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February 21, 2001_________________________« g
(D h a e r tU T
Oregon’s Black History
Focus
A
p ocus
R. W. Morrison once commented in 1844, “I’m going to Oregon, where there’ll be no slaves and we all start even.”
This typified the feelings of many Southerners, both black and white. Many African Americans made the long perilous
journey to our beautiful Northwest only to find out that the racial climate was harsh here. Join us as we take a look
at the little known black history in Oregon before it became a state and afterwards.
S U P P L E M E N T
O F
^ortianb
(Qbecrücr
Did the First Black Arriving in North
America Land in Coastal Oregon?
E d ito r in C h ie f,
P u b lis h e r
Charles H. W ashington
National Debate Continues Over This Historical Question
Editor
L arryJ. Jackson, Sr.
By R on W eber fob T he
P ortland O bserver
Four hundred and tw enty one
years ago, in 1579, the first A fri­
can A m erican to set foot on our
W est C oast soil arrived here with
an English sailor. Some say it was
near San Francisco, but evidence
is continuing to m ount that it was
actually here in Oregon. Just north
ofN ew port, in W hale Cove, might
have been the last resting place o f
D iego, a tall free Black Pirate and
friend o f Sir Francis D rake. O ver
three hundred and fiftyyears later,
a three-person grave was discov­
ered a few miles from W hale Cove.
D ating studies on a tree that had
grow n over the grave proved the
bodies w ere buried around the
tim e when Francis Drake was said
Cofy Editor
Jo y Ramos
Business Manager
G ary A nn Taylor
Creative Director
R obert Parker
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to have been here on the W est
C oast w ith Diego. O ne o f the
skeletons was o f an unusually
large man, m uch too tall to be an
average Englishm an or a local In­
dian. Diego was said to be around
six and a h a lf feet tall. Som e h is­
tory fans and researchers are b e­
ginning to w onder if the bones
could possibly be the rem ains o f
D iego, the first black man in this
part o f the W estern H em isphere.
D iego first jo in ed forces w ith
S ir Francis in 1572 when D rake
was trying to overtake N om bre de
D ios, a rich Spanish port in the
Caribbean. D iego’s hatred o f the
Spanish and their cruel treatm ent
o f slaves made him a perfect p art­
ner for D rake who prom ised to be
a friend. D rake’s kindness and
The Golden Hines ship cruising around Whale Cove, Oregon is a
reproduction o f the actual ship sailed by Sir Francis Drake when he
sailed the West Coast with the first African American.
e-mail;
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subscriptkjnSportlandobservfT.atm
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A Salute to Dr. John D. Marshall
Articles: Friday by 5 p . m .
Ads: Monday by Noon
I 9 2 I - I9 9 O
)r. Marshall established a medical practice in
Focus welcomes freelance
submissions. M anuscripts and
’ortland in the 1940s when it could not have
photographs can be returned
if accom panied by a self-
addressed stam ped envelope.
All created display ads
becom e the sole property of
>een easy to be a black m an in medical school
I
>r a black m an trying to establish a medico
rractice. But to the men, wom en and
:hildren he cared for in Portland,
reloved. Many today still rem em ber
the newspaper and cannot be
:alm demeanor and his willingness to pay
used in other publications or
louse calls - any tim e o f the day or night.
personal usage without the
w ritten consent of the general
manager, unless the client has
purchased the com position of
the ad.
1 9 « The Portland O b w n rr
Today, one o f Dr. Marshall’s sons, John, works in the Housing Department at thè
Portland Development Commission. He hopes his father would be proud of him -
not as a healer - but as a builder o f safe, affordable housing for all citizens.
FDC
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION