Page 10
February 21, 2001
©bswuer
Focus
African American Historic Buildings in Portland
By C athy G albraith for
B illy R eed ’ s
Celebrates
Black History Month
R estaurant t B ar
and the
2808 NE AAortin Luther King J r. Blvd accompl ishments
Portland OR 97212 503.493.8127
o f all
www.billyreeds.com
African Americans
Honesty, Integrity, Diversity
THE POR I LAM) OBSERV ER
D u rin g th e e a rly
years o f Portland, Afri­
can A m ericans had few
buildings w here they
can congregate and call
it th e ir c o m m u n ity ’s
ow n. M any o f these
sites still stand, which
have becom e historic
landm arks for preser­
v a tio n . T h e B o sc o -
Milligan Foundation has
catalogued these spe-
the m ajor race, labor, and civil
right issues o f the era. Rev. J.
James Clow was pastor from
1 9 3 6 -6 2 . An NAACP presi­
dent, Clow advocated for an
open housing policy for A fri­
can Am erican defense work­
ers in the 1940s and other civil
rights issues into the 1960s. As
the 1960s civil rights battles
opened in full, Rev. John Jack-
son arrived in Portland in 1964
as the new pastor at M ount
Olivet. From his arrival until
retirement in 198 7, he stood on
“ My mama loves me so much,
she protects me from colds,
ear infections, headaches,
asthma attacks and even cancer
without lifting a finger.”
The interior o f M axey’s Barber Shop at the Royal Palm Hotel
was owned by Charles Maxey.
(C ourtesy of OHS)
cial buildings with a his­
torical account o f them
in their book, “C orner­
stones o f Community:
T h e B u ild in g s o f
P o r tl a n d ’s A fric a n
Am erican H istory.”
Old Mt. O livet
Baptist Church
How? Josiah's mother doesn't smoke and doesn't allow
secondhand smoke in her home. If you smoke, take it
outside. Or better yet, consider quitting.
For help, call the Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP
or The African American Health Coalition at 503-413-1850.
A message from
Multnomah County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
c23 African American Health Coalition
NE. First & Schuyler
O rganized in 1897,
M ount O livet Baptist
Church com pleted its
R o m a n e sq u e
s ty le
building here in 1923
under the leadership o f
Rev. Jam es Anderson.
In the 1920s and 1930s,
M a rc u s G a rv e y , A.
Philip Randolph, and
others spoke at m eet­
ings in the church on
the front lines o f civil rights
issues organizing visible pick­
ets and boycotts to achieve
social and economic progress.
O f the “ second generation”
A fric a n A m e ric a n c h u rc h
buildings, following moves from
earlier buildings on Portland’s
west side, only M ount Olivet
still stands. The congregation
moved to larger quarters on
North Chautauqua in 1994.
Billy Webb Elks Lodge /
former YWCA
6 N. Tillamook
n an era o f segregation,
the “C olored YW CA”
was built here in 1926 in
the Colonial Revival style, af­
ter m eeting in a portable struc­
ture on this site for five years.
From its opening day, virtually
I