Promoted
to Fire Chief
Images from
Juneteenth
Sara Boone rises
from the ranks
Highlights from
Clara Peoples
Freedom Trail
Parade
See Local News, page 3
‘City
of
Roses’
See Metro, page 6
Volume XLVIII • Number 22
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • June 19, 2019
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Veteran Portland rapper Mic Crenshaw is using his music to fight racial and economic injustice and
empower young people to thrive in their creative fields. His work will get a boost over the next two
years because of the support of local organizations providing grant funding.
Mentoring on Rap
Mic Crenshaw expands reach with new support
D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
Veteran Portland hip-hop em-
cee Mic Crenshaw is one of Port-
land’s best known rap artists who
this month releases a new album
with fellow rapper and Max train
stabbing survivor Micah Fletch-
er. But Crenshaw is also a prov-
en mentor to kids, a role that will
grow vastly in the next two years
because of the support of two lo-
cal organizations.
Crenshaw, 48, is the recipient
of the Oregon Traditional Arts
Apprenticeship Program grant,
providing $4,000 in salary to
teach hip hop to aspiring stars of
by
photo by
D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Workers in
Construction
Construction workers put the finishing touches on the Alberta
13 Apartments, the culmination of an 18 month build and
representing a boom in construction across the city, mostly
related to housing and mixed use retail. This week’s Portland
Observer issue gives special coverage to construction and the
boost it gives to family wage jobs.
a new generation; and an Oregon
Humanities Fields Artist Fellow-
ship that will pay him $100,000
over a two year period to advance
his artistic practice while helping
young people get past the “op-
portunity gap” the disparities in
life outcomes for Oregon children
born into poverty and children of
color.
“To me, it’s a life changing
blessing. It’s one of the biggest
opportunities I’ve ever encoun-
tered,” Crenshaw told the Portland
Observer when we caught up with
him at Portland Underground Re-
cording Studio in southwest Port-
land, fresh off of recording seg-
ments for two collaborative songs
with his longtime producer Prince
Strickland.
The financial support will give
him the chance to solely focus on
his entertainment career, some-
thing he said he’s rarely gotten the
chance to do.
“There’s an opportunity to
work less, to hustle less, and to be
more creative. So I’m looking for-
ward to that,” Crenshaw said.
Crenshaw currently is a teach-
ing artist in high school and other
educational organizations, such as
at the alternative program inside
C ontinueD on p age 5