Forum Court rulings bring new challenges NEW YORK ? The attacks on affirmative action continue to be sustained by the Supreme Court of Uhc United States. These attacks were first forecast 10 years ago when it was evident that right-wing political forces were not only preparing to seize the White House, but also were preparing to funda mentally reshape the character of the highest court in the nation. Affirmative action had devel oped historically as a systemic rem edy to generations of past discrimi nation. In particular, Afro- Ameri cans and Hispanic Americans have benefited in the job market from effective affirmative action pro grams and litigation. In addition, white women, recognized as anoth er group which has suffered from {discrimination in the job market, have been able to achieve remark able advancement because of affir mative action. Yet, at a time when the vast majority of racial and eth-* : nic persons, both male and female, are still facing high unemployment Trates and racist employment prac tices, to legally dismantle the basis *for affirmative action is morally reprehensible. The recent 5-to-4 decision by the Supreme Court giving sanction to legal challenges by white male workers against affirmative action was a devastating blow to the cause ~Jof justice. This decision came only a week after another ruling by the Supreme Court that made it easier for employers to implement dis criminatory promotion practices. Linda Greenhouse, writing in The New York Times , started, "The actions show that former President Ronald Reagan has largely accom plished his goal of creating a con servative Supreme Court majority willing to reverse the Court's direc tion on civil rights." issues of race and empowerment. For example, the Congress is now very nervous about legislating com prehensive economic sanctions against South Africa at a time when the whole world knows apartheid is CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL ^By BENJAMtN CttAVtS JR. Specifically, the Supreme Court ruled that white firefighters in Birmingham, Ala., are permitted to challenge a previously court approved affirmative action agree ment which was intended to increase the number of Afro- Ameri cans hired and promoted in the local fire department. This now opens the door for all prior affirmative action "consent decrees" between courts and employers to be chal lenged and overturned. * We are clear that the attacks on affirmative action are attacks on the progress of the civil rights move ment. The rights of Afro-Ameri cans and other racial and ethnic communities have been hard fought. We must not allow these gains to be decimated by the contin uing racist backlash that is subtly blowing throughout the nation. Some Tegal strategists are now saying that the only alternative now? is to go back to Congress and to clarify more explicitly legislative intentions concerning affirmative action. The problem is that the pre sent Congress itself is in disarray x>n getting" its strength from United States and other overseas invest ments. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Congress has the present will to enact legislation re-establishing the grounds for affirmative action. We believe that progress on affirmative action can only be made if there is a mass outcry in opposi tion to these Supreme Court rulings. Yet,- our outcry ^gust be coupled with grassroots crtfanizing through out the nation. History teaches us that in the absence of the move ment, i.e., th$ mobilizing and orga nizing of millions of justice-seeking persons around this and other civil rights issues, even in the 1990s, there will be no progress. Thus, the rulings of the Supreme Court serve as a challenge and as an opportunity to stand up and get involved once "again In a mariner that can make a difference^- ? Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is execu tive director of the Commission for Racia.l Justice of the United 'Church of Christ^ Desecration of civil rights is real Issue I . As the 25th anniversary of the I signing of the Civil Rights Act came and went, President Bush was capitalizing on the always Ipopular theme of patriotism and [pushing for a constitutional ^amendment that would make it i illegal to desecrate the American flag. The Civil Rights Act could _ ,not eliminate segregation and dis crimination; it simply made them illegal. But with that stroke of the pen on July 2, 1964, President J-yridorTB. Johnson gave Afro 7 Americans, and others, tools with which to begin chipping away at , those two cornerstones of inequal ity in this country, whose founda j tion was built on our strong backs , and still rests on our blood, sweat and tears. | With those tools and leaders like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., we challenged the "system" legally and slowly began to break down some of the barriers of inequality and injustice. But not without a price - the ultimate price for some. I Today, many of us seem to -Lhave forgotten. We are either ? unaware of what's happening, j caught up in the "I've got mine, tyou get yours" trap of false securi ty, or we are afraid to challenge ^he system. i But what about those civil ights trailblazcrs? Were they /raid? Certainly, the Rev. King Vas not. They were like Ernest reene, one of the "Little Rock Ine" Afro-American children ito integrated Little Rock High Jc hool. Mr. Greene said recently, jrWe did not focus on fear. We felt I we were doing the right thing." The Supreme Court did the i right thing when it ruled that burning the American flag is not illegal. But that body - the same Court that ruled it legal to execute children and mentally retarded people - has been udily taking back every right the Civil Rights Act guaranteed. still struggling to be free under the Constitution as it is. We certainly should not sit still while the Con stitution is amended to abridge freedom. Ironically, in Little Rock AGAINST THE GRAIN By ROOSEVELT WILSON Mr. Greene said, M25~years~ ago was just the beginning/This is the hard part now." Today, except for a few voic es, we Afro-Americans are silent while under the guise of patrio tism, this country is about to set the most dangerous precedent in its history. We are about to amend the Constitution of the United States to take away a freedom guaran teed under the First Amendment. I cannot envision myself burning an American flag, but for some it is a means of expression, and the First Amendment says that Congress shall pass no law abridging such freedom. President Bush is well aware of this and that is why he is lead- ~ ing the movement to have the Constitution amended rather than get Congress to deal with flag desecration laws. Freedom, at least America's concept of it, is what makes ours different from any other country in the world, and the Constitution is the sacred document that guar antees it. Interpreting the Consti tution is one thing; amending it another. If the Constitution is amended to take away one freedom today, which freedom will be taken tomorrow? As Afro-Americans we are on July 4, an Afro-American man attempted to burn a flag as a means of protest and was attacked and prevented from doing so by a group of whites. We should be wise enough to recognize the danger of tampering with our Constitution and we should be strong enough to stand tall and fight this amendment for those to follow us, as the civil rights pioneers fought the system for us. As the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, something is terribly wrong when we will protect one's free dom to burn a cross, yet take away one's freedom to bum a flag: Taking a cue from Mr. Greene, we must not focus on fear. We must do the right thing. We must call and write letters to our lawmakers. We must take to the streets, if necessary, to com bat this movement. This one is too important to sit out. Either we take action to stop this atrocity, or by our inac tion we help to heap it yt>on our selves. Desecration of the flag is not the issue. The real issue is the des ecration of our civil rights. Roosevelt Wilson is working with the Chronicle this summer as the T. Thomas Fortune fel low. Pastor's rebuttal , From Page A4 been offered mon^y to sell this property. 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