Oregon Black Pioneers
@oregonblackpioneers.org
Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. Our Mission is to research, recognize, and commemorate the history and heritage of African Americans in Oregon.
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Wherever you find Black history in Oregon, you'll find Oregon Black Pioneers.
You can't know the U.S.'s history without knowing the U.S.'s Black history.
“America does not have a full accounting of itself without the historic Black press,” says Nicole Carr, author, investigative journalist, and professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
“America does not have a full accounting of itself without the historic Black press,” says Nicole Carr, author, investigative journalist, and professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
‘We don’t even know all of what we have.’ Howard University fights to preserve Black newspapers. www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/... Last year, during a move, workers found two whole boxes of Frederick Douglass’s’ The North Star’s first year of publication.
‘We don’t even know all of what we have.’ Howard fights to preserve Black newspapers.
Across the United States, scholars are working to preserve the history of the Black press before the brittle pages are lost forever. In a basement at Howard University, uncovered treasures have includ...
www.csmonitor.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:15 PM
You can't know the U.S.'s history without knowing the U.S.'s Black history.
“America does not have a full accounting of itself without the historic Black press,” says Nicole Carr, author, investigative journalist, and professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
“America does not have a full accounting of itself without the historic Black press,” says Nicole Carr, author, investigative journalist, and professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
Explore the stories of six Black Oregon pioneers with colorful NEW Black Oregon Pioneer posters and fun, fact-filled digital storybooks for K-5 classrooms, plus a map activity for 4th grade learners. Free to download, these materials bring Oregon history to life oregonblackpioneers.org/educators
November 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Explore the stories of six Black Oregon pioneers with colorful NEW Black Oregon Pioneer posters and fun, fact-filled digital storybooks for K-5 classrooms, plus a map activity for 4th grade learners. Free to download, these materials bring Oregon history to life oregonblackpioneers.org/educators
Abner Hunt Francis was an abolitionist, social activist, and business owner in early Portland. He and his brother Isaac opened a mercantile along the Portland waterfront. They were targeted for expulsion under Oregon's Black exclusion law. But something unique happened...
October 23, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Abner Hunt Francis was an abolitionist, social activist, and business owner in early Portland. He and his brother Isaac opened a mercantile along the Portland waterfront. They were targeted for expulsion under Oregon's Black exclusion law. But something unique happened...
Welcome to the former Henry H. Hawkins homestead. The house was built over a century ago and still stands today, a rare structure connected to the legacy of a Black Oregon homesteader. Let Mariah tell you more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
#oregonblackhistory
#oregonblackhistory
October 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Welcome to the former Henry H. Hawkins homestead. The house was built over a century ago and still stands today, a rare structure connected to the legacy of a Black Oregon homesteader. Let Mariah tell you more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
#oregonblackhistory
#oregonblackhistory
Allen & Louisa Flowers had a prominent Black family in early Portland. They raised four sons, owned property, raised horses, and were active in local social & civic affairs. Read more in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
oregonblackpioneers.org/black-history-spotlight-allen-and-louisa-flowers
oregonblackpioneers.org/black-history-spotlight-allen-and-louisa-flowers
September 9, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Allen & Louisa Flowers had a prominent Black family in early Portland. They raised four sons, owned property, raised horses, and were active in local social & civic affairs. Read more in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
oregonblackpioneers.org/black-history-spotlight-allen-and-louisa-flowers
oregonblackpioneers.org/black-history-spotlight-allen-and-louisa-flowers
Oregon's Black history, and future.
Called Albina One, the 94-unit development sits on North Flint Avenue just north of the Moda Center. For decades, many families here were displaced and disenfranchised by city policies and development that leaders say prioritized growth over the lives of those who lived and worked there.
Portland Black leaders celebrate ‘homecoming’ with Albina’s new housing
The Albina One housing development is the first step in the effort to repair the harm done to Black Portlanders displaced by urban renewal and the construction of Interstate 5 decades ago.
www.opb.org
September 9, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Oregon's Black history, and future.
Have you ever driven through this beautiful canyon, traveling between Mount Hood and Central Oregon? Then you’ve seen the location of Central Oregon’s first Black homestead, which is now known as John Brown Canyon. Mariah has more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
#oregonhistory
#oregonhistory
August 28, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Have you ever driven through this beautiful canyon, traveling between Mount Hood and Central Oregon? Then you’ve seen the location of Central Oregon’s first Black homestead, which is now known as John Brown Canyon. Mariah has more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
#oregonhistory
#oregonhistory
This October, Oregon Black Pioneers will bring together York scholars, thought-leaders, artists, and community visionaries to finally give Portland's first Black ancestor his due. Find details at yorkfest.com
August 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
This October, Oregon Black Pioneers will bring together York scholars, thought-leaders, artists, and community visionaries to finally give Portland's first Black ancestor his due. Find details at yorkfest.com
Wherever you find Black history in Oregon, you'll find Oregon Black Pioneers.
August 13, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Wherever you find Black history in Oregon, you'll find Oregon Black Pioneers.
Oregon educators, help shape our new lesson plans!
