AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
OPINION
EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com
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A Labor Day Tribute to Job Corps local law enforcement is not getting away with the murder, especially of those who are persons of color (Blacks and Latinos). Hilbert Morales EL OBSERVADOR
Why continue to analyze that ‘police shooting of Michael Brown,’ at Ferguson, Missouri? Unfortunately, a second police shooting occurred at a neighboring jurisdiction just three miles away, which resulted in the death of another negro youth. This was followed by the investigative reporting which established that every week, somewhere in America, a person of color is killed by police. In the Chicago metropolitan area, some 27 Black individuals are killed each weekend. Each killing is followed by release of information which amounts to attempts of ‘character assassination’ of the victims. Traditionally, it is the ‘Internal Affairs’ unit within each police department which performs analytical assessment of each ‘police use of deadly force’ incident. Very few police officers are deemed to merit criminal indictment and prosecution. In addition, mainstream media seem to thrive on presenting persons of color as the wrongdoers worthy of character assassination. All this has become too much to accept anymore, especially in communities that have high unemployment rates and inadequate incomes. If an excessive illegitimate paramilitary police response to peaceful, non-violent public protests infuriates and alarms you and you don’t want to just accept this anymore as “the way it is”...or “there is nothing that can be done”, then it is incumbent upon you to learn about what can be done so that you cease to be complicit in these matters. If you want to see those law enforcement officers who use ‘deadly force’ charged with ‘murder’, then it is time to advocate for establishment of more civilian oversight, monitoring, and audits to ensure that the
If you are inspired by those who have been demonized and despised for years ,who have now stood up and begun to insist on being treated as human beings rather than animals, then you must decide to join them or not support their quest for justice, respect, and equity. Along with many, many people from all walks of life, who have now courageously stood their ground, you must decide to join. no longer is it all right to be a sideline spectator. Again, you must take appropriate action to support or resist what is happening. In this nation, the ideal that ‘All persons are equal under our system of ‘justice, law & order’, and when voting the majority is supposed to rule. Those practices which hinder registering to vote must be removed/addressed. The Black and Latino community must get their citizens to register to vote, learn about the issues, and then vote in their own best interests. your vote is the voice that makes you the constituent of an elected representative. If no vote is manifested, then that community does not exist and is not considered when elected officials debate and craft legislation. A lot of tax dollars are not allocated to programs directed at those communities which do not ‘Get Out Their Vote’. There are many ‘Whites’ who practice ‘manifest destiny’.....i.e. they believe that they are destined to rule this nation. During the 1810-1850 period this manifest destiny concept was used to create the territorial content of today’s America. And it included the invasion of Mexico under the Polk Administration which resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1846). The Mexican historians call that war “The Invasion of Mexico by U.S.A.” The invasion of Iraq under the G.W. Bush Administration is strikingly similar. In both cases, the American people were misinformed and mis-led.
If you want a world without the endless chain of murders of Black and Brown youth by a system which has no place, no future for them because of current inequities in our society, then the current practices of those who conduct commerce must begin to address not only profit generating activities, but also the need of our domestic labor force to be gainfully employed; to be paid living wages. Access to jobs and education must become gender and ‘color-blind’. Access to any and all opportunity must become color-blind. All must learn how to become engaged, involved and committed as stakeholders who takes appropriate responsible actions. The current concept of ‘ownership’ must become flavored with stewardship so the natural resources of this nation are used to do the greatest good for the greatest number. By devising a systems of providing for basic needs, the American consumer economy can become re-invigorated. This would benefit all, even the very wealthy, because the money would trickle up as ‘a return on investments made’.
are hiring. And for good reason. not only does Job Corps provide work-based learning and on-the-job training, but kids who haven’t completed high school can earn their diploma or GED. Job Corps also teaches discipline, teamwork, leadership, communication and problem solving – skills increasingly essential to success not only at work, but in life.
Thomas E. Perez, UnITED STATES SECrETAry OF LABOr
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson made good on his promise of a “War on Poverty” with the Economic Opportunity Act. As he signed the new law, he declared that it “will strike at poverty’s roots” in a way that “is prudent and practical… consistent with our national ideals.”
Today, manifest destiny still exists as the philosophy that embraces America as a whole. Manifest destiny is an intangible ideology which created America. It now needs to fully include all who reside in America. In its simplest form, Manifest Destiny is the systematic body of concepts, beliefs, and practices which empower and invigorate American life and its culture.
One of the bill’s key elements was the establishment of Job Corps, a residential education and training program for low-income young people run by the U.S. Labor Department. At 125 centers in 48 states, students get the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in good jobs in more than 100 occupations -- from auto maintenance to information technology, health care to hospitality, and construction to culinary arts.
The American Dream is still possible. The unfortunate martyrdom of Michael Brown revealed to all the unjust and unfair practices which denied people of color the access to the ideals of American Democracy through our racism practices. now that we are all aware and most of us are motivated to make evolutionary changes, a ‘new American Democracy’ must emerge wherein all are treated fairly/equitably under our system of law, order, and justice. This opportunity must be exploited to the fullest extent possible today.
Here in San Jose, California, the San Jose Job Corps Center offers training in 13 areas including Health Care, Construction, and advanced training with the Transportation Communications Union. And local employers like Tesla Motors, Valley Transportation Authority, Greyhound, Southwest Airlines, Amtrak, O’Conner Hospital and Levi’s Stadium consider the San Jose Job Corps Center to be a pipeline for skilled talent. They turn to Jobs Corps first when they
Serving our society’s most disconnected young people is, without question, an ambitious undertaking. So many Job Corps students have already been failed by the education system. roughly three-quarters are high-school dropouts. Many are homeless or aging out of foster care; others are runaways and juvenile offenders. Without Job Corps, many of them are lost. With Job Corps, they have a chance. Tackling deeply-entrenched social problems is never easy. But we don’t kick people to the curb simply because of a challenge – both as a matter of social justice and, more pragmatically, because we can’t afford to squander human capital in a competitive global economy. And Job Corps works. More than 80 percent of Job Corps students were placed in jobs, entered the military, or continued their education in 2013. The San Jose Job Corps Center placed 87% of
its graduates in 2013. Out of difficult circumstances, they take control over their own destinies and punch their tickets to the middle class. They become mechanics, or welders, or pastry chefs— productive and contributing members of our society and our economy. Some of them go on to become doctors, entertainment executives and judges. One Job Corps alum, George Foreman, went on to become a heavyweight boxing champion, and a successful entrepreneur. Because it embodies one of our most cherished, foundational principles -- that opportunity in America should not be reserved just for the lucky -- Job Corps has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress and local government. As it should. Fifty years since its founding, we still need Job Corps. It is no longer just a program; it’s become a part of who we are as a nation. I salute all those young people who made the decision to invest in themselves by gaining skills through Job Corps. On Labor Day 2014, as we celebrate the contributions that working people make to the strength and prosperity of our nation, let’s also celebrate the Job Corps students who will go on to make their own contributions. They will be a big reason to celebrate Labor Day for years to come.
OCCUrIELCIAS