ALL ABOARD: RAILROADING AND PORTLAND'S BLACK COMMUNITY

Oregon Black Pioneers and the Oregon Historical Society Presents All Aboard: Railroading and Portland’s Black Community.  The exhibit opening is:

January 15, 2013 thru April 21, 2013.

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205

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Working together with the Oregon Historical Society and a community advisory committee, the Oregon Black Pioneers presents a new interactive exhibit that will focus on the work and lives of the African American community that grew up around Union Station from 1800s to 1940s. Visitors will learn about the various jobs that were available to blacks working for the railroad, and experience the sight and sounds of community life during this era. Life-size mannequins will display the period clothing and the various uniforms worn by black workers. Learn more about the establishment of black-owned businesses, churches and other social institutions within the context of Oregon’s racial history. The exhibit content will feature a video entitled “Black Families and the Railroad” produced by Portland’s own Michael “Chappie” Grice that highlights the lives of Portland’s railroad workers. In addition, visitors will have a rare opportunity to sit at a newspaper binder and read remnants of historical black newspapers (New Age, Advocate and Portland Times) that were established as early as 1896. Come take a picture with a Pullman Porter or in front of platform backdrop of the Union Pacific’s Portland Rose, once herald as “A Triumph in Train Comfort.”

A community advisory aommittee consisting of former railroad men, the children of former railroad men and local historians has enhanced the exhibit planning through their expertise and personal knowledge of railroad history, as well as generous use of their historical artifacts and family collections. Under the leadership of Gwen Carr, Exhibit Project Director for Oregon Black Pioneers, the committee members are the Honorable Robert Boyer, Michael “Chappie” Grice, Honorable Avel Gordly, Honorable Charlotte Rutherford, William Rutherford, Dr. Darrell Millner and Jacqueline-Peterson-Loomis. Funding for All Aboard was provided by National Railway Historical Society, Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, and Trust Management Services, LLC.

For more information about All Aboard please contact Gwen Carr, Exhibit Project Manager and/or Kimberly Moreland, Marketing and Communication Coordinator at blackpioneers@qwestoffice.net

World Beat Gallery Event

Annual Black History Month Gala Celebration

On February 11, 2012, at the Salem Conference Center in Salem, Oregon, we will have our annual gala celebration of African American history with a focus on Oregon. Our program will be Portraits of Courage staged by Will and Company of Los Angeles, California under the direction of Colin Cox. A special feature of this presentation will be profiles from Perseverance A History of African Americans in Oregon's Marion and Polk Counties. Highlights for the evening will include honoring recipients of our awards: Pillars of Leadership and Service, The First, Trailblazer, Organization Giving and our student educational scholarship.  Recipient for each award which will be announced in January.

Please contact us at blackpioneers@qwestoffice.net for additional information or purchase tickets online at http://www.oregonnorthwestblackpioneers.org/. Please be sure to provide contact information; i.e., phone or email.

Perseverance: A History of African Americans in Oregon's Marion and Polk Counties

We are excited! The long awaited publication on African Americans in Oregon's Marion and Polk Counties is now available online at our website: www.oregonnorthwestblackpioneers.org at a cost of $25 plus shipping. The book shares the life and profiles of blacks in the Salem and surrounding area. The book is a documentation in word and pictures, particularly of early black settlers and continuing through more recent years.

You may go online to the website to read a brief section from Perseverance.

ANNUAL GALA CELEBRATION

On February 12, 2011, at the Salem Conference Center in Salem, Oregon, we will have our annual gala celebration of African American history with a focus on Oregon. Our guest speaker will be Mr. Rodney J. Reynolds, Founder, Publisher and CEO of American Legacy Magazine. In celebration we will honor recipients of our awards; Pillars of Leadership and Service, The First, Trailblazer and Organization Giving. Award recipients will be announced in January. Recipients of our student educational scholarships will be presented. Please contact us at blackpioneers@qwestoffice.net for additional information or purchase tickets online at http://www.oregonnorthwestblackpioneers.org/. Please be sure to provide contact information; i.e., phone or email.

I DREAM A WORLD PORTRAITS OF BLACK WOMEN WHO CHANGED AMERICA, PART II

Friday and Saturday
October 29 & 30, 2010
7 p.m.
TICKETS: $25 IN ADVANCE
$30 DOOR
Historic Grand Theater
Salem, Oregon

Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers will do a Part II staged production of I Dream A World, Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America by Photographer Brian Lanker of Eugene, Oregon. This production will feature additional women from the book. Local women from Salem and Portland will give life and character to unsung women who did much to effect American history in a variety of fields. This two-evening performance is by popular demand.

This is our annual fundraising activity to support the ongoing work of the organization, specifically, our efforts to research the history and contributions of African Americans to Oregon. Research has recently been completed on Marion and Polk Counties which is resulting in a publication due out in the latter part of 2010. See announcement.

Tickets are now available for purchase. If you desire additional information, please contact via email: blackpioneers@qwestoffice.net or Willie Richardson at 503-540-4063.

Marion and Polk County African American History Publication

Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers history publication on African American pioneers in Marion and Polk Counties is in its final stage of research and writing. It is anticipated that the book will be in published in early fall. It primarily will be marketed to schools, libraries and historical societies and organizations; and also made available to the general public through bookstores and online at our web site.

This document of history will be useful to teachers and other historians at all levels and a welcome addition to historical resources about Oregon's diverse history. It will benefit all who read it by enriching their understanding of the black pioneers who lived in those counties and became a part of the fabric of the communities.

Keep checking the web site or add your name to our email or mailing lists to get first notice of its availability. A notice will be sent to you for pre-ordering for the first edition. If you desire further information on this publication, contact Gwen Carr. Research Chairperson at gwecar@comcast.net. We will begin research on additional counties once this publication is completed and in print. If you would like to assist with research, please contact Gwen.

If you desire additional information regarding ONBP or volunteer in some capacity with us, please email blackpioneers@qwestoffice.net