May 5, 2021
The
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INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
Week in Review
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
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M eyer M eMorial t rust Photo by J ereMy b itterMann /Jbsa
The new Meyer Memorial Trust building on North Vancouver Avenue was built in the heart of the
historically-Black Albina community under an unwavering commitment to equity and sustainability.
The building features a series of roof lines that recall the gabled houses once plentiful in the
neighborhood.
Top Ranking for Design
Meyer building recognized for equity and sustainability
M ETRO
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Established 1970
USPS 959 680
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,
Portland, OR 97211
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions.
Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and
will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope.
All created design display ads become the sole property of the
newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or per-
sonal usage without the written consent of the general man-
ager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such
ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland
Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a
member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded
in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amal-
gamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast
Black Publishers Association
PO QR code
P ublisher :
e ditor :
Michelle J. DePass, the organiza-
tion’s Black chief executive officer
and president.
Portland’s LEVER Architec-
ture, described as a values-driven
real estate developer, was behind
the project. The new three story
headquarters for one of Oregon’s
largest private foundations became
the first LEED v4 Platinum Build-
ing in Oregon last week, earning a
score of 84 points, the highest en-
ergy and environmental rating ever
given for a new construction build-
ing in the United States.
The $10.8 million, 19,829
square foot building was specifi-
cally designed for collaborative of-
fice space and to purposefully con-
nect the application of sustainable
building design with social equity
and community development. The
project also accomplished aggres-
sive equity targets with 47 percent
C ontinued on P age 11
Activist Named Marshall Leader
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S PORTS
O PINION
C LASSIFIED /B IDS
The new Meyer Memorial Trust
building, constructed under a com-
mitment to equity and sustainabil-
ity in the heart of the historically
Black Albina community, has
achieved the highest rating ever
given under a national standard for
energy and environmental design.
Located on North Vancouver
Avenue to reflect the organization’s
unwavering commitment to creat-
ing a flourishing and equitable Or-
egon, the construction was led by
Mark Washington, Sr.
Michael Leighton
Office Mngr/Clasfds: Lucinda Baldwin
Admin.Coord.: Quayuana Washington
C reative d ireCtor : Paul Neufeldt
o ffiCe a sst /s ales : Shawntell Washington
CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015• news@portlandobserver.com
ads@portlandobserver.com• subscription@portlandobserver.com
Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Historic Trust
recognizes
achievements
The achievements of 13 com-
munity leaders, including the work
of Vancouver NAACP President
Jasmine Tolbert, were recognized
last week at the annual General
George C. Marshall Leadership
Awards from the Historic Trust, in
partnership with the city of Van-
couver.
Every year, Marshall commit-
tees undertake the difficult task of
choosing a young professional and
a high school senior as examples
of new leaders that honor Gener-
al George C. Marshall, a former
commander at Fort Vancouver,
who was known for coordinating
the U.S. response to World War
II, and for promoting economic
recovery for the European allied
countries following the war.
This year’s Young Profession-
Jasmine Tolbert
al Award went to Tolbert and the
High School Senior Award to Pu-
kai Tseng of Union High School.
At the age of 26, Tolbert has al-
ready made her mark on the com-
munity. She works in the human
resources department for the Van-
couver Clinic, serves as president
of the Vancouver NAACP, and
is on the board for the YWCA of
Clark County.
Like General Marshall who
was directly involved in the estab-
lishment of the military aviation
program geared to Black troops
at the Tuskegee Institute, Tolbert
has worked tirelessly to respond
to systemic racism and racial in-
equities within Clark County by
organizing listening sessions.
In the past year, she organized
a Black Lives Matter peaceful car
demonstration attended by 3,000
Clark County re
Tseng immigrated with his fam-
ily from Taiwan when he was in
3rd grade. Through his volunteer
involvement with OMSI’s Teen
Science Alliance Program, he
learned that not all students have
the same opportunities to explore
STEM fields. He responded to that
need by founding the Send2Space
non-profit organization where he
serves as president. The mission of
Send2Space is “To create a world
where all youth, regardless of their
backgrounds, are connected to op-
portunities that create a new gener-
ation of STEM leaders.”