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The longevity gap between "two Americas" has widened since 1990, says a new study. One America is mostly white and well educated, and the other is ethnic or undereducated – and dying about a decade sooner than their more affluent counterparts.
The gap between college-educated whites and African Americans who did not complete high school is "simply unbelievable," stated S. Jay Olshansky, lead author of the extensive new analysis published in the August issue of the prestigious health policy journal Health Affairs.
The researchers, who crunched mortality numbers in key databases from 1990-2008, found that white men in the United States with 16 years or more of schooling had life expectancy at birth of 14.2 years longer than African American males with fewer than 12 years of education. The gulf between well-educated white women and black women with low educational levels was 10.3 years.
The research study is published with the stark title, "Differences in Life Expectancy Due to Race and Educational Differences Are Widening, and Many May Not Catch Up." It is the latest publication by the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society, a roster of 15 leading academic experts in aging and longevity.
Low Education Shortens Life for All Groups
The report shows that lower educational levels marked declining life expectancy within every demographic group examined.
The gap between black women of high versus low educational levels was 6.5 years, and for Latinas the difference was 2.9 years. For males the longevity gaps were 12.9 years among whites, 9.7 years among blacks and 5.5 years for Hispanics.
What's more, the picture for those with fewer than 12 years of education "has grown notably worse for whites," says the study. In terms of educational status "whites at the bottom are losing ground at a faster pace" than those at the top.
The gulf between white women is especially wide, says the report. Those with 12 years or less of education were living just over a decade (10.4 years) less than white American females with at least 16 years of schooling.
The two Americas—those with very high versus very low education—are in a longevity "time warp," Olshansky asserted.
While those with higher levels of formal learning are gaining longevity dividends every year, those least educated have had life expectancy linger at mid-20th century levels. Although blacks have added years slightly overall, among those with the lowest education, longevity for African American men is stuck at the average life expectancy the United States reached in 1954. For other groups with the least education, black women linger at the 1962 level, white women hover in 1964, and poorly schooled white men only live as long as Americans did in 1972.
Medical Advances Not Enough
According to the study, higher education directly affects health because increased learning prompts more people to adopt healthier lifestyles it improves their ability to cope with stress, and enables them to manage chronic diseases more effectively.
However, the report says, education's indirect effects, such as increasing one's access to "more privileged social position, better-paying jobs and higher income are also profound."
These underlying social and economic effects, the research group explains, are why efforts to modify behavioral risk factors alone, such as to reduce obesity or smoking, "are not likely to have a major impact on disparities in longevity."
And the ethnic disparities in education are sharp. On the one hand, among those age 25 or older in 2008, the researchers found, more than one-third of Latinos had less than a high school education, compared with one in six African Americans and only one in 12 whites.
On the other hand, says the study, among those who "enjoy the health and longevity benefits" of a college or post-graduate degree, about one-third are white, one-sixth Black and one in eight Hispanic.
The life-expectancy findings for Hispanics are more complicated than for others. Although Latinos appear to have the highest reported life expectancy at birth among ethnic groups in the study, the researchers cautioned that other factors are in play.
Previous research cited by the study's authors shows that Latino immigrants "tend to be healthier than subsequent U.S.-born generations of Hispanics." Second- or third-generation Hispanics born in the United States experience higher mortality risks and die 10-20 percent earlier than their immigrant parents' and grandparents' generations.
As Hispanics become a larger proportion of the total U.S. population—with a higher proportion of them born here, "their current longevity advantage may diminish rapidly," the article says.
Also skewing the overall figures showing a Latino longevity advantage, says the study, many older Hispanic immigrants "return to their country of origin to die; and the people who emigrate from most countries in Latin America tend to be healthier and more highly educated than the population from which they originated."
Gap Could Grow Larger
Without greater attention to education and its impact on social factors in health, say Olshansky and his colleagues, advances in medicine and technology alone are unlikely to close disparities by race and socioeconomic status. Nationally, he noted, increased access to good educational equity is apt to improve people's health and productivity, thus reducing future demands on Medicare and dependence on Social Security—major budget issues in the presidential campaign.
They emphasize that expanding lifelong learning opportunities would be especially significant for those already in the workforce and who would find it very difficult to return to traditional formal education programs.
Olshansky and his colleagues warn that if the anticipated advances in medical science and technology continue without educational gains, by 2050 "the health and longevity gap between the two Americas could grow larger."
They recommend that American society "implement educational enhancements at young, middle, and older ages for people of all races, to reduce the large gap in health and longevity that persists today."
Donna Turnage Spencer is one face of poverty.
The 48-year-old mother of one tentatively approached the microphone at the conclusion of The Poverty Tour 2.0 stop at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., and captivated the crowd with her story.
"I am a single mother, unassisted. I have no support from the system. I want to work. What am I to do?" she asked plaintively. "I feel like I'm being punished by the system. To have no support from the system. I grew up in Alexandria, I went to public school here. I have excellent credit but I can't get a home because I don't make $30,000 ... my daughter deserves better. Every child does."
Turnage Spencer said that she's estranged from her husband and escaped an abusive marriage. She said she lived a very comfortable lifestyle and is facing these financial difficulties because she chose not to stay.
Radio personality Tavis Smiley, Princeton Professor Cornel West, Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader, as well as most of the people left in the auditorium turned their full attention to the petite woman who sobbed softly as she talked.
"Doc and I appreciate your courage," said Smiley. "We see this time-and-time again. This is caused by corporate greed and political indifference. These stories are heartbreaking. Women and children are falling faster into poverty. I read the Alexandria Times on poverty in this city. This is why this matters. I wish we had jobs to pass out."
Alexandria, one of the richest counties in Virginia, was one of several stops Smiley and West made on an abbreviated tour to swing states that could prove decisive for both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. This is the second time that the pair has embarked on a tour of American cities and states in an effort to re-inject the issue of persistent poverty that has 46.2 million Americans in its grip into the national dialogue.
The pair brought together activists, subject-matter experts and politicians who painted a dour picture of the economic malaise. The latest poverty numbers represent the highest such figure in the past 50 years. When the near-poor and new poor are added, the number of Americans living at or near poverty approaches 150 million. Blacks, Hispanics, children and seniors have been hit particularly hard.
A recession that began in 2007 has bludgeoned the poor and the middle class. Life for these Americans is characterized by chronic unemployment affecting about 12 million people; a housing collapse; foreclosures; lack of access to health care; and a host of other social and economic ills.
In the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown, the disparities between America's rich and poor has created a chasm that continues to widen. It's estimated that the top one percent of this nation controls 40 percent of America's wealth, income and resources. At the same time, corporations, insurance companies and banks – spurred by loose financial regulations, corporate neglect, malfeasance and greed – brought America's economic system to near-collapse.
West and Smiley's guests included Sharon S. Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Alexandria Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman; Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich [D-Ohio]; Dolores Huerta, a founder of the United Farm Workers Union; and Georgetown law professor and anti-poverty activist Peter Edelman.
Several of the guests cautioned the audience that the issue of poverty isn't going away in the U.S. particularly if Congress and presidents prioritize funding wars as opposed to education, health care and other social needs. The problem is exacerbated by politicians beholden to their corporate masters, powerful corporations with pots of money to produce the legislation and results they want, a sustained attack on labor unions and global competition which has led to jobs fleeing overseas and a push by businesses and corporations to keep wages and salaries low.
Nader castigated the priorities chosen by those elected to run this country.
"The way to turn this country around is to change the priorities of public policies," he said. "... Speaker John Boehner is a corporation masquerading as a human being."
"Fifty million people have trouble getting enough food to make it through the day," he said. "One of three people make $10 or less an hour. More than 58,000 people die every year from workplace accidents because of lack of safety and other hazards. Yet trillions will be spent by the so-called military-industrial complex. No weapons system is enough. We have enough to blow up the world 300 times over and cause the rubble to vibrate."
"We spend $675 million to guard the giant U.S. embassy in Iraq but only spend $550 million on OSHA [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration]. Workplaces are replete with disease and trauma."
Smiley said three groups make up the poor in this country: the perennially poor, the near-poor, who're just a paycheck or two away and the new poor.
"Conditions are getting worse," said Smiley. "We'll see very simply that poverty is the new American norm. The new poor are the former middle class. One out of two people are in or near poverty – a paycheck or two from it. Half of the country is near or in poverty. You cannot sustain a democracy with poverty run amok. I don't know why President Obama doesn't say that."
Turnage Spencer expanded on her plight later.
"I could go on and on," she said. "I'm a simple person, not extravagant. This is my hair and my clothes are hand-me-downs. It's real hurtful to be judged by my appearance. "
Turnage Spencer said she doesn't qualify for a number of forms of assistance but received $300 in TANF assistance for about three months, ending in January and her food assistance was also terminated. She has continued to apply for jobs and said that she has a job search log that details her fruitless hunt for work since September 2011. Turnage Spencer said she lives in a tiny apartment in Alexandria and subsists on $185 a week from unemployment and quickly dwindling savings. She said she's fortunate because while she doesn't have medical coverage, Medicaid covers her daughter.
"I'm looking for anything; I'm not looking for handouts," said Turnage Spencer, who has a bachelor's degree in psychology from James Madison University and who also has completed master's degree coursework at the University of Virginia. She said she returned to live in Alexandria last year and has not been able to find any traction since.
As Turnage Spencer spoke to reporters, several people came up to hug her, offer encouragement, commiserate with her and tell her that they would try to help her find a job.
"I'm in the exact boat you are," said Cindy De Niro, holding Turnage Spencer's hand in both of hers. De Niro said that she volunteers at three shelters in Alexandria.
"Your story is so similar to so many women out there. We're losing two of our four shelter systems [in Alexandria]. There are people on the street because the shelters are too full."
Oxon Hill, Md., resident Erika Walcott said Turnage Spencer's story is hers too.
"It resonated with me 100 percent," said Walcott, 49, who has had turns as an entrepreneur, technician and broadcaster. "It's crazy. I've been looking for work for the last three years. I don't even know what criteria they're using to decide who they hire and who they don't," said the mother of four.
"I'm really upset with [President Barack] Obama – what the hell is going on? Are you so insulated that you can't see that people are suffering? People are truly suffering. Hell, I'd vote for Michelle."
