First Muslim U.S. Congressman says civil rights movement not over despite election
By: Kyle Meredith, Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News
"We have a vast disparity in education, and in who has healthcare and who does not," said the congressman. "If you look at something like the death rate from cancer, you'll see who gets good care and who does not. If you look at prison populations, you'll see that African-Americans are 13% of our national population, but 50% of our jail population."
According to Ellison, King believed that the issues of economics and race were often related, and the problems of race could not be resolved without an economic solution as well. "The income question has not been answered," said Ellison, "and income disparity has grown in recent time. If we don't address it, we will never meet the great promise of our nation."
In discussing King's belief that greater income sharing was necessary, Ellison pointed out that a CEO in 1957 could expect to earn about 42 times what an average worker at the same company made, while today a CEO in a similar position could expect to 383 times the wages of an average worker. Ellison likened this to a "fracturing of the social contract."
"In 1957, a third of Americans belonged to a labor union, and another third earned union-level wages. In 1957, one person could feed a family of four," said Ellison.
The Congressman's view on income disparity has been reinforced by his time on the Congress's Financial Service Committee, where he recently heard testimony from the Big 3 automakers during bailout talks. He was particularly struck when he learned that GM's CEO took home $21 million last year, while Ford's CEO took home $15 million, despite the dire financial straits in which the companies have found themselves.
Ellison also highlighted King's commitment to peace and his opposition to the war in Vietnam. "Martin Luther King had an ethic regarding peace. It was never tactical- it was ethical," he said.
Martin Luther King officially spoke out against the Vietnam War for the first time on April 4th, 1967. Ellison believed that the dissent was consistent with King's patriotism, and said that King "wanted to call [America] back to its better self."
According to Ellison, King believed that the issues of economics and race were often related, and the problems of race could not be resolved without an economic solution as well. "The income question has not been answered," said Ellison, "and income disparity has grown in recent time. If we don't address it, we will never meet the great promise of our nation."
In discussing King's belief that greater income sharing was necessary, Ellison pointed out that a CEO in 1957 could expect to earn about 42 times what an average worker at the same company made, while today a CEO in a similar position could expect to 383 times the wages of an average worker. Ellison likened this to a "fracturing of the social contract."
"In 1957, a third of Americans belonged to a labor union, and another third earned union-level wages. In 1957, one person could feed a family of four," said Ellison.
The Congressman's view on income disparity has been reinforced by his time on the Congress's Financial Service Committee, where he recently heard testimony from the Big 3 automakers during bailout talks. He was particularly struck when he learned that GM's CEO took home $21 million last year, while Ford's CEO took home $15 million, despite the dire financial straits in which the companies have found themselves.
Ellison also highlighted King's commitment to peace and his opposition to the war in Vietnam. "Martin Luther King had an ethic regarding peace. It was never tactical- it was ethical," he said.
Martin Luther King officially spoke out against the Vietnam War for the first time on April 4th, 1967. Ellison believed that the dissent was consistent with King's patriotism, and said that King "wanted to call [America] back to its better self."
Be the first to comment on this story