NNPA 2014 ANNUAL CONVENTION
A Look at Portland’s African American History
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
and Travel Portland
B
lack pioneers were among the earli-
est non-Native people to settle in
Oregon, but it was not until World
War II that thousands of African Americans
migrated to the Northwest to find work in
the shipyards and keep the railroads run-
ning. Today Portland is home to more than
41,000 African Americans, most living on
the east side of the Willamette River.
Despite daunting barriers and discrimina-
tion, African Americans have made impor-
tant contributions to Oregon in politics,
medicine, the environment, sports and the
arts. Portland’s many parks, for example,
make the city one of the greenest in the
nation. That’s thanks largely to Charles Jor-
dan, a former city commissioner who cham-
pioned green spaces in cities, far ahead of
his time. In July 2012, the city renamed
a community center in Jordan’s honor.
NOTABLE BLACK
PORTLANDERS
Notable black Americans on the Portland
entertainment scene include actor Danny
Glover; blues vocalist Linda Hornbuckle;
pianist Janice Scroggins; Grammy-winning
jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding; saxophon-
ist Mike “Philly” Phillips; jazz drummer
Mel Brown; jazz singer Julianne Johnson-
Weis; R&B singers Liv Warfield and Andy
Stokes; funk performer/producer Tony
Ozier; and rappers Cool Nutz, Rose Bent,
Soul P, Luck One, Illmacculate and Animal
Farm.
MORE COMMUNITY HISTORY
This section was produced in collabora-
tion with Flossin Media.
African Americans
in Oregon politics
The early 2000s marked a historic mile-
stone as three African American females,
former state senators Margaret Carter, Avel
Gordly and Jackie Winters, served in the
Oregon State Legislature simultaneously.
These three senators made landmark
reforms for both African American commu-
nities and Oregon as a whole, including
removing the last remnants of anti-black
exclusionary legislation from Oregon’s con-
stitution.
Margaret Carter became the first African-
American woman elected to the Oregon
Legislative Assembly in 1984. She advocat-
ed for education for those most in need, and
legislation to observe Martin Luther King
Jr.’s birthday as a state holiday. Carter
retired from the Oregon Senate in 2008 to
head up the Department of Human Services.
In 2011, her alma mater and former employ-
er, Portland Community College, named
the Senator Margaret Carter Technology
Education Center in her honor.
Portland native Avel Gordly was elected
to the Oregon House of Representatives in
1991 and became the first African American
woman elected to the Oregon State Senate
in 1996. She served a total of 17 years
before retiring from office in 2008 to
become an associate professor in the black
studies department at her alma mater, Port-
land State University. As senator, Gordly
helped pass legislation requiring statewide
multicultural health service. In 2008, Ore-
gon Health Science University renamed its
behavioral health center the Avel Gordly
Center for Healing, and committed to meet-
ing mental needs in the African American
community. Gordly recently published her
memoir, “Remembering the Power of
Words: The Life of an Oregon Activist,
Legislator, and Community Leader.”
Senator Jackie Winters moved to Portland
with her family during WWII along with
many other African Americans who sought
gainful employment in the shipyards and
railways. Her father launched a short-lived
daily newspaper, which helped shape Win-
ters for public debate and advocacy. As an
adult, Winters moved to Salem, Ore., and
the board. Though it is not their primary
objective, these men have played a part in
paving the way for minority leadership.
Another notable education program head-
ed up by African Americans is Self-
Despite daunting barriers and discrimination,
African Americans have made important
contributions to Oregon in politics, medicine,
the environment, sports and the arts.
gained acclaim for her regional restaurant
chain, Jackie’s Ribs. Winters was elected to
the Oregon House of Representatives in
1998, becoming the first African American
Republican ever to serve in the Oregon Leg-
islative Assembly. She won election to the
Oregon Senate in 2004 and still holds
office. She advocates for increased state
education funding and helped create the
Oregon Food Share Program, which has
grown to include a statewide system of food
banks. She sits on the powerful ways and
means committee that oversees the state
budget and is a popular guest on many
national television forums.
African Americans
in Portland education
Portland Community College (PCC), Ore-
gon’s largest and most diverse college, has
been helmed by three African American
men since 2004. Dr. Preston Pulliams is
PCC’s fifth district president and CEO. In
2010 he was named the Regional CEO of
the Year by the Council for the Advance-
ment of Support of Education. Dr. Algie
Gatewood is president of the Cascade Cam-
pus in Northeast Portland — one of PCC’s
largest, most diverse campuses. Harold
Williams, a self proclaimed “junkyard dog,”
has staunchly helped create and defend pol-
icy for more than 20 years as chairman of
Enhancement Inc (SEI). Tony L. Hopson Sr.
started SEI in 1981 as a summer basketball
camp for at-risk youth. Some 30 years later,
it is a fully accredited academy serving pri-
marily African American students ages 8-25
in urban North and Northeast Portland. In
2010, SEI partnered with former NBA star
Alonzo Mourning’s charity to replicate its
program in Miami.
Making strides through sports
African American Portlanders have come
a
long
way
since
Bobby
Robinson and Charles Williams broke color
lines as high school sports stars in 1924,
playing before huge crowds at the old Mult-
nomah Stadium in Portland. Both went on
to be the first African American athletes to
play at the University of Oregon.
Since its inception in 1970, the Portland
Trail Blazers NBA team has featured scores
of African American players. Michael Harp-
er, Brian Grant and Jerome Kersey are just
a few who still work with the organization
and call Portland home.In 2007, the fran-
chise hired Larry Miller as their first
African American president. Miller was
also the first black executive at Jantzen
Sports and Nike’s first black vice presi-
dent.In 2011, the Trail Blazers appointed
their first female African American chief
operating officer, Sarah Mensah. Mensah
received national press and helped establish
a Portland chapter of the National Associa-
tion of Black Sports Professionals.
From NBA pro to CEO, Terrell
Brandon is one of the community’s most
consistent entrepreneurs. A two-time NBA
All Star, Terrell retired in 2004 after 11
years in the league. He has since launched
and invested in several businesses, includ-
ing Terrell Brandon’s Barbershop, Flossin
Magazine and concert promoting. His annu-
al New Year’s Eve Experience at the Crystal
Ballroom draws sold-out crowds.
Beloved former Blazer “Rasta man” Brian
Grant, who still calls Portland home, was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008.
Since then, the Brian Grant Foundation has
hosted a popular event to raise funds for
Parkinson’s education and awareness.
“Shake It Till We Make It” consists of a
celebrity gala and golf tournament, and has
featured Muhammad Ali and Michael J.
Fox, who both live with the disease.
Playing a role in Portland’s
“Official Festival”
One of Portland’s most celebrated events
is the world-famous Portland Rose Festival,
held in each year in May/June with high-
lights such as the Rose Festival Parade, a
waterfront carnival and the selection of a
queen from among princesses representing
every Portland high school. In 1980, Robin
Marks became the first African-American
Rose Festival Queen. This honor includes a
college scholarship and has since been
bestowed upon several other African Amer-
ican women.
In 2007, the Portland Rose Festival
reached two notable landmarks: celebrating
its 100th anniversary and being lead by its
first African American president, Leslie
Goodlow-Baldwin. Leslie led the festival to
top honors that year, winning the highly
coveted Grand Pinnacle Award from the
International Festivals & Events Associa-
tion.
Welcome
~
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The National Newspaper Publishers Convention
June 25-28 in Portland
SPO NSO R S:
Page 8 The Skanner News NNPA Annual Convention Edition June 18, 2014