Oregon Black Pioneers highlight North Coast history
Stocks, an Astoria local,
talks upcoming plans
BY LISSA BREWER
Zachary Stocks imagines coastal visitors
past and present standing shoulder to shoul-
der, exploring lands their ancestors may
have once visited or called home.
Stocks, who is executive director of Ore-
gon Black Pioneers, a statewide organiza-
tion dedicated to preserving the history of
Black Oregonians, is passionate about shar-
ing these ancestors’ lives and stories.
Also a park ranger, Stocks interprets sto-
ries of exploration, survival and place at
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.
“What I do as a public historian and as an
interpreter is to try and figure out what those
stories are that we can learn from,” Stocks
said. “The work that I do is very deeply tied
to my feelings about our ancestors and the
past.”
Much of his work with Oregon Black
Pioneers overlaps with work as an inter-
preter. “When visitors come to Fort Clatsop,
most of them are familiar with the names
Lewis and Clark and usually Sacagawea as
well,” he said. Another figure that fewer vis-
itors are familiar with is York, the only per-
son of African descent on the Lewis and
Clark expedition.
“His role in the expedition was a
laborer,” Stocks said. He also notes the dis-
crimination faced by the expedition mem-
ber. “York was the only man of the expedi-
tion who did not receive any compensation
for his years of service. All the other men
received land and money, and York got noth-
ing,” he added.
Figures like York hint at the centuries
of Black Oregonians’ experiences high-
lighted by the organization’s work. They are
also the subject of Stocks’ upcoming pre-
sentation, titled “Oregon’s Black History:
450 years in 45 minutes,” set for the Sea-
side Library. “It’s sort of a crash course in
all things Oregon Black history going back
to the very first arrivals of people of African
descent in the place that we call Oregon,”
Stocks said.
Much of that history, he notes, takes
place within the North Coast region. “It was
up here where we got to see the first mari-
time expeditions that brought African Amer-
icans, or Africans from other countries com-
ing to this part of the Northwest,” Stocks
said. Oregon Black Pioneers’ future plans in
the region include a Black History Bus Tour,
planned for September.
Oregon Black Pioneers was founded in
10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Zachary Stocks is the executive director
of Oregon Black Pioneers.
Oregon’s Black History:
450 years in 45 minutes
Seaside Library, 1131 Broadway St., Seaside
2 p.m. on Saturday
Sponsored by Oregon Humanities and
Friends of Seaside Public Library
www.seasidelibrary.org
Mark Graves/The Oregonian
A painting of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
1993, with a mission to shed light on the sto-
ries of communities and individuals of Afri-
can descent throughout Oregon’s history.
Based in Salem, the nonprofit was fully run
by volunteers until Stocks joined in the sum-
mer of 2020, living and working in Astoria.
Since then, the organization has worked on
projects and events with the Clatsop County
Historical Society, in addition to its consul-
tation services, independent exhibits, lesson
plans for students and scholarship support.
“The work that I do is really informed by
my relationship with this community and I
do my best to work with local organizations
to share stories of Oregon’s Black history,
particularly ones that are related to Clatsop
County,” Stocks said.
Stocks hopes that the organization’s body
of research and community outreach will
shed light on the region’s diverse history.
“The truth is, there’s never been a day in the
history of Oregon when there was non-In-
digenous people here and Black people
weren’t among them,” Stocks said, noting
common misconceptions about the state’s
early history.
“It’s not just about the work that we do
at Oregon Black Pioneers, but instead say-
ing ‘yes, when we look at the heritage of this
place, we want to make sure that we repre-
sent all the different peoples that have made
this place what it is,’” Stocks said. “We do
what we can to share stories of our more
diverse past so people recognize that every-
one has a place here, that everyone’s story is
reflected in the Oregon story.”
A bust of York, a member of the Lewis
and Clark Expedition, seen on Mount
Tabor in Portland.