Committed to cultural diversity.
Volume X X IX , Number
APRIL 21.1999
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Galería Cecily
Quintana Presents
Agustín Portillo
Bill Cosby to
Present
Keynote Address
U.S. Postage
PAID
Portland, OR
Permit No. 1610
See Page B6
See Page A3
Nevvspaper
Section
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THE
Eugen«
Eugene OR 97403
500
WEEK Celebration of the First Home Under
IN
REVIEW
Unique Affordable Housing Initiative
High School
Shooting
Tw o students o f C olum bine H igh
S chool attack ed stud en ts w ith guns
and ex p lo siv es in a suicide m ission.
T w enty five students and teachers
m ay have been killed. T he g unm en’s
in tention w as to target m inorities
and ath letes T hey w ere found dead
o f se lf-in flic te d g u nshot w ounds,
w ith w hat ap p eared to be bom bs
around th e ir bodies.
NATO Attacks
N A T O co n tin u ed to launch at
tacks across Y ug o slav ia w ith U.S.
h elico p to rs and tro o p s heading to
w ard A lbania. T heir m ission is to
assist in the a llia n c e ’s attack on
Y ugoslav g ro u n d forces and stop
th e ir c am p aig n to rid K osovo o f its
eth n ic A lb a n ia n m ajo rity . T h eir
m ain targets are a dozen select towns
and cities.
Church Fires
Jay Scott Ballinger, a 36-year old
Indiana satan w orshipper was indicted
on charges o f setting fire to seven
churches in Indiana and three in G eor
gia, including one in w hich a volun
teer firefighter died. The Justice D e
p artm ent has not decided yet on
w hether B allinger should seek the
death penalty in the G eorgia case. He
recently adm itted to burning 30 to 50
churches in 11 states betw een 1994
and 1998.
Vitamin C
T he new recom m ended daily al
low ance by G overnm ent rese arch
ers is to d o uble o r trip le the intake
o f V itam in C b ecause o f its can cer
fighting a bility. T he N ational In sti
tute o f H ealth stated that the RDA
fo r v itam in C sho u ld be increased
from 60 m illig ram s to b etw een 100
and 200 m g.
Killer Virus
A new virus in M alaysia had al
ready claim ed m ore than 90 lives
and rec en tly k illed som e stray dogs
in M alaysia. T his rare strain , called
N ipah v irus is nam ed afte r the v il
lage w here its first victim died. S im i
larly in Ja p an , a dozen v ictim s have
d ied o f Ja p an ese en cep h alitis.
Rosa Parks
T he S en ate had v o te d u n a n i
m ously to aw ard R osa P arks w ith a
C ongressional M edal for surrender
ing h er b u s seat to a w hite m an that
sparked th e civil rig h ts m ovem ent.
H er arrest in 1955 lead to a y ear
long bus b o y co tt b y blacks sp e ar
head ed b y the R e v eren d M artin
L uther K ing Jr.
A N E P o rtlan d resid en t L isa N aso n an d her 13 year-o ld son b ecam e the first
h o m eb u y ersto ow n a ho m e u n d er a new “o n e o f a k in d ” C om m unity Land 1 rust
an n o u n ced by U .S. S en ato r G ord an S m ith. T he S abin C om m unity L and T rust
enab les h o m eb u y ers to p u rch ase a hom e w ith o u t h aving to buy the land b eneath the
hom e, sav in g the h o m eb u y er th o u san d s o t d o llars.
T he N ason's new hom e is located at 13th Street, betw een NE W ygant St. and NE
G oing St. in northeast Portland.
Fannie M ae is a congressionally chartered, shareholder-ow ned com pany and the
nation’s largest source o f funds for hom e m ortages. It has com m itted to provide $1
trillion in targeted lending for 10 m illion hom es by the end o f the decade. The targeted
lending will serve low -and m oderate-incom e fam ilies, m inorities, new im m igrants,
residents o f central cities and the underserved areas, and people who have housing
needs. O ver the past 30 years, Fannie M ae has provided $2.5 trillion in m ortgage
financing for 32 m illion families.
