Fattah speaks to better future

The last time Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) was in Houston Hall, he was a work-study student running the arcade next to Houston market.

Yesterday, he returned to Penn's student union to give a speech honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. sponsored by the School of Nursing and the Office of Diversity and Cultural Affairs.

Fattah related King's visions for a better future to his goals of improving public education, not only in the city of Philadelphia but throughout the country.

"King's parents pushed academic excellence. They emphasized that if you are going to make a difference in this world, you are going to need the skills to do it," Fattah said. "We need to stop holding our children back and challenge our young people to be serious about their futures."

In reference to King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, Fattah stressed that King's main point was not only about equality of race but also about equality of education and health care.

Fattah said that education and health are inextricably tied together and that nutrition plays as significant a role in a child's intellectual development as anything else.

Fattah also spoke about Penn's role in furthering Philadelphia's educational goals.

"Students here are a presence in [local] schools. You are the best role models for these children," Fattah said to the Penn students in attendance.

He also acknowledged the shortage of nurses and the opportunity to recruit African-Americans and Hispanics in this field.

"We need to show them the difference they can make," Fattah said.

Several students and professors from all schools attended the event.

Afaf Meleis, dean of the School of Nursing, said that Congressman Fattah was an appropriate speaker for the event.

"He exemplifies Martin Luther King, Jr.'s goals. We took this opportunity to reflect on King's vision of justice and equality because this is congruent to what we want our graduates to do. We want them to take care of patients of all races, cultures and backgrounds," Meleis said.

"I liked how he talked about King and his life's story. He stuck to the topic and made it relevant to [us] by describing some ideal goals and practical solutions," College junior Thomas Hou said.

First year medical student Sarah Abdulla agreed that the speech "was great and it was good that he encouraged people to get into education and nursing."

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