Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 January 2003 — Page 7

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A7

THFEMEKf GOOD FEASOk CLONING IS AVEKI BN> IDEA-

Bush desecral'es memory of Dr. King ■

By GEORGE E. CURRY George W. Bush praised Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday on his federally observed birthday, citing his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. But Bush has doneeverythingtoturn Dr. King’s dream into a nightmare. On King’s actual birthday Jan. 15, Bush announced that his Justice Department would file a brief in opposition to the University of Michigan affirmative action cases to be argued before the United States Supreme Court. In separate cases brought against an undergraduate unit and the law school, lower court judges were split, with one upholding the school’s affirmativf- program and the other rejecting it as unconstitutional. “At their core, the Michigan policies amount to a quota system that unfairly rewards or penalizes perspective students, based solely on their race,” he incorrectly said. Shortly before midnight, the administration filed a 38-page brief that sided with the rejected white applicants who filed the suit. Bush pretends to be acting in the spirit of Dr. King while rejecting the very programs that Dr. King favored. First, let’s set the record straight. King said he had a dream that “one day” his four children “will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by content of their character.” He never said or implied that that day has arrived. Conservatives are so conniving that they now quote Dr. King out of context. In their rush to wrap themselves in the cloak of the Nobel Prizewinner, they never quote the section of his speech where he says, “America has given the Negro people a bad check; a

check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’ We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” To provide more opportunity for African-Americans, Dr. King was a strong supporter of affirmative action. In an interview with Playboy magazine, King did not shy away from the loaded term “preferences.” “Do you feel it’s fair to request a multibillion-dollar program of preferential treatment for the Negro, or for any other minority group?” the interviewer asked. “I do indeed,” King replied. “Can any fair-minded citizen deny that the Negro has been deprived? Few people reflect that for two centuries the Negro was enslaved, and robbed of any wages - potential accrued wealth which would have been the legacy of his descendants. All of America’s wealth today could not adequately compensate its Negroes for his centuries of exploitation and humiliation.” In what can be interpreted as support for reparations, King added: “Within common law, we have ample precedents for special compensatory programs, which are regarded as settlements. American Indians are still being paid for land in a settlement manner. Is not two centuries of labor, which helped build this country, as a real commodity? Many other easily applicable precedents are readily at hand: our child labor laws, Social Security, unemployment compensation, manpower training programs. “And you will remember that America adopted a policy of special treatment for her millions of veterans after the war - a program

which cost far more than a policy of preferential treatment to rehabilitate the traditionally disadvantaged Negro would cost today.” Dr. King wrote a series of reports for the Nation magazine. In one of them, reproduced in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King Jr., edited by James M. Washington, he observed the enormous power of the J ustice Department, which George W. Bush has mobilized against the interests of African Americans. “A Justice Department that is imbued with a will to create justice has vast potential,” he wrote. “The employment of powerful court orders, enforced by sizable numbers of federal marshals, would restrain lawless elements now operating with inexcusable license. It should be remembered that in early American history it was the federal marshal who restored law in frontier communities when local authority broke down.” If Bush really wants to honor Dr. King, he would accept his suggestion on the role that the federal government should play. “The purpose of this review is to emphasize that a recognition of the potentials of federal power is a primary necessity if the fight for full racial equality is to be won,” he wrote in that magazine article. “With it, however, must go another indispensable factor - the recognition by the government of its moral obligation to solve the problem.” Rather than helping solve the problem, however, the Bush administration has become part of the problem. That certainly was not part of Dr. King’s dream.

' George E. Curiy is editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Sen ice and BlackPressUSA.com.

READERS RESPOND

Bush sends wrong message By siding with white students vs. Blacks in the suit against the University of Michigan Law School’s admission practices plus drastic cuts in student aid, President Bush is basically telling Blacks it is fine to be in the military and oust Saddam Hussein but don’t expect help with education. What’s worse is seeing some Blacks struggle to defend him by referring to bad timing. When was

a good time to tell us we’re not wanted? Douglas C. Landers Sr. Reader thanks reporter Dear Mr. Cohen I turn to you after having read your great piece on "Double Standards.” Well done. It’s nice to know that there is someone out there who is as compassionate as you! Shalom

Justice for the oppressed Even in these times of patriotic fervor, coupled with the politics of war, there must be a voice that demands justice for the oppressed. America, a country that represents itself as the model for democratic ideals and the merits of capitalism, has allowed the legal system to criminalize a minority group. The disproportionate number of African Americans in prison should neither suggest a high criminal element nor an immoral character common to the group. Moreover, the fact that almost 50 percent of inmates are Blacks suggests the prevalence of discriminatory practices within the criminal justice system. African Americans cannot afford the luxury of seeing only red, white and blue when so many people wear prison colors. Places like the Upper Peninsula ol’Miehigan (a penal colony) with 14 correctional facilities must be examined for political, social, and economic ramifications to the African-American community. Joseph Lily

