February IS, 2012___________________
The po rtlantj O bserver
B lack H ¡Story Month
A Microcosm of Portland History
co n tin u ed
fr o m p a g e 5
rem edies to these problem s, inclu d ­
ing a variety o f neighborhood polic­
ing, she said. “ B ut enforcem en t
w a sn ’t there for a w hile, and pro p ­
erty values plum m eted. T here w ere
houses in the next block, w hich sold
for $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 each .”
In th e p a st c o u p le o f d e c a d e s,
she said p o lic in g h as im p ro v e d
an d the v io le n c e h a s seen a d e ­
rid d e n n e ig h b o rh o o d ,” sh e said.
“ B ut the o v er inflated housing
m arket m ade it really easy for people
to get loans they couldn’t afford, so
there are a number of vacant houses
bought by people beyond their means.”
She said property taxes also in­
creased as houses began to sell for
$300,000, and consequently, some
people had to m ove because they
couldn’t afford to pay.
I can point to two or three houses
very diverse neighborhood associa­
tion, and wecondnue to support projects
that have improved many things about
the neighborhood,” she said. “W e have
new neighbors who really reach out and
bring a new degree o f neighborliness,
and it is a deliberate action when they
reach out.”
E helebe said she is especially
proud o f a new m ural painted to
decorate the street c o m e r o f 9th and
H olm an. “ W e have a com m unity
garden, a farm er’s m arket, and a
local ch ap ter o f Food not B om bs,”
she said.
“It is exceedingly im portant to
docum ent your neighborhood and
things as they are, because w hat
you photograph and docum ent is
h isto ry .”
A lot o f the places in this book are
no lo n g er there, she said, flipping
through the black and w hite pages.
“A nd w e are constantly m aking
h isto ry .”
A njala
E h ele b e's book
Portland's Woodlawn Neighbor­
hood is fo r sale at various loca­
tions in northeast Portland, in­
cluding Reflections, Cafe Eleven,
Salt and Straw Ice cream, Buffalo
Gardens and Belief in Motion
Studio.
After becoming an active member of the Woodlawn Neighborhood
Association in northeast Portland, Anjala Ehelebe wrote the book
Portland’s Woodlawn Neighborhood, which documents the area
throughout time.
c re a s e . “ T h in g s q u ie te d fo r a where people have lost their homes, she
w h ile ,” she said , y et e x p la in e d the said, looking out her front window at the
b e lie f by so m e th a t th e la c k th e re street. “But they could not afford pay­
o f e n fo rc e m e n t in the n e ig h b o r­ ments when the rates increased,” she
h o o d w as a “c o n sp ira c y to d riv e said.
d o w n p ric e s .”
“Y ou’ve got to remember, some
“ It w as q u ite a sto n ish in g w hen people have lived here for generations,
p ric e s started p ic k in g b a ck up d u r­ and during the easy money times, they
ing th e real e sta te b o o m ,” she said. may have refinanced their paid for
W ith the p oor econom y, w hich houses with variable rate loans.”
has affected residents from all over
Despite the fluctuating history o f
th e P o rtla n d a re a a n d in c itie s the rental market, which has caused a lot
throughout the country, everyone of changes in demographics within the
is attem pting to m ake ends m eet.
Woodlawn neighborhood, she said the
“ S o m e in d iv id u a ls w h o b o u g h t area has improved in recent years, and
th e ir h o u se fo r $ 6 ,0 0 0 in th e p a st she is proud to be a part o f the neighbor­
are th rille d to se ll th e ir h o u se fo r hood association.
$ 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 a n d m o v e to a le ss c rim e
“W e have, and always have had, a
United Fund Scholarships
B lack U nited Fund scholarship
applications for graduating A frican
and A frican-A m erican high school
seniors are now open fo r the 2012-
13 school year.
T he non-profit organization has
21 scholarships available from six
different colleges and universities,
but only one application is needed
to com pete for m ore than $800,000in
total scholarship m onies.
A rea students are en co u rag ed
not to m iss out on this opportunity.
A pplications m ust be received by
Friday, Feb. 24.
Y ou can learn m ore about the
scholarships program and d o w n ­
load the ap plication by visiting the
B la c k U n ite d F u n d w e b site at
b u fo r.o rg .
We salute Dr. King
and his leadership in
furthering Civil Rights*
USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region
for information and job opportunities:
call 360-891-5060, Terry Durazo, tdurazo@fs.fed.us
or visit the websites:
www.usa.jobs.gov
www.fs.fed.us/r6
USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer