PCC Diamond
Alums
Vision for a
Healthy Future
Group represents
50 years o f
opening doors
Oregon Elks
preschool vision
screening
program
See page 15
See page 11
Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com
‘City
of Roses’
Volume XXXXI, Number 16
Wed
Wednesday • April 18, 2012
Established ¡fl 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
of
ice
Voicesof First Families
Vancouver’s
African American
community tells
its 70-year story
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
Despite a growing population and strong
presence throughout the Vancouver area,
the African American community in Clark
County has been historically overshadowed
and consequently, often taken for granted.
In an effort to shed light on the positive
contributions and perseverance that has made
the city it is today, Vancouver residents
came together last week for a ‘first families’
reunion to celebrate the African American
community and the release of their 70-year
story in the recently completed book First
Families of Vancouver’s African American
Community: From World War II to the 21 st
Century.
Local author Jane Elder Wulff interviewed
35 families who migrated to Vancouver in the
1940s to work in war-related industries and
chose to stay and make their homes here.
With the families’ approval and several
community partnerships, NAACP Branch
#1139, which was chartered in 1945, agreed
to sponsor and help publish their stories that
became the historical thread of the newly
photo by M indy C ooper TT he P ortland O bserver
published book which illuminates what is
Local author Jane Elder Wulff interviewed 35 families who migrated to Vancouver and chose to stay for her recently com­
known as a “hidden history.”
pleted book ‘First Families o f Vancouver’s African American Community: From World War II to the 2 1 s t Century.
Throughout the past four years, Wulff, a
resident of Washington State for more than
sometimes. I had to figure out who married
60 years, interviewed black families whose
who, and that kind of thing,” she said. “I
lives she amerced herself within throughout
knew why they came, but I wanted to know
the duration of the writing project.
why they didn't want to leave.”
“There is a whole community story,” said
In an effort to capture as much detail of
Wulff. “The book is letting children know the
their stories and build real relationships with
larger story they are a part of and not just the
each of them, Wulff said she conducted
bits and pieces.”
hundreds of in person and phone interviews,
Although the people who told their family
and attended church services at AME Zion
histories were not the very first residents of
Church and potluck gatherings regularly.
-J a n e Elder W ulff, Author
the area, W ulff said they were primarily the
“I feel so grateful,” she said. “Everyone
first African American families who made
was so welcoming. I was amazed.”
Vancouver their permanent home.
After a steering committee of NAACP views in an effort to weave the voices of
Although Wulff, in the beginning of the
“The point is,” she said, “they came and volunteers contacted dozens of original fam­ Vancouver’s community, which is seldom project, received help from “the matriarchs,”
established themselves, and they are still ily members for recollections and photos, recognized.
continued
on page 2
here, and nobody knows it.”
W ulff set out on a mission to conduct inter­
“Relationships get pretty complicated
f
Relationships get pretty complicated
sometimes. I had to figure out who married
who, and that kind of thing. I knew why they
came, but I wanted to know why they didn’t •
want to leave.