This content was published: February 5, 2014. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Pioneering judge keynote for PCC’s Black History Month
Photos and story by James Hill
The centerpiece to Portland Community College’s Black History Month celebrations in February is the inspiring journey of the Honorable Adrienne Nelson, a judge with the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Nelson was a public defender, an associate with Bennett, Hartman, Morris and Kaplan, LLP law firm, and the senior attorney/coordinator of the Portland State University Student Legal and Mediation Services.
Judge Nelson, whose judicial appointment in 2006 made her the second female African American judge in Oregon, will share her story as well as the discipline and dedication required for success. The event is at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, in the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building Auditorium, Cascade Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth St. The event is free and open to the public. Seating for the presentation is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Nelson was a public defender, an associate with Bennett, Hartman, Morris and Kaplan, LLP law firm, and the senior attorney/coordinator of the Portland State University Student Legal and Mediation Services. She sits on the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights and is an Oregon State Bar delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. In 2003, Judge Nelson received the Oregon Women Lawyers Judge Mercedes Diez Award for promotion of minorities in the legal profession and in the legal community. In 2011, Lewis and Clark Law School named her a distinguished honorary graduate for her mentoring and diversity activities at the school.
To RSVP to this event, email elisabeth.davidson@pcc.edu.
PCC Black History Month Highlights:
Rock Creek Campus (17705 N.W. Springville Road) – “Celebrating Oregon’s Black Pioneers,” 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Feb. 18, Event Center, Building 9. Willie Richardson, president of the Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers, will present on the essential role African Americans played in building Oregon.
Sylvania Campus (12000 S.W. 49th Ave.) – “Blueprints for Utopia: Science Fiction and Social Change,” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25, Oak-Elm Room, CC Building. Led by co-authors Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha, co-editors of the upcoming anthology, “Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements,” will explore examples and the history of progressive science fiction.
Cascade Campus (705 N. Killingsworth St.) – “The Forgotten Northeast Black Community,” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building Auditorium. This panel presentation will explore the history of black communities in Oregon. Come hear why there are so few blacks in Oregon, and why so many blacks continue to leave Oregon.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »