Committed to cultural diversity. Volume X X IX , Number APRIL 21.1999 \v was portlandobserver.net Bulk Rate 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 Nevvsp ose* ■ (Elnv 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.