Page A4 October 29. 2003 (Tlje JJnrtlanh (ßbserüer better to the GLditor Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Students at the Cascade Campus o f Portland Community College in north Portland are learning in brand new science labs and new class rooms at the newly expanded Jackson Hall. PCC added 1 7,7 00 square feet to the facility named after the late Rev. John Jackson. Backing Up the Chief I would like to congratulate C hief Derrick Fox worth ’ s appoi nt ment to the position of Portland Police Chief. I feel that he has the ability and qualifications. I sincerely hope that Portland, the M ayor and the City Council respect him and let hint lead instead o f handcuffing him as a figurehead. He was brought into this posi tion am ong the criticism and con troversy surrounding the killing o f a young black m other, K endra Jam es by Scott M cC ollister. This death brought about a lot o f pain and a com plete distrust with a lot o f us in the A frican-A m erican com m unity. T here has been a lot o f killing in the black com m unity by police that alw ays w ind up with the sam e verdict, not guilty on the part o f the police. H ow ever, the out com e has alw ays been predictable, with little outcry from the com m u nity, but not this tim e. The m inis ters and the city as a w hole wanted to dig deeper. P ortland has alw ay s tried to avoid controversy when we rise up to dispute unfair treatm ent. The school district w as facing a lot o f heat over unfair desegregation and n ev er h aving had an A frican- A m erican Q ueen o f Rosaria. We did get our first queen, the first in the history o f this state. We also had the first black su perintendent after they fired Dr. Blanchard. Once again we quieted dow n so m ew h at, even though nothing w as really accom plished. W e got the school and program changed but the achievem ent that we had hoped for has never been realized, so the controversy goes on and on. I have seen all o f these strate gies over the years and we quiet dow n. The figurehead that has been used to q uiet the division soon loses that position. I am only looking at the history for the past 4 0 plus years o f this city ’s politics. I hope the M ayor will look at C h ief Foxw orth with dignity and respect and as a police ch ief who can have a w onderful future and w ho will serve the w hole city. Vesia Loving North Portland Jackson Hall Expansion Celebrated Dean Ollee returns fo r open house PortlandCommunity College will celebrate the addition and rem odel ing o f Jackson Hall in an open house and tours on W ednesday, Oct. 29 ffom 4to6p.m .,705N.K illingsw orth St. There will be a b rief program at 4:30p.m. M ildred O llee, form erexecutive Portland, made possible through a fall o f 1985 w ith the R ev. Jo h n H. dean o f the C ascade C am pus, who $144 m illion bond passed in No Jack so n p erfo rm in g the c e re m o last m onth assum ed the presidency vem ber 2000. The Cascade Cam pus nial rib b o n c u ttin g . T h e P C C o f Seattle C entral C om m unity C ol w ill see $57 million in improvements B oard nam ed the b u ild in g a fter lege, will return to the school as a over the next several years. the late R ev. Jack so n , w ho w as featured speaker during the cel T he $6.2 m illion ad d itio n and p a s to r o f M t. O liv e t B a p tis t ebration. rem odel o f Jack so n H all adds six C h u rch in n o rth east P o rtlan d , to The opening o f the addition to new scien ce lab o rato ries, fo r a honor his com m itm ent to the co m Jackson Hall m arks the start o f a total o f eig h t labs. It also adds m u n ity , to ed u c a tio n and to o p significant educational investm ent f o u r new c la s s r o o m s . p o rtu n ities fo r A frican A m erican by PC C to north and northeast T he build in g first o p en ed in the y o u th . Y M M M W M M I 15-1 Student-Teacher Ratio State-Standard Curriculum Just Regular Kids Who Are Willing to Learn Free Public School - No Tuition Accepting 6th Grade Transfer Students Today! Taking Applications for Next Year 6th & 7th Grade Students VICTORY MIDDLE SCHOOL at the Blazers Boys and Girls Club 5250NEMLK 503-789-9099 Civil Rights Leader to Speak at UO U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the y o u n g e st sp e a k e r at th e 1963 M arch on W ashington and a long time key figure in the U.S. ci vii rights m ovem ent, will deliver a presiden tial lecture on "Peace, Social Change and Justice” on M onday, Nov. 10 at the U niversity o f O regon, Erb M emorial Union Ballroom, 1222E. 13th Ave., Eugene. Lewis has been at the vanguard of progressive social causes and hu man rights struggles. As a Fisk Uni versity student, he organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters around Nashville. In 19 6 1, he participated in the Freedom Rides, organized to challenge segregation at bus term i nals throughout the South and was beaten severely by mobs. From 1963-66, Lewis chaired the Student N onviolent C oordinating C om m ittee, w hich he earlier had helped create. SN CC w as respon sible for m uch o f the civil disobedi ence that drew national attention to the civil rights m ovem ent. A mong the most prom inent o f those events w as a m arch over the Edm und Pettus B ridge in Selm a, Ala., orga- nized by Lew is and H osea W ill iams. M ore than 600 activists par ticipated, and many were attacked by state troopers in a confronta tio n th a t b e c a m e k n o w n as “Bloody Sunday.” The march was acataly stfo rth e landm ark Voting R ights Act o f 1965. A contem po rary and associate o f the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was regarded as one o f the m ost cou rageous leaders o f the civil rights movement. E lected to the A tlanta City Council in 1981, Lewis served until 1986, when he m ounted a suc cessful bid to represent G eorgia’s 5th C ongressional District. For more information about the lecture, call 541 -346-3036. National College Fair Coming High school students can get their questions about applying to college, answered at the free Portland N a tional College Fair on Friday, Nov 7 and Saturday, Nov 8 from 9 am to 1 pm at the O regon Convention Center. R epresentatives from over 240 colleges and universities nationw ide will be available to answ er ques tions. Inform ation sessions on col lege planning, applying for financial aid, scholarships, essay w riting and using technology will also be of fered both days. This event is sponsored by the N ational A ssociation for C ollege Admission Counseling. For more in formation contact Joe Bernard at 503- 520-4713orvisitw w w .nacac.com .