Newspaper Page Text
8A
JULY 22, 1999
iCH]LD WATCH By Marian Wright Edelman
Are guns of more
value than children?
i -passed one ofthose milestone birth
days this month. You'd think at my
‘BB agelwould bebeyond beingshocked.
'8 But I watched with astonishment
.and outrage last week when the United
States House of Representatives once
‘again chose to say that the power and
money of the National Rifle Association
.and the gun lobby is more important to
‘them than the lives of our children.
. In this space a couple of weeks ago, I
'shared with you the specifics of the bill
‘passed by the U.S. Senate, which would
have required child safety locks on new
‘handguns and closed the gun show loop
hole that allowed convicted felons and
children to purchase guns. It was a close
vote. These were minimal first steps
towards protecting children instead of
guns.
. But then any promise of putting some
'common sense into this country’s gun
laws died on the floor of the House of
Representatives when they refused to
take any visible steps to do what must be
‘done for our children and instead of kow
‘towed to gun lobby money that they
knew would be used against them in the
upcoming elections if they stood up and
said, “‘ENOUGH to children killing chil
dren!”
. We, the American people, will not stand
for this. At a time when nearly 13 chil
dren die EVERYDAY in America from
gunfire, and when between 1979 and
1996 more than 75,000 American chil
dren and teens were killed by firearms,
we must build a movement to protect
children instead of guns. National polls
‘show a strong and growing support for
some sensible measures to control the
proliferation of firearms and their avail
able to children, And since our House of
REpresentativ&,’g?ems helpless before
the gun lobby, éitiZens, especially moth
ers and grandmothers, must mobilize.
I’m pleased tosee some state legislatures
begin to push for tougher restrictions on
firearms. Lawsuits against gun manufac
tures are showing up in courses. Aad all
the gun money in the world cannot match
the power of the American voter who,
alonein the voting booth, says, “I will not
tolerate this!”
MCG enroliment From page 51
Total number of students enrolled as of Spring 1999:
School of Medicine-722; School of Dentistry-222; Dental Hygiene Pro
gram-47 ;
. Total number of African-American students enrolled as of Spring 1999:
School of Medicine-24; School of Dentistry-15; Dental Hygiene Program
-2
Number of students accepted for Fall 1999:
School of Medicine-180; School of Dentistry-56; Dental Hygiene Program
-21
Number of African-American students accepted for Fall 1999:
School of Medicine-19; School of Dentistry-2; Dental Hygiene Program-2
Total number of faculty:
School of Medicine-584; School of Dentistry-74; Dental Hygiene Program
-4 full-time, 4 part-time
Total number of African-American faculty members:
School of Medicine-25; School of Dentistry-2 (should be 3 by the fall);
Dental Hygiene Program-1 full-time
all figures are accurate as of 7/20/99
Augusta
Focus
Since 1981
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1143 Laney Walker Blvd.
AUGUSTA FOCUS
It’s not to late to get some modest first
steps to protect children and the public.
As President Clinton said to the Con
gress in his weekly radio address after
the Vote in the House, “You've still got an
opportunity, and you’ve still got an obli
gation, todotheright thing and passreal
legislation that will strengthen our gun
laws.” Congress hasn’t adjourned yet.
You can let them know how you feel. Call
and write and email your representative
today. Say that they have no business
going home for their summer vacation
before they have rethought their deci
sion and done something to make the
upcoming school year safer for America’s
children. And while you'’re calling and
writing, remind them that funds for vio
lence prevention programs are alot more
economical than building new prisons.
This is no longer debatable. Prevention
programs work. Study after study and
survey after survey have proven this. In
one recent survey, for instance, nine out
of ten police chiefs said that “America
could sharply reduce crime if govern
ment invested more in programs to help
children and youth get a good start.”
But please don’t stop with letting your
federal representatives know how you
feel.
They’ve turned deaf ears to their con
stituents before. Contact your state rep
resentatives and your local officials, and
join with your neighbors and friends and
faith communities to build a grassroots
movement to make those who profess to
represent us hear us when we insist they
put the safety of our children first. Please
join me and millions of parents and grand
parents and teachers and other adults
who want to keep children safe and stop
this shameful and appalling killing of
children. We are a multitude and we will
not code this battle to those who would
protect guns and not the children of our
nation.