Smiley has proposed a roadmap to abolish poverty. The tour is a way to force politicians to act. He wants debate moderators to raise the issue; to push Obama and Romney to delineate their plans; and demand that the next president, after inauguration, makes his first official act a call for a White House conference on the eradication of poverty. Smiley said experts can create a national plan to cut poverty in half in 10 years and eradicate it in 25 years.
During an angry and vocal rally held outside of the Municipal Services Building Thursday morning, members of the NAACP, several union representatives, clergy, state and city legislators took turns commenting on the Pennsylvania Voter ID law.
The rally, which was hosted by the NAACP, took place before the state Supreme Court heard testimony regarding the controversial law that has been the target of opposition since Republican Governor Tom Corbett signed off on it. Opponents of the law have said it was not designed to prevent voter fraud but to disenfranchise voters who most likely will cast their ballot for Pres. Barack Obama in the upcoming election.
"This law is nothing less than a criminal offense against democracy," said Philadelphia NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesire. "We're out here to let the government know that this voter identification law is wrong and based on a lie. We have not stopped fighting to turn this thing around. Despite attempts to use voter ID as a way to block the vote, we will make sure that people vote. Today, we use the voice that the NAACP has been fighting to protect for over a century."
Referencing deceased civil rights leaders Medgar Evers and Harry T. Moore, who were murdered while working to register African Americans to vote, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said the law amounts to a modern poll tax.
"This year, in this country, we have seen more states pass laws to push voters off the polls than in the past 100 years," Jealous said. "Turning the tide, we have won in Texas and we have even won in the Republican states of Michigan and Virginia, but we find ourselves here challenging the law again. We won in Wisconsin and Minnesota and yet here we are, in the cradle of our democracy, fighting to keep the right to vote. This is not a Republican thing or a Democratic thing. It is an extremist thing. All of us should have the right to vote."
According to a legal brief filed by the city , City Commissioners Stephanie Singer and Anthony Clark, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, the Voter ID law would place unconstitutional burdens on more than 100,000 voters in the city. At least 186,000 registered voters in Philadelphia have no form of PennDOT identification. At least 175,000 registered voters have expired PennDOT identification. The brief goes on to state that approximately 361,000 of the city's 1,100,000 registered voters may not have sufficient identification to cast their votes on Election Day.
Opponents of the law say that despite virtually no evidence of voter fraud — the problem that the law was supposed to prevent — voter ID is necessary to protect the integrity of the ballot. During hearings in March, before Corbett signed the law, attorneys for the Commonwealth could provide no instances of voter impersonation fraud. Following the passage of the measure into law, the U.S. Department of Justice requested information to determine Pennsylvania's compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. That section prohibits voting procedures or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership or membership in a language minority. That information request was subsequently refused by James Schultz, general counsel for the Corbett administration. In a letter responding to the DOJ request, Schultz said the federal government had no authority to either request or compel the Commonwealth for that information.
"The question is why you really had to change the law?" asked the Rev. Dr. Kevin, R. Johnson, pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church, during the rally. "Did you change the law because you knew that people lack photo ID in poor black and brown communities?
"We have to vote because people died for out right to vote. We have to vote because Medgar Evers died for us. We have to vote because hundreds of thousands marched for us."
Read more: http://www.nnpa.org/news/national/voter-id-rally-spurs-emotions/#ixzz26qqV097e
Nearly 50 million Americans now are in poverty. One in four children will grow up in impoverished households. Redressing poverty is a national emergency and a moral imperative. In our money-drenched political debate, the poor receive little attention. Yet they could be the key swing vote in this election.
Mitt Romney invoked the poor as part of his attack on Barack Obama's policies. But his own agenda features devastating cuts in basic support for the poor — Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, aid to poor schools, public housing, training — to help pay for another round of corporate and personal tax cuts, largely pocketed by the very rich.
Democrats have historically been the advocates of the vulnerable. Social Security, the crown jewel of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, is the nation's greatest anti-poverty program, dramatically reducing misery among seniors. Medicare and Medicaid, centerpieces of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, have provided vital health care to the disabled, the poor, the elderly and the dying. Yet now, Democrats focus their rhetoric on the middle class, and not on the vulnerable.
I grew up in a struggling household, and I can tell you that for the poor, the middle class isn't the next step; it is a distant shore. The middle class seems rich — two parents, good jobs with health-care benefits, homes, paid vacations, college educations.
The poor live concentrated in urban areas or virtually invisible in rural counties. They live far from where jobs are. They can't afford a car, so they have the greatest stake in public transportation. Their children suffer the highest infant mortality rates, the worst child malnutrition, so public health and child nutrition programs are invaluable. They go to the worst schools, often on mean streets in zones of violence and drugs, so aid to education ranks high on their priorities.
Because the poor tend not to vote, they are often ignored by political campaigns seeking to appeal to "likely voters." But this reality makes the poor potential swing voters. If they show up in large numbers, they can transform an election, particularly one like the current presidential race where there are few undecided voters left and the biggest question is who shows up to vote.
The battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia contain vast areas of impoverished Appalachia. As Lyndon Johnson showed, appealing to the poor in Appalachia helps to de-racialize the poverty vote. In fact, most poor people are not black or brown; they are white, female and young. Their vote or non-vote could be the margin of victory in these key swing states. And appealing to the poor — fighting to raise the minimum wage, defending affordable health care for all, pushing for greater investment in public transport and aid to schools, putting forth an agenda to revitalize our urban core areas — can mobilize non-voters in urban and rural areas.
I know this from personal experience. In 1984, my campaign for the presidency focused on reaching and registering poor and minority voters. In 1986, what one southern Senator called the "new voter" transformed the electorate in Georgia and elsewhere and helped Democrats take back the Senate.
Jesus warned we would be judged by how we treat the "least of these." Feeding the hungry is a moral imperative. But in a democracy, poor people are potentially rich voters. Their votes count as much as those of wealthy voters, and there are many more poor people.
In a democracy, standing up for the poor is not only morally right, it can be politically powerful.
Four to Receive Prestigious Awards Recognizing Contributions to America
WASHINGTON – First lady Michelle Obama will deliver the keynote address at the annual Phoenix Awards Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Mrs. Obama is scheduled to address more than 3,000 expected attendees at the evening's event, which marks the first time ever that a first lady has addressed the prestigious gathering.
"We are so pleased that Mrs. Obama will serve as the keynote speaker for the awards dinner," said Elsie L. Scott, president and chief executive officer for CBCF. "As a former CBC Spouse, Mrs. Obama is quite familiar with our mission at the Foundation, and we are certain that her remarks will be both thought provoking, and most importantly, inspire our audience to do their part to prepare the next generation of leaders."
The Phoenix Award symbolizes the immortality of the human spirit and an eternal desire to reach its full potential. Four distinguished individuals will receive the prestigious award:
• U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. will receive The CBCF Chair's Award. The award is presented to an individual whose work and accomplishments stand as a role model for the African-American community and the African Diaspora.
• Writer, director George Lucas will receive The CBC Chair's Award. The award is presented to an individual who exhibits the highest standards of dedication, ability and creativity;
• Representative Corrine Brown of Florida and the first African American Mayor of Charlotte, NC, the Honorable Harvey Gantt will each receive The Harold Washington Award. The award is presented to an individual who has contributed immeasurably to African-American political awareness, empowerment and the advancement of minorities in the electoral process;
Recent past recipients of the award include EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson; athlete, entrepreneur and humanitarian George Edward Foreman Sr.; civil rights activists the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery and Georgia Congressman John Lewis.
Total Social TV Media Comments: 5 Million
Facebook – 205,000
Tweets – 4.8 Million
DNC2012 Social TV Media Ranking by Night
Night 1 – Michelle Obama 30,510 (peak comments per minute)
Night 2 – Bill Clinton 27, 920 (peak comments per minute)
Night 3 – Barack Obama – 52,988 (peak comments per minute)
President Obama's Quote
"The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future."
Bill Clinton Quote
"We simply cannot afford to turn the reins of government over to someone who will double down on trickle-down."
Comments from President Barack Obama's Speech from WI Facebook
Kelley Coates-Carter I think the President made a compelling argument for why we are better together than going it alone.
Comments from Michelle Obama's Speech from WI Facebook
Paul Emeonyi Exceptional, captivating and passionate speech! She totally nailed it!
Comments from Bill Clinton's Speech from WI Facebook
David H Odom Bill Clinton knows the obstacles the Republican Party placed before President Obama so he could fail. He spoke and illustrated the differences between the two parties and candidates so wonderfully and plainly that you would be a fool to vote for Romney and Ryan.
Favorite Speaker from WI Facebook
Wilma Harvey My favorite speakers were Michelle Obama because her delivery and speech, including her description of her love of her husband and the phrase "Mom in Chief" were priceless; next, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia's comment: "We cannot go back-we must go forward" was impassioned; and President Obama's delivery of this plan to help the poor and middle class was compelling.
At a time when U.S. Muslims and mosques are increasingly under attack, some Muslim Americans say Obama has not taken a strong enough stance against Islamophobia.
The Democrats' inclusion last week of support for marriage equality and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in their official party platform may have further disillusioned some Muslim voters, who were already critical of Obama's failure to properly address the discrimination their community has faced.
"If the convention recognizes same-sex marriage, I wouldn't give them [Obama-Biden] my vote. It could be that I won't vote at all," said Mohamud Yussuf, editor-in chief of the Somali magazine Runta in Seattle.
Four years ago, Obama enjoyed overwhelming support from Muslim voters – 89 percent of the population voted for him. There is currently no polling data indicating the percentage that intends to vote for Obama this November, but politically active community members agree that enthusiasm for his candidacy has waned.
In particular, many say they are disappointed by the way Obama has shied away from addressing an apparent rise in Islamophobia spreading throughout the United States.
In the last two weeks of Ramadan alone, there were nine incidents of attacks on mosques across the country; and during the 2011-2012 legislative cycle, a total of 78 anti-Islam state laws were introduced, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Meanwhile, Obama, in an effort to respond to false claims by some conservative activists that he practiced Islam, has repeated on several occasions that he is not Muslim.
