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By The Associated Press

Obama, a candidate with a racial background like no other, takes on the US divide

Mar 18 23:31

By NEDRA PICKLER

and

MATT APUZZO

Associated Press Writers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A black-skinned man raised by a white family, Barack Obama has had a view of both sides of the racial divide unlike any other presidential candidate in history.

He wrapped his experiences into a half-hour speech Tuesday in which he attempted to give voice to black and white resentment -- and stem damage to his candidacy over his longtime pastor's divisive remarks.

"The anger is real," Obama said during a somber speech at the National Constitution Center. "It is powerful, and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races."

Standing before a row of eight American flags near the building where the Declaration of Independence was adopted, Obama urged the nation to break "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years."'

The speech was by far the most prominent airing of racial issues in Obama's 13-month campaign to become the first black president. It was prompted by the wider notice his former pastor's racial statements have been receiving in the past week or so.

Obama said he recognized his race has been a major issue in a campaign that has taken a "particularly divisive turn." Many people have been turning to the Internet to view statements by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who suggested in one sermon that the United States brought the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on itself and in another said blacks should damn America for continuing to mistreat them.

Obama rejected Wright's divisive statements but still embraced the man who brought him to Christianity, officiated at his wedding, baptized his two daughters and inspired the title of his book "The Audacity of Hope."

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community," Obama said. "I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Obama's father is a black man from Kenya who left the family when the boy was 2. He was raised by his white mother and her parents in Hawaii.

Wright's controversial statements have gotten new life as his church's most prominent member became the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. A CBS News poll taken Sunday and Monday indicated most voters had heard at least something about Wright's comments, and about a third said they made them feel more negative.

Obama at first tried to avoid the controversy. Then he responded Friday in a blog entry on the Huffington Post in which he said he was not in church to hear those comments and condemned them. That only increased news coverage, and Obama's advisers said he came to them Saturday saying he wanted to deliver a major speech to address the controversy and broader problems of race in the country.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's chief Democratic rival, said she was glad Obama had given the speech.

"Issues of race and gender in America have been complicated throughout our history, and they are complicated in this primary campaign," said Clinton, also campaigning in Philadelphia. "There have been detours and pitfalls along the way, but we should remember that this is a historic moment for the Democratic Party and for our country. We will be nominating the first African-American or woman for the presidency of the United States, and that is something that all Americans can and should celebrate."

Obama's speech also drew praise from one of his formal Democratic presidential rivals who has not endorsed him or Clinton. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden called it powerful, truthful and "one of most important speeches we've heard in a long time"

"He told the story of America -- both the good and the bad -- and I believe his speech will come to represent an important step forward in race relations in our country," Biden said.

Obama advisers said he wrote the deeply personal speech himself. They said it was delivered in Philadelphia because of the city's historical significance, not because it is the most populous black city in Pennsylvania, site of the next primary vote on April 22.

Obama said he came to Wright's church, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, nearly 20 years ago because he was inspired by the pastor's message of hope and his inspiration to rebuild the black community. He also said black anger persists over injustice in America, and whites shouldn't be surprised that it bursts out in sermons.

"The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning," he said.

"In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination -- and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past -- are real and must be addressed," Obama said.

Obama said it's not just blacks who are angry -- some whites are, too, because they feel blacks are often given an unfair advantage through affirmative action.

"When they are told to bus their children to a school across town, when they hear that an African-American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time," he said.

"If we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care or education or the need to find good jobs for every American," Obama said, drawing a rare burst of applause in a somber address.

During an interview with ABC's "Nightline" broadcast Tuesday night, Obama said he always expected he'd have to give the race speech, but that he didn't anticipate the subject would come up in the way that it did.

"This is a big leap for the country," he said. "Even me being the nominee is a big leap and then, obviously, actually being the president is a big leap. ... What I want to do is to make sure that we understand that my campaign is not premised on that, it's not premised on making history, but that, whoever is president, this is always going to be an ongoing issue that we have to struggle with and that, perhaps, I can lend some special insight into."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who until Obama had been the black candidate closest to winning a major party's presidential nomination, said video of Wright's sermons had threatened to derail the campaign with racial fear -- along with comments made by Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro that Obama wouldn't have gotten so far in the campaign if he were white.

"He made the case we've been here before, but not this time will we linger. This time we're going to higher ground," Jackson said.

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Nedra Pickler reported from Washington.

