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
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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
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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.
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