"Instead of saying there is nothing wrong with being Muslim, he just likes to distance himself, making it like being a Muslim is a crime," said Yussuf.
Zahra Billoo, a Muslim civil rights attorney in the Bay Area, agreed that Obama has not been vocal enough as a "result of a fear of being called a secret Muslim."
"He has visited mosques in other parts of the world, but not a single one in the United States," said Billoo. "The Daily Beast had a story a few weeks ago about the half dozen Islamic institutions that have been attacked recently. Imagine that had happened to churches and synagogues and then imagine the president would not speak about it, or visit one of these sites."
In fact, Obama hasn't been silent on the issue of Islamophobia; Muslim Americans note that he has spoken out on several occasions against anti-Muslim attacks. But they say his defense of Muslims has been more limited in scope than what the community would like to see.
For example, Obama defended Huma Abedin, aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, praising her as "an American patriot" in response to charges by Republican Representative Michele Bachmann that she was secretly tied to Muslim extremists. But Zahir Janmohamed, a Muslim former Congressional staffer, noted that Obama's defense was singularly about Abedin.
"What about the run-of-the-mill 20-year-old Muslim kid who has just come to D.C. who wants to work for Congress? That's the kid we have to defend," said Janmohamed. "No one stands up for them. It's a very chilling environment. I blame Obama in many ways for his complete unwillingness to stand and up and recognize his role."
Some Muslim Americans also believe that their needs are being ignored, while Obama makes an effort to meet the demands of other minority voters.
"He has made concessions to various special interests or minority groups in the last year to win over their vote – suspending the deportation of Dream students, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell – but I haven't seen a concession like that to the Muslim community," Billoo noted.
And while there was a record number of Muslim American delegates at the DNC last week, Muslim voters noticed that there was not a single Muslim speaker at the convention.
"We've got two Muslim members of Congress – neither of them is speaking," said Janmohamed. "These conventions are always the chance to spotlight someone who deserves a national profile. Surely one of these Muslim candidates is a good person to put up there."
Chances are that if a disease like Swine Flu hit area schools, a school nurse would be the first to recognize the symptoms.
In addition to providing immediate medical attention, the school nurse would also be the one to administer medications for the treatment of diabetes, asthma, food allergies, seizures – or any number of other life-threatening conditions.
"There's a lot that we do – it's not just for emergencies," said Pearline Lee, 80, who's been a nurse for 53 years, and spent the past 10 years at the School Without Walls [SWW] in Northwest. She added however, that like other public school districts across the country, District of Columbia Public Schools [DCPS] are feeling the crunch of municipal budget restrictions.
"Yes, there is a shortage of school nurses, [when it comes to juggling part-time medical staff]," Lee said.
And, because most school systems are managing with one or two nurses who work part-time on swing shifts, there's concern that students could be at risk for inadequate medical attention.
"The problem [for schools] appears to be a shortage of adequately funded positions for school nurses," Amy Garcia, former executive director for the Silver Spring, Md.-based National Association of School Nurses [NASN], said in a previously published interview.
Garcia alluded to a 2010 NASN survey which reported the ratio of nurses per student as one for every 1,151 students. An NASN study released the following year noted that only 45 percent of schools across the country have at least one full-time nurse on staff, in comparison to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of one nurse per 750 students.
To that end, Lee's position as a full-time health care provider at SWW, which enrolls 552 students, appears within guidelines. However, in many states there are no standards for nursing services in schools or no mandate for them to be on staff.
"D.C. requires that there be a nurse for students a minimum of 24 hours a week,"said Lee who is at SWW all day, five days a week. "Some [nurses] work full-time or part-time based on needs and availability."
But while Dan Domenech, executive director of the Association of School Administrators in Alexandria, Va., agrees that there has been a shortage of school nurses, he said when it comes to handing out pink slips, they are the last in line.
"School districts have had to make considerable cuts in their budgets [for the past four years], and according to surveys we've done on school districts going back to 2008, the latest one actually shows in terms of personnel cuts, school nurses have been the least affected," Domenech said during a recent NASN radio broadcast.
DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson had little to say about a shortage, referring inquiries to the D.C. Department of Health.
"They manage our school nursing contract and assignments," Henderson, 42, said in an email to The Washington Informer. "This is more of a Department of Health [DOH] issue. From our end, there aren't budget constraints limiting the hiring of nurses."
There are 136 public schools in the District, and DOH spokeswoman Najma Roberts said that, "all DCPS [buildings] currently have at least one part-time nurse [on staff]."
Nonetheless, Misty Gallagher, 32, of Northeast, said the District should think twice about any plans for cutbacks.
Gallagher, who has an 11-year-old daughter enrolled in the DCPS system, also said she cringes at the thought that her child might not receive proper medical attention in the event of an emergency. In many instances, faculty and staff like teachers, paraprofessionals or secretaries can't step in because they're not qualified.
"My daughter has a [non-life-threatening] condition where she needs to take her medication on a regular basis," Gallagher said. "We're good about making sure she takes [the medicine] before she goes off to school, but what if something happens at school – she forgets to bring it with her. Will a nurse be in place [to determine the best course of action] or will her teacher or principal know how to react?"
