Portland observer., October 05, 2022, Image 1

Volume LII • Number 19
‘City
of
Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • October 5, 2022
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Special Edition 2022
In this Issue
One of the best food
carts on Alberta See page 2
Power Through Community Economics
Leaders of NAMC-
Oregon and Black
Business Association
of Oregon
W ritten by J ames C ador
Oregon’s complex and often contra-
dictory history inspires both pride and
derision. For every policy achievement
Oregon has earned, there has been an
equal and opposite reaction. The 33rd
state has a unique history that, when laid
out, clearly blueprints the foundation of
Oregon’s modern struggles.
In 1859 we were admitted to the Union
as a Free State, a fact that is an undeni-
able good. However, in the writing of our
state constitution, lawmakers inserted a
clause stipulating that Blacks were pro-
hibited from making contracts, owning
property, or even living in the State of
Oregon. This clause made an indelible
mark on our state’s political and civic
cultures, influencing how Oregonians in-
teracted with People of Color.
Throughout its 163 years, the state has
systematically marked the Indigenous
Tribes of the region, Chinese Americans,
Japanese Americans, Mexican Amer-
icans, and many other ethnic groups
for exclusion and legal discrimination.
As late as the 1970s, towns in southern
Oregon, such as Grants Pass, had signs
crudely threatening Black Oregonians
into leaving the town by sundown. That
is in living memory and speaks to the
fact that Oregonians of Color had been
prevented culturally and politically from
establishing meaningful economic roots.
By restricting and barring entire eth-
nicities from participating in the econo-
my, Oregon worked to establish sheltered
markets where select companies could
figuratively divide Oregon’s economic
engines amongst themselves. Industries
like timber, construction, farming, and
fishing were protected from non-white
competition, leaving profound social and
economic scars that have been excruciat-
ingly slow to heal.
This history comes as a surprise to
many. Still, to Oregonians of Color,
that history is so tangible that some-
times, it seems to stubbornly stick like
glue to whatever it touches. And that
history has clung to Nate McCoy, the
Executive Director of the Oregon Chap-
ter of the National Association of Mi-
nority Contractors, and Lance Randall,
Black Business Association of Oregon
(BBAO) Executive Director.
Both believe that equity will come
from economics. As a native Oregonian,
Mr. McCoy has witnessed the rise, fall,
and rebirth of some of Portland’s cor-
nerstone businesses of Color. This ex-
perience shepherded him to understand
how community-focused economics can
serve as the beating heart of thriving, vi-
brant communities.
However, McCoy learned that success
for People of Color in Oregon is built
from a foundation of mutual trust and a
shared vision. From his experience, he
said it is fundamental to build “real re-
lationships with people who have gotten
a chance to understand your struggles,
your stories, your opportunities, and
your vision.” He believes that a proper
“vision must be clear for any business or
growing company. And NAMC is a great
C ontinued on P age 7
Black owned hair and
teeth services in the
pearl district See page 16
Construction team services
Oregon area
See page 17