OPINION
Chronicle
Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Hounder
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Michael A. Pitt Marketing
T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor
CIRCULATION
\/ I VERIFICATION I
Congress needs
to act to end
Iraq occupation
IMMIGRATION REFORM "MJfc FAR...
The "N" Word
Ernie
Pitt
This & That
Yes! We should bury the
"N" word once and for all.
No! We should not get so
upset when someone uses it.
Words do not make peo
ple... people make words.
Although words can be
hurtful and damaging, we as
a people, must learn to rise
above those things that are
thrown at us that are intend
ed to discourage us and
make us feel bad about our
selves.
We have to learn where
those words came from and
what their intent was. The
"N" word was used to deni
grate us and to make sure
we didn't think of ourselves
as equal to whites. We have
to understand how that crit
icism has effected us.
We have been criticized
and called three-fifths of a
man in addition to all other
manner of insults and degra
dation that naturally has
challenged all of our coping
skills. We have turned the
"N" word into all kinds of
things and meanings that
depending on who you're
talking to and what you're
talking about, can determine
its positivity or negativity.
The horrible thing about
this process is that we have,
to some extent, taken on the
values of our oppressors by
continuing to use the word
and, often times, acting in a
manner that gives the word
more meaning than it
deserves.
Consider this. I remehi
ber when I was a little boy.
One of the meanest things
we could call someone was
"Black". Now, that's a darn
shame. However, at the
same time we felt bad about
being black. Whites were
going to the beach, tanning
houses and everywhere else
trying to do what? Make
themselves black. Thank
God we have overcome that.
As for me, I won't be
using it under any circum
stances and will not allow
anyone to refer to me with
the word regardless of its
intended meaning. I take
more pride in myself than
that. I am also going to
make sure that I'm in a posi
tion where no one will ever
have the occasion to call me
that because it will be total
ly out of character with no
meaning perspective.
I'm suggesting that we
reject the usage of the "N"
word and focus more on
education, home ownership,
wealth-building and entre
preneurship. That's proba
bly why the rappers are
using the "N" word so read
ily because they're prosper
ing from it. Hey! Ain't that
America? Do anything for
money? Not me! The Lord
is my shepherd! God bless
you. Amen.
Ernie Pitt is the publish
er and co-founder of The
Chronicle and the head of
the V.C. Association of
Black Publishers. Reach
him at
erpitt@wschronicle.com.
Barbara
Lee
Guest
Columnist
Four years ago.
President Bush issued a
challenge to the Iraqi insur
gents. He said. "There are
some who feel like that the
conditions are such that they
can attack us there. My
answer is, bring them on."
In the four years since he
uttered those unfortunate
words, it has become clear
that what many of us said
before the invasion was
true, that there were, no
weapons of mass destruc
tion in Iraq; that there was
no connection between Iraq
and al Qaeda and that the
case for going to war was
false.
It has also become clear
that there was no plan to sta
bilize the country after the
invasion, and there was no
exit strategy. Since
President Bush uttered those
words, 3,380 U.S. troops
have died in Iraq and more
than 23,0()0 have been
wounded, not to mention tlje
countless Iraqi deaths and
injuries. After spending
more than $400 billion on
the invasion and occupation,
U.S. troops are now in the
position of refereeing an
Iraqi civil war. Our troops'
presence in Iraq has become
a rallying point for terrorist
recruitment and fundraising,
a development that makes
our country and the world
less safe.
Last November, the
American people sent a
clear message that they
wanted an end to the occu
pation. In January, agairtfct
the will of the American
people and the advice of our
military commanders, the
President decided to esca
late the conflict in Iraq and
subsequently vetoed
Congressional efforts to
establish a timeline for
bringing our troops home.
Now, despite the fact
that the escalation has failed
to change the security situa
tion on tl^e ground, the
administration wants to
extend the occupation indef
initely, saying that they
envision a United States
military presence in Iraq
similar to that "we have in
South Korea," where
American troops have been
stationed for more than 50
years.
It is time to end the
President's failed policy in
Iraq and bring our troops
home. We know the
President is not going to do
it, so Congress is going to
have to act.
When Congress last took
up the question of funding
for the occupation, some
members supported efforts
to end the occupation by
fully funding withdrawal,
which would have provided
the funds to do only two
things: to protect our troops,
and bring them home within
six months.
In September, the
President will ask Congress
for another emergency sup
plemental spending bill,
another blank check to con
tinue his failed policy indef
initely. When that time
comes. Congress should
appropriate the funds to pro
tect our troops and bring
them home. We should fully
fund withdrawal.