If you’re a K–12 educator, please take 5–10 minutes to complete our quick needs assessment survey. Your feedback will help ensure these new lessons and materials truly support your classroom. Thank you!
bit.ly/OBPEducatorS...
If you’re a K–12 educator, please take 5–10 minutes to complete our quick needs assessment survey. Your feedback will help ensure these new lessons and materials truly support your classroom. Thank you!
bit.ly/OBPEducatorS...
August 11, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Oregon educators, help shape our new lesson plans!
If you’re a K–12 educator, please take 5–10 minutes to complete our quick needs assessment survey. Your feedback will help ensure these new lessons and materials truly support your classroom. Thank you!
bit.ly/OBPEducatorS...
If you’re a K–12 educator, please take 5–10 minutes to complete our quick needs assessment survey. Your feedback will help ensure these new lessons and materials truly support your classroom. Thank you!
bit.ly/OBPEducatorS...
Elena Carter Richardson was a ballet dancer and instructor who was one of the most recognizable figures in the Pacific Northwest dance community for a quarter century. Read all about her in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
Photo: Oregon Ballet Theatre
Photo: Oregon Ballet Theatre
Black History Spotlight - Elena Carter Richardson - Oregon Black Pioneers
This Oregon Black History Spotlight is on Elena Carter Richardson, a ballet dancer and instructor who was one of the most recognizable figures in the Pacific Northwest dance community.
oregonblackpioneers.org
August 6, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Elena Carter Richardson was a ballet dancer and instructor who was one of the most recognizable figures in the Pacific Northwest dance community for a quarter century. Read all about her in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
Photo: Oregon Ballet Theatre
Photo: Oregon Ballet Theatre
Canning! Fishing! Timber! Nature! Culture! Arts! How much do YOU know about Clatsop County? Bring a team and join us for Trivia Night, Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 PM in Astoria at Breakside Brewery. There will be history nerds, there will be beer, there will be prizes!
July 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Canning! Fishing! Timber! Nature! Culture! Arts! How much do YOU know about Clatsop County? Bring a team and join us for Trivia Night, Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 PM in Astoria at Breakside Brewery. There will be history nerds, there will be beer, there will be prizes!
Black History Quest is back! Who was Zilla, and why did she come to Wallowa County, Oregon at the turn of the century? Join host Mariah Rocker and Executive Director of North Lincoln County Historical Museum, Christopher Melton, on Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00PM as they explore this question.
July 8, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Black History Quest is back! Who was Zilla, and why did she come to Wallowa County, Oregon at the turn of the century? Join host Mariah Rocker and Executive Director of North Lincoln County Historical Museum, Christopher Melton, on Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00PM as they explore this question.
DYK there's an Oregon town named by a Black man? Welcome to Eagle Point! This small community was named by John Dudley Mathews, a formerly enslaved man who successfully led a small wagon train of Black and White families to Oregon. Mariah Rocker has more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
July 1, 2025 at 4:33 PM
DYK there's an Oregon town named by a Black man? Welcome to Eagle Point! This small community was named by John Dudley Mathews, a formerly enslaved man who successfully led a small wagon train of Black and White families to Oregon. Mariah Rocker has more in this Oregon Black History Snap Shot!
Astoria, Oregon! We have a few tickets left! Our Black History Walking Tours will take you through the hidden stories, events, and places significant to Black history. Check the schedule at the link for Portland, Astoria, Eugene, and Salem dates.
oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
June 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Astoria, Oregon! We have a few tickets left! Our Black History Walking Tours will take you through the hidden stories, events, and places significant to Black history. Check the schedule at the link for Portland, Astoria, Eugene, and Salem dates.
oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
Today we honor and celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas received word of their emancipation, nearly 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Juneteenth has been a day to gather, reflect, and celebrate ever since.
June 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Today we honor and celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas received word of their emancipation, nearly 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Juneteenth has been a day to gather, reflect, and celebrate ever since.
In 1945, a shipyard worker named Clara Peoples hosted Oregon's first Juneteenth celebration in Vanport. This became an annual gathering, and in 1972 Peoples founded the group “Juneteenth Oregon” which has organized Portland Juneteenth events ever since.
Photo: The Oregonian, 2010
Photo: The Oregonian, 2010
June 16, 2025 at 6:05 PM
In 1945, a shipyard worker named Clara Peoples hosted Oregon's first Juneteenth celebration in Vanport. This became an annual gathering, and in 1972 Peoples founded the group “Juneteenth Oregon” which has organized Portland Juneteenth events ever since.
Photo: The Oregonian, 2010
Photo: The Oregonian, 2010
1/1/1869 Black Portlanders met at the Multnomah Co. Courthouse for a Grand Emancipation Celebration, the largest of its kind in OR history. Songs, sermons, and a reading of the emancipation proclamation led the OR Herald to report: "highly creditable" to Portland's small but growing Black community.
June 14, 2025 at 4:59 PM
1/1/1869 Black Portlanders met at the Multnomah Co. Courthouse for a Grand Emancipation Celebration, the largest of its kind in OR history. Songs, sermons, and a reading of the emancipation proclamation led the OR Herald to report: "highly creditable" to Portland's small but growing Black community.
