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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2020)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle April 1, 2020 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now NAACP/Black Community: A Model for Resiliency Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher A Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2019 MERIT AWARD WINNER 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. ©2020 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS Updated daily online. n F ebo TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co m me in y o u r c o m m u n d ay ! • L i ke u s o ac it Hear about it first. Sign up for Breaking News and Events at • nts s America enters per- haps the most uncer- tain period in modern history, we will all be tested in new and unpredict- able ways. While there are many exter- nal factors outside of our con- trol, how we adapt to change and uncertainty will depend on how we call on one of hu- manity’s most indispensable traits: resiliency. Resiliency in people de- scribes the ability to bounce back from change and adver- sity, and defines how we navi- gate this crisis both individu- ally and as a nation. Frederick Douglass a Black American social reformer, and abolitionist, reminded us that “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” While frontline communities will predictably be the hardest hit. I see that Black communities are often the first harmed and last informed. These same communities are speaking truth to power about resil- iency and how to muster its strength. Existential threats are nothing new to the Black community. Throughout American his- tory, Black people have had to endure a society that was founded on the belief that they were less than human. In 2020, we are still far from equality. But while Black Americans die an average of E.d. Mondaine´ President / PDX NAACP 1120B 3.6 years before their White counterparts (largely due to risk factors for chronic disease), studies show that we may have better mental health outcomes. “ If there is no struggle, there is no progress For example, both depres- sion and suicide are less common among Black Amer- icans than White Americans. While America’s average life expectancy has declined slightly in recent years, this is not true of Black Americans. Black Americans seemingly evade the so-called, “deaths of despair,” say’s Dr Carol Gra- ham, the Leo Pasvolsky senior fellow at the Brookings Insti- tution. Among the reasons: poor Black people—society’s most disadvantaged demograph- ic—are statistically its most optimistic. Shervin Assari, who stud- ies health disparities and mental health at the Univer- sity of Michigan, summariz- es research on the subject as demonstrating that “vulner- ability is a cost of privilege, resiliency comes as a result of adversity.” So, what are the effects of adversity on resiliency speak- ing to us in this hour? While being resilient in the face of fear and anxiety is dif- ficult, Nan Henderson, one of the foremost experts in resil- iency research, writes about people’s “hard-wired ability to bounce back.” She identi- fies “basic characteristics of resiliency building” which she calls “protective strate- gies.” So in being resilient we are driven to create strategies. These strategies include ways to lend each other strength, and find it in ourselves as well. One of Henderson’s strategies describes how we can support each other. She recommends communicating the “Resiliency Attitude” to those we care about and love. The Resiliency Attitude means to remind people, “the part of them that is resilient is more powerful than the adversity at hand.” This re- quires sincerity. We are chal- lenged to acknowledge the inner strength of others and confer that honest belief to them. This sincerity will not go unnoticed, and it is the surest way to help others be- lieve in their own potential to overcome hardship. An- other strategy Henderson de- scribes is aimed at helping us find resiliency in ourselves. Henderson calls this the “Strengths Perspective” and provides a quote from Martin Seligman, past president of the American Psychological Association, who concluded that “The keystone of high achievement and happiness is exercising your strengths.” Henderson points out that people often have a hard time identifying and acknowledg- ing their own strengths—this is a difficult task for many of us. But Henderson suggests a slightly easier one: searching your mind for specific recent adversities you have over- come. Then, think about the traits that were employed to overcome them. It can help to compare the traits you come up with to a common list of strengths such as the one here to aid in affirming their valid- ity. Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain: the near and intermediate term will test us. The outcome will de- pend on our willingness to hit the ground running in support of each other. As we strive to do both, it’s import- ant to remember that resilien- cy is inherent in all of us. Billions for Boeing, Pennies for the People T Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar to y • Opinion he development of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package was extremely flawed. The Republican bullies in the Senate, led by Majority Leader Mitch McCo- nnell, wrote the bill with ab- solutely no Democratic input, then suggested that Demo- crats amend their legislation. The first draft of the bill, unsurprisingly, was a goody grab for corporations with much less for individuals. Ini- tially, the Republican Senate would have given Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin a slush fund of $500 billion to assist troubled industries with absolutely no oversight. The last version of the bill does include both monitor- ing and an inspector general to look for fraud and abuse. Republicans would have doled the money out to their cronies. But the Dems, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stood their ground. The stim- ulus legislation is better than the 2008-2009 bailout legisla- tion; it is gratifying to see that the Senate rose above parti- sanship to get this done. Republicans even conceded that Mr. Trump, his grafter family, other cabinet heads and senior leaders, along with their families, cannot benefit from this stimulus legislation. It is unfathomable Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist that this provision has to be put in writing, but 45, a hotel owner, pushed hard for hotels and cruise ships to get bailout benefits, but some in Con- gress have apparently peeped 45’s hole card. “ Good for Democrats for recogniz- ing the pat- tern of dou- ble-dealings It takes extreme hubris for our nation’s chief executive officer, who has used the Unit- ed States Treasury as a piggy bank, to be as self-serving as 45 is. Good for Democrats for recognizing the pattern of double-dealings makes it clear that written prohibition of these shady practices is necessary. Michigan Congressman Jus- tin Amash, an independent who used to be Republican, tweeted, “This bipartisan deal is a raw deal for the people. It does far too little for those who need the most help while providing hundreds of bil- lions in corporate welfare, massively growing govern- ment, inhibiting economic adaptation, and widening the gap between the rich and the poor.” The legislation is likely to be hundreds, if not thou- sands, of pages long. And it’s got lots of fine print. For example, $17 billion in loan funds are set aside for “businesses deemed critical to maintaining national secu- rity. While Boeing isn’t men- tioned by name, the Washing- ton Post quoted a confidential source who says this money is partly set aside for Boeing. This is the same Boeing that manufactured faulty, crash- ing planes. And they’ve impe- riously said they will take as- sistance only on their terms. Some think the federal gov- ernment should take an equi- ty stake in companies that get bailout funds. Boeing’s CEO said he wasn’t interested in such a deal. If the feds wanted to play hardball, they’d force Boeing into bankruptcy, since bankruptcy doesn’t mean the cessation of operations, it means the restructuring of debt. Meanwhile, there’s no help- ful fine print for ordinary people. Sure, people will get $1200 checks, plus $500 per child. That’s better than noth- ing, but compared to Boeing’s billions, it’s pennies. The abil- ity to get unemployment in- surance for extra weeks will also be helpful for those who lose their jobs. More food stamp funds will be available. But there is some confusion over whether gig workers will get the benefit. Instead, it seems that those who have good jobs will get great benefits, while those who have part-time jobs, gig jobs, or are unemployed won’t get much. As Congress- man Amash says, this stim- ulus package will widen the wealth gap. Inequality is at the very foundation of our economic system, so it isn’t surprising that the coronavirus stimulus package reflects the biases that are hard-wired into our system. We need committed, vo- cal, progressive members of Congress (Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Ayana Pressley, Bobby Scott, AOC, and others) to shine a bright light on this inequality, and to either mod- ify the legislation or develop legislation to address some of these inequalities. nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve
