Brisk and Funny
‘Mean Girls’
From the
African
Perspective
Play puts focus on
living female inside
of dark skin
30th Cascade
Festival brings
30 feature films
See Opinionated Judge, page 5
See Metro, page 6
Established in 1970
PO QR code
Volume XLVIV • Number 5
‘City
of
Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • January 29, 2020
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Kobe’s Death Stuns World
Tears shed, joyful
times recalled
(AP) — Thousands of fans, many wearing Kobe
Bryant jerseys and chanting his name, gathered outside
the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles Monday
in an outpouring of grief and shock over the sudden loss
of the all-time basketball great who spent his entire 20-
year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 41-year-old Bryant, who perished Sunday in a
helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna,
and seven other people, including members of a family
with Oregon ties, was one of the game’s most popular
players, an 18-time All-Star who helped lead the Lakers
to five NBA championships.
The Lakers had a game scheduled Tuesday night
against the LA Clippers at the Staples Center but the
NBA postponed it “out of respect” for the Lakers. The
next Lakers home game is Friday night against Port-
land.
The accident generated an outpouring of grief and
shock around the world.
“Words can’t describe the pain I am feeling. I loved
C ontinued on P age 2
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna watch a NCAA college basketball game in this March 2, 2019 photo from
AP. Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-star, was killed along with his daughter and 7 other people in a helicopter crash
Sunday in Los Angeles.
Expanding
Opportunities
in Aviation
Program offers free
training for young people
b everly C orbell
t he P ortland o bserver
Airway Science for Kids, a nonprofit giving free avi-
ation training to young people of color and low-income
students, has a new home and new leadership.
Julia Cannell, an aviation expert and educator, is the
by
Photo by b everly C orbell /t he P ortland o bserver
Johnell Bell (left) and Julia Cannell oversee a free aviation and aeronautics training program for young people of
color and low income students at the Airway Science for Kids, now located in the former Albina Youth Opportunity
School. Pictured at right is McKinzie Ried, one of the school’s aviation students, working on a project.
C ontinued on P age 11