M etro
CAREERS
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Celebration of Students
The Portland Teacher’s Program
is holding its annual Celebration
of Students event to honor 65
aspiring teachers, from college
freshman to graduate students,
as well as program alumni. The
event will be held on Friday, May
20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Port­
land Community College Cas­
cade Campus. A reception will
precede the program from 4:30 to
5:30p.m.
Black Museum of Oregon
The Black Museum of Oregon
will hold its committee and mem­
bership meetings on May 19 at 2
p.m. at Slyvia’s Com er at 1301
N.E. DekumandJune 11 at3p.m.
at Reflections Coffee House at
446 N.E. Killingsworth. For more
information, call King J. at 503-
284-0617.
Lunch with the Grrls
Saturday May 21, DinnerGrrls
will be hosting their spring pot­
luck. The goal is build broaden
professional horizons of women,
network and to encourage other
women in theircareer aspirations.
For information please RSVP at
Portland@ dinnergrrls.org.
Great Strides Walk-a-Thon
Join the Cystic Fibrosis Founda­
tion on May 21 at lOa.in. fortheir
annual walk-a-thon. The group
welcomes walkers, volunteers
and donations for more informa­
tion or to register contact O r­
egon Chapter Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation at 503-226-3435.
Be a Hospice Volunteer
Providence Hospital offers free
training for volunteers at least 18
years old who can commit four
hours a week for a year. Pre-
registration is required. For more
information or to get an applica­
tion packet please call Cynthia
Cohen, volunteer coordinator at
503-215-5774.
Women Mentors
Women in Community Service is
seeking volunteer mentors for
female offenders at Coffee Creek
Correctional Facility. Mentors
provide support and encourage­
ment to women transitioning from
prison back into the community.
Mentors must be female, 24 or
older. Training is provided. Call
503-570-6614 for more informa­
tion.
Portland Children’s
Museum Activities
H ip H op Summit Moves to psu
The first annual Hip Hop sum­
mit is set to take place at Portland
State University’s Shattuck Hall
(changed from the original loca­
tion o f Portland C om m unity
College’s Cascade campus) on
Saturday, May 28.
The aim is to bridge the gap
between the young and the old in
the community by exposing posi­
tive hip-hop that is socially con­
scious and empowering. In addi­
tion, organizers want to bring about
change in the horrific conditions
many A frican Am erican and
other people of color face in their
daily lives.
Local artists Urban Truth, Soul
Plasma, LifeSavas and many
more are scheduled to perform at
the event.
Panel discussions are sched­
uled to include a look at what
negative and positive ways hip
hop influences young people;
bridging the gap between the hip
hop generation and theCivil Rights
movement; and where does hip
hop go from here?
The entire summit is free and
open to the public. The day will
begin with the discussions at 2
p.m. with hip-hop performances
beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Organizers prepare
the firs t a nnua l Hip
Hop S u m m it a t
P ortland S ta te U niver­
sity. K aranja Crews
(from le ft) is jo in e d by
p a n e lis t Rev. Renee
Ward, m o d e ra to r
Jared Spencer,
p a n e lis t D eshawn
W illiam s, PSU B lack
C ultural A ffa irs Board
Vice P re sid e n t N icole
D vorshak, and BCAB
P re sid e n t E m ebet
Hailve.
PHOTO BY
K atherine K ovacich /
T he P ortland O bserver
Higher
Power and
Politics
by N icole H ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
No matter if you are in Poland or Portland,
once a week, you can hear the local message
of Rev. John Pearce. Based in his home
studio, he and Robert Phillips discuss is­
sues ranging from police brutality to reli­
gion.
Pearce has been in the radio industry for
many years and believes that it was his
calling to branch his love of the Lord with his
interest in radio. He plans to co-host the
show until “the Lord takes him home.”
PDC Makes Heritage Building’ Real
Reverses succession
of failed MLK projects
by L ee
Sankofaa Health Institute offers
a free diabetes support group
from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third
Thursday at Alberta Simmons
Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. For more informa­
tion, call 503-285-2484.
Birth Ready
W hether you need childbirth
preparation classes, or just a re­
fresher, Providence Health Sys­
tems has a workshop for you.
Prepare for pain, take a weekend
seminar or prepare big sisters
and brothers-to-be throughout
the su m m e r by v isitin g
www.providence.org/classes or
call 503-574-6595.
