M a r tin L u t h e r K in g J r .
January IO, 2007
Page B 11
2007 s p e c ia l ed itio n
Judge Sees Inequality at an Early Age
are incarcerated. She also enjoys doing public
speaking and frequently attending church ser­
vices.
"1 am as equally proud to be an African
American as I am to be a woman," she says. “As
a judge. I try to treat people with respect and
decency, just as I expect to be treated."
As we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr.
holiday, it isa wonderful example of honoring a
person who found himself in a situation he
w asn't particularly expecting or prepared for,
but accepted his calling.
Nelson found herself in a similar situation.
Her mentors, friends and colleagues often cited
her abilities and temperament as great attributes
in becoming ajudge, encouraging her to seek her
calling.
When Nelson decided to pursue becoming a
judge she didn’t expect it to happen so quickly
and so fluidly. She won the first time she ran.
w hich was a blessing for her.
She now takes p. ide in following a strict code
of judicial ethics and treating each person she
sees with a tone of respect.
“I am doing what I am supposed to be doing,"
she says, “And I hope that I am making a
difference."
Overcomes prejudice in rise
to the top of her class
by C harity P rater
T he P ortland O bserver
At the age o f 18, Judge Adrienne Nelson was about
to become valedictorian of her seniorclass. She lived in
a small town, population 2,7(X), in Arkansas and went to
high school with people she had known since child­
hood.
But becoming the first African American to achieve
the school's highest academic honor was something
that that riled some members of her town.
“My mother was a teacher at the school and sought
out an attorney when she learned that the school
officials were tampering with the system in an attempt
Multnomah County Judge
Adrienne Nelson achieved at
school despite efforts to hold her
back, and later become an ac­
complished attorney and judge.
C harity P rater /
T he P ortland O bserver
photo by
to sabotage my win," Nelson says.
“I found out they were trying to devise a way for me
to lose when the second runner up confronted me
about it in class,” Nelson says, “She told me that she
wanted to take my first place spot!”
Town leaders and school officials denied that the
controversy had anything to do with her race, but
when the school principal stood in support o f Nelson
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed her to the
Circuit Court bench in Multnomah County. For al­
most a year now she has enjoyed her new name as
Judge Nelson.
She gives credit L John Walker, the attorney that
came to her aid in high school and filed a lawsuit
against the school district on her behalf, for influenc­
ing her to go into law.”
I believe that we all have a
responsibility to make the world
better than when we came into it.
- M u ltn o m a h C ou nty C irc u it Judge A d rie n n e N elson
he was later nudged into an early retirement.
“It ruined my senior year in high school,” says
Nelson. "But it taught me at an early age to have values
and deal with people as individuals and not by the
color of their skin."
Nelson was finally named valedictorian of her;school.
She went to college and law school on scholarships
that were awarded to her for academic achievements.
She began practicing law in 1996and last February,
"He gave me the inspiration tochange and improve
people’s lives,” she says.
One of Nelson's goals is to be an outstanding
citizen both on the bench and off the bench.
"I believe that we all have a responsibility to make
the world better than when we came into it,” she says.
Nelson volunteers for numerous organizations,
including the Columbia River Girl Scouts, which is
focused on supporting girls who have mothers that
In January of 1966, King begins the Chicago cam­
paign by moving into a freezing, dilapidated tene­
ment on the West Side.
H A P
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF PORTLAND
C O N T R A C T IN G O P P O R T U N IT IE S
We are replacing the Iris Court public housing community
in North Portland with a mixed-income development,
Humboldt Gardens.
The team of Walsh Construction and CJ Jackson Construction
is serving as Construction Manager/General Contractor
on the $40 million project. HAP and its CM/GC team are
committed to providing opportunities for disadvantaged,
m inority-ow ned, wom en-owned and em erging small
businesses. D/M/W/ESB firms provided 24 percent of the
construction on HAP's New Columbia redevelopment,
representing nearly $24 million in contracts.
Watch for Humboldt Gardens building opportunities:
Right o f Way (streets, landscaping, lightin g)
February 2007
Pre-bid m eeting: Thursday, February 1, 2007, 9:00 am
OAME, 4134 N. Vancouver Avenue
Housing C o n stru ctio n ......................................................
March 2007
For m ore in fo rm a tio n call:
HAP (Jerry W a lk e r).............................................................. 503-802-8509
Walsh Construction (Carolyn W ilso n ).............................. 503-222-4375
CJ Jackson Construction (CJ Jackson)
503-285-8370
Or visit h ttp ://w w w .h a p d x.o rg /h u m bo ld tg a rd e ns/ and click on
Business O pportunities
I
I ’ve seen
too much
hate to want
to hate,
myself and
every time I
see it, I say to
myself, hate
is too great a
burden to
bear.
- R ev. D r. M a r tin L u th e r K in g Jr.