EGC Black History Month: Part 1 : Black Oregon
Happy Black History Month, we hope this post finds you grounded and joyful. We are doing our best over here to lean into the joy of life as we know that joy helps ground us in our resiliency and resistance.
This month we sent out four newsletters in honor of BHM, this is an experiment in storytelling that usually is not in our monthly newsletters. We are wanting to talk about our work, community + city in a more in-depth way. We hope this is a small way for you to get to know us a bit more deeply.
Something that is really special about our EGC team and the work we do, is that our entire leadership team is made up of Black Women from Portland. Let that be said again, our entire leadership team is made up of Black Women from Portland. We all grew up here and are a product of this community. We are rooted here and honored to both carry legacy work within our community and to give back to our community.
Above is a team picture from our annual in service week, which was located at Open Haus this year. Ivan, Alice, Lillian, Tamar, Madison, and AJ.
Above is a rare picture of our Co-founders Lillian Green + AJ McCreary, this was taken during prep for Back to School 2024 at our warehouse in SE Portland!
Black Portland, Black Oregon has a rich history, one that we are proud to be a part of. Board Member and Expert Forager Elan reminds us not only do we belong here, but we bring wisdom, culture, and joy. Our practices of resiliency and community care have uplifted Oregon for decades. Riding around Portland with Elan is a unique and magical trip down memory lane. She recalls family homes, who lived where, what businesses used to be here or there. Art shows or community spaces that have been lost or evolved. She makes a point to bring our living history along with her and it is a practice we can all lean into more.
We have distinct memories of the Black community through the last four and a half decades both good and ugly. Some of the things we like to lean into are the thriving relationship to keeping Black culture well and alive here in Oregon. Though we have grown up in a very white dominant place we all have grown up deeply connected to our Blackness. Board Member and Master Food Preserver Rashae recalls the energy surrounding the 1989 renaming of Union Ave to Martin Luther King Blvd and how vibrant the drive south used to be from N. Lombard towards N.E. Alberta on the “K” as you passed various Black owned businesses and community members on the street.
Board Member + Artist Alice recalls talking African drumming from Mr. Obo Addy as a child and recalls attending the Black Women's Gathering with her mother, this was a space where Black professional women could gather and buy things from Black Makers. Both executive director AJ + Board Member and Historian Kayin were Les Femmes Debutantes, a seventy plus year organization that has supported the education and mentorship of hundreds of Black young ladies in Portland. We have a rich history here of community members coming together, celebrating one another, and uplifting each other.
The above photo is from the Les Femmes 50th Anniversary Ball in 2001, provided by Leigh Bohannon.
This relationship of working together has been required for Black Oregonians survival since York made way to this part of the Americas, the last frontier. Oregon was originally an exclusionary state meaning “NO Blacks allowed”, this hatred, tension, and harm is still felt today. We have a small community here because of this legacy. Currently there are about 80K Black folks in Oregon or 2.4% of the total population, our existence in this space is still an act of resistance. Black people have put roots down across this state from the coast, to Old town, to Williams Ave, to Eastern OR, Southern OR, and throughout.
Black Oregon might be small in numbers but we are a mighty community and have positively impacted not just society here in the PNW but our reach goes far beyond. Did you know that ground breaking Black climate scientist Dr. Warren Washington was from Portland? He should be talked about and celebrated more. When we think about pushing back against Zenith Energy, or uplifting the investments into Communities of Color in Portland via the Portland Clean Energy Fund our community and Black leaders have been doing this work forever. Climate action and the relationship to the land are deep values embedded in our community.
The above photo is of Dr. Warren Washington, we found this photo on the interwebs.
