F ebruary 23, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A4
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
¿Che ¡ g U r tla n h ® b s t m r
NAACP
Black Police Officers A n d Firemen
two years of experience in the crim i
nal justice system , with the past twelve
years in management. In 1970, Vera
broke the color barrier as Multnomah
C ounty’s first black female correc
tions officer, now she works as the
facility com m ander for the M ult
nomah County Restitution Center,
r l
• r
•»
NAACP parade for Medgar Evers, June 24, 1963
Vera C. Pool
M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty , a d e p a rtm e n t
c o m p rise d o f a ll th a t c o u n ty ’s
c rim in a l ju s tic e a g e n c ie s. M o st
re c e n tly , P re s id e n t C lin to n a p
p o in te d him to the p o sitio n o f
Carman Sylvester
Penum bra Kelly became a U.S. M ar
shal, he appointed W aterford the first
African American deputy U.S. M ar
shal. W aterford also served twice as
an elections judge.
F o llo w in g in th e fo o tste p s o f
G eo rg e H a rd in ,C a rm a n S y lv e ste r
b e c a m e the f irs t A fric a n A m e ri
can p o lic e w o m a n in 1973. She
w as a lso the first w om an to w ork
th e s tr e e t in u n ifo rm and as a
re g u la r p a tro l o ffic e r. B ut e v e n in
th e c o u rse o f her p io n e e rin g w ork,
sh e m a n a g e d to ra is e fo u r c h il
d ren : E rik a L y n n , P a tric ia A nn,
S te fa n y K ae and L e n a m e M arie.
C u rre n tly , C a rm a n w o rk s in the
a d m in is tr a tio n o f th e P o rtla n d
P o lic e D e p a rtm e n t.
A nother pioneer in law enforce
ment is V era C . Pool, who has twenty-
In 1904 - fo rty -o n e y e a rs a f
te r th e E m a n c ip a tio n P ro c la m a
tio n - P o rtla n d h ire d its first b lack
p o lic e m a n , G e o rg e H a rd in . R e
s p o n s ib le fo r H a rd in ’s a p p o in t
m e n t, a lo n g w ith the g o o d c i t i
z e n s o f P o rtla n d , w as the N ew
P o rt R e p u b lic a n C lu b , w h ich w as
p o p u la riz e d by w a ite rs. H ard in
se rv e d e le v e n y e a rs as p o lic e m a n ,
an d th e n w as a p p o in te d to the
s h e r if f ’s o ffic e as the first b lack
d e p u ty . He se rv e d fo r tw e n ty -o n e
y e a rs as d e p u ty u n til his d e a th in
1938. S a m u e l B la n c h a rd an d M at
D ish m an w ere the first b la c k sh e r
iffs in P o rtla n d . G e ra ld in e A very
w as th e f irs t b la c k p o lic e m a tro n .
A. W aterford was the first A fri
can Am erican fireman for the P ort
land Fire D epartm ent. Later, when
George Hardin
which helps convicted people to re
enter the community as responsible
citizens.
D r. L ee P. B row n is a very
d istin g u ish e d fo rm er p o lic e c h ie f
w ho has been at the helm o f se v
e ra l o f the c o u n try ’s la rg e st u r
ban police forces. D uring his m ore
th an th irty y ears in law e n fo rc e
m e n t, he has o c c u p ie d top p o s i
tio n s in the p o lic e d e p a rtm e n ts o f
H o u sto n , A tla n ta an d N ew Y ork
C ity . In 1975, he serv ed as s h e riff
o f M ultnom ah C ounty (P o rtla n d ).
In 1976, Dr. B row n w as ap p o in ted
D ire c to r o f Ju stic e S e rv ic e s for
The Urban League branch of Port- efforts to integrating Portland’s and
V anport’s transplanted com m unity
land came into existence in 1945,35
into the mainstream .
years after it was established in New
Besides Berry, there was also
York City. In Portland, the L eague’s
Shelton
Hill, and between them they
mission was to take an active role in
worked
with a num ber o f depart
finding jobs for blacks, negotiating
ment
stores
to change their policies
with employers and sending out hand
concerning
the
hiring o f blacks.
picked workers tojobs previously held
Bill
Berry
was
Executive D irec
only by whites.
tor
of
the
Portland
Urban League
Bill Berry was recruited from
from
1945
to
1956.
He then left
Chicago to be the first head o f this
Portland
to
head
the
Chicago
Urban
organization. W hen he arrived, he
League.
Shelton
Hill
w
as
then
ap
surmised that he had to get black
pointed
Executive
D
irector
from
people from the shipyards to their
former homes. But he quickly reas 1956 to 1973. Portland still thrives
sessed the situation and dedicated his because o f their achievements.
Fred A n d Regina Rowers
Here is a personal by Regina S.
Johnson-Flow ers, describing life in
V anport with her family and hus
band, Rev. Fred Flowers, Jr.:
“Fred and I cam e to the Pacific
N orthw est with our families in the
early 1940s. My family went directly
to Vanport City, while Fred and his
family traveled to W ashington State
and, later to East and W est Vanport.
Vanport was a public housing
project started by the Housing A u
thority o f Portland in December 1941,
and com pleted in 1943. It was recog
nized as the largest housing project in
the United States. Built for war w ork
ers employed by Edgar Kaiser in the
various shipyards, Vanport rested on
a swamp between two major rivers.
Arriving in Vanport as young
sters, we saw that all the structures
looked alike. Each unit was painted
green with about 18 apartm ents to a
unit. I lived on Cottonw ood Avenue
on the castsidc, w hile Fred lived on
Broad Acres on the northside. The
city o f Vanport was self-contained,
having a post office, fire departm ent,
shopping centers, schools, hospital,
ja il, ballparks, recreation centers,
movie theater and ice houses. We had
always heard Vanport was a crowded
place, but we look pleasure in m eet
ing so many new people each and
every day.
The apartm ents them selves were
arranged in one long straight line,
commonly called a ‘shotgun style.
They consisted o f a living room, eat
ing space, kitchen, bathroom (show
ers) and bedroom. But there were no
back doors. All the furnishings were
provided: bcd.divano, ice box, dresser,
two-eyed cooking stove, etc. When
something needed to be lixed, you
could request a replacement. H ow
ever, we had to supply our own linen,
cooking pans, silverw are and other
extras to make the place liveable.
Every four units were connected
Rev. Fred Flowers and Mrs. Begina Flowers
to their ow n utility facility, where we
got our heat (coal furnace), washed
our clolhcs and bathed. Clothes could
be hung inside the wash area or out on
a com m unity clothesline, w eather
perm itting.
At the beginning o f May in 1948,
wc heard rum orsol high waters around
Vanport. M ostofusnoticed the slough
rising more than ever. But some o f us
were getting ready for our eight grade
graduation, so the flood was the last
thing on our minds. My Dad had to
return to O klahom a to be near his
dyingm othcr. H edidn’t want to leave,
but he thought w e’d be safe.
Each day, the water continued to
rise. The governm ent assured all the
residents that the dike would hold.
But some fam ilies didn’t rely on that
and left early in May.
Sunday,M ay 30,1948, w asad ay
I will never forget. In the late after
noon, wc heard shouting that the rail
road dike had broken, m eaning that
Vanport would be under water in a
mere forty-five minutes. My m other
and iny two brothers hurriedly threw
some things in a suitcase, turned off
all the lights, locked the door and left
the apartment. W hen wc got to C ot
tonwood A venue, I had never seen so
-- T .
D ire c to r o f the O ffic e o f N a tio n a l
D rug C o n tro l P o lic y (a k a “ D rug
C z a r”).
First African- American School teachers in Portland
Education has alw ays been the
key to a successful livelihood for many
groups. After the Em ancipation Proc
lamation, many blacks felt it was a
necessity. The year 1867 was im por
tant because W illiam A. Brown a t
tempted to register his four children
in a Portland public school, and was
refused adm ission. Mr. Brown then
appealed to his friend, T.A. W ood,
who m et with the Educational D irec
tor and was told that if the African
American children w ere adm itted,
the schools would lose their funding.
Seeking a solution, the director sug
gested that the am ountof money given
for each student, approximately $2.25
per quarter, be m andated for the
renting of a building and the em ploy
ment o f a teacher to teach the black
children. U nfortunately, this would
net only $35, placing an extrem e fi
nancial burden on black parents to
com e up with the rest. Mr. W ood then
filed a appeal in court, w hich was
decided in favor o f the school. F i
nally, to am eliorate the situation, the
school board agreed to allocate $800
for a separate school. In Septem ber of
1867, a school for black children
opcncd-twcnty-onc years before Plcssy
vs. Ferguson would establish the doc
trine of Separate But Equal in Oregon.
For 78 years, African A merican
ta l.
S o c ia lly and e d u c a tio n a lly ,
the N A A C P w o u ld o fte n host
se m in a rs to a c q u a in t A fric a n
A m e ric a n s w ith th e ir h isto ry .
In 1925, a C risp u s A ttu ck s p ro
g ra m w as in itia te d to e n lig h te n
the b lack co m m u n ity a b o u t the
c o n trib u tio n s o f A frican A m eri
c a n s to A m erican h isto ry .
In a d d itio n to the re g u la r
m e m b e rs h ip ,
a
w o m en ’s
a u x ilia ry helped raise m oney for
th e S c o tts b o ro B o y s d e fe n se
fu n d . T he N A A C P a lso a llie d
its e lf w ith the O regon C o m m o n
w e a lth F e d e ra tio n to help s e
c u re the first b lack se c re ta rial
p o sitio n s in the fe d e ra l and state
o ffic e s in P o rtla n d . T o d a y , the
N A A C P c o n tin u e s to lead the
w a y , along w ith o ther civil rights
o rg a n iz a tio n s , to m a in ta in and
im p ro v e the q u a lity o f life for
a ll p e o p le .
children were
a c c e p te d by
the P o rtland
Public School
D istrict. The
n e x t la n d
m a rk h a p
pened in 1952
w hen Robert
G. Ford and
L eo ta Stone Geraldine Hammond
w ere hired as
the first black teachers in Portland
public schools, with Ford being the
first black teacher in a Portland high
school. In 1980, the first black super
in tendent was selected: M atthew
Prophet. Dr. Prophet served from
1 9 8 0 -1 9 9 2 . A lso p ro m in e n t in
P ro p h et’s adm inistration w as Dr.
Ernest Hartzog, A ssociate Superin
tendent. During P rophet’s tenure, he
em phasized serving the needs o f at-
risk students along with the develop
m ent of a m ulticultural/ethnic seg
m ent of the curriculum . Due to the
public demand for diversity within
the Portland public schools, all racial
and ethnic groups are represented in
the school system.
Geraldine H am m ond has been a
true pioneer in education. She has
w orked in the Portland and Salem
school districts as a teacher, principal
and adm inistrator.
Black Elected Officials
much confusion. People were sitting
In 1991,thcnumbcrofblack elected
on the rooftops, hoping to ride out the officials in the suite of Oregon reached a
flood. W c finally reached Denver new high of fourteen. At that time, the
Avenue, with the w ater not far be black population in Oregon was 46,178,
hind. I rem em ber looking back and or two percent of the total population of
seeing those 18 apartm ent units float 2,842,321. Black registered voters num
ing on large waves, plus logs and bered 22,000, out of a total of 1,417,000
everything else that got in the path of registered voters.
the water. Fred’s father and mother
Municipal Board members have
heard the sirens, and w ere able to been represented by Michael Clark, Com
drive out because they w eren’t far missioner Chair, and Ann Christiansen,
from Denver Avenue. Fred and a Commissioner, both of Eugene. Charles
friend w eren’ t in V anport that day, as P. Jordan was a commissioncr-At-Largc
they had gone to sec a movie in Port from Portland, while Bobby Green served
land. The m anagem ent o f the movie as a council member from Eugene.
theater stopped the m ovie and an
Gladys McCoy, now deceased,
nounced ‘that Vanport was flooded was Chair Com m issioner for Mult-
and residents should go hom e.’ We ' nomah County. C urrently, there arc
still laugh about that statem ent today. two African A merican C ircuit Court
Fortunately, all of our close friends Judges out of a total ol 85: Aaron
and relatives managed to get out alive, Brown, Jr. and Anccrl Haggerty. D is
making us the largest group o f hom e trict C ourt ju d g es have included
less people in Portland’s history.
Mercedes Dciz, Roosevelt Robinson
Fred and I still think about the and H.J. Belton Hamilton.
years wc spent in Vanport. Although
In the area of education, Portland
it was a tem porary situation, it helped School District has had as school board
mold our character and shape our m em bers: G ladys M cCoy, Herb
future. T o this day, wc cherish the Cawthomc and,currently, LuciusHicks.
great friendships and lifelong rela In Beaverton, James Harris was a school
tionships that grew out of living in board mem ber, along with W illie
Richardson of the Salem-Keizer School
V anport.”
District. In Eugene, Jonathan West was
9W Ê
a ih
Dr. Lee P. Brown
D arro w , w ho se c u re d an a c q u it
Black Educators A nd Education
Urban League
Bill Berry & first minority Bose
Festival princess
In 1914, fiv e y e a rs a fte r the
fo rm a tio n o f the N a tio n a l A sso
c ia tio n fo r the A d v a n c e m e n t o f
C o lo re d P eo p le in the E ast, P o rt
lan d sta rte d its ow n b ra n c h w ith
165 m e m b e rs. T he aim o f the
P o rtla n d b ra n c h w as to p ro te st
d isc rim in a tio n and to lobby for
the p a ssa g e o f a p u b lic a c c o m
m o d a tio n b ill. T he first su c c e ss
fu l c a m p a ig n o v e r a c iv il rig h ts
case w as c o n d u c te d by R ev. J.L .
C a sto n , a y o u n g m in iste r from
M t. O liv e t B a p tist C h u rc h .
T h e N A A C P o f P o rtla n d
a ls o p a r tic ip a te d in n a tio n a l
A fric a n A m e ric a n issu e s. O ne
g o o d ex a m p le w o u ld be th e “D r.
S w e e t C a s e ,” in w hich a black
d o c to r w as a c c u se d o f k illin g
tw o m en w ho w ere a p a rt o f a
m o b a tta c k in g th e d o c t o r ’s
hom e. B etw een the P o rtla n d and
V é ro n iq u e c h a p te rs , th e y ra ise d
S 2 0 0 .0 0 . T h e y a lso h ire d the
fa m o u s tria l la w y e r, C la re n c e
Vice-Chairman of the Eugene School
Board.
James Hill, Jr.
tecs addressing econom ic devclop-
ment, Colum bia G orge scenic protcc-
Margaret Carter
Av el Gordly
tion, sexual harassm ent and school
JAMES HILL, JR.
Jim Hill is the first African Ameri revenue. She co-sponsored the Anti-
can to serve as Oregon State T rea Apartheid Divestiture Act of 1987,
surer. Mr. Hill was first elected to the the Minority and W om en’s Business
Oregon House of Representatives in A ct of 1987, and the bill establishing
1982. H e co-chaired the Joint com a state holiday to honor the birthday
mittee on trade and Economic Devel o f Dr. M artin Luther King.
AVEL GORDLY
opm ent, and served on the House
Avcl
Gordly
is the first African
com m ittees on elections, the Judi
American
legislator
to represent a
ciary, Agriculture, Forestry and Natu
predom
inantly
w
hite
Portland dis
ral Resource Treasurcrl.
trict.
Ms.
G
ordly'selection
has shown,
MARGARET CARTER
in
her
w
ords,
that
One
person
really
M argaret Carter was the first A f
can
make
a
difference...it
is
particu
rican A merican woman to serve as a
representative in the Oregon State la rly im p o r ta n t fo r p e o p le o f
L egislature. Ms. C arter was first color...and for women to be present in
elected to the Oregon House in 1984. the pol icy -making bodies. ..otherwise,
She has served on Icgislali vccom m it- our voices w on’t be heard.
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