Civil Rights Fountain

Letter to the Editor:

I am the chief executive officer for the Rosa Parks Memorial Association of Portland. We want to dedicate a civil rights fountain and Rosa Parks monument in downtown Portland at Waterfront Park and the Transit Mall.

Our motivation is to honor the civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks following her recent death and the 51^st anniversary of her December 1, 1955 arrest in Montgomery Ala. when she refused to relinquish her seat on a segregated bus and the bus boycott that followed.

“Rosa is a legend of her time and changed the course of history. We will dedicate the civil rights fountain to her for the benefit of the community”. This will build the better future for Oregon and America by bringing us together as one nation under God.

We are asking the city of Portland and city commissioners to donate a grant or gift of $300,000 for the monument to extemporize the African-American community in Portland and throughout the state.

By honoring Rosa Parks and keeping her memory alive, we are asking that the site be slated downtown instead of Peninsula Park in the Piedmont neighborhood of north and northeast Portland, where 95 percent of residents and visitors never travel. I cannot say it enough, African-Americans have been left out in the cold in every case; and we need a change here in this city now.

I have worked on the Rosa Parks Project for close to eight years and it is my will to see this event come to light.

We are asking for your support in this task and appreciate any assistance that will expedite the event. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail at WillieBanks@RosaparksFoundation.org or by telephone at 503-702-2011 or 503-877-9346.

Dr. Rev. Willie Banks