What is now downtown Portland was the original Black neighborhood in Portland, before we were moved out to Vanport, and then lower Albina, so much has changed since those early days. Depending on what historian you are talking to, Portland is on its 15th plus wave of gentrification. Fifth generation Black Oregonian and historian Nicole Allen talks about her Great Grandfather William Duncan Allen (sometimes referred to at W.D. Allen). His business, the Golden West Hotel located in what is now Old town. This hotel welcomed people from all over and was quite the luxuries accommodated to weary travelers. W. D. Allen established his hotel in 1906 and was harassed by the police constantly. He eventually moved his operation to lower Albina : Hotel Medley in the 1930s and ultimately was displaced due to police raids, so we have evidence that this proactive displacement goes back generations as does our resistance. Nicole's Great Grandfather W.D. Allen not only curated community hubs but brought lawsuits against oppressive entities including a local theatre for discrimination. Allen continuously used his voice to stand up for his family and the Black community at large. He wasn't the only outspoken leader in the early days of Portland, Hattie Redmond and Beatrice Morrow Cannady were two other Black Oregonians pushing back and making space for Black Folks. These examples and legacies of not only taking up space but pushing back against oppression grounds us in our purpose to keep fighting for liberation and sovereignty.
This photo of Mr. W.D. Allen was provided by his Great Granddaughter Nicole Allen.
This photo of Hotel Medley was also provided by Nicole Allen, sadly this structure is no longer present.
When we think about our relationship to joy and how we have been resilient we have to highlight our collective relationship to their arts. Art helps us process pain, highlights current events, and uplifts our spirits. Portland has a rich history with Black art and music, from Mr. Paul Knauls Cotton Club, to living legends like Mel Brown (he still plays live shows), Mr. Norman Sylvester (you can enjoy his set at Clydes), and grammy winning artist Esperenza Spalding who have been uplifting musical voices for decades. To brilliant folks like Sharitta Towne, Sean Hobbs Waters, Mr. Bobby Fouther, and Elijah Hassan who continuously stretch our imaginations and perspectives with their visual art. Please note there are hundreds more incredible artists both musicians, visual artists, and dancers that have been nurtured in this community. Two Black owned galleries in Portland you should check out are Ori Gallery and The BLACK Gallery. Two Black Portland Theatre Companies to check out: Passin Arts + World Stage Theatre. Our bodies here in the PNW inhale fresh air from our beautiful rainforests and breathe out beauty, magic, and love. Our art is resistance.
This dapper photo of jazz legend Mr. Norman Sylvester was borrowed from the interwebs.
The above photo of Mr. Sean Hobbs Waters was provided by his proud Mama AJ.Hobbs is currently studying at Illinois Tech in Chicago and dancing at the Ruth Page.
The Black Community in Oregon is rich, expansive, and holds a special relationship with resiliency and resistance.
Here is a high-level timeline of Portland Black History: Key Events and Milestones
Early Exclusion Laws (1844-1857): Oregon's early statehood saw the passage of Black exclusion laws, which made it illegal for Black people to settle in the state, setting the stage for systemic racial discrimination.
The Albina District (1900s-1960s): The Albina neighborhood became the cultural and economic center for Portland’s Black community. Due to segregation and housing restrictions, Albina housed a majority of Portland’s Black population during the mid-20th century.
Vanport Flood (1948): Vanport was Oregon’s second-largest city and home to a large Black population, many of whom moved to Portland to work in the shipyards during World War II. The flood destroyed Vanport, displacing thousands of Black families, many of whom faced housing discrimination when they attempted to relocate.
Civil Rights Movement in Portland (1960s-1970s): Portland’s Black community mobilized to challenge segregation in housing, education, and employment, leading to the founding of organizations like the Portland chapter of the NAACP and the Urban League.
Black Panthers in Portland (late 1969’s-1980’s): Mr. Kent Ford founded a Portland Chapter of the National Committee to Combat Facism (NCCF) which was closely aligned with Black Panthers and eventually became the Portland chapter of the Black Panthers. Through the 70s our local BPP chapter created a Free Breakfast program feeding hundreds of students each day, created multiple Free Clinics, and did more for the local community than the government. Due to the work and advocacy of the BPP we now have OHP, multiple country health clinics, and a state wide free breakfast program.
Gentrification and Displacement in Albina (1980s-2000s): The process of gentrification in the Albina district led to the displacement of many long-time Black residents. Urban renewal projects and rising housing costs pushed the community out of their historic neighborhoods.
