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ETHNICALLY SPEAKING
Dear Larry: I think the conclusion reached by the librarian who asked a group of teenagers to line up according to their skin color is naive. When they lined up from the lightest to darkest, the librarian failed to recognize that there are two …Read more.
ETHNICALLY SPEAKING
Dear Larry: I discovered your column this past summer. I quickly became a devoted fan when I noted your ability to look at life without glasses of any color. This is so desperately lacking in this country. I am sorry I did not click on to you sooner.…Read more.
ETHNICALLY SPEAKING
Dear Larry: What does a parent do? My 10-year-old son is a very active young child who comes from an interracial family.
He recently went on a field trip with his school. A parent witnessed a teacher being abusive toward my son in front of his peers.…Read more.
ETHNICALLY SPEAKING
Dear Larry: I am a young adult librarian, and every year, I take part in a program designed to teach teens leadership skills. One of the classes we stress is how to prevent discrimination.
The class is always a very ethnically diverse group, …Read more.
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Ethnically Speaking, September 5Dear Larry: I have an issue about the type of people who get jobs in America. As a former high-school teacher, I tried to get teens after-school or weekend jobs, with zero success. In the past decade, there's been an inundation of unskilled labor from Latin America. The kinds of jobs teens could perform are filled by non-English-speaking immigrants. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against these immigrants, but there's another group of people that needs jobs, namely teenagers. Sure, some of these kids are not exactly top students, but I think part-time work would be good for their self-esteem and would help them make some clothing money. There are loads of restaurants in this city, but the guys who wash dishes and clean up are all from Latin America. I spoke to one of the owners, and he said, "I don't want to hire teens." I countered, "You mean you don't think you have a responsibility to hire local youths." He answered, "I run a restaurant, not a home-economics class." I know the owner thinks it's riskier to hire teens. I understand why, but I think something's missing. Kids need to have a chance. I remember the last time I was standing in front of the classroom, telling teenage Americans what a great country this is and how important it is to work. Yet when they graduated that year, a lot of them couldn't get work anywhere. I'm not saying we should raid all the restaurants and repatriate anyone who doesn't have a green card, but I'm unhappy about how these restaurants are hiring. Don't they have a responsibility to hire locals? My concern about jobs applies to teens and adults. I spoke to some local ministers about pressing restaurants and construction firms to hire young people, but these guys were of no help. It's almost as though they place no value in economic self-sufficiency. Any suggestions? — Irritated Dear Irritated: I agree; teens should have a chance for the jobs in America. I also understand owners who are concerned about the viability of their businesses. I suggest providing incentives for businesses to hire teens. Consider the following: —Create a system in which it is more economical to hire teens by subsidizing part of their salaries. —Guarantee businesses increases in their customer bases if they hire teenagers. —Organize the community to patronize businesses that hire young people. —Create an employment agency that represents teens. Owners would pay the agency, and the agency would be responsible for issues that make hiring teens unprofitable. I am sure there are many other creative ideas. Readers? To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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