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M artin L uther K ing J r .
2017 special edition
January 11, 2017
Martin Luther King Visited Here
c onTinued froM P age 24
the church’s historian, was re-
sponsible for having the church
listed in the National Register
of Historic Places.
“It’s a very storied site,” ex-
plains Burell, whose passion
for preserving the church’s
narrative stems from his own
upbringing within its active
community, and its importance
to the black community of
Portland.
Burell, who has dedicated
an untold amount of time as a
church volunteer and local ex-
pert on black history, says that
the impetus behind the historic
designation was “the preserva-
tion of a culture.”
Portland’s black community
has a very layered and intricate
history, he told the Portland
Observer, “There’s so little
documentation… That’s really
what thrust me to do it,”
The church was founded in
1944 by the Rev. James Brown
during the time of World War II
when Portland’s black commu-
nity grew. Under the steward-
ship of the Rev. Oliver Booker
Williams, the church’s popula-
tion went from a handful of pa-
rishioners to more than 1,200
in 1955.
“These were very active par-
ticipants, so it became quite the
place,” Burell explains.
Over the years, the church
has not only met the spiritual
needs of its community, but it
has served as one of the city’s
social and cultural centers,
drawing a large number of
historical figures through its
doors.
“Anytime anyone of signifi-
cance on a national level visit-
ed Portland, they spoke here,”
Burrell says. In addition, he
says Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist Church played a tre-
mendous role following Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s assas-
sination in 1968, by holding a
city-wide memorial service.
Burrell’s efforts to place the
church on the National Register
of Historic Places took nearly
seven months. “Even though
I knew the history, it was just
putting it into context,” he ex-
plains. The final document was
more than 130 pages, and de-
tailed the church’s rich history.
The church’s new national
recognition will help it survive
in a rapidly gentrifying stretch
of North Portland.
“It just puts it in a different
place in terms of recognition
and preservation… By having
it deemed a national landmark,
it’s much more important to the
community.” Burell says.
Burell, whose family has at-
tended Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist for four generations,
traces his interest in history to
his own familial genealogy.
“It really gave me perspec-
tive for who I am as a being,”
he explains. Similarly, he says,
his work documenting the his-
tory of the church, “Celebrates
who we are as a culture. It
helps people to say, ‘our cul-
ture matters.”
Burell says that reaction to
the historical listing has been
overwhelmingly positive.
People were just beaming
with pride,” says Burrell, who
is being honored by the World
Arts Foundation for his efforts
to list the building.