^'¡P ortiani» (Dbseruer Page A6 Black History Month Februaiy II. 2009 B lack H istory M onth Muhammad Ali Inspired a Generation ‘The Greatest’ earns NAACP Image Award The legendary M uham m ad Ali will receive the N A ACP's 2(X)9 President's A w ard at the 40th N A ACP Image A w ards, from 8-10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 on FOX, KPTV Channel 12. "The Greatest" will be presented with the prestigious award, which is g iv e n in re c o g n itio n o f sp e c ia l achievem ent and distinguished pub­ lic service. “M uham m ad Ali inspired a genera­ tion,” said NAACP president andchief executive officer Ben Jealous. “We are honored to recognize the accom ­ plishm ents o f one of the most respected and admired men of all time, who earned a special place in our hearts and minds not only for his success inside the boxing ring but for his role as an out­ spoken, charm ing and witty leader, activist, hum anitarian and artist. He is truly ‘T he G reatest o f All T im e’ and incredibly worthy o f this aw ard.” A cadem y A w ard-w inner H alle Berry and acclaim ed screenwriter/ac- tor Tyler Perry, both recipients o f an N A A C P Image Award, will host the 40TH NAACP Image Aw ards broad­ cast, live from Los A ngeles' historic Shrine Auditorium. The star-studded event, w hich co­ incides with the N A ACP's 100th anni­ versary, will kick off the civil rights organization's year-long centennial celebration. As a boxer, Ali brought unprec­ edented speed and grace to his sport, w hile his charm and w it forever changed w hat the public expected o f a cham pion. His accom plishm ents in the ring are the stuff o f legend as he becam e the first three-tim e world heavyw eight cham pion. There was alw ays far more to the man than w hat took place w ithin the confines o f the ring. Ali's life and career have been played out as much on the front pages o f new spapers as Muhammad Ali, known in those days as Cassius Clay, realized the prediction that he'd knock out Archie Moore in the fourth round in their 1962 bout. on the inside o f sports pages. His early relationship with the N a­ tion o f Islam and his insistence on being called M uham m ad Ali instead o f his "slave name," C assius Clay, L um pur signaled a shift from super­ pow er dom inance to a growing aw are­ ness o f the developing world. D aring to go against the political establishm ent to help people in need, Ali has m ade goodw ill m issions to A fghanistan and North Korea; deliv­ ered sorely-needed m edical supplies to an em bargoed Cuba; traveled to Iraq to secure the release o f 15 A m eri­ can hostages during the first G ulf War; and jo urneyed to South A frica to m eet with N elson M andela upon his re­ lease from prison. In the last tw o decades, Ali has been instrum ental in providing more than 232 m illion m eals to the world's hungry. Traveling across continents, he has hand-delivered food and m edi­ cal su p p lies to ch ild ren in C ote ment of the 1960s. He becam e an influ­ ential figure in the civil rights m ove­ ment, inspiring millions o f A m ericans tow ard political change, with his out­ spo k en b ut u ltim ately w id ely -re- We are honored to recognize the accomplishments o f one of the most respected and admired NAACP president and chief men o f all time. - executive officer Ben Jealous heralded a new era in black pride. His refusal to be inducted into the U .S. Army during the V ietnam era fore­ shadowed the growing antiw ar m ove­ spected statements and actions. His willingness to stage well publi­ cized fights in such far-flung locales as K in sh a sa, M a n ila and K u ala D 'Ivoire, Indonesia, M exico and M o­ rocco, am ong other countries. In addition to his international e f­ forts, Ali is equally devoted to helping causes at home. He holds an annual fundraiser, Fight Night, to raise m il­ lions o f dollars for Parkinson's dis­ ease research and treatm ent. He testi­ fied before the United States Senate advocating for more federal funds to find a cure for the disease. He is also an advocate and the nam esake of the M uham m ad Ali Box­ ing Reform Act, a federal law that regulates professional boxing to pro­ tect athletes from unscrupulous pro­ moters, as well as poor health and bout conditions. He has appeared before com m ittees o f the U.S. Senate several times regarding boxing reform. C hase & W eil, L L P Salutes Black History Month ‘“W l f c ....... -......... * J*--- at... ...... - - ' ' " ' . Gerald M. Chase Richard L. Weil Attorneys at Law 722 SW 2nd Ave. Suite 240 Portland Oregon 97204 Phone 503-294-1414 ’ Vanport Square, the new minority-owned development on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, has earned certification for its environmentally sustainable construction and energy efficiency. Vanport Square Earns Gold underserved com m unities," said Ray Leary, aprincipal in Vanport Partners. “Because o f the high level of disregard, pollution was relatively unchecked, and now developers m ust try in every instance to not only correct this historic imbalance, but to set a new standard as T he first phase of well.” /a n p o rt Square, the V a n p o rt lew m inority-ow ned S q u a re in te ­ om m ercial develop- g rated a storm n en t o n N o rth e a st w ate r m a n a g e ­ dartin Luther King J. m ent plan that J o u le v a r d , has achieves an 80 ichieved L eadership p e rc e n t sto rm n Energy and Envi- w ater m itigation o n m e n ta l D e sig n r a te ; c r e a te d joldccrtification. landscaping and The project, which ir rig a tio n s y s ­ ip e n e d in J a n u a ry Ray Leary tem s that reduce 1008, was developed >y Vanport Partners, LLC and water usage by 79.6 percent; lartially funded by the Portland and installed dual flush toilets developm ent C om m ission and and low-flow fixtures that save an estim ated 36,415 gallons per he Portland Family o f Funds. “The im p o r ta n c e o f year. The com plex also gets I (X) lu stain a b ility is m ore pro- percent of its energy needs with to u n c e d th a n ever in Certified for environmental construction, energy savings ren ew ab le energy purchases and reuses 76.8 percent o f the existing building shell and struc­ ture. C redits were also earned by making 100 percent o f the m ixed-use spaces and 96 per­ cent o f the retail and restaurant spaces have views to the out­ d oors “ W e at PD C are very proud to h av e h elp ed th is p roject rea ch a su c c e ssfu l c o n c lu ­ sio n ,” said B ernie K erosky o f the PDC. “ R eceiving LEED G o ld ce rtifica tio n is an o u t­ standing ach iev em en t for this p ro ject - and for the d ev elo p ­ m ent team .” Vanport Square includes 16 for sale flexible retail and com ­ mercial spaces targeting local and small businesses. Fourteen of the units are sold with two units currently available. In ad­ dition, the project includes an enhanced pedestrian environ­ m ent designed to support exist­ ing business and foster com m u­ nity. GET MORE ...with an education from Heald! Jg Heald O L L E Q E you’re choosing success! Train now for a new career in the NEW YEAR! We offer training in: HEALTHCARE • Medical Assisting • Medicai Office Administration • Medical Insurance Rilling 8. Coding it BUSINESS • Accounting • Business A dm inistration • Office Skills LEGAL • Criminal Justice • Paralegal TECHNOLOGY • Network Systems Administration • Cisco' Systems • Microsoft’ Windows’ 2003 Bi »•»” *f*U*»’y rwt flwrwf Portland Campus: u a r o iw s iB s ia 6035 NE 78th Court Portland, OR 97218 FREE PARKING FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM THE M A X M O »V • tMAMudiurLfr» there-ivlw anaUfy' 1.888.434.3917 www.chooseheald.com