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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2023)
February 8, 2023 Page 3 INSIDE L ocaL N ews Anniversary of Statehood Arts & page 7 ENTERTAINMENT o piNioN c Lassified /B ids page 11 pages 14 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 personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, 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 Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association PO QR code The Oregon Liberty Bell; photo courtesy of the Oregon state capitol foundation Publisher: Mark Washington, Sr. Editor: Shawntell Washington Office Mngr/Clasfds : Lucinda Baldwin Admin Coord : Quayuana Washington Creative Director: Kenya Anderson Advertising Mngr: Tony 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 Follow Us on Social Media February 14 is Oregon’s 164th Birthday Oregon was founded on Feb. 14, 1859. It was the 33rd state admitted into the union, and in 1860 was home to over 54,000 residents. Today, around 4 mil- lion people call Oregon home. In the 1850s, there were no cell phones or computers. The news had to travel across the country from Washington DC, and the telegraph -- our best technology at the time -- could only reach as far as St. Louis. From Missouri, it traveled by stagecoach to the west coast. It then traveled by ship to Portland, and finally a rid- er rode his horse from Portland to Salem. It took three days in the March rain. When enacted in 1859, Oregon was the only state in the union to have an exclusion clause pro- hibiting African Americans from living or owning property. The law was removed from the state constitution in 1926. The ripples of the state's racist history are still felt today, particularly in Oregon's largest city. This year, there will be a number of cultur- al and heritage organizations, as well as some of Oregon's tribes, that have provided online activi- ties and learning opportunities for the public. Portland Woman Awarded $1M In Discrimination Suit Let's Get Connected for Our Latest News & Updates on Twitter @pdxobserver on Facebook @ThePortlandObserver on Instagram @portlandobserver (AP) — A jury has awarded an Oregon woman $1 million in damages after finding she was dis- criminated against by a gas station employee who told her, “I don’t serve Black people.” The Multnomah County jury’s award this week to Portland resi- dent Rose Wakefield, 63, includ- ed punitive damages of $550,000. Wakefield’s lawyer, Gregory Kafoury, said she stopped for gas at Jacksons Food Store in Beaverton on March 12, 2020, and saw the attendant, Nigel Pow- ers, ignore her and instead pump gas for other drivers. When she tried to ask for as- sistance he said, “I’ll get to you when I feel like it,” according to Kafoury. Attendants are required to pump fuel for motorists at gas stations in Oregon’s larger population centers including Portland and the nearby sub- urb of Beaverton. Surveillance video showed Wakefield go inside to ask for help. Another employee fol- lowed her back outside to pump her gas. Kafoury said as she was leaving, Wakefield asked Pow- ers why he refused to help her and that he said, “I don’t serve Black people.”
