A6
NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1, 2015
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
OPINION
A+, PPS working together to improve education
Editorial
Justice Eakin should resign How can the public trust a judge to be fair and impartial toward African Americans, Latinos, women and gays if that judge is engaged in disseminating messages that are demeaning toward those groups? Democratic state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams and a coalition of clergy, civil rights and civic leaders are right to call for the immediate resignation of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Michael Eakin over his connection to an offensive email scandal. Eakin needs to resign, along with three other officials who received the emails. A diverse coalition of leaders including Rodney Muhammad, president of the Philadelphia NAACP; Rochelle Bilal, of the Guardian Civic League; Terrence Griffith, president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity; Malcolm Lazin, a LGBT leader; and Nina Ahmad, president of the NOW Philadelphia chapter, joined Williams at a press conference Monday calling for the resignations. In addition to the resignations, there should be a special prosecutor, assigned by the state attorney general, to investigate an alleged cover-up. Eakin’s emails went to district attorneys, public defenders, assistant U.S. attorneys and a significant number of private attorneys in the Harrisburg area. The emails included offensive content that targeted African Americans, Latino Americans, LGBT Americans and Muslims. Last week several women on City Council were right to lead an effort that called for the dismissal of three prosecutors at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Frank Fina, Mark Costanzo and Pat Blessington allegedly were among the recipients of the emails. District Attorney R. Seth Williams said he had reviewed the matter and the individuals involved were disciplined. Williams is wrong on this one. Fina, Costanzo and Blessington should be fired. As the Tribune reports, “The issue of the pornographic and otherwise offensive emails started coming to light during the increasing legal and political pressure being levied against state Attorney General Kathleen Kane. “Kane recently had her legal license suspended and has been charged with perjury, obstructing administration of the law and related offenses. She has publicly argued that the reason for the grand jury investigation against her was directly connected to the thousands of pornographic and allegedly racist emails that were sent and received by state employees at the Attorney General’s offices.” As a justice on the state Supreme Court, Eakin’s behavior should be beyond reproach. The Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct denotes standards for the ethical behavior of judges that says: “Judges should uphold the dignity of judicial office at all times, avoiding both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in their professional and personal lives. They should at all times conduct themselves in a manner that garners the highest level of public confidence in their independence, fairness, impartiality, integrity and competence.” Justice Eakin has failed the Code of Judicial Conduct that he is supposed to uphold. (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune.)
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Education is the most important challenge facing Black America, which makes the A+ Schools annual PPS Progress Report so important to Pittsburgh. And I was very glad to see that 6 Charter Schools were included in the report. I wish there was some way that all Charter Schools in Pittsburgh as well as Private Schools could be a part of the overall evaluation of Pittsburgh Schools. This way a real comparison could be made between Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Private Schools. Some of the good from this year’s report are: Graduation Rates Improved from 68 percent to 70 percent for Blacks and 74 percent overall, with 56 percent qualifying for Pittsburgh Promise. PPS Black students also out performed Blacks state wide in the Keystone literature and Algebra exams, which is saying a lot because they are going up against the well funded WPIAL schools as well as even better funded rural and eastern schools. I would like to see how well Philadelphia rated. In comparison to Whites however, it wasn’t close. In Literature it was Blacks at 53 percent, Whites 80 percent. In Algebra it was 37 percent Blacks to 70 percent for Whites. However, Westinghouse showed a 20 percent increase in Literature and a 15 point improvement in Algebra. Superintendent Linda Lane made two major points. First saying the good schools and departments should be identified and reinforced across the district by giving credit to those who made it possible, while continuing to work on improving the bad. Second she pointed out that the district is solvent, despite an 1100 drop in students from four years ago. “We’re not broke, and we were supposed to be,” she said in a Courier article. “We have to keep an eye on the funding formula that
Ulish Carter