Blanche Drakeford and Cora Floyd each addressed a small group of Obama supporters gathered in a meeting room at San Antonio Grill in Brookland last Thursday to watch the last evening of the Democratic National Convention.
Their message to the listeners was unvarnished and blunt. Register, vote and encourage friends, family and all who they come in contact with to go to the polls.
"We've got to get Barack Obama back in office," Floyd said. "People thought he'd swoop in and change everything but there's still a great deal of work to be done. If you pay $60 to go to a party and it's raining, you'd still go to the party so if it's raining on November 6, get out and vote. I'll be doing all I can to get him re-elected.
Drakeford offered a similar message.
"This election is going to be close. People have lost their enthusiasm but there is a clear choice," she said. "If the grassroots gets the vote out, that will get him re-elected. He has a record of success. I love him for his American values. Barack Obama makes a difference."
Jessica Thompson, her husband and neighbor Ben Friedman walked the few blocks from their homes to be a part of the crowd at the African Americans for Obama watch party in Northeast.
"I thought we would come and hang out with fellow Democrats," said Thompson, 33, and an expectant mother. "I am curious to see how his [Obama's] speech will measure up to [Former President Bill] Clinton. And I'm curious to see if he talks about what he has delivered versus the future and moving ahead."
"... I'm grateful for his thoughtfulness and his intelligence but people have been disappointed sometimes because of his compromises. Overall, I'd give him a 'B.' I see a clear choice between him and [GOP challenger Mitt] Romney more so than in other years."
Across town at Touchdown, a sports bar and restaurant on U Street, a multicultural, multi-ethnic mélange of enthusiastic Democratic supporters gathered on three floors of the establishment to watch the convention, which took place over three days in Charlotte, N.C. Most of the patrons looked to be in their 20s and 30s, which is a key demographic the Obama campaign seeks to recapture.
Whether it was the hundred or so people on the ground floor, the 60-plus folks on the 2nd floor or the remainder on the top floor, all eyes were glued to the bank of televisions that lined the walls.
As patrons entered the sports bar, they were asked to register by Obama for America campaign workers. Howard University student Iman Aziz surveyed the throng on the ground floor, stopping from time-to-time to converse with fellow campaign workers or to gaze at the proceedings on television.
Aziz, a Fellow with Obama for America, said she enjoyed being in one spot with people of like mind and who fall into an important constituency for Obama.
"I see it as an opportunity to engage a young demographic and it's nice to see people band together even though we don't have a vote in D.C., said Aziz, who grew up in Arlington, Va. "From the people I've spoken to, they're able to identify with President Obama rather than Romney, they're closer in age to the president, he can speak to them, and they're more comfortable with him. He is generally received well by the younger generation and he has a pretty good reputation."
Aziz, a self-described young adult who's studying biology and chemistry, said before and since the convention, her job is to reach as many people as she can with the Obama message.
"We have to show people what we can be like," she said. "We are a point of contact with the everyday voter. Most voters will never meet the president or a senator. I'm a real person and I can show what his [Obama's] policies have done in my life and how this has affected me. We show what the alternative would be under a different [president]."
Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards, her colleague Frederica Wilson and political analyst Avis Jones-DeWeever all agreed that the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party needs to concentrate on invigorating segments of its base such as young people, seniors and Hispanics.
"It seems to me very clear that the difference between winning on Nov. 6 and not, is turnout," said Edwards, who represents Maryland's 4th District. "In D.C. and the metro area, we are overwhelmingly Democratic which is a good thing but we have to get out. The president needs popular numbers so he can lead more effectively and with a bigger mandate."
Jones-DeWeever, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women, credits the convention for defining in stark terms the differences between Republicans and Democrats and said the masterful performance of the speakers has led to the increased lead in the polls the president now enjoys.
"It was really one of the most well-executed conventions I've seen by either party," said Jones-DeWeever, 44. "I was really impressed with all aspects, execution, signage, and the degree to which every speaker brought their 'A' game."
Jones-DeWeever said the Democrats offered a clear vision going forward and noted the vast contrast between the GOP, whose speakers engaged in more self-promotion of themselves, rather than Romney. She said the delegate audience was very enthusiastic adding that the convention set the table for the run to the general elections. On Tuesday, September 11, a Reuters/IPSOS poll had Obama with a 47-43 percent lead over Romney.
"We're already seeing the evidence of the bounce. The convention really did a great job getting the message beyond the bounce. The speeches were so extraordinary that they were able to milk it beyond the convention. It reinvigorated the base more than one could expect," Jones-DeWeever said.
"How many times did we see Michelle Obama, Deval Patrick and Bill Clinton the next day and the day after? With the Democrats, every speaker was on message promoting the president. Speakers offered a very vigorous defense and offense on behalf of the president, versus the tepid endorsements of GOP speakers."
No one expects the race to be a cakewalk, particularly given the attention, money and focus the GOP has directed toward voter suppression. But Wilson said Democrats have a key weapon in their arsenal – absentee voting – that they've neglected to use to this point.
Wilson said that voters can sidestep the barriers put in place by the Republicans by submitting absentee ballots in lieu of going to the polls.