Formation of the Black United Front (1979): A community-led group, the Black United Front was instrumental in advocating for educational reform and the inclusion of African American history and culture in Portland Public Schools.
The Emanuel Hospital Expansion (1970s): The expansion project of Emanuel Hospital led to the displacement of over 300 Black families in North Portland, further contributing to the decline of Albina as a cultural and residential hub for the Black community.
Oregon Fair Housing Act (1957 & 1969 Amendments): Although passed in 1957, housing discrimination persisted in Portland until stronger amendments were added in 1969, leading to slow but eventual changes in housing policies affecting Black residents.
Cultural Resurgence and Black Leadership (2000s-Present): Organizations like the Good In the Hood, Black United Fund, Soul District Business Association, Black Community of Portland, Afro Village, Black Beyond the Binary, Black Futures Farm, Equitable Giving Circle, Taking Ownership and Imagine Black have emerged to restore and revitalize Black culture, heritage, and economic empowerment in Portland, with efforts to reclaim space and prevent further displacement.
Juneteenth and Vanport Day of Remembrance: These annual events are celebrated as critical milestones in recognizing the contributions of Black Portlanders and the ongoing fight for racial justice. Ms. Clara Peoples is the Black Woman who brought our Juneteenth Celebration to Portland with our annual parade she is also the reason the Oregon Food Bank exists. She fed people from her porch in NE Portland, and her work lives on through Bethel EDC.
The above photo of Ms, Clara Peoples was borrowed from the interwebs.
We have four historians on our team and want to encourage you all to get beyond reading history and get involved with these living histories we are all a part of. Below are a few interactive ways you can lean into our collective Oregon History, do your own digging you will find even more!
A few ways to celebrate and learn more about Oregon's Black History:
Through the Trees Collective founded by Nicole Allen does really cool work connecting the ecology of Oregon and the legacy of Black People here with a variety of programming. Connecting to the land and celebrating our relationship in nature is a rich part of life for Black Oregonians. Some of us even fry Salmon, shocking and delicious.
Historian + Board Member Kayin Talton Davis alongside of her husband Cleo Davis created a visual walking tour on N Williams and the red towers on Alberta. We highly recommend you check both of these out. Both are free and can be enjoyed at your own pace. These public art pieces celebrate our history and are informative.
Oregon Black Pioneers does a beautiful job highlighting Black history throughout Oregon. They have events all year that highlight the unique histories of Black folks in Oregon. They have quite a few events this month in celebration of BHM. Check them out!
Vanport Mosaic does a walking tour with Portland Black Panther Chapter cofounder Mr. Kent Ford that highlights the many spaces and programs our local BPP chapter was doing in the 70's. Something folks often forget is our state's breakfast program was adopted because of the BPP, as well as the reason Multnomah County and OHSU have free clinics is because they took over the clinics the BPP started. Vanport Mosaic does really incredible Memory Activism or storytelling and if you haven’t checked out their work you need too.
On 2/11 Mr. Kent Ford will be at the Oregon Historical Society for a film screening of Walking Through Portland with a Panther. Please check it out, we’ll be there too!
Vanport Mosaics 10th annual festival celebrating Vanport happens in May, put that on your calendar.
This photo of Mr. Kent Ford was also borrowed from the interwebs, whoever made it- we are a fan!
Some reading reccs:
*All of these titles and more can be purchased through Third Eye Books, one of Portland's Black bookstores
A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788–1940, by Elizabeth McLagen
The Portland Black Panthers, by Lucas N. N Burke & Jusdon L. Jeffries
African Americans of Portland, by local Black Historian Kimberly Stowers Moreland
The Making of American Whiteness, by local Black Historian Dr. Carmen Thompson
We hope you have enjoyed this Black Oregon History reflection. We hope you check out some of the recommendations made and explore the links provided. We hope you lean into building community connections and invest in this rich history and community alongside us. This month is the perfect time to experience the resiliency, joy, and magic that is Oregon's Black Community. Lean in! Have fun!
In joy,
The EGC Squad
