The skanner., April 26, 2017, Page Page 9, Image 9

April 26, 2017 The Skanner Page 9
News
‘Wake of Vanport 2’ To Be Screened Sunday
T
his Sunday the Hollywood The-
atre will screen “The Wake of
Vanport,” a new installment in
The Skanner Foundation’s series
of short documentary fi lms about the
city of Vanport, a housing development
created for Kaiser shipyard workers at
the onset of World War II. The develop-
ment — which included schools, com-
munity centers and day cares — housed
the fi rst large infl ux of African Amer-
icans to the Portland area, and was at
one time Oregon’s second largest city.
While segregated by block — with
Black families living on one block and
White families living on the next – its
public facilities were racially integrat-
ed. Most families who lived in Vanport
came from heavily segregated South-
ern communities, and businesses in
Portland itself were oft en segregated.
Due to a housing shortage in Portland,
many Vanport residents continued to
live there aft er the war ended, though
the homes were small and hastily built.
Then on Memorial Day – May 30,
1948 – the city, which at its peak had a
population of 42,000 people, washed
away in a matter of hours. A Colum-
bia River dam burst and all the major
structures in Vanport were destroyed.
“The Wake of Vanport” series fea-
tures interviews with surviving Van-
port residents, most of whom were
children at the time of the fl ood. The
collection of 10 short fi lms that will be
screened this weekend is the second
collection of shorts in the series, and
Sunday’s screening is a reprisal for
anyone who may have missed last No-
vember’s showing of the new series.
Several of the shorts can also be seen at
the Hollywood Theatre’s airport micro-
cinema at Portland International Air-
port, which opened in
February.
Kam Williams, a
New Jersey-based fi lm
critic and regular con-
tributor to The Skan-
ner, described the
second series as “a fas-
cinating collection of
tributes to a beloved
hometown that could
have just as easily
been forgotten forev-
er aft er being wiped
off the map in a fl ash.”
Sunday’s screening ‘The Wake of Vanport’ was screened at the Hollywood Theatre for the
begins at 2 p.m. at 4122 fi rst time in Nov. 2016
NE Sandy Blvd in Port-
The project’s sponsors include The
land. The event is free,
but space is limited and a reservation Oregon Lottery, Hood to Coast, Sweet
is required. For more information, vis- Jam, The Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory
it https://wakeofvanport.eventbrite. Commission, The National Endowment
for the Arts.
com.
PHOTO BY THE SKANNER
The Skanner News
! OV I E S C R E E N I N G
F R E E F M
T
E
L
S
T
EA
S
FEW
wake of vanport
O
A
Y
L
N
Digital narratives and storytelling
from fl ood survivors and residents
SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017 • 2 PM
THE HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97212
Free to the public. Limited seating. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
HHHH Together, this touching collection of truly heartfelt remembrances
paint a poignant portrait of a short-lived, idyllic oasis —Movie Critic Kam Williams
REGISTER ONLINE AT
https://wakeofvanport.eventbrite.com
PHOTO: Survivors gather on high ground to watch the destruction of Vanport. May 30, 1948. Photo by Allen deLay (1915-2005) ©Thomas Robinson
Stories told by Vanport survivors and others closely related to
the era will be screened at The Hollywood Theatre on Sunday,
April 30 at 4:30 p.m. The stories focus on life in Vanport and the
1948 Memorial Day fl ood when a dike broke on the Columbia
River. The rising waters completely destroyed Vanport, Oregon,
the city built by industrialist and ship builder Henry J. Kaiser.
Immediately following the screening there will be a discussion
about possible plans for a Vanport memorial.
SPONSORED BY:
The Skanner Foundation • North Portland Multimedia Training Center (NPMTC)
Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission • Portland Community Media
The Regional Arts and Culture Council • The Oregon Historical Society
The National Endowment for the Arts: Art Works • The Hollywood Theatre