Fostering a Love
of Reading
Diverse books
let children see
themselves
‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVII • Number 13
See Metro, page 9
Connecting
at Benson
Principal takes
time to dance
and inspire
See Local News, page 3
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • March 28, 2018
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by M ark W ashington J r ./t he p ortland o bserver
Five candidates running for a future open seat on the Portland City Council appear together at a candidates’ forum sponsored by Black Voices United Saturday at
Maranatha Church in northeast Portland. Pictured (from left) are Jo Ann Hardesty, Felicia Williams, Andrea Valderrama, Loretta Smith and Stuart Emmons.
Election Face Off
Black voices candidates’ forum sparks debate
b everly C orbell
t he p ortland o bserver
A diverse group of candidates running for a future
open seat on the Portland City Council voiced their
concerns during a Black Voices candidates’ forum at
by
Maranatha Church in northeast Portland Saturday, ad-
vocating for change on hot topic issues like homeless-
ness, gentrification and racism.
The five candidates, Andrea Valderrama, Loretta
Smith, Stuart Emmons, Felicia Williams and Jo Ann
Hardesty, answered questions posed by local moder-
ator and civil rights activist C.J. Robbins, including
their greatest concerns on and why they were run-
C ontinued on p age 4