Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle April 3, 2019
®
Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now
Bernie Foster
Founder/Publisher
My Truth — Celebrating Strong Women
Bobbie Dore Foster
Executive Editor
H
Jerry Foster
Advertising Manager
Christen McCurdy
News Editor
Patricia Irvin
Graphic Designer
Monica J. Foster
Seattle Office Coordinator
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Photographer
2017
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Opinion
ave you ever experi-
enced a sunken feeling,
a feeling of despair,
of hopelessness? You
know the feeling you have or
the moment you find yourself
feeling regret after something
has happened and you’re
thinking, “If I coulda, woulda,
shoulda.”
Well, you have to seize the
moment, every moment! If
you want to tell someone you
love them, you need to do it.
Don’t hesitate and don’t let
anyone else make or take
away your decision to express
your feelings. If you want to
tell someone you don’t like
them, well, think again and
also ask yourself “what do I
hope to accomplish,” or “what
is the end game?” We have
to understand that there are
consequences and repercus-
sions for our actions and our
inactions. We have to be ac-
countable and also hold oth-
ers accountable.
Years ago I went to a funeral
and a young man stood up and
said that he wished his loved
one could hear all the acco-
lades that were being shared
that day because his relative
took his last breaths thinking
that he was unloved. What a
tragedy.
Cheryl
Smith
Publisher,
Texas Metro
News
Which brings me to my
truth. I really like Caller I.D.
This feature has kept me free
from telemarketers, bill col-
lectors, exes, and folks who
only call when they want
something.
Well recently, a number ap-
peared on the caller I.D. and
“
my first FAMU alumni chap-
ter meeting. Over the years
we became close and at one
point she served in my cabi-
net as my vice president.
We had long talks about life,
our love for FAMU and our
common interests. Juanita
finished FAMU in the early
1960s, and me in 1980. What a
difference time makes, but we
bridged the gap and shared so
many special moments.
When we were really ac-
tive with the alumni chapter,
we had active members from
the 1940s - 1980s and we had
events that appealed to all
And while I didn’t get the opportu-
nity to say farewell, I take solace in
knowing that every conversation
ended with expressions of love
while it was unfamiliar to me,
I felt compelled to answer.
And I’m glad I did. When
the call was completed, I sat
deep in thought. The caller
informed me that they had
come across my number and
wanted to alert me of the pass-
ing of someone who was very
special to me.
I met Juanita Benson when I
moved to Dallas and attended
ages so everyone felt included.
Juanita’s love for FAMU
was genuine and never-end-
ing. Sometimes Juanita and
I talked just twice a year, for
my birthday and for hers. But
they were good talks and I
valued that time. In all of our
conversations, Juanita never
dwelled on her cancer diag-
nosis. She was always being
supportive of others and es-
pecially her son, Bill, whom
she was very proud of.
I am so glad that Bill reached
out to me. Unfortunately, he
was unable to contact me in
time to share in the celebra-
tion of life for his mom and
that saddens me because just
one more moment with my
friend, just one more… Juani-
ta believed in me.
The thought of her pass-
ing brings back so many
fond memories of her living.
I am grateful for the time
we shared together because
there was no pretentiousness.
Instead there was a sincerity
and compassion that made
Juanita so special. Juanita
didn’t have to guess about the
relationship we had. So I don’t
have to ponder this thought at
all.
When I ask myself which do
I prefer, being in attendance
at Juanita’s celebration of
life to tell others how much I
cared for her or sharing those
expressions with her while
she could hear me, I feel bet-
ter. And while I didn’t get the
opportunity to say farewell,
I take solace in knowing that
every conversation ended
with expressions of love,
respect and appreciation,
strengthened by prayers.
Moving Toward a More Liveable Wage
I
t is unfathomable that the
federal minimum wage
has not been increased in
more than a decade, since
2007. That the wage, at $7.25
per hour, has remained flat
through recession and recov-
ery, through extremely high
unemployment rates and
much lower ones. Republi-
cans have absolutely refused
to consider minimum wage
increases, and in early March
rejected a bill that would in-
crease the federal minimum
wage to $15 an hour by 2024.
Still, with the Democratic
majority in Congress, the bill
came out of committee on a
28-20 party line vote.
While the federal govern-
ment drags its feet, six states,
the District of Columbia and
several other cities now have
a minimum wage that will rise
to $15 in the next few years.
In late March, Maryland
joined California, Massachu-
setts, New York, New Jersey
and Illinois in increasing the
minimum wage, even though
Republican governor Larry
Hogan vetoed the legislation.
Both houses of the Maryland
legislature overrode his veto,
even though he melodramati-
cally noted that a higher min-
imum wage would “devastate”
the Maryland economy.
Unions, McDonald’s work-
ers, and the Fight for Fifteen
have fueled the national push
to raise the minimum wage,
Julianne
Malveaux
NNPA
Columnist
especially as people have
noted that wage stagnation
has resulted in an extremely
uneven economic recovery.
While those at the top are cel-
ebrating economic growth,
those at the bottom have bare-
“
While those
at the top are
celebrating
economic
growth, those
at the bottom
have barely
experienced
it
ly experienced it. And the
current minimum wage of
$7.25 produces annual pay of
$15,080, assuming that some-
one works a full 40 hours a
week all 52 weeks of the year,
which is often unlikely be-
cause many minimum wage
jobs are part-time jobs.
The poverty line for a fam-
ily of three (a working mom
and two children) is $16,910.
A woman working full-time
at the minimum wage is liv-
ing below the poverty line.
She qualifies for SNAP (food
stamps), and possibly for fed-
eral housing aid if she can
get it. All too often, the list
for housing subsidies is full,
as is public housing, so assis-
tance is not an option. What
is a woman earning such a
low wage to do, then, living at
the economic periphery? She
house-shares, lives with fam-
ily or endures homelessness.
She lines up to get food at food
banks or from other chari-
ties. She struggles to make
ends meet, while her Congres-
sional Representative earns
$174,000 a year whether they
produce or not. (I’d suspend
Congressional pay when they
choose to shut down the gov-
ernment).
Too many of the people who
earn the minimum wage,
mostly women, are caretak-
ers. They mind our children
and our elders, as nannies
and home health workers.
While we say that our chil-
dren and elders are precious,
we don’t pay the folks who
care for them as if they are.
Parking lot attendants, who
care for our automobiles, of-
ten earn more than the people
who care for our children,
mothers, and grandmothers.
And yet the economy depends
on them! How many work-
ing women would be hard
pressed to work if their nan-
nies or home health workers
stayed home? And how would
the economy adjust to the ab-
sence of nearly half of the la-
bor force?
Ai-jen Poo, the Executive
Director of the National Do-
mestic Worker’s Alliance, re-
cently spoke about workers in
the care industry, how poorly
they are paid, and how es-
sential they are. Eighty-eight
percent of these workers are
women, mostly women of
color, and while demand for
their services is increasing
(with an aging baby boom,
and increased births to mil-
lennial women), pay is not.
Poo and her organization are
working to raise the visibili-
ty of these workers, not just
so we can see them, but so we
can ensure that they are ade-
quately paid. The movement
toward a living wage must in-
clude these workers.
Kudos to Maryland for
taking a step in the right di-
rection. Shame on House Re-
publicans who are enjoying
economic recovery, but deny-
ing its benefits to those at the
bottom. The Fight for Fifteen
has momentum now. This is
a great time to keep up the
pressure on the states and on
the federal government. In-
creasing the minimum wage
lifts people out of poverty.
Shouldn’t we all be able to
support that?
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