As Cathy Freeman, an Australian Aborigine, won the Olympic gold medal in the 400 meters race before the world on Sept. 25, 2000, it was more than just a race. It reflected the pride of another type of black oppressed people, who like African Americans, were the victims of the darkest kind of abuse and prejudice by 18 million white Australians. "She might win the gold metal, but after that, people here (Aborigines) will still be starving, still wonít have a decent education, still wonít have a place to live." Stated Aboriginal Activist Mohammed Ishaq (formerly Charlie Isaacs) to Black Newspaper Reporter, David Steele, in Sydney. "Someone running wonít change anything. Back in the US, with all your African American athletic stars, has it changed anything?" Ishaq continued. DÉJÀ VU, Black America!

Yet, the one difference between Australia and the US is that the Australian Parliament apologized and stipulated reparations to the Aborigines last year, for its oppression and discrimination. However, the US has granted cash reparations to World War II interned Japanese, returned mineral rich land to the Native American, but has never even apologized to the African American for the most inhumane treatment of a people in the history of the world.

"Until weíve had a substantive discussion and analysis of the impact of slavery, we will continue to have this racial divide and attacks on affirmative action," states Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson of Californiaís. Carson and a fellow Supervisor introduced a Resolution Recognizing the Need for an Examination of Reconciliation and Reparations to African American Descendents of Slaves to the Board on October 3^rd that passed unanimously. Other efforts by Black Congressman John Conyers of Detroit, Black Congressman Bobby Rush of Chicago and even white Ohio Congressman Tony Hall have failed year after year.

Yet, in the economic boom time of Californiaís technology driven expansion, the racial divide persists according to a study by the University of California at San Francisco and the Field Institute. The study found that African Americans are four times more likely to have poverty level household incomes than whites; and Latinos 13 times more likely to be part of the working poor, which is a family of four earning less than $20,000 a year.

In Los Angeles the Milken Institute released a study in September 2000 citing that minority-owned businesses still cannot get access to the capital they need to grow and sustain their enterprises. Michael Milken, the former billionaire Junk Bond King and frequent visitor of Oakland, as a "white" member of the 100 Black Men, sponsors the Milken Institute. The study concludes "failure to adequately fund minority-owned firms will inevitably put a brake on the overall economy."

Another national study, by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), revealed that Blacks and Latinos were twice as likely to be turned down for mortgage loans than whites. Blacks were denied 54% of the time. Denise Smith, President of Oaklandís Royal Realtors and Loan Services, recently hosted the Greenlining Institute (opposite of redlining) on her Saturday morning Soul Beat TV show, "Dare to Dream," articulating the difficulty of Blacks accessing mortgage loans.

At the "Redeem the Dream" march in September 2000 in Washington, D. C.; Martin Luther King III reminded the crowd of 100,000 that his fatherís dream had not been realized. King III said, "As one of those four little children, I must remind you that- "that one day", sadly, is not today."