>
An a rtis t’s rendering
shows the future
Heritage Building with
its storefronts and
offices coming to 3934
N.E. Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard.
Local minister has
international appeal
Get At, Stay Healthy!
Albina Ministerial Alliance spon­
sors a bi-monthly support and
education group for African
Americans living with HI V/AIDS
at MaranathaChurch at4222 N.E.
12,h St. The group will meet every
second and fourth Thursday of
the month. For more informa­
tion. call Elnathan Hudson at
503-285-0493ext. 217.
special
edition
See pages B2 and B3
Portland Children’s Museum will
hold a variety of art activities for
children throughout the month,
including mediums using mo­
saic, African arts and culture and
garden stepping stones. For info,
call 5 0 3 -2 2 3 -6 5 0 0 o r v isit
portlandchildrensmuseum.org.
AIDS Awareness
May 18. 2005
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Rev. John Pearce
His radio show “Politics, Power and The
People” is a forum to praise and inspire.
“There are 40 million black people in the
world, how come we only hear about the 2
million that aren’t living godly ? Main stream
media makes us as a people look bad,” said
Pearce.
Last year, he hosted a show with the
family if James Jahar Perez, the young un­
armed man that was killed by Portland Police
in the St. Johns neighborhood of north
Portland. Pearce believed that the facts of
the case were “twisted” by mainstream me­
dia and felt this would be a chance for the
victim’s family to voice concerns.
“The more black people know I am here
for them, the better,” said Pearce.
In addition to the political subject matter.
Pearce and Phillips also use the show to
continued
y^
on page H6
P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
While the giant Vanport Square project
on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Bou­
levard remains stymied, the small, commu­
nity-created Heritage Building project has
secured funding and is about to break
ground.
The Portland Develop­
ment Commission has ap­
proved $2.45 million in
loans for the renovation
and enlargement of a long
vacant bui Iding at 3934 N. E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
They also agreed to reduce
the property’s sale price
from $4(X),(XX) to zero.
The heavy subsidies are
attempts to reverse a suc­
cession of failed economic projects on
Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Now that financing is in place, Jeana
Woolley, a member of the team behind the
Heritage project, said ground breaking
could begin in July.
The development team also includes
Stephen Foust, Dennis S. Hadley. Howard
Loucks, Barry Pappenheim and Eric
Wentland, all long involved in develop­
ment activity and community affairs in
inner northeast Portland.
Albina Community Bank is making a$ 1.9
million loan to the total $4.7 million project.
A big stumbling block for the developers
was removed when PDC allowed the project
to proceed without signed leases from pro­
spective tenets, a dispute that has been on
going for two years.
Real estate broker Michele Reeves told
the commission that to insist on advance
leases from office tenants in any neighbor­
nearby commercial centers, such as those on
Northeast Alberta Street and Mississippi,
which have upgraded through “small devel­
opments, one at a time.
“The costs are the same to develop on
Martin Luther King as it does in the Pearl,”
Woolley said. “That means you’re carrying
more of the risk than the private market is
willing to. There are not too many private
developers willing tospend almost fouryears
on a project and get almost nothing in re­
turn.”
Richard Levy, a commercial
realtor and vice-chair of the O r­
egon Convention Center Urban
Renewal Advisory Committee,
said that something was needed
to “kick-start” development on
the avenue between Northeast
Fremont and Alberta streets. He
said other businesses, such as
-J e a n a Woolley. Heritage
Hannah Bee’s, were struggling
Project team member
due to a lack of nearby activity.
Jam es Posey, a local A fri­
hood is unrealistic because people are look­ can Am erican business leader, told the
ing for office space that’s currently available
PDC that the lack o f econom ic develop­
Potential tenants want to “stand in it. feel ment on MLK over the past few years
it, like it they way they would a house,” rem inded him o f the poor investm ent in
Reeves said.
some foreign countries.
She described a commercial project on
“It’s a little embarrassing," he said. “Your
North M ississippi Avenue that people
charter doesn’t say anything about being
wouldn’t rent until they could see the coffee
safe. It’s about investing in people, invest­
shop on the ground floor.”
ing in hope."
Woolley said developing the large lots on
continued y f on page R6
MLK bring price tags that don’t compare to
There are not too many
private developers willing to
spend almost four years on a
project and get almost nothing
in return.