On Juneteenth we remember the African Americans who experienced slavery in Oregon and across the US. The day is a chance for us to recognize how far we’ve come as well as the work we still have to do. We believe that begins by knowing where we come from and honoring the stories of our ancestors.
June 12, 2025 at 12:07 AM
On Juneteenth we remember the African Americans who experienced slavery in Oregon and across the US. The day is a chance for us to recognize how far we’ve come as well as the work we still have to do. We believe that begins by knowing where we come from and honoring the stories of our ancestors.
Ben Johnson and Amanda Gardner, brought to Oregon by their enslavers in 1853, met on the Oregon Trail. 15 years later, they reconnected at Salem's first Emancipation Day celebration (1/1/1868). Their freedom day reunion became a courtship, and they married in Albany on 4/12/1870.
#AddToBlacksky
#AddToBlacksky
June 9, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Ben Johnson and Amanda Gardner, brought to Oregon by their enslavers in 1853, met on the Oregon Trail. 15 years later, they reconnected at Salem's first Emancipation Day celebration (1/1/1868). Their freedom day reunion became a courtship, and they married in Albany on 4/12/1870.
#AddToBlacksky
#AddToBlacksky
How will you celebrate Juneteenth? Check Oregon Black Pioneers' blog of statewide Juneteenth events for a celebration near you.
Have an Oregon event to add? Reply here of send a link to hello @ oregonblackpioneers.org
oregonblackpioneers.org/2025-juneteenth-events-in-oregon
Have an Oregon event to add? Reply here of send a link to hello @ oregonblackpioneers.org
oregonblackpioneers.org/2025-juneteenth-events-in-oregon
June 5, 2025 at 7:06 PM
How will you celebrate Juneteenth? Check Oregon Black Pioneers' blog of statewide Juneteenth events for a celebration near you.
Have an Oregon event to add? Reply here of send a link to hello @ oregonblackpioneers.org
oregonblackpioneers.org/2025-juneteenth-events-in-oregon
Have an Oregon event to add? Reply here of send a link to hello @ oregonblackpioneers.org
oregonblackpioneers.org/2025-juneteenth-events-in-oregon
George Fletcher is one of Oregon’s most celebrated cowboys and rodeo performers. He began competing in rodeo competitions at age 15 and developed a unique style of his own. Read all about this cowboy pioneer in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
oregonblackpioneers.org/george-fletcher/
oregonblackpioneers.org/george-fletcher/
June 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
George Fletcher is one of Oregon’s most celebrated cowboys and rodeo performers. He began competing in rodeo competitions at age 15 and developed a unique style of his own. Read all about this cowboy pioneer in this Oregon Black History Spotlight!
oregonblackpioneers.org/george-fletcher/
oregonblackpioneers.org/george-fletcher/
OBP has all the Oregon Black history news YOU can use!
Sign up now for the Oregon Black Pioneers monthly newsletter and get up-to-date info about walking tours, events, projects, and programs.
bit.ly/OBPNews
Sign up now for the Oregon Black Pioneers monthly newsletter and get up-to-date info about walking tours, events, projects, and programs.
bit.ly/OBPNews
May 31, 2025 at 5:30 PM
OBP has all the Oregon Black history news YOU can use!
Sign up now for the Oregon Black Pioneers monthly newsletter and get up-to-date info about walking tours, events, projects, and programs.
bit.ly/OBPNews
Sign up now for the Oregon Black Pioneers monthly newsletter and get up-to-date info about walking tours, events, projects, and programs.
bit.ly/OBPNews
We've got Black History walking tours all summer long! Thanks to the generous support of The Collins Foundation, tours through Portland's historically-Black Albina neighborhood are only $10. Tours are scheduled through September, but don’t wait, they sell out!
Check oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
Check oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
May 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM
We've got Black History walking tours all summer long! Thanks to the generous support of The Collins Foundation, tours through Portland's historically-Black Albina neighborhood are only $10. Tours are scheduled through September, but don’t wait, they sell out!
Check oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
Check oregonblackpioneers.org/tours/
Tonight! It's Black History Quest!
Who were the people behind the Vanport Tenants’ League–fighting to get reparations for Vanport flood refugees? Join host Mariah Rocker and public historian and Vanport Mosaic Program Manager Greta Smith Wisnewski tonight at 7:00PM PT to find out!
Who were the people behind the Vanport Tenants’ League–fighting to get reparations for Vanport flood refugees? Join host Mariah Rocker and public historian and Vanport Mosaic Program Manager Greta Smith Wisnewski tonight at 7:00PM PT to find out!
May 27, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Tonight! It's Black History Quest!
Who were the people behind the Vanport Tenants’ League–fighting to get reparations for Vanport flood refugees? Join host Mariah Rocker and public historian and Vanport Mosaic Program Manager Greta Smith Wisnewski tonight at 7:00PM PT to find out!
Who were the people behind the Vanport Tenants’ League–fighting to get reparations for Vanport flood refugees? Join host Mariah Rocker and public historian and Vanport Mosaic Program Manager Greta Smith Wisnewski tonight at 7:00PM PT to find out!