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On the Net: http://www.barackobama.com

Other Recent Readings of Interest

• Transcript & Video: Barack Obama’s Speech on Race in Philadelphia
  Posted on THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Blog

• Racial Idealism vs Realism: Obama's Effort To Bridge the Divide and the DLC
  Roberto Lovato links Obama’s speech and the new racialist, anti-immigrant mainstream Democratic politics

SD initiative tackles state's work force needs

Mar 19 17:47

By WAYNE ORTMAN

Associated Press Writer

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- State government is coordinating a program to fill the jobs of retiring baby boomers and those created by new business and industry.

The Workforce 2025 initiative will accelerate the development of a competent and qualified work force; otherwise, the state faces a serious shortage of workers by 2025 when an estimated 90,000 workers will have retired, Gov. Mike Rounds said.

"All of those people have jobs today that we have to replace, let alone the new jobs and opportunities that are coming," Rounds said at a news conference Wednesday.

The effort focuses on recruiting people to South Dakota by helping them find jobs, keeping young people in the state, making sure education fits future job needs, creating internships, and filling the work force in specialty areas.

Involved are the state Board of Regents and state Departments of Labor, Education, and Tourism and State Development.

Rounds said the state is uniquely positioned with low unemployment and growing job opportunities.

"The challenge we have time and time again as we bring in new businesses and ask existing business to grow is to assure them we have a qualified work force to meet their plans. It's a great challenge for us. It's a challenge that a lot of governors in other states would love to have."

The five components of Workforce 2025:

-- Dakota Roots is meant to connect people interested in moving back to South Dakota with career opportunities that are available. As of last week, 2,107 people had registered from across the nation and Puerto Rico, the governor said.

-- Live Dakota will focus on retaining young people -- Generation Y'ers born from 1978 to 1995 -- by providing information on career opportunities and quality of life.

-- Dakota Seeds will create 1,000 new internships and assistantships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to provide students with work experience while offering companies a potential pool of permanent employees.

-- Grow Dakota will emphasize education that prepares high school students for the job market in the next 10-15 years.

-- Build Dakota will address the immediate work force needs in special fields like health care, manufacturing, construction trades, financial services, and state government.

Rounds said other states take note of the solid work ethic of South Dakotans.

"They are facing the same type of work force challenges we are, and they'd love to tap into our homegrown talent. Our challenge is to convince these young people, this homegrown talent, to stay here," he said.

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On the net:

www.Workforce2025.com

12 women's NCAA tourney teams have perfect graduation rates

Mar 18 16:46

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Top-seeded Tennessee leads 12 women's teams in the NCAA tournament with perfect graduation rates.

A report released Tuesday found the Lady Vols graduated all their players during a four-year period. Other schools with perfect graduation rates from 1997-2001 were Bucknell, Marist, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Robert Morris, San Diego, Syracuse, Texas and Vanderbilt.

Only one men's NCAA tournament team studied by Richard Lapchick, head of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, achieved perfect graduation success: 12th-seeded Western Kentucky.

"Women have regularly been the best news academically in college sport," Lapchick said in the report.

Among the No. 1 seeds in the women's tournament, Connecticut was next with a 92-percent graduation rate, followed by Maryland (71 percent) and North Carolina (64 percent).

The study looked at four freshman classes entering from 1997-2001, giving each six years to graduate. The players studied are no longer on campus, but the report intends to show academic trends.

Lapchick remained concerned about achievement gaps between black and white students, which is less severe among female than male players. Fifty-five of the 64 women's teams graduated at least 70 percent or more of their white players, while black players had that success rate at 36 schools.

In Lapchick's report on men's graduation rates released Monday, 33 schools graduated at least 70 percent of white male basketball players; only 19 schools graduated that percentage of black players.

Only one of the women's teams, Jackson State, graduated less than 40 percent of its players. Fourteen of the 65 teams in the men's NCAA field were under that benchmark.

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On the Net:

Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport: http://www.tidesport.org/

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Michigan law against affirmative action

Mar 18 20:42

By TIM MARTIN

Associated Press Writer

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday that challenged a Michigan law banning racial and gender preferences in government hiring and public university admissions.

The ruling upholds the constitutionality of a measure approved by Michigan voters in 2006. It had been challenged by several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Supporters of what was known as Proposal 2 said U.S. District Judge David Lawson's ruling should finally put to rest the debate over its legality.