Just Sayin’ comes out of this year’s state budget. We need to be held harmless for our lower population. If not we are looking at a possible $68 million per year loss.” She said she didn’t know what caused the loss but only knew that they must serve the existing students to the best of their abilities. If they do, she said, then they along with their parents will promote the school district. It’s great to see the Pittsburgh School District working so closely with A+Schools to improve the schools, instead of fighting each other to the determent of the students. Closing the literature and math gaps between Blacks and Whites is a national problem and needs to become the priority of every school system across the nation as well as every Black parent and concerned citizen. *** Congratulation to the Thomas Merton Center for honoring a woman who deserves all the honors she receives. Congresswoman Barbara Lee was recently honored for her many stands, with the most noted being her vote not to give the president complete power of war after the 9/11 attack. She was the only one to vote against it and received a lot of grief for that vote but in the long run, especially after President Bush got us into the Iraq war, she was proven to be right, with a lot of other people, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stating that their voting for the bill was a mistake. “It was really a blank check, not
only for President Bush but for any president to use force against any organization, individual, or nation. To me that was too broad and that set the stage for action in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and all around the world,” Lee said. Lee says that war or violence is never the answer. All it does is make matters worse. I agree with her 100 percent. Well almost. We should be helping the refugees from Syria with medical care, and other humanitarian help but I still say that if every adult in the towns and villages were armed with a gun and ammunition to protect their homes there would be fewer innocent people killed and if Isis knew that they were going to have a fight on their hands in every town and more of them was going to die, they would be less apt to attack certain towns. Now if these people are not willing to defend their homes, their families, their way of life, then why are we over there? Didn’t we fight for ours? Freedom is not FREE. Another problem I have is accepting all these people into this country. Who’s jobs are they going to take? We are already saying we don’t have enough tax dollars for Medicare, Social Security, the Veterans, Welfare, and many other social programs for Americans who have been here all their lives. So where do we get the money to completely support and establish the 10,000 to 60,000 or more refugees from the Middle East, while complaining about refugees from Mexico. I have yet to hear of a Mexican blowing himself up with hundreds of others for a religion. The vast majority come here to improve conditions for themselves and their family just like the Middle East refugees. They want to become a part of America, not blow it up. Maybe the Mexicans should call themselves refugees. Too bad Congresswoman Barbara Lee isn’t Senator Barbara Lee. (Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
Paris, terror and the forgotten (NNPA)—I received a call a few days after the Paris terrorist attack from a relative. She was, quite understandably, deeply unsettled by the attack. She asked me why it was that the Muslim community was so silent about jihadist attacks. I told her that they were—and are—not silent at all. In fact, there were—immediately—statements of condemnation of these attacks from a wide range of organizations and religious leaders in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, ranging from the Free Syrian Army to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation denounced the heinous attacks. My relative then asked me, why had she and so many other people not heard word-one about this? This is a core question and it has nothing to do with the actions of the Muslim community. The mainstream U.S. media, by and large, has done little to make it known that there has been outrage across the Arab and Muslim Worlds in the face of these horrors. The Muslim reaction has not been limited to the Paris massacre, by the way, but also the bombing in Turkey (at the peace rally held by the Kurds and
The mainstream media must be tasked with two very important actions. The first is the full accounting for the scope of the outrage in the face of these terrorist attacks. We cannot have a situation where the people of the U.S.A. are led to believe that the Muslim World is silent in the face of these jihadist/fascist actions. When the response from the Muslim World has been so overtheir allies), the bombings in Baghwhelming it is simply inexcusable dad and Beirut. What these bombthat there is any ambiguity on this ings all appear to have in common is matter. that they are the actions of Daesh, The second action is to broaden the a.k.a. “the so-called Islamic State.” scope of our understanding of the Even when the Muslim outrage is terrorist actions themselves. While I reported, it does not get the same share a very deep sorrow with the attention as the xenophobic and IsFrench people and an absolute halamophobic rants that are coming tred of Daesh for their barbaric acfrom right-wing pundits in the tions in Paris, I also cry for those U.S.A. and elsewhere. In the afterkilled in Turkey, Baghdad and math of the Paris attacks governors Beirut who have received far less atin the U.S.A. are announcing that tention, and even less sympathy. It they do not want Syrian refugees in is time for us in the U.S.A. and their states, as if to say that the other parts of the global North to refugee population is the source of appreciate that terror does not beterrorist attacks. Are these govercome terror only when it strikes us. (Bill Fletcher,Jr. is the host of The Global nors for real? Do they not realize that Daesh is quite capable of carry- African on Telesur-English. Follow him on Facebook and at ing out terrorist attacks without in- Twitter, www.billfletcherjr.com.) filtrating the refugee population?