Marian Wright Edelman is present of
the Children’s Defense Fund and a work
ing committee member of the Black Com
maunity Crusade for Children (BCCC). In
1998, CDF celebrated 25 years of advo
cacy, service and leadership to build a
movement to Leave No Child Behind.
Charles W. Walker
Publisher
Frederick Benjamin
Managing Editor
Dot T. Ealy
Marketing Director
Lillian Wan
Copy Editor
Samuel Daniels
Production Assistant
Denise Lipscombe
Production Assistant
Adrienne Turner
Staff Writer
Tonya Evans
Office Manager
Opinion
THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT By Dr. Lenora Fulani 'Z
School vouchers deserve a shot:
recentarticle The Atlantic Monthly
by Matthew Miller, which speaks
to the political standoff that has
kept vouchers unavailable to 99%
of urban school children, sparked my in
terest. ‘
Vouchersand charter schoolshave been
tworesponsestothe crisisin publiceduca
tion. The grassroots popularity of these
two reforms grows out of the fact that
these initiatives provide parent and com
munities with a way to “opt out” of the
existing arrangement in favor of trying
new approaches to meet local educational
needs and preferences. Voughers would
partially privatize the public school sys
tem by giving parents vouchers equivalent
to what it costs the state to educate chil
dren in the public schools and use them to
send their children to whatever school
they wish. This proposed innovation has
brought about a politically polarized de
bate, particularly insofar as parents across
the socio-economic spectrum, have re
sponded eagerly to the voucher opportu
nity. According to Miller:
“Bill Clinton and most leading Demo
crats oppose them, saying we should fix
existing public schools, not drain money
from the system. Teachers’ unions, the
staunchest foes of vouchers, are among
the party’s biggest donors, and sent more
delegates tothe 1996 Democratic National
Convention than did the state of Califor
The legacy of greatness:
Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks
wo extraordinary human beingsin
the news. One male, one female.
One African,on African American.
Both are elders, wise people who
have shown us the way to greatness.
Nelson Mandela’s life is a testimony of
greatness. Born toroyalty, asa youngman
he became deeply immersed in the fight
for freedom of his people. He quickly be
came known as the Black Pimpernel, an
elusive figure whom the South African
police found difficult to capture. When he
was finally captured and tried, histrial put
the apartheid regime in the world’s lime
light and showed it for what it was, aracist,
undemocratic, repressive government.
As the head of the African National
Congress, Mr. Mandela was imprisoned
for 27 years, many of them at Robbins
Island, one ofthe world’s harshest prisons.
Despite the indignities of the inhumanity
heaped upon him by his captors and the
pressure to renounce the actions of the
ANC, Mr. Mandela refused to become
embittered and stood by the war of libera
tion carried out by his people. Despite the
fact that he missed the opportunity to see
his own children grow up and the chance
to see his wife more than once or twice a
year, Mr. Mandela refused to become
embittered and, instead, kept his eye on
the goal of liberation for his people.
Who can ever forget that day in 1990
when Mr. Mandela and his closest associ
ates, who also endured decades of impris
onment, were freed? Who can ever forget
how he walked with head held high and a
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nia. Republicans endorse vouchers as a
market based way to shake up calcified
bureaucracies, but they generally push
plans that affect only a few students.”
Infact, Miller notes, ifyou currently add
the numbers of those children who cur
rently are enrolled in voucher programs
(74,000)with thosein charter schools (about
200,000), the proportior comes to only 0.5
percent of school children in the whole
county, meaning that the school choice
debateis taking place “at the margins.” At
this rate, for all the fuss, it’s hard to
imagine that any impact could be made on
the skills and life chances of studentsstuck
in our worst public schools..The sensible
first step, says Miller, would be a much
bigger road test. “Let’s take three or four
big cities where we agree the publicschools
are failing, raise per-pupil spending by 20
percent, giving urban schools the resources
theywould need toachieve fundingequity.
But we’ll implement this increase by way
of a universal voucher system that finally
fives every child a choice.”
