(Che Çnrilanh ©bserutr
liv e. Many were forced to move in
with family or friends, already living
in the Albina area. The area ex
panded little by little, pushing to
wards the St. Johns area and closer
to 82nd Avenue.
Post War Years -
Moderate gains for
Blacks
Post-war problems caused fur
ther friction between whites and
blacks. Returning soldiers were
hailed as heroes and most felt they
shouldn’t have to compete with
blacks for jobs. Although many
returning veterans took advantage
o f the G1 Bill and returned to college,
job competition still became fierce.
U nem ploym ent am ong A frican
Americans was on the rise. Earlier in
the century, the Taylor vs. Cohn
case allowed for discrimination in
Oregon based on race. In 1950, the
City o f Portland’s City Council re
jected that case in an ordinance that
did not allow discrimination “in any
public place." Unfortunately a peti
tion brought defeat to the ordinance,
leaving “Jim Crow alive and well in
Portland.” In 1953, with the help o f
the NAACP, the Taylor vs. Cohn
case was permanently overturned,
however, open and hostile discrimi
nation continued for a long time.
nied practice o f real estate compa
nies only showing homes in certain
areas to black families. The Port
land Journal began doing the same.
Banks and real estate companies
were feeling the pressure to show
homes in white areas and 'loan money
ifthe black homeowners could dem
onstrate their ability to pay it back.
The “Fair Housing Law” came into
p lay , and slow ly A frican
Americans began migrating to
the suburbs. As more black
families began to enjoy the
sprawling suburbs, others left
behind in the “old neighbor
hood” began to feel an eco
nomic impact o f the transitions.
Poor blacks tended to stay
behind while more successful
ones moved away, creating
neighborhoods that felt even
more discrimination.
Schools
One o f the hardest fought
battles between the races was
that o f school segregation.
Many whites claimed support
o f equality but when it came to
sen d in g th eir ch ild ren to
school with black children,
they backed down. The Fair
Housing Act paved the way
for African Americans to move
to the suburbs, but few did.
H o lla d a y sc h o o l c h ild re n m o d elin g k n it hats in 1949.
(C o u rtesy o f O H S)
Another big step was the anti-mixed
marriage law o f 1866being repealed
in 1955. Also in the 1950’s, a section
called “Lower Albina" mostly in
habited by whites began seeing
changes. As whites began to move
out into the suburbs, homes opened
up to African Americans. About
this time, The Oregonian Newspa
p e r began reporting the long-de-
Putting their children through
brutal racism in white classes
made a lot o f parents and chil
dren afraid. The fact that there
were not a lot ofblack families
in Portland made the situation
“tolerable” in schools that al
lowed black children. But with
the huge influx o f African
Americans into the Portland
area during WWII, the tides
February 7, 2001
Focus
changed The fight to keep most
schools segregated intensified. In
1964, a “pilot relocation assistance
project” began. Twenty-five Afri
can American families, all o f whom
lived in the Albina District, were
given help to move out o f the area.
Although the program had a moder
ate success, prejudice continued to
prevail and Portland’s white com
munity fought harder to keep the
schools separate. Finally, during
the 1970’s and 1980’s, programs
aimed at desegregation were put in
place in the Portland School Dis
trict. Although they were success
ful, many African American fami
lies have chosen to leave their chil
dren in p re d o m in an tly black
schools. Under school guidelines
Page 7
in the late 20lh century, these schools
began getting better teachers and
programs. School District policies
andmeasures like Ballot Measure 5
spread funds more evenly through
out the district. Although it has not
made the system perfect, it has
helped us avoid the old trap o f a
student living in a wealthier area like
Lake Oswego getting a better high
INNOVATIVE
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contact our Job Line at
(360) 514-2268
1 (800) 455-4443
«4 >
Doug Williams, Human
Resources Specialist at
(360) 514-2269 V
(360) 514-3244 TDD
Equal Opportunity Employer