The event was celebrated by Fannie M ae's O regon Partnership O ffice and Sabin
C om m unity D evelopm ent Corp.
House Passes Carson Bill
he H ouse approved legislation intro
duced by Rep. Julia Carson. D-Ind.,
to aw ard the C ongressional G old
T
M edal to Rosa Parks.
“ W ith this action. C ongress is on record in
overw helm ingly endorsing a Congressional
G old Medal for Rosa Parks,” Rep. Carson
said. "N o one in A m erica deserves this honor
more. Her selflessness em braced the spirit
expressed by the words: “M y country tis ot
thee - sweet land o f liberty "
“ Rosa Parks in not ju st an A frican-A m eri
can, she is an A ll-A m erican W hat she has
achieved is not ju st for A frican-A m ericans,
but for all A m ericans.”
“Mrs. Parks sought to validate this pledge o f
ours: "One Nation, Under God, With Liberty
and Justice for ALL people. Her steadfastness
and unmovable decision recalled the words o f
the great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln in his
G ettysburg Address: G overnm ent o f the
People, by the People, for the People shall not
perish. This honor has been delayed almost 44
years. Now, we are finally giving Rosa Parks
the recognition she deserves."
The H ouse approved the bill in a 424-1
vote. Rep C arson introduced the m easure
Feb. 4, Rosa P arks’ 86'" birthday. Since then.
Rep. C arson has signed on 329 co-sponsors.
The Senate approved a sim ilar m easure, in
troduced M arch 4, M onday by an 86-0 vote.
The Senate bill has 75 co-sponsors. H ouse
passage now sends the bill to the W hite
H ouse for the P resid en t's signature.
Rosa Parks w rote Rep. Carson M arch 5
nking her for introducing the bill. “It is
y nice and the support appears to be
itagious,” Mrs. Parks wrote. “ I respect
i, y o u r com m itm ent to justice, and I look
w ard to sharing tim e with you again
“Rosa Parks is the Mother o f A m erica’s
ril Rights movement,” Rep. Carson said,
er quiet courage that day in M ontgomery,
abama launched a new American revolu-
n that opened new doors o f opportunity and
>ught equality for all Americans close to a
system to the brink offinancial ruin. Aftermore
than a year o f running nearly-empty buses.
Montgomery was ordered to integrate the sys
tem by the U.S. Supreme Court. For the first
time bus riders, regardless o f race, could sit
anywhere they wanted. Fhe movement sparked
in Montgomery culminated in the Civil Rights
Act, the Voting Rights Act and a new affirma
tion o f the equal rights promised to all Ameri
cans by the Constitution.
r h f m n e t couraee ofRosa Parks changed the
course o f American history and come to symbol
ize the power o f non-violent protest. In the 44
years since, the Nation has derived immeasur
able benefit from her leadership and that o f those
she inspired. Rosa Parks continues to dedicate
her li fe to the cause ofuniversal human rights and
has become a living icon for freedom in America
“ I am pleased that the 106th congress is
recognizing in a bipartisan w ay Rosa Parks
unique and historic contributions to A m eri
can society," Rep. C arson said.
ility.”
Rep. C arso n ’s legislation will
thorize the President to award
isa Parks a gold medal on behalf
Congress. It also will authorize
e U.S. M int to strike and sell
iplicates to the public.
R osa Parks touched offthe 1955
ontgom ery, Alabama bus boy-
itt, w hen she was arrested for re
sing to yield her seat on the bus in
e racially segregated bus system
that city. Mrs. Parks states that
le “had been pushed as far as she
m id stand." A bus boycott de-
anding racial integration o t the
as system w as initiated as a result
f the outrage caused by her arrest.
The bus boycott introduced Dr.
lartin Luther King, Jr. to America
» a civil rights leader. Hie car-polls
>r. King helped organize got Afri-
in- Americans to their desnnations
l M ontgomery and pushed the bas
R o m Park« flanked by bar attorney and a deputy, on her way to fall.