Show t) T (m What’s most important today? Put education first then job fairness and health care Overwhelmingly end perhaps not surprisingly schools end jobs ere seen as the keys to furthering civil rights in the 1990$ Minorities in particular say fairness in hiring end education should be the lop goals for policymakers whites ere only slightly less convinced The issues given she least priority were access to political power fairness in housing and the freedom to practice religion “There are very few educated poor people Everything hinges on education Whlch cfvH hCWSUAKEPS ir Fames in hiring WHITES 78 promotion pay Access to beatth care 76 36 62 51 Equal treatment in Justice system 36 39 PAPERS kac?t:es whites 64 59 for a civ- "They all are No 1 Education is critical to employment Employment is critical to both maintaining health and advancement Health is basic to it all" writ 77 Equably in education U'jthout it you can’t advocate for proper health care for housing il rights bill that ensures your rights" — Susan Taylor editor in chief Essence magazine black 45 rights Issues do you befiev deserve tbs most cttmtkM and action la tba 1990? Equality in education Fairness in hiring promotion pay Equal treatment in justice system Access to health care Respondents 71 56 59 34 48 53 chose twee top priorities fi$ore s total mere than 100 — Dorothy Height president National Counci of Negro Women black 71 "The quality of education is the key As we finish this century the majority of youngsters in schools in urban settings will be minorities and the quality of education tends to decrease as the number of minorities increases pri- marily because of fewer resources available for urban schools" — JoAhn senior vice president Joetens Learning Corp black 52 Brown-Nas- h “Companies should let schools know what kind of skills the private sector will be looking for so the schools can turn out people who are trained for the jobs that are going to be out there" — Fred Rasheed head of NAACP Economic Development black 49 “Hispanics are the most undereducated minority Our kids are the most segregated population in public schools” — Raul Yzaguirre president National Council of La Raza Hispanic 50 “We are committing tire same crimes in education as 20 years ago: U'e haven’t changed the way we train teachers Textbooks still present a dis- - 20 USA WEEKEND June 2S-S-0 1991 torted view of history and literature We still discourage girls from excelling in math and science We still use standardized tests that are biased" — Leslie Wolfe executive director Center for Women Pokey Studies white 47 “Having the education doesn’t mean you get the job Eight years ago I was on welfare I decided I’d never again be without an education and a job at the same time I took three classes a semester until I got a bachelor’s degree now I’m close to earning a master’s In the last year many promotions occurred at the auto plant but not one I’ve never asked went to a woman for any special consideration — just an opportunity to show what I can do” — Reader Loretta A Garwa-Math- is statistical analyst Ford Motor Co Wayne MictL Hispanic 36 “I know so many people who can’t get jobs If they had jobs they would be able to provide better educational opportunities for their children Parents who don’t have jobs really have trouble providing some choices for "Education has to be die highest priority because it provides an individual with the power to change My family is an example: There are six children and we all had the opportunity to go to college We ended up with three lawyers in the family I have a sister who got a graduate degree I look at the situation each of us is in now and it is greatly different than the situation my family was in one or two generations ago Education helps a person move from one economic station in life to a higher level More important it provides a power to bring about social change which then can affect the lives of many people” — Larry EchoHawk Idaho attorney general American Indian 42 their children In an age when we talk about empowerment the first thing you need is a job" — Mary France Berry Civfl Rights black 52 US Commission on “I believe in the Canadian way of socialized medicine — care for everyone Too many people do not get care and too many of them are minorities" — Shirley Muldowrtey race-ca- r driver white 50 “I thought education should be the priority until four or five years ago but if you’re not healthy and well-fe- d you are not going to do well even in a private school If a child comes to school hungry the best school in the world ain’t gonna help Tradition have seen not ally you many civil for medical rights groups marching and nutrition rights for children” — Arthur Ashe former tennis star black 47 Photograph fry Rich Frishman |