"Florida is one of many states which has tried all kinds of voter suppression legislation since the 2008 election," said Wilson, 69, who represents Florida's 17th District. "They did it for the specific purpose of disenfranchising students, seniors and poor people."
She said the courts have reversed some of the more onerous conditions on voting, but "in the meantime, while we're waiting for courts, we're letting a perfect window of opportunity pass," she explained. "We're one of a few states where you have no excuse. You need none. You can vote as long as you are a registered voter. People who take advantage of that are Republicans. Democrats stand in line ... As sure as I'm speaking to you, they'll change the rules. We need to take advantage of the opportunity."
Nearly 60 years after the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision declared that the "separate but equal" schools unconstitutional, researchers from the Center for American Progress found that the nation's classrooms are still "very segregated.
The study, titled "Unequal Education: Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color," analyzed district school spending disparities. Ary Spatig-Amerikaner authored the paper and found that school districts spend $733 more on White students at 90 percent White schools than on students of color that attend schools where the student body is 90 percent non-White.
"The United States has the most inequitable system for funding its schools of any advanced country, and as this report shows, students of color bear the brunt of that inequity, " said Cynthia Brown, Vice President for Education Policy at the Center for American Progress. "Our top priority must be ensuring students of color, and all students, receive their fair share of resources."
Brown said that across the country, 40 percent of public school funding is generated at the local level, mostly by property tax. Wealthier districts use this revenue to fuel school spending, a revenue stream that's cut off to poorer districts. "This leads to unequal spending between districts," said Brown.
However, little was known about within-district disparities because of to a reporting loophole created by the No Child Left Behind Act. Under Title I of NCLB, school officials were required to use district-wide average teacher salaries when reporting school-level expenditures.
"This federal policy has allowed districts to cover up or at has least failed to expose these within-district differences in school spending," Brown said. Currently, districts send resources to schools according to the number of teachers at each school, assuming an average cost per teacher. "But in reality, not all teachers cost the same," she added.
Veteran teachers often command higher salaries than new teachers. Teachers with 11-20 years' experience make $47,380 compared to novice teachers who make $36,780.
"This means that two schools can have the same number of teacher positions, but a school with mostly veteran teachers would receive much more money per pupil than one with predominantly novice teachers," Brown said.
President Obama changed that NCLB policy and closed the reporting loophole with an add-on to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 that required districts to report the actual school-by school budget numbers, not just the district-wide averages, for personnel and non-personnel spending.
The administration released their findings to the public in December 2011.
"Before this year, we've never had a national data set that tells us how much money schools are spending each year," said Spatig-Amerikaner.
Using the new data made available through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, Spatig-Amerikaner uncovered alarming disparities in what schools within the same district were spending on students.
Schools that were 90 percent White spent $733 more on students than schools that educated a 90 percent minority student body. The CAP report suggested that increasing the per-pupil level of spending at 90 percent nonwhite schools to match the mostly white schools, "could pay the salary for 12 additional first-year teachers or nine veteran teachers. Alternatively, this funding could pay for any number of other useful personnel or resources such as school counselors, teacher coaches, or laptop computers."
The CAP report also found that in 24 states, when the number of minority students increased by 10 percent the per-pupil the money spent per student decreased. Sixty-three percent of all minority students attend schools in those states.
In October 2011, Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) co-authored H.R. 1294, Elementary and Secondary Education Fiscal Fairness Act to address the Title I loophole. H.R. 1294 "requires that states and school districts demonstrate that they are spending their state and local funds on all schools fairly, before receiving federal aid."
Fattah's amendment to Title I of NCLB would force school districts to include individual teacher salaries, not just an average, when they report annual budgets for each school. Fattah's amendment suggests that transparency in spending would lead to increased equity in funding across the board under the law.
Although, Spatig-Amerikaner admitted that changing the federal policy that affects school-level spending is not the ubiquitous cure to the economic disparities that exist, it is the right place to start. "It's not a silver bullet, but it's a big step in the right direction," said Spatig-Amerikaner.
It's no surprise that poorly-resourced, low-performing schools produce adults that are ill-equipped to contribute to society and the growth of the American economy. According to The Schott Foundation, this inequity cost tax payers a staggering 59.2 billion annually due to crime, healthcare costs, and the economic drag from a low-earning labor force.
The Social Sector of the McKinsey Company, a global management consulting firm, estimated that closing the achievement gap between minority students (Blacks and Latinos) and White students would add $310 billion to $525 billion to the country's gross domestic product.
Fattah said, "The economic circumstances of our country dictate that if we're going to compete against much larger populated countries like China and India we have to get all of our young people an education that allows them to pursue college and careers."
Talk Show Host Tavis Smiley will be at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 13 as a part of the "Poverty Tour 2.0: A Call to Conscience."
Virginia is one of four presidential battleground states that Smiley and Princeton University professor emeritus Cornel West will make stops in, to build on what Smiley calls "the continuing moral crusade to make the eradication of poverty a top priority in America."
"Conditions are getting worse," Smiley explained. "We see very simply that poverty is the new American norm. One out of two Americans are in, or near, poverty – or a paycheck or two from it – half of the country is near or in poverty. The new poor are the former middle class. You cannot sustain a democracy with poverty run amok. I don't know why he [President Obama] doesn't say that."
