July 9, 2014
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pages 6-7
FredMeyer
Page 2
O pinion
Page 3
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A Hidden
History
Scholar Walidah
Imarisha to lead
civil rights talk
by D onovan M. S mith
NNPA
T he P ortland O bserver
Portland is often quoted as being
‘’The W hitest M ajor C ity ” in
America. Portland State University
professor of Black Studies, Walidah
Imarisha, examines this ever-quoted
statistic with a more revealing ques­
tion, “Why Aren’t There More Black
People in Oregon? A Hidden His­
tory.” Her inquiry is the title of a
seminar she’s been taking across
the nation.
Local residents are invited to hear
Imarisha speak on the subject when
the Oregon State Bar Civil Rights
Section hosts a public commemora­
tion for the 50th anniversary of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 on Thurs­
day, July 10at7:15p.m . at the Matt
Dishman Community Center, 77 N.E.
Knott St.
An authority in Oregon history
relating to race, Imarisha hopes that
more Oregonians will see that the
small presence of blacks in the state,
just 2 percent of the population, was
mapped out by its founders, and the
oppression and neglect of this com­
munity continues into today.
“Oregon was constructed as a
white homeland, and that ideology
of white supremacy has shaped
every community of color - Black,
Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, In­
digenous - in the state,” says
Imarisha.
Once inhabited heavily by indig-
Pages 8-9
C onference
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WESTERN STATES CENTER
Walidah Imarisha, a professor o f Black Studies at Portland State
University, and an authority in Oregon history relating to race,
presents " Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A
Hidden History” during a public commemoration o f the 50th
anniversary o f the Civil Rights Act o f 1964. The free event,
hosted by the Oregon State Bar’s Civil Rights Section will take
place Thursday, July 10 at 7:15 at the M att Dishman Community
Center, 77 N.E. Knott St.
enous tribes before the arrival of
mostly white explorers and travel­
ers, Oregon became the 33rd state of
the United States of America in 1859.
As reflected in many of the laws
even before it became a state, Or­
egon at its core was to be com­
pletely void of black people.
The racism was clear; a law
passed in 1844 stated that blacks
were to be excluded from Oregon’s
borders, and if found, they would be
continued
on page 4
Mississippi Street Fair Saturday
C lassifieds
page 16
page 14
This Saturday, north Portland will
be buzzing again when the Missis­
sippi Street Fair makes a return for
its 13th year. Stretching along Mis­
sissippi from Fremont to Skidmore
streets, the multicultural fair prom­
ises to be one to remember with over
200 vendor and craft exhibits and six
stages featuring more than 40
bands.
Theater. Ural Thomas and The Pain,
Some of the performers will in­ and the Norman Sylvester Band. A
clude Holiday Friends, Atomic Arts Grandfather’s rib-off competition.
dunk tank, beer gardens, food carts,
and visits to the many shops and
restaurants in the neighborhood are
other features of the event.
The Mississippi Street Fair is
scheduled from 10a.m. to9p.m . and
is free and family friendly. Special,
promotions will benefit Self En­
hancement Inc., Boise-Elliot School,
and the Boise Youth Unity Project.
For m ore in fo rm a tio n visit
mississippiave.com/streetfair.