Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Jan. 29, 2004, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
6A NEWS/tSie Calotte $ontt Thursday, January 29, 2004 Stale of Union: Separate, nnequal By Jamal E. Watson THE AMSTERDAM NEWS NEW YORK - Marcia Brooks wanted to give President George W. Bush a chance. The 48-year-old African- American mother of two from the Queens is a self- professed Independent. And while she isn’t a big fan of the Republicans, she hasn’t exactly been lining up to support the Democrats vying to unseat Bush next November either. In short, Brooks votes her interest. She always has. “I really look at who is try ing to help out the working and lower middle class folks,” said Brooks. “And with racism being such a big issue in our country, I always factor in race, too.” So when she tuned in along with millions of other Americans last week to watch Bush deliver the State of the Union address, she was hoping to hear about new initiatives and pro grams that would economi cally help working class peo ple as well as ease the coun try’s divide. “It was just a waste of time,” said Brooks, an administrative assistant who works in Manhattan. “I had no clue what Bush was talking about. None of his ideas or his words hit home for me. He was not talking about my reality.” Brooks is not alone in her thinking. The State of the Union address angered so many Black constituent groups that they were forced to quickly put out state ments questioning Bush’s commitment to the African- American community. Even the Democratic National Committee —which is hoping to maintain its widespread support among African-Americans — released a scathing report shortly before the president’s speech called “The State of the African-American Community.” In it, the Democrats charge that under the Bush administra tion, unemployment in the black community is much higher than the national average. “Under Bush, 700,000 more Americans'now live in pover ty,” according to the DNC report, adding that the 8- year decline in unemploy ment in the African- American community dur ing the Clinton administra tion has suddenly been reversed. The group also charged Bush with failing to invest in education, an issue dear to Brooks. Unable to save a substantial amount of up to African- money over the years, she is now worried about how she wiU be able to afford the escalating costs of sending her 17-year-old daughter to college. “Where is the leadership today?” she said, reminiscing about the “good old days” when President Jimmy Carter inspired the country by being a man of integrity. ‘Tie wasn’t the best presi dent, but he was an honest man. That’s something miss ing today — good-old-fashion honesty.” In his 54-minute address before a joint session of Congress, Bush defended his decision to oust Saddam Hussein from office and said that the country will not leave the Iraqi people to fend for themselves. ‘We have not come aU this way - through tragedy and trial and war - only to falter and leave our work unfin ished,” the president said. But Democratic presiden tial candidate Howard Dean criticized Bush, saying that he is out of touch with work ing class people and African- Americans. “The State of the Union may look rosy from the White House balcony or the suites of George Bush’s wealthiest donors, but hard working Americans will see through this president’s effort to wrap his radical agenda with a compassion ate ribbon,” said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who has received more endorsements from black political leaders then any other Democratic candidate. For Brooks, all the bicker ing back and forth is just so sad. “I know that voting is. important, and I will vote next November,” she said. “But it really is too bad that there are is no real candi dates out there who is talk ing to our issues. I can start to see why people are so com placent these days.” The cynicism that Brooks feels is easily expressed in urban cities all across America, where poverty and unemployment are on the rise and millions of Americans remain unin sured. The solution? Some say he’s hidden away in his 125th Street office building in Harlem. “Say what you wiU about President Clinton,” Brooks said. “But he made us aU feel like we were important peo ple. We’re missing that today.” Men’s Fur Sale ^ee Our Newest^ Most Exciting Collection ?df 2004|Men’s Furi Caribbean media freedom at risk By Michael Christie REUTERS MIAMI - Besieged by eco nomic troubles, disgruntled Voters or racial tension, gov ernments across the Caribbean cracked down last yfear on a wellspring of criti cism — the free press. The Caribbean has long been home to one of the worst suppressors of free speech — communist Cuba — where the only permitted voice is the state’s, media advocates said. Cuba last year detained 26 indepen dent journalists, according to French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders and other rights groups. But formerly untroubled democracies from the Dominican Republic to the tropical island of St. Lucia are now also witnessing assaults on media freedom. or are crafting new laws that activists said could muzzle dissent. Latin America and the Caribbean once enjoyed some of the freest media out side Europe, said Karin Karlekar, a senior researcher with U.S. human rights group Freedom House. “But it’s slipping back,” she said. In Haiti, the poorest nation of the Americas, clashes between President Jean- Bertrand Aristide’s support ers and his foes have escalat ed, catching journalists in the cross-fire. Attacks on radio stations, the main source of news in a coimtry with sky-high illiteracy rates, are frequent and as many as 40 reporters have fled abroad in fear of their lives. On the Caribbean coast of South America, oil-rich Venezuela is mired in a con flict between backers and opponents of President Hugo Chavez. Both the pro- Chavez state media and vir ulently anti-Chavez private media have abandoned aU pretense of objectivity and become warriors in the fight. CHATTY’S School of Communications 818 Tyvola Road, Suite 107 • Charlotte, NC 28217 PHONE: 704.525.3050 • FAX: 704.525.3051 • E-.MAll: Chatty@bellsouth.net Register Now!. Get a Career in Broadcasting • News • Sports • Recording Studio • Video • Photography • Computer Graphics • Web Page • TV and More! • Scholarships -Financial Assistance - Now Enrolling!. After School Pfosram - Elementary & Middle School Students - Home Work Assistance Building Self-Esteem Success Skills (improving grades) Meeting Each Student’s Needs Qualified Teachers Make Learning Fun For All Ages Call Today, Spaces Limitedl mtSfCARE Medical » Clinic Due to inclement weather The Open House for First Care Medical Clinic has been rescheduled. February 7, 2004 10am - 2pm 9040 Nations Ford Rd. Charlotte, NC 28273 704-225-8548 Sorry for the inconvience. • FUN • FOOD • GAMES TOURS • ENTERTAINMENT Weicoming New Patientsl No Appplnttitiits NwletH S0T FIRST CARE ].800-227-3881 « Sp*omctiy/putnoniy fincaon ming vwi-Md«x VVIotonirsumpenuMon •AJW^MKig * Mkiot UcmMon * ilenwtl of nws. tn VhtiratmcM t, oihH iMn Ksim t 4 NucMl «m> mong Gateway CjNcxeRXi D-FINER enTfr-ers ittf. ft fUei Mi! S »i«4»pQ8»ss sr Po^ %££»)& Sp^
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 29, 2004, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75