Page 6
The
Empowering
c o n t i n u e d f r o m fron t
A frican A m ericans o f Portland is one in
several other city-specific, historical books
that A rcadia Publishing has released un­
der their series Images of Am erica.
A city plan to revitalize inner northeast
P o rtlan d in the early 1990s inspired
M oreland’s ever-increasing interest in
local history. As a city planner, she was
worked on a citizen advisory team to
research and produce a historical docu­
ment highlighting the history o f African
A m ericans in P ortland from 1805 to
present, including people, places and
events and contributions.
Portland Observer
Black History Month
“It’s alw ays interesting to research be­
cause the m ore you learn about our local
history, you learn about what part we
p la y e d in A m e ric a n h i s t o r y ,” sa id
M oreland, who currently serves on the
board o f directors for two heritage organi­
zations, Bosco-M illigan Foundation and
February 6, 2013
an idea still in its bloom ing stages.
In June o f 2011, M oreland’s idea to
publish a snapshot o f local African A m eri­
can history was approved. However, three
m onths later, research was delayed when
M oreland was diagnosed with breast can­
cer.
I t’s always interesting to research because the more
you learn about our local history, you learn about what
part we played in American history.
-Kim berly Sower Moreland
Oregon Black Pioneers.
Oregon Black Pioneers is volunteer ad­
vocacy group for local black history. Pro­
ceeds of the book’s sales will go directly
toward the organization to help establish
the state’s first African American museum,
Thankfully, doctors caught her sym p­
tom s early and after undergoing treat­
ment, M oreland is now cancer free. In­
spired by a friend, Arcadia author and
breast cancer survivor, she published her
book in January.
Fueling Your Future
Researching today is m uch different
than it was 20 years ago, said M oreland.
"You have all the inform ation at your fin­
gertips,” she said. “W e are lucky in this
era o f the Internet to have access to local
archives that have photos o f A frican
A m ericans.”
M oreland collected images from the
Oregon H istorical Society, Portland State
U niversity, and private album s including
from the Verdell Burdine and Otto G. R u­
th e rfo rd F a m ily C o lle c tio n , one o f
Oregon ’ s most telling socio-political com ­
m entaries about A frican Am erican life in
Portland.
Som etim es her investigations, took her
as far as Victoria, Canada or the University
o f M ontana ju st to retrieve a single photo
that might tell the life story o f a wom an or
man so interesting as Portland ’ s first black
law yer, M cCants Stewart, who arrived to
Oregon in 1902 and battled for black rights
before com m itting suicide in 1919.
From hundreds of black and white and
sepia-toned photos, M oreland pieced to-
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gether a slice o f the local African A m eri­
can narrative, one that reflects how prior
to W orld W ar II, roughly 3,000 blacks
established several social institutions that
continue to work on the behalf o f African
A m ericans today.
A few include the Billy Web Lodge on
North Tillamook, the Mount Olivet Baptist
Church a few blocks away, built in 1921 and
still standing, as well as the Portland chapter
of the NAACP, established in 1914.
In 127 pages, her pictorial book sup­
ported by detailed captions and divided
by eras, is not m eant to be a com prehen­
sive history o f African A m ericans in Port­
land, but a snapshot. For exam ple, m iss­
ing photos fail to portray the thriving
black musical district that formerly existed
along northeast W illiam s Avenue.
While the positive contribution made by
black in Portland is not one often told and the
effects of gentrification are making their visible
history even more obscure, Moreland said it is
all the more powerful knowing our ancestors
worked hard so that blacks have the rights
they do today.
“I was really empowered by the strength
o f the pioneers and our ancestors,” she
said, “How much they were able to build in
a backdrop o f a very racist, anti-black
sentim ent.”
M oreland’s book, “African Americans of
Portland,” is available through the Oregon
Black Pioneers, local retailers, and online at
amazon.com and arcadiapublishing.com.