IBlack Cornerstone Network Project by EGC + Afro Village : Exploring the growth of third spaces and Black Community or Black Cornerstones and how we communicate within Portland's Black Community. 

cor·​ner·​stone ˈkȯr-nər-ˌstōn. 1. : a stone forming part of a corner in a wall. 2. : something of basic importance. A cornerstone is a known community space that acts as a space to gather, connect, share resources, celebrate, and engage with the community. A hub or historical space that serves the community that also acts as a third space. 

What is a third space: the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, libraries, gyms, bookstores, hackerspaces, stoops, parks, theaters, among others. 

Network: a group or system of interconnected people or things. 

Why is this project needed: Portland was created as an exclusionary state meaning that it was illegal for Black People to move into the territory as Oregon was an inclusionary state and unwelcoming to Blacks. These beginning origins still have an impact on the culture and experience for everyone who is in Oregon

Portland has experienced waves of gentrification which has displaced thousands of Black Portlanders, this displacement has resulted in a scattered community and the negative implications are deeper than loss of residences and neighborhood connections but also has impacted our community gathering spaces, local Black business community and created incredible barriers for nonprofits and other community building initiatives. We are exploring how to heal this wound in a collaborative way with both our peer organizations and resourced community. 

In 2024 we talked to the community through a survey, many tabling experiences, events, and some round tables and the community told us: 

• They want programming and Black community spaces across the city, less than five miles from their home. 

• They want consistency, it is impossible to build relationships without consistency. 

• They need more tangible resources. 

• They like seeing organizations collaborate on projects.

• They said we need substantial investments ASAP to foster healing and communal growth.   

Moving Forward we are exploring who all will be in our network, ways we can do collective marketing or communications, and how we can collaboratively uplift the investments needs of the entire community. We are planning to uplift the Reimagining Public Safety Work that Imagine Black is doing in their statewide study. We are exploring how we can establish more Black Cornerstones through Portland. We are talking to experts on how we can expand financial investments into direct service orgs.