Page 2
February 7, 2001
Focus
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S U P P L E M
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Focus
Honoring Portland’s
Portland’s Evolving
Black History
African American
Community
O ne hundred and fifty years ago, there w ere a little over three hundred
African A m ericans living in Portland. By law, O regon did not even allow
blacks into this state until 1940. T hrough their hard w ork and persever­
ance despite discrim inatory practices against them , blacks in Portland
have m ade great strides. Please jo in us as w e exam ine the proud path
o f this ever-developing A frican A m erican com m unity w ho have boldly
changed the face o f P o rtlan d ’s history.
E d i t o r i n C h ie f,
P u b lis h e r
C harles H. W ashington
Editor
L arry J . Ja ck so n , Sr.
B y R on W eber for
Union Station
i >¿T u n k > nzave
AVENUE^
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Portland’s population o f 2,800
in 1860 grew to 17,600 in 1880 and
quin tu p led o n ce again rising to
90,000 by 1900. In 1870, only 346
A frican A m ericans w ere counted in
the city census. M any lived right on
the edge o f P o rtland’s dow ntow n
D o o rs a n d W in d o w s
Copy Editor
J o y R am os
Business Manager
G ary A n n Taylor
Creative Director
R o b e rt P arker
4747 N E M a rtin L u th e r
K ing, J r., Blvd.
P o rtlan d , O R 97211
All types of Plate and Window Glass
Storm doors and Windows
Honors
Black History
Month
4709 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
LORRAINE
503-288-0033
HLAVINKA
Woman Owned
Portland, Oregon 97211
Phone 249-5886
Fax 249-1083
his lantern on the floor, beside him. Many African American men at
the turn o f the century in Portland were Union Station laborers.
(Courtesy o f OHS)
Fax 503-288-0015
e-mail:
thefocus@ portlandobse rver.com
subscrçticMïsJxatlandobK’rvii.aHii
Gerald M. Chase
Richard L. Weil
ads@ portlandobserver.com
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lo i
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CHASE & WEIL, LLP
Attorneys at Law
722 S.W. 2nd Avenue, Suite 240
Portland, OR 97204
503-294-1414
All cre ate d display ads
becom e th e sole p ro p e rty of
the new spaper a n d c a n n o t be
u sed in o th e r p u b lic atio n s o r
p ersonal usage w ithout th e
w ritten c o n sen t o f th e g en eral
m anager, unless th e client has
p u rch a sed th e co m p o sitio n o f
th e ad.
I W The Portland Obaervw
Pays Tribute To Black
History Month
com m ercial center. The area was
close to the U nion Railroad Station
on the W est Side o f the river in w hat
today w ould be the low er northw est
area. The railroad was know n to
specialize in A frican A m erican la­
bor. The Transcontinental Railroad
was com pleted in 1869, opening
scores o f opportunities for black
workers. G eorge Pullman, ow ner o f
the Pullman R ailroadC arC om pany
used A frican A m erican men alm ost
exclusively as R ed Caps (baggage
h an d lers) and P ullm an Porters.
M any used their earned w ages to
buy homes and raise their families in
the U nion Station area. A s O regon
had been called “a very prejudiced
state” in the early 1900’s, the con­
cept o f black people buying prop­
erty in Portland often m et w ith dis­
favor.
North Broadway
By the end o f the century, there
w ere ju st a little over one thousand
African Americans in thecity. Black
citizens began to grow in w hat was
now called “the N orth Broadw ay
area,” across the W illam ette River