A poverty report released last year estimated that 46.2 million people – 15 percent of the U.S. population – live below the poverty line. Poverty is highest among Hispanics and African Americans, children and households headed by women. The lingering recession's impact on the poor would be markedly worse were it not for the 2009 stimulus package of which $250 billion targeted and protected low-income Americans.
"The [U.S.] Census will release its poverty numbers in a few weeks. It will be horrendous," Smiley said during a recent interview. "For 48 hours, poverty will be the top draw. That's why we timed this tour to the release of these numbers. We're going back out to these battleground states. We're going to take up residence until November."
Smiley cited an Associated Press story which notes that "poverty is spreading at record levels across many groups, from underemployed workers and suburban families to the poorest of poor. More discouraged workers are giving up on the job market, leaving them vulnerable as unemployment aid begins to run out. Suburbs are seeing increases in poverty including in political battlegrounds [states]..."
He said the time for talk is over.
"We have to make poverty a priority. We want to force the moderators in all four debates to raise the issue of poverty in these debates."
"The Poverty Tour 2.0" will be on the road Sept. 11-15, and participants will make stops in Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
In Alexandria, as elsewhere, West and Smiley, will convene town hall meetings that are free and open to the public. The town halls are solution-oriented, Smiley said, and each program will be broadcast live on multiple platforms including USTREAM, radio and social media.
Smiley outlined different elements of the tour. It starts in Cleveland on Sept 11.
"We'll be on a bus, a smaller bus and not with as many people," he said with a chuckle. "Last year's was a long tour. This one is abbreviated – not as many places, right place, right time and right message."
Smiley, who also hosts The Tavis Smiley Show, said as this year's fiercely competitive presidential race heats up, he and those who're deeply concerned about the impact of poverty are committed to keeping the heat on Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney.
"We will have the Poverty Symposium on Jan. 17 at George Washington University," he said. "We will go to work on organizing that symposium. It's just a few days before the inauguration and it's important to remind the new president that this is an issue that must be addressed."
Despite the heat he's taken for criticizing Obama, Smiley said elected officials must be held accountable.
"I think it will be a very close race but I think he's going to win," Smiley said.
"Whether he wins or not, they have to do something about this. We will remind him about his remarks at his acceptance speech."
The Town Hall begins at 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at the T.C. Williams High School Auditorium in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 13. For further information, call 703-824-6800.
By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson
September 10, 2012
Nearly 50 million Americans now are in poverty. One in four children will grow up in impoverished households. Redressing poverty is a national emergency and a moral imperative. In our money-drenched political debate, the poor receive little attention. Yet they could be the key swing vote in this election.
Mitt Romney invoked the poor as part of his attack on Barack Obama's policies. But his own agenda features devastating cuts in basic support for the poor — Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, aid to poor schools, public housing, training — to help pay for another round of corporate and personal tax cuts, largely pocketed by the very rich.
Democrats have historically been the advocates of the vulnerable. Social Security, the crown jewel of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, is the nation's greatest anti-poverty program, dramatically reducing misery among seniors. Medicare and Medicaid, centerpieces of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, have provided vital health care to the disabled, the poor, the elderly and the dying. Yet now, Democrats focus their rhetoric on the middle class, and not on the vulnerable.
I grew up in a struggling household, and I can tell you that for the poor, the middle class isn't the next step; it is a distant shore. The middle class seems rich — two parents, good jobs with health-care benefits, homes, paid vacations, college educations.
The poor live concentrated in urban areas or virtually invisible in rural counties. They live far from where jobs are. They can't afford a car, so they have the greatest stake in public transportation. Their children suffer the highest infant mortality rates, the worst child malnutrition, so public health and child nutrition programs are invaluable. They go to the worst schools, often on mean streets in zones of violence and drugs, so aid to education ranks high on their priorities.
Because the poor tend not to vote, they are often ignored by political campaigns seeking to appeal to "likely voters." But this reality makes the poor potential swing voters. If they show up in large numbers, they can transform an election, particularly one like the current presidential race where there are few undecided voters left and the biggest question is who shows up to vote.
The battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia contain vast areas of impoverished Appalachia. As Lyndon Johnson showed, appealing to the poor in Appalachia helps to de-racialize the poverty vote. In fact, most poor people are not black or brown; they are white, female and young. Their vote or non-vote could be the margin of victory in these key swing states. And appealing to the poor — fighting to raise the minimum wage, defending affordable health care for all, pushing for greater investment in public transport and aid to schools, putting forth an agenda to revitalize our urban core areas — can mobilize non-voters in urban and rural areas.
I know this from personal experience. In 1984, my campaign for the presidency focused on reaching and registering poor and minority voters. In 1986, what one southern Senator called the "new voter" transformed the electorate in Georgia and elsewhere and helped Democrats take back the Senate.
Jesus warned we would be judged by how we treat the "least of these." Feeding the hungry is a moral imperative. But in a democracy, poor people are potentially rich voters. Their votes count as much as those of wealthy voters, and there are many more poor people.
In a democracy, standing up for the poor is not only morally right, it can be politically powerful.
Keep up with Rev. Jackson and the work of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition at www.rainbowpush.org.
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