At a time when the misguided phenomena of so-called ‘fake news’ is gaining momentum in the body politic of the nation, we all should be reminded that Dr. King always cautioned that only ‘The truth will set us free’ Dr. King’s life and work ex- emplified intellectual hones- ty, activism, and courage. At a time when the misguided phenomena of so-called “fake news” is gaining momentum in the body politic of the na- tion, we all should be remind- ed that Dr. King always cau- tioned that only “The truth will set us free.” This is the reason we are determined to maintain and to sustain the viability of the Black Press of America as the truthful, accurate, and trust- ed voice of Black America. This year marks the 191st year and endure today. Dr. King emphasized that when society appears polarized and deep- ly divided, we must strive to overcome divisiveness and hopelessness. Dr. King in his final sermon stated, “Now that’s a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, some- how, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth centu- ry in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding.” Thus, what may appear to some to be a “dark” hour is in fact a God-given time to reassert that justice and free- dom are still possible and very probable if we unify, or- ganize, mobilize, and speak truth to power. We cannot af- ford to engage in the cynicism that is now popular. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s living legacy beacons us to not give in to hopelessness and self-defeatism. We have had difficult times before and each generation is called to stand up with the principles, values, and commitments that we have inherited from so many of our sisters and brothers who sacrificed for us to be where we are today. King stated, “Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay together and maintain unity.” While race is still a defining factor in American society, we must not allow racial dis- crimination or racism in any form to divide us or to pre- vent us from moving forward as families and communities steadfast in our unified ac- tions to improve our quality of life. Black America will over- come. We have come too far to stand still or go backwards. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the Nation- al Newspaper Publishers Associ- ation (NNPA) and can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org.