OPINION

You can learn a lot' from I'een-agers

I belong to Zion I lope Baptist Church and bust Saturday I participated in a youth lock-in held at church and I could not have imagined that I would have so much fun. The theme of the lock-in was “Let Go and Let God-Locked in with the Lord” and about bo to 7<> kids ages 8 tol8 participated in the all night event. The purpose of the lock-in was to have a good time in a safe environment while learning about Jesus

Christ.

The kids ate and socialized and then proceeded through a number of workshops where the topics varied from risk to friendship and

trust.

I sat at a table surrounded by freshman and sophomore high school girls and got an earful as 1 ate taco after taco. As I listened to one girl complain about her boyfriend and her friends giving her immature advice, I laughed on the inside and reminisced when I would tell my friends the same story and they in turn would give me the same horrible advice. I was so happy that she left the boy sitting at home and came to the lock-in with her girls because he sounded like a loser. I was hoping I would have the chance to tell her and the other girls not to worry about boys because they will still be waiting way after high school. It was hard to hold my tongue because I learned so much about boys from my cousin Lori and my brother. Although I didn't use much of their advice until I got older I wanted to share it just so the young ladies knew. While the younger kids stayed behind and played board games and watched videos the teen-agers went to the bowling alley. I chauifeured three teen-aged girls and in a 5-minute car trip I listened as two of the girls told stories that they should have kept to themselves. My mom always told me that you

do not tell everybody every thing and there are some things that you keep to

yourself.

She also told me that you should not run your mouth because you have no idea

who is listening.

Luckily, I am not the type of person who gossips and I shared with the girls the advice my mother gave me and hopefully they’ll take heed to it. After bowling we all went back to the church to stuff our faces with more food and then the teen-agers participated in a

"teen summit” forum.

The kids wrote questions on a note card that they wanted to ask the opposite sex and someone would read the question aloud and someone would answer the question. Well, that is how the forum was supposed to work. There was a lot of yelling, jumping up and down, interrupting, and of course disagreements. I sat back and listened to the boys and girls answer the questions as if they have all been there and done that. Aid once again, I was laughing on the inside because I remember sitting in the same circle and asking the same questions. I could only imagine what the adults were thinking about my questions and my answers because I definitely thought I knew it

all.

Throughout the forum I shared advice that my mentor, Hope gave me in high school about the opposite sex. I even sounded like her when my wish came true and I told them not to worry so much about boys or girls because they were only in high school and they will be there after high school to bother them with the same problems. I also told them that the answers to the majority of their questions come with maturity and as they go through relationship after relationship. I enjoyed this lock-in because it was refreshing to be on the other side of the forum and know the answers to the questions, but I also learned a lot from all the kids. ••

By Erlcka P. Thompson Staff Writer

YOUR VOICE

Do you think Al Sharpton is qualified to run for President?

“1 wouldn't vote for him. 1 think he just seems to have a personal agenda, and beseems to appear at just the right time to promote it. He's very controversial. and can be pretty radical, lies very pro-Black And don't gel mewrong, I think our leaders should have Black pride. But the occupant of the White I louse needs to be more bipartisan and objective; Sharpton doesn't lit either deseription. I didn't vote lor Bush in LMtOO, but 1 would support

the President against Sharpton because Bush has more experience addressing national issues." - Shan n Brow n

"1 like him and would vote for

him. but he's not going to make it. He doesn't have a broad enough base of support and even it he does w in, Sharpton w ill probably lose his life. Forces behind the scenes will get him because he's not a part o! the "New World ()rder.” - .lorn Clay

“I don’t think Sharpton is qualified to run for President. He has no experience dealing with issues kuch as health care and foreign affairs. He might be intelligent enough to broaden what experience he has if. by some miracle he’selected. Most presidents have served as a Senator. Congressman or Governor. Sharpton hasn t been elected to a federal or even state office. So how can he work with other branches of government? I would, however, support him against Bush." - Charles B. "At this point I think anyone is betterthanCieorge'l WantaWar" Bush! 1 commend Al Sharpton tor bis solid commitment to civil rights, even when some of his positions have been unpopular or controversial Bush doesn’t have what it takes to load America It Jesse Jackson, with all his con nections, could not become President, then how can Sharpton? Besides, Sharpton doesn't even look like a President! - Antonio W ilson