This month, the House
will take up other legislation
aimed at changing course in
Iraq and bringing the occu
pation to an end. including
legislation to prevent per
manent military bases in
Iraq, to set a timeline for
redeployment and to stop
war profiteering.
Representatives need to
know what their con
stituents' think about these
issues. Call your member of
Congress and let him or her
know that you support end
ing the occupation. It's time
to bring our troops home.
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a
Democrat, represents
California's Ninth
N Congressional District.
Hunger in America
George
Curry
Guest
Columnist
About six blocks west of
the White House. I spotted a
man recently who appeared to
be in his late 40s or early 50s
rummaging through a garbage
bin, apparently in search of
food. Seconds later. I saw him
look through to a second pile
of trash. That's when I made a
sharp turn, hopped out of my
car, and gave him a $20 bill.
"Brother, you don't have to do
that," I said. On the edge of
tears, he thanked me and
headed for a nearby store.
1 am not' recounting this
story to receive a pat on the
back or because I think I've
done something noble. Rather,
I am sharing it because it is a
scene that is repeated thou
sands of times each day.
Because we almost have to
step over homeless people to
enter a downtown business
establishment or we have per
fected the art of seeing and not
seeing at the same time, we
choose to ignore the suffering
that surrounds us.
I am embarrassed to admit
that I was not always so quick
to come to the aid of my fel
low citizens. Yes, I donate to
several charities and-iithe on
Sundays, but I. too, had
become somewhat immune -
actually, insensitive - to some
suffering of the homeless. But
a young child in St. Louis
changed that. I was with
Lillian Villars, whom I was
dating at the time, and her
daughter. April, who must
have been about 9 or 10 years
old.
We were riding down
North Kingshighway when
April noticed a man pulling a
white plastic cup from a
garbage bin and drinking the
contents. "Look at that," April
said in disbelief. "We ought to
give him something." Without
thinking, I replied, "HVe can't
help everv person on the
street." April persisted, "But
he's eating out of a garbage
can." Point well-taken. We
pulled over and gave the man
some money. I thanked April
for restoring my humanity.
After 1 1 years as a reporter
for the St. Louis Post
Dispatch, I joined the ChicagcO
Tribune, serving as a
Washington correspondent
and later New York bureau
chief. I was leaving my office
in the old New York Daily
News building on East 42nd
Street late one rainy night
when I saw a couple going
through a huge pile of garbage
in plastic bags on the edge of a
curb. This time. I did not hesi
tate. I gave them $20 and they
thanked me. After walking a
block. I looked back and they
were actually dancing, happy
to have some money.
Hunger in America is real.
And everyone asking for help,
on the street is not interested
in conning the public or is
headed to the nearest liquor
store when someone gives
them spare change.
Those of us who live in the
most affluent country on earth,
tend to overlook hunger and
poverty among us. When we
think of hunger, we conjure up
images of famine in Africa or
India. Indeed, hunger is a
global issue, with 852 million
people in the world going hun
gry, according to Bread for the
World. In developing coun
tries, 6 million children die
each year, mostly from
hunger-related causes. Sub
Sahara African Africa is the
only region in the world where
hunger is on the rise, with 204
million hungry.
Even with safety net pro
grams in place for the poor,
such as free school breakfast
and lunch programs, hunger is
also a problem in the United
States.
According to USDA, 35.1
million people - including
12.4 million children - live in
households that frequently
experience hunger or risk
hunger. This means 1 1 percent
of all U.S. households fall into
this category. Almost 1 1 mil
lion people - including
606, (MX) children ? live in
U.S. households that frequent
ly skip meals, consume an
inadequate supply of food or
don't eat for an entire day.
Local government offi
cials confirm the federal
assessment of hunger.
Last year, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors noted a
7 percent increase in the
requests for emergency food
assistance. Because of the ris
ing demand for emergency
food assistance. 45 percent of
the mayors said they were
unable to meet their communi
ty's food nteds. Equally
important, 63 percent of those
polled said they had to
decrease the amount of food
given out or reduce the num
ber of times people can
receive food.
The hunger problem
involves more than food. The
United States h^the highest
wage inequity in the industri
alized world. That means that
even when people have jobs,
often the pay is too low for
them to properly feed their
families. This country must
provide well-paying jobs and
expanded opportunities for the
poor if it really wants to
address the issue. Until we do
that, we'll continue to see peo
ple eating out of garbage
receptacles.
George E. Curry, former
editor-in-chief of Emerge
magazine and the NNPA News
Service, is a keynote speaker,
moderator, and media coach.
He can be reached at
george?georgecurryx:om.