"It's about time the people of Michigan's voices were heard," said Jennifer Gratz, who led the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative and is now leading similar campaigns in other states. "Every time we have a fair hearing, we are upheld."

Shanta Driver, an attorney for By Any Means Necessary, which supports affirmative action, said the group will appeal Lawson's decision. Driver said the judge ruled without having a full trial.

"It's really ridiculous," Driver said. "We will appeal immediately."

The proposal passed with 58 percent of the vote and took effect in December 2006.

The law may have had the most effect on the admissions policies of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The university previously had considered race as a factor in admission, a policy that was challenged in court in the 1990s.

Lawson wrote that "it is difficult to see how Proposal 2 could not have a disparate impact on minorities." But he added: "Based on the evidence presented, the Court cannot say that the only purpose of Proposal 2 is to discriminate against minorities."

The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative was formed after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2003 upheld a general affirmative action admissions policy at the University of Michigan Law School. The high court also struck down the university's undergraduate formula as too rigid because it awarded admission points based on race.

MCRI submitted more than 500,000 voter signatures in support of putting its proposal on the ballot. Opponents charged that some of them were collected by fraud or misrepresenting the issue. But after several court challenges, the proposal was allowed to go on the ballot.

After the election, the proposal faced renewed challenges. Critics argued Proposal 2 burdens the ability of minority groups and women to initiate policy changes at universities. Allowing race to be a factor in admissions, for example, now would take a statewide voter initiative to change the state constitution rather than a vote of the university's governing board.

Others seeking admissions policy changes, such as those from a particular geographic location or legacy groups, could continue to ask for changes solely through the governing board or university officials.

Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement Tuesday that the ruling has "upheld the will of the people."

Watercooler: Resumes get too flaky, office talk is too racy, more

Mar 18 15:21

By ERIN CONROY, AP Business Writer

PUZZLING RESUMES:

Career advisors have always said that your resume should stand out against the rest of the stack. But how much creativity should your cover letter ooze -- even when looking in creative fields?

A telephone questionnaire of about 250 people by online job search company Creative Group found that more than half of marketing executives and a quarter of advertising executives view unusual job-hunting tactics -- such as sending a potential employer a shoe "to get a foot in the door" -- as unprofessional.

Some examples the respondents gave of peculiar job seeking:

--One applicant sent six postcards, each a puzzle piece, which formed his resume.

--A candidate sent an egg carton with faux eggs and a message saying she delivered fresh ideas daily.

--A job hunter used an office building across the street to post his qualifications on a large sign.

--Another sent a baseball mitt and said he wanted to be part of the team.

--A woman printed her name on golf balls and sent them to executives that were hiring.

HIRING CLIMATE:

The softening economy may be giving professionals second thoughts about switching careers, but there are a handful of jobs that remain in high demand, according to recruiting company Jobfox.

While high executive positions like global chief executive officer are the riskiest jobs amid an uncertain hiring climate, professions in health care and accounting have fared well this year.

The company released a list of professions with the highest number of candidate searches, based on the company's database. The top five, and their average annual salaries:

--Software design and development, $95,000-$100,000

--Nursing, $35,000-$45,000

--Accounting and financing, $65,000-$75,000

--Sales or business development, $65,000-$75,000

--Administrative assistant, $35,000-$45,000

"In any situation where there is demand regardless of the economy ... the applicant is at an advantage," said Rob McGovern, the company's chief executive officer. "The reality is that people don't stop going to the doctor because it's a recession."

WATCH YOUR MOUTH:

Women found sexually explicit comments were nearly twice as frequent in the workplace last year as the year before, according to a recent survey.

The telephone survey of 546 employees was conducted by International Communications Research for Novations Group, a consulting company based in Boston. It found that 42 percent said they endured sexually inappropriate comments in 2007, up from 34 percent in 2006. The largest increase was among women, 39 percent of whom reported the most common type of harassment -- up from 22 percent the year before.

"People on the receiving end of hostile comments are more vocal about their displeasure than they have been in the past," said Mike Hyster, president of Novations Group. "I believe that's a direct reflection of the fact that the number of paid legal settlements has doubled in the last five years."

Reports of racial slurs inched up to 35 percent of those surveyed, from 33 percent in 2006.

The survey also found that employees ages 18 to 34 were more than twice as likely to overhear ridicule regarding their age than their colleagues over 55.

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