Portland Civil Rights: Lift Ev'ry Voice
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2019
- Lift Ev’ry Voice explores Portland’s African American history with a focus on the turbulent 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s. At the time, issues surrounding urban renewal, school desegregation and brittle police relations were exploding both nationally and locally.
By the mid-20th century, Portland was still considered the most segregated and prejudiced city on the West Coast.
World War II would fuel racial tensions in the city. During that time, thousands of African Americans migrated north to work in the shipyards. In Portland most were funneled into a hastily constructed public housing project called Vanport. After the war, many continued to live there because of a severe housing shortage.
A spring day in 1948 would change everything. The Columbia River flooded and washed away the town, leaving hundreds of both black and white families homeless. African Americans had little choice where they could move because of discriminatory real estate and banking practices. Most were forced to relocate to an inner northeast district called Albina. As blacks moved into the area, whites moved out into newly created suburbs - off limits to people of color.
The 1950s became a time of hard-fought civil rights victories led by organizations like the NAACP and the Urban League of Portland. The early pioneers helped break the color barrier in housing and jobs, but racist policies and powerful negative stereotypes would prevail in the city.
By the late 1950s, Portland’s disinvestment in the Albina district, lack of capital for mortgages and home improvements, and high unemployment among young African American men had created what was being called Portland’s Negro ghetto. The “ghetto” would soon be targeted for federally funded urban renewal projects.
In 1957 Portland voted to build the Memorial Coliseum and the East Bank freeway in Albina. The construction uprooted the southern and oldest end of the district first - destroying hundreds of homes and businesses owned by both blacks and whites.
In the late 1960s the Emanuel expansion project would displace hundreds more in Albina’s central core. Displaced African-American families were continually shifted further north and east.
In Portland and across the country, a new generation of young black activists was emerging with more militant strategies for changing the status quo. They began demanding equal rights as first class citizens, more jobs and better housing, and an end to police harassment and brutality.
By the late 1970s the Portland chapter of the Black United Front had emerged and gained tremendous power. Its members advocated for equal and effective educational opportunities for all children in their own neighborhoods, and demanded an end to the forced bussing of black children to white schools.
Continual pressure from the black community would ultimately end mandatory bussing in the city. At the same time, activists would focus attention on institutional racism in the Portland Police Bureau and demand accountability of the bureau and its officers.
Portland Civil Rights: Lift Ev’ry Voice is told largely through the words of men and women who lived through and led the struggles for human rights in Portland, and with archival film and images illustrating these remarkable times.
For more, including links to extensive resources, see:
www.opb.org/television/progra...
May God help us to see real change in Portland where all people are seen as human beings. This is a powerful story of the racism that has dominated this land throughout the 20th century and now has crept into the 21st century. Thank God for those who have led the way for change and sacrificed over the years to bring us to this point. Portland has come a long way, but there is much more work to be done.
Excellent. Learned a lot here on Oregon’s history.
Thank you for the documentary///// I will write about this. From Colonies to Gentrification.
Very interesting part of Portland,Oregon history. I enjoyed watching this documentary never forget our history the good and the bad.
Very well done. Really held my interest.
Never forget 🙏🏼 #blacklivesmatter
I can’t believe y’all included Jackson in this video.. He was the ABSOLUTE worse, most abusive LEO Portland has probably EVER seen Y’t or blk. When I was growing up EVERY POC I knew feared Jackson more than ANY Y’t officer.. Truly disappointed, especially with his sentiments here😡
Impressive documentary! Wow Oregon used to suck. I am glad we have come so far from that.
Matt.Cook.Oregon Have you????
@@livingintheforest3963 Have I what?
Matt.Cook. I am just curious if Oregon is very racist because blacks were pushed out and they have a very racist past. We ( my husband and I) are moving to Oregon and are interracial we do not know what to expect? Until you are a person of color or ethnicity that has suffered in history you would not have a clue whether anything has really changed or if it is safe for those who are not white.
@@livingintheforest3963 and Matt.Cook. I has born, raised, then had for Black son's here in Oregon to I know first hand! That Oregon (Portland) has NOT changed. That is why the Proud Boy's are walking around N. Williams.
Noni Causey Matt Cook has no clue he suffers from white privilege, obviously he can go anywhere he likes!
Noni can you please give me the real rundown, my husband and grandchildren are black! Thank you.
Praise The most high father YHWH and keeping the faith of Yahusha Adonai Messiah of YAHUDAH...I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH ALL ABOUT THE BIBLE did you know why we are so attached to it if you luv the truth then you will know it's our history book written as well before we we're gonna realize that every one In it is socalled black people I say socalled because that word was placed on us by the European nations read psalms ch83 -as a byword to cover up the truth of who we really are and the whole time the truth has been in our face the whole time we just didn't know it and it's because the Creator of heaven and earth hasn't yet allowed us to know this knowledge until now we are at the end of the deep sleep slumber of ignorance the time has come for us to wakeup and gain our salvation correctly a blessing from as u say G, Isaiah Ch28:9-11 the bible is only for the children of Israel that's why every beginning of all books written in the books of exodus-threw malachi started off saying what? Speak to the children of Israel well ppl those who the bible is speaking to are socalled African American blk people along with native negro America latino negro people Cuban negro people Hispanics negro people because we were not able to understand scriptures In a Christian mind thinking is why alot of information didn't come out but now as time goes on praise Yah he's allowed us to see his name and his instructions for his people we are his chosen people in this world Deuteronomy ch 6 please check it out for yourself then read deuteronomy ch28:15-68 the curses only fit us nobody else an reason why folks better understand this Hosea ch4:1-6 come back together with the commandments and laws repent from religions we need to know the truth of who we are The Hebrew Israelite Yahudah from our home land Negroland look it
Up plz do not everyone is African