1
Volume \ \ \ Number 2
Ser\ mg the coinmunits through cultural diversitY
g
New Stop*
P J Carlesimo coaches the
Portland Trail Blazers in
his first year in the NBA.
The Portland Observer pays
tribute to the life o f civil
rights leader Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.
jâ i
(The
er
M ichael L eighton
K in g ’ s coat ta il to represent the process
o f m o vin g ahead in life w ith indepen
dence. A young w om an represents the
im m ig ra tio n o f o u r so cie ty w ith the hope
o f a land w ith great p o te n tia l.
Dente, a p ro fesso r at the U n iv e rs ity
o f P ortland, was selected as the s c u lp to r
in 1992. H is w orks inclu de the life size
bronze m onum ent o f St. Francis o f A ssisi
w ith a w o lf and a lam b at the G ro tto in
northeast P ortland.
O ther w orks inclu de the “ N a m in g o f
M t. Je ffe rs o n ,” d e p ic tin g C aptain W ill
iam C la rk in 1 806 from Wauds B lu f f on
the U n iv e rs ity o f P o rtlan d campus. T his
m onum ent also includes fig ures o f Y o rk ,
a black slave, la te r freed by C la rk , and a
W illa m e tte V a lle y C u s h o o k In d ia n
guide.
Dente was chosen as the s c u lp to r o f
the K in g statute because o f his e x p e ri
ence in ethn ic themes and his rem ark
able a b ility to capture the passion o f
hum anity in his fig u re s.
series of clay prototypes have
added life to the plans for
erecting a statute in honor of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Oregon
Convention Center in Portland.
A
A rtis t and scu lp to r M ic h a e l Dente
has produced a new series o f m odels fo r
the w ork.
The M a rtin L u th e r K in g Jr. M e m o
ria l Sculpture P roject has been a grass
Economist Sees Inner
roots e ffo rt over several years to erect
City Gold
an
8 -fo o t m onum ent o f K in g and three
Hailed economist Michael E. Porter,
supporting figures.
author o f the cluster theory o f global eco
O rganizers are hop in g fu n d ra is in g
nomic growth, says inner cities in America
w
ill
be in place to cast the m onum ent
can be turned into economic boom towns.
later
this year w ith d e d ica tio n ju s t a year
The Harvard professor argues that even
away.
Space fo r the statute has already
though the incomes o f inner city residents
been
reserved
on the co nve ntio n center
are low, their concentration in relatively
grounds on M a rtin L u th e r K in g Jr. B lv d .
I small areas near downtowns represent tre
Dente said he expects to create the
mendous purchasing power.
bigger than life size o il clay, p ly w o o d
and styrofoam m old by th is sp ring or
Jackson Considers
summer, w hich w ou ld then be ready fo r
Another Run
casting at the foundry. The finished p ro d
Rev. Jesse Jackson took his “ Rise up
uct w ould be cast o f bronze.
I and vote” message to London during the
T his great m onum ent is to be d e d i
recent holiday period. Jackson delivered
cated to the sacrifices o f D r. K in g and
an address on British television accusing
the countless num ber o f people w ho be
I the country’ s ruling Conservative Party
lieved in his dream fo r freedom and the
I and the increasingly powerful Republican
on-go ing march fo r tru th and ju s tic e .
Party in America o f both pushing policies i
Placed at the co nve ntio n center, it
which are harmful to blacks, other m inor
w ill send out a message to the w o rld that
ities and women. He also indicated that he
O regon rem em bers and b e lie v e s in
I is considering ch allenging President
K in g ’ s dream and struggle.
| Clinton fo r election in 1996.
“ I t ’ s, going to be gorgeous,” Dente
said, describ ing the w o rk from his home
Independent Party Finds
in north Portland.
His m odels have evolved by in c o r
Favor
p
orating
his own experience w ith the
Two surveys show that at least 50
ideas
o
f
com
m ittee members o f the n on
percent o f African Americans would jo in
p
ro
fit
m
em
orial
p ro je c t o rg a n iz a tio n .
an independent political party. Experts say
that independent politics is rapidly becom
ing a viable option to blacks tired o f a two-
party system which has not delivered and
many say has taken the black vote for
granted. Dr. Ronald Waters, o f Howard
University, says, “ It seems that in the last
decade the number o f blacks who said they
would jo in an independent party has dou
uring last year’s State of the
bled.”
City address, Mayor Vera Katz
“ pure speculation.” He said he had the best
jo b in the w orld and had no plans to resign.
J
Memorial
Needs Financial
Support
Artist Michael Dente shows the sculptured prototype, a model in miniature of the
Martin Luther King Jr. memorial statute, promoters plan to erect at the Oregon
Convention Center.
The prototypes show D r. K in g step
pin g fo rw a rd to d e liv e r his message o f
universal e q u a lity , freedom , and ju s tic e .
Katz Prepares The State
Of The City Address
D
stressed her com m itm ent to
re-b rid g in g the gap b etw een the
people and their elected officials by
providing a more responsive and
The primary and alternative ju ry has
accessible
city government. Through
been seated to hear evidence in the C J .
the
P
o
rtla
n d /M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty
Simpson trial. The primary panel includes
Progress Board and the Office of
I eight women and four men o f which eight
Ombudsman -- both Katz creations —
are African-American, two Hispanic, one
| white and one mixed-race. The alternate | she is working to mend what she called
a “ ru p tu re of t r u s t ” b e tw e e n
I ju ry panel is comprised o f nine women and
government
and the people.
three men o f which seven are black, four
Jurors Chosen In Simpson
Trial
white and one Hispanic.
Nation's Population
Grows
The U.S. population is about 261.6
m illion people, an increase o f 2.5 m illion
I or about 1 percent over New Year's Day
last year, according to the Census Bureau.
The country’s largest states are California,
| Texas and New York.
On Friday, January 13, Mayor V era Katz
w ill reflect on the year 1994 -- a year o f
economic growth and prosperity in Portland
-- and w ill outline her goals for ’95. Katz’ s
commitment to her top priorities -- public
safety, economic enhancement and develop
ment. and government efficiency and respon
siveness - has remained consistent through
out her term. Join us, as Mayor Katz discuss
es the state o f our city, and shares her vision
for a challenging New Year.
Benson Hotel, M ayfair Room. Program
Now Murder Rates
Compared
According to the Justice Department,
young black men were almost 14 times
more likely to be murdered during 1992
than the general population. Black males
age 12 to 24 were victims o f homicide at a
rate o f about 115 per 100.000. Young
black males constituted 17.7 percent o f all
homicide victims, even though they were
only 1.3 percent o f the U.S. population.
250
‘It’s Going To Be Gorgeous’ Work
Moves Forward On King Statute
by
order to head up President C linton’s 1996
I re-election bid. Brown called the rumors
See special Section C, inside.
tí ¿mb C*r
IN i
Commerce Secretary Ron Brown has
I denied rumors that he w ill quit his post in
1995
King Birthday
Issue
See Sports, page B2.
Brown Says He's Staying
Ja,m an II
Mayor Vera Katz
12:15-1:15 p.m. Luncheon reservations and
cancellations, call 222-2582 by 2 p.m. Thurs
day, January 12; $11 members, $15 non
members. Coffee tickets avai lable at the door,
limited free seating in back. Doors open at
11:30 a m.
Musical Tribute To Martin Luther King Jr.
K O IN -T V w ill broadcast a one-hour
prime time musical presentation, “ Now is the
Time, A Tribute to M artin Luther King, Jr.”
featuring James DePreist and the Oregon
Symphony, Sunday. January 15 at 8pm. The
program, highlighting the work o f Joseph
Schwantner. opens with remarks from Ed
Bradley o f the CBS News magazine 60 M in
utes and is hosted by NewsCenter 6 weekend
anchor Ken Boddie Included in the program
is an interview with Mr. DePreist and a
special story about local area school children
who are emulating Dr. K in g ’s dream.
T he
p ro g ra m
h ig h lig h t s
the
Schw antner w o rk , “ N ew M o rn in g fo r
the W o rld : daybreak o f F reedom ” w hich
includes sections o f n arra tion by b a ri
tone Raymond Bazemore.
EDITORIAL
HOUSING
GENERAL NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT
A2
A3
A4
A5
A yo un g man has his sleeve ro lle d up
s y m b o liz e s a readiness to c o n tin u e
K in g ’ s w o rk. A little g ir l lets go o f
You can help makethe Martin Luther
King Jr. M em orial Sculpture a reality
through your financial support.
I t ’ s e x p e c te d to c o s t up to
$ 150,000 to com plete the p ro je c t on
the grounds o f the O regon C onven
tio n C enter.
D onations can be send to the
M a rtin L u th e r K in g Jr. S culpture
Fund, P.O. Box 1809, P ortland, OR
97207. F o r m ore in fo rm a tio n you
can c a ll 283 -1 63 8.
Coretta King To Visit
Coretta Scott King w ill come to Portland
Thursday, Jan. 19 to celebrate the recording
release o f the Oregon Symphony’s special
tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
Music D irector James DePreist leads
the orchestra fo r the world-premiere re
cording o fN ico las Flagello’s “ The Passion
o f M a rtin L u th e r K in g ” and Joseph
Schwantner’s “ New M orning fo r the World:
Daybreak r f Freedom.”
Mrs. King, the w idow o f the late c iv il
rights leader, wrote the forward for the
booklet the accompanies the recording,
available on tape and compact disc.
The Urban League o f Portland w ill be
the beneficiary o f a reception to celebrate
the release, inspired by the life and words o f
Dr. M artin Luther K ing Jr. The Patron Party
Music Director James DePreist
w ith Mrs. King and James DePreist w ill
take place at the Heathman Hotel at 5:30
phony for selecting us as the beneficiary o f
p.m. Tickets are $100 per person.
this reception and for honoring the memory
A second Community Reception w ill
o f another great mediator, Dr. King.”
begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Lobby o f the
“ I believe this music to be the finest
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets are
inspired by the life and words o f M artin
$25 fo r members o f the Urban League or
Luther King Jr.,” said James DePreist. “ It is
Oregon Symphony; $35 for non-members.
gratifying to see a product o f such artistic
The Community Reception w ill fea
merit receive such a high level o f national
ture a performance by the Cultural Recre
attention.” The recording received funding
ation Band, a Northeast Portland youth
from the National Endowment for the Arts,
orchestra. A t 7:30 p.m. all guests w ill move
the Copland Fund for Music, Bank o f Am er
into the Concert H all to hear remarks by
ica, Nike, and R.R. Donnelley and Sons.
James DePreist and Coretta Scott K ing and
Hie Portland release party is being co
see a screening o f the Symphony’s Septem-
sponsored by N ike and Bank o f America.
>er performance o f “ N ew M orning for the
Reception tickets are on sale now at the
W orld.” A video excerpt w ill also be broad
Urban League, ION. Russell St., (503) 280-
cast on Sunday, Jan. 15.
2600. Copies o f the recording (K O C H In
“ Music can be an incredible mediator,”
ternational Classics C D 7293) w ill be avail
said Urban League President and CEO Law
able at the reception and in record stores
rence J. Dark. “ We thank the Oregon Sym-
after Jan 15.
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