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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2017)
Page 2 The Skanner October 4, 2017 Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2017 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar SAVE THE DATE The Skanner Foundation MLK Breakfast January 15 2018 NEW LOCATION! Opinion Lessons from Vanport: We Are All Survivors I am one of the survivors of the Vanport Flood. It is with great appreciation that I am delighted to read so many articles, or attend events, that speak about a city so forgot- ten. I feel that this awakening of Vanport has caused peo- ple to take a look at this lost city, wanting to be educated historically, and listen with great anticipation the stories of those that helped write the pages of history in Vanport. So I have learned that every story told is important. Ev- ery encounter shared, helps to make the puzzle complete. And that is why I share my piece willingly. There is a passage in the Bible that helps my story be told with an understanding. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 it says, “When I was a child, I spake as child, I understood as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” So when the flood occurred I was seven-and-a-half years of age. My family consisted of eight siblings, and my parents. Fortunately we were not at home when the flood hap- pened. Upon our return, we dealt with the fact that we had no home to return to. The only thing I could think of was my doll that was somewhere in the water and the slice of chocolate cake I didn’t get to Laura Ann Howard The Skanner Foundation Essay Contest Winner eat. I had no understanding why my mother was so angry with me as I wept over my doll and the cake; after all, I was only seven. It’s amazing, because a few years ago I realized that not “ I had no un- derstanding why my moth- er was so an- gry with me as I wept over my doll and the cake only were we homeless, we were abandoned in a sense from our parents. We had never separated from them, and now we are staying in three different places without our parents, and in the morn- ing we would have to put the same clothes back on again. I was not old enough to un- derstand losing important documents, birth certificates, ALLEN DELAY (1915-2005) Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Survivors gather on high ground to watch the destruction of Vanport. May 30, 1948. pictures, all of our belong- ings. All we had was each other. One thing I know for a fact is we as kids were shel- tered from all the things that bought us to Vanport: the life- style of the city, a place that was thrown together so fast, it took the people living there to make it a home — even hope in the midst of fear, war, pov- erty, and racism. the stories at 76 years old have given me a sense of pride that at seven I just didn’t comprehend. When I think now of Van- port I am persuaded that there was a sense of pride that taught us how to move for- ward and not get stuck on ig- norance amidst all the oppo- sitions we encountered. I am very blessed that my eyesight of seeing things at the tender age of seven was locked into my memory, and it was not tarnished by the chaos that oc- curred Sunday, May 30, 1948. Although as survivors of Vanport, we don’t have a color that identifies the nature of our experience, what we do have is a song in our hearts that we can all blend our voic- es harmoniously and sing even though the songs might be different we yet have one thing in common: We are all survivors of the Vanport Flood. Lessons From Vanport: Don’t Let History Wash Away “T he Black kids live on the other side of the river. They commit crimes.’ This is what my fourth-grade teacher taught our class in southwest Portland. As the only Black child in the room I remained silent apologizing for behav- ior I had never done. This was as close to learning about Af- rican Americans in Portland as I would come. As the child of immigrants growing up in a predominant- ly White neighborhood, I was force-fed an untrue story and shame was sewed early into my identity. Learning about Vanport now has been akin to an adopted child finding a piece of their true identity. I have a story. It was 4:17 on May 30, 1948, when the dike collapsed. Af- rican Americans and Whites rushed out of Vanport as the water levels rose. In one day, the second largest city in Ore- gon was destroyed. But it was a city built on a flood plan. African Ameri- cans in search of a better life in the Northwest were rele- gated to live in the most dan- gerous area. This has taught me the implications of struc- tural racism — that beyond working hard, there must be changes at policy level to ad- Muyoka Mwarabu The Skanner Foundation Essay Contest Winner vocate for equality for Afri- can Americans. The day of the flood, the Housing Authority of Port- land told Vanport, “Dikes are safe at Present. Don’t get ex- cited.” The sirens only went off 30 minutes before the city began to be buried by water. This has taught me that lies “ I played soc- cer at Delta Park not knowing I was kicking a ball next to a grave site are a form of mental oppres- sion. The lies I was handed in fourth grade were a continu- ation of a long legacy of mis- leading minorities to stunt their advancement. The story of Vanport has taught me not to accept all words as truth GERALD R. WILLIAMS COLLECTION, OSU ARCHIVES ® Postcard showing floating buildings in Vanport flood 1948. and seek out primary sources for true information. After the flood waters erased Vanport, there was a second coverup. The event was erased from the Oregon history books. I remember learning about The Oregon Trail, Lewis and Clark, the Multnomah Indians but I never heard of Vanport. I played soccer at Delta Park not knowing I was kicking a ball next to a grave site. Port- land State handed me a degree with honors and never taught me that the school was orig- inally founded as Vanport College and originally located in the area that was washed away 69 years ago. This has taught me that “his- tory” is his-story, and as an African American female, my story is easily washed away. I have to record it to tell others about Vanport. I now live on a house on a hill, a recipient of the bene- fits of another generations fight against oppression. My daughter is five, and has just started kindergarten. When she reaches fourth grade, she will be prepared. When the teacher begins her Oregon history lesson, she will rise, head held high and tell the teacher she would like to give a presentation on Vanport. The story of some of the first African American settlers in Portland, how hard they worked, the college that was built and the flood that de- stroyed their homes. The sto- ry of Vanport. She will teach them her story.