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary
Giving thanks for Generation NEXT by Sister Patricia McCann,RSM and Michele Rone Cooper Six months ago, McAuley Ministries established a partnership with New Pittsburgh Courier to tell the stories of Generation NEXT—African-American youth who are achieving in the classroom, volunteering in their community, up-and-coming entrepreneurs starting businesses, creating art, or advocating for social justice. We were motivated by the tragedies in Ferguson, New York City, Cleveland, Baltimore, and yes, Pittsburgh, and images of AfricanAmerican youth that are often associated with violence, crime, and poverty. But we know better! We’ve met some amazing young people who have inspired us and given us the confidence that our future is in good hands. Meet Carter Redwood who graduated cum laude from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014, won the John Arthur Kennedy Senior Acting Award, was the speaker at the drama school commencement, and recognized in a leadership ceremony for seniors who have shown outstanding presence in the broader community. Leah Baker Fowler, an 11 year old, is owner and operator of a cupcake company—“Cupcake’s Most Wanted—it would be a crime not to eat ’em.” Then there is Keimon Alexander Dupree, a ninth-grade honor student at Urban Pathways Charter School in Downtown Pittsburgh, who aspires to achieve a degree in mechanical engi-
neering and is on track with a 4.0 GPA for the majority of his school years. Apart from his scholarly abilities, Keimon plays soccer and football, and is an accomplished musician on the steel pan drums, trumpet, and guitar. Ionie Virginia Banner, a wise 16year-old athlete and scholar, told us, “Whenever I’m faced with the temptation to be ‘normal’ instead of a straight-A student and an athlete who must stay on track for college and more, I remind myself that movies, parties, and hanging with friends will be here—but the sacrifices I make now will make all the difference later.” Tiger Weaver, an advocate for families and children with an incarcerated parent, is a member of the Amachi Teen Leadership Program, a youth presenter at the 2015 Association of Black Foundation Executives Conference in Napa, Calif., and recently listed in the “Future Leader Spotlight” in the inaugural edition of Who’s Who in Black Pittsburgh. Quincy Stanley is a 4.0 student, basketball player, and a recipient of the national Presidential Scholars Award who helps elementary students with reading and robotics through his job with Neighborhood Learning Alliance. These young people, and many others like them, are soaring above social and political inequities. When we see young African-Americans, we see a future business owner; the physician or nurse who will care for our families; the architect, engineer, or contractor
who will build our homes, roads, and bridges; the artist who will inspire us with their talent; the farmer who will grow our food. In this season of Thanksgiving, we give thanks for Carter, Leah, Keimon, Ionie, Tiger, and Quincy, and countless young people like them, who have the intellect, confidence, and persistence to lead our communities. Each month in New Pittsburgh Courier, McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy’s grant-making foundation, sponsors an article highlighting the positive contributions of an African-American youth—male or female. We welcome community members to suggest a young person to feature in this monthly column. Criteria include: Youth and young adults, ages 12-23 Documented evidence of leadership or achievement in community service/volunteerism; leadership or achievement in their classroom/school; creativity as an artist, musician, dancer or filmmaker; success as an entrepreneur; leadership in advocating for social justice and equity; and/or achievement in corporate or nonprofit arenas A resident of Allegheny County. Readers who would like to suggest a youth for this feature should email GENNEXT@pmhs.org. (Sr. Patricia McCann, RSM, is chairperson, McAuley Ministries Foundation and Michele Rone Cooper, is executive director, McAuley Ministries Foundation)