Miller reasons that a progressive hand
is needed to pursue the benefits of vouch
ers without risk to the poor. “Given the
disastrous state of many urban schools,”
he points out, “the Democratic Party
should be the natural home of this pro
gressive influence. It is not, because
teacher’s unions loom large in Demo
cratic fund-raising and campaigns” and
broad smile on his face as he greeted his
people and the world? Who can ever forget
how his sense of dignity and grace and
humility and forgiveness can through our
television screens and we, too, felt a sense
of pride and awe. Who can ever forget his
trip to the U.S. to thank those who had
helped in the battle against apartheid and
the thousands of people who packed stadi
ums and arenas just to be in his presence
and feel the power of this incredible hu
man being?
Even his political rivalsand the enemies
of freedom for black South Africans had to
honor this extraordinary human beings
and had to sense the greatnessofthis man.
That uncompromising character, that
sense of integrity, that air of forgiveness
that unquestionable commitment to jus
tice seemed to just be a part of this man
and he soon became the first President in
the free and democratic South Africa. The
man who all knew could lead his nation to
a new day, beyond the bloodshed, beyond
the hatred, beyond the past.
And now, once again, Nelson Mandela
once again leads the way and shows the
world how life s}xould'he lived. He may be
the first Africdn leads to turn over the
power voluntarily and happily to a new
generation. In his simple gesture in the
Parliament a few days after Mr. Mbeki’s
election as the new President, he sat Mr.
Mbeki in the President’s seat and showed
us all just how simple it can be. A new
bridegroom, he can now live his life with
his wife and his grandchildren and enjoy
these unions are aghast at any notion of it
privatization. The Republicans, on the '
other hand, do not have a sufficient'’
record of support for disenfranchised com- *{
munities to be counted on to address the’’
voucher issue with a sensitivity to mak
ing it work for Black and other poor fl
communities. .
So where do we go from here? How do
we create the environment have a,
depoliticized dialogue on how to revital- ~ ,
ize our moribund educational system?
Asanindependent and as the Education |,
Team, Leader of the National ‘%fi{o%)h
Party, I take very seriously the willing:, 1q
nessof parents at the grassroots to chal
lenge such venerable institutions as the
public school system and the unions. .|
Who can be trusted to make vouchers ;;
work? Parents and the community. The
unions, the political parties and theedu
cation professionals are going to have to , ~
find a way to support them if the vouch-, .
ers are going to have a shot. o
Lenora B. Fulani twice ran for Presi-;
dent ofthe U.S. as an independent, mak- , |
inghistory in 1988 when she became the
first woman and African Americantoget -
on the ballot in all fifty states. 2
Dr. Fulani is currently aleading activ
ist in the Reform Party and the chairs
the Committee for a Unified Indepen-.“;'
dent Party. She can be reached at 800-°
288-3201 or http://www.Fulani.org. 1
the time which God has given him.
An extraordinary human being, Nelson
Mandela.
And then there is Rosa Parks, who now
hasreceived the Congressional Gold Medal.
Lady Liberty incarcerate, as Jesse Jack
son so rightly called her. The mother of
the civil rights movement, as she is affec
tionately known, Mrs. Parks showed the
world that one does not have to be elected
to office, nor be an orator or public figure
to be a leader of the people. One does not
have to have national acclaim or to be rich
and powerful to stand up for what is right
and to change the world. For surely this
unassuming, quiet and dignified lady, a
seamstress who was deemed less than
human by those in power in Montgomery,
Al has changed the world forever. The
strength of her moral argument that she
had a right to a seat in the front of the bus
changed the policies of segregation, cata
pulted a young and inexperienced minis
ters into world leadership and uncorked
the energy of the young people who were’
at the heart of the civil rights sfruggle
across the nation, N
In the words of President Clinton, Mrs.
Parks reminds us that freedom work is.
never done. In the words of Mrs. Parks
herself, upon accepting this honor from
her country, “This will be an encourage-|
ment for all of us to continue until all
people have equal rights.” The award will
be an encouragement, just as Mrs. Parks'
ol
See LEGACY, page 9A