News
Black History and Beyond: Landmark Pop Art
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
Visit Portland City Hall this week to
check out “Portland Black History and
Beyond: Landmark Pop Art.” The art exhib-
it tells the story of African Americans in
Portland through its historic buildings,
revealing hidden truths about each location.
On display on the ground floor of Port-
land City Hall, 1221 S.W. 4th Ave, the
exhibit is open to the public from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m., Feb. 21 – 24. The schedule of
events will include a reception with catered
soul food, Feb. 22, and the screening of the
groundbreaking documentary “Local
Color,” Feb. 24, which will be accompanied
by “A Taste of Soul Food,” featuring dishes
by local soul food vendors.
“This exhibit is for the families of Port-
land,” said Teressa Raiford, one of the
organizers. “Regardless of your ethnicity
and your background, you need to see this.
It’s an asset to our community, and it shows
people where we’re going and where we
came from.”
“It’s the only art exhibit that will be dis-
played here in City Hall for Black History
2012.”
Raiford, currently running for Portland
City Commissioner, created the project with
Willard Bennett, a key player in creating the
Golden West Project; and Evelyn Murray.
(Murray recently acted in episode 2 of this
season’s “Portlandia.”) They commissioned
artist Fenix LAX, who was born and raised
in Los Angeles, to create his own unique
form of Pop Art.
The show will have a special significance
for young people of color, Raiford said.
“You need your history in order to deter-
mine your future. You have to know you
came from somewhere. So this is bringing
that value to youth—that understanding of
what we had and who we were before
now—that will help us decide what our
goals should be.”
LAX said his first step was to research the
history of Black Americans in Portland.
Encouraged by Raiford, he hit the books.
“Cornerstones of Community: Buildings of
Portland’s African American History,” pub-
lished by the historic preservation nonprofit
the Bosco Milligan Foundation, was just
one of several sources he devoured.
“That really inspired me,” he said. “You
learn so much by finding out about the cul-
tural history of different groups of people.
“The moment I met Teressa Raiford, I was
impressed. She made me think, and she
taught me that whatever you want to do in
life you can achieve it, if you work hard
enough.
“So I came back to her and I said, ‘I’ve
read everything you told me and you’re
right. We’ve got to do this and how can we
get the youth involved. How can we get this
message out to kids so it is no longer a big
secret?’”
LAX selected photographs of several key
buildings in Portland and overlaid them
with messages. He chose his words careful-
ly to express truths he had discovered, about
events that happened at those sites. The
result is a series of photographs
bearing telling messages.
A photograph of the Crystal Ballroom, for
example, features the message, “You get the
payment you negotiate, not what you
deserve.”
Curious? You can find out why those
words matched this photograph, when you
see the exhibit.
Will Bennett is known to many as Port-
land Black History because of his efforts to
gain recognition for the contributions of
African Americans to Portland. Bennett
explains that he was following in the foot-
steps of Katherine Bogle, who was his case
worker at Boys and Girls Aid Society,
Pictured from left: : William Travis III, co-owner of Mack & Dub's restaurants and
catering; Willard Bennett; Grace, publicist; Teressa Raiford; Evelyn Murray;
Cameron Whitten, mayoral candidate; Fenix LAX, creative director of "Portland
Black History and Beyond: Landmark Pop Art."
where he was put up for adoption. Bogle
handed down her knowledge that the Gold-
en West Hotel had been a crucial center of
Black Portland life. In the early years of the
20th Century, the Golden West was the only
place where out-of-town Black visitors
could stay.
But African Americans were pushed out
of the Westside, as they would be later from
Albina. And during the Depression the
Golden West degenerated into a dive hotel.
It even lost its name. For decades it was
known as The Broadmoor.
Bogle and Michael Chappie Grice formed
Friends of the Golden West Hotel, and suc-
ceeded in having a display mounted to the
outside of the building. Over time, however,
weather damage obscured its message.
But 20 years later, Bennett picked up the
baton and found a willing partner in Central
City Concern, the nonprofit that today uses
the building to house homeless people.
“It was so damaged by weather that I had
to do something,” Bennett said. “It was
symbolic of the whole history. No-one’s
taking care of it.”
An official reception will run from 4-7
See POP on page 11
February 22, 2012
The Portland Skanner Page 9