March 13, 2006
A history lesson
Portland, like most cities in the U.S., was shaped for many years by overtly racist policies. Until the state constitution was amended in 1926, it was illegal for "free negro(s) or mulatto(s)" to live in Oregon. The punishment: biannual lashings until they left, though the law was inconsistently enforced. Even after the constitution was amended to legalize the state's black residents, it was not until the 21st century that some of the racist language in the document was removed by a voters' initiative. Guess how I voted.
In the 1930s, when Portland's black population began to grow, a cabal of white real estate agents began adding whites-only clauses to deeds when homes were sold in predominantly white neighborhoods. Though not official policy, the city inevitably became segregated by race.
Chinatown, just off downtown Portland, is a shadow of the bustling community it once was. Many of the area's more recent Asian immigrants live in Southeast Portland, while established families have spread throughout the city.
For many years, North Portland was one of the few areas available for black homeowners. In the 1950s, local politics allowed black populations to expand into Northeast.
Ben and I now live in Northeast Portland, and it's unsettling to realize that we're part of a wave of young -- mostly, but not exclusively, white -- professionals that is gentrifying our neighborhood.
Last weekend, after moving in, I headed to the local Safeway. There, I saw a strange racio-socio-economic stew. Black professionals and older black people seemed to share a common bond, striking up conversations with each other as they checked the expiration dates on the milk. Multiracial couples -- white, hispanic, black, name your mix -- walked hand in hand down the junk food aisle. Most of the white people in the door looked poor. Dirt poor. Like junkies who could not find anywhere else to live.
Then I went to the three environmentally friendly, organically oriented health food stores in the area. The shoppers were mostly white, mostly middle class. There were a few middle class black shoppers. One black junkie. The magazine racks had publications about yoga, home repair, home decoration, home remodeling, getting pregnant, raising young children, Buddhism, organic living, granola, and the latest in alternative music.
I walked around the block this Saturday afternoon, when the sky was clear. At every third house there seemed to be freshly dug soil, whirring drills, banging hammers. Some of the sounds came from young home owners, fixing up the nicest houses they could afford. Some of the sounds came from speculators who expect a big turnaround in a neighborhood that promises to be the next big thing.
Alberta Street, nearby, has many of the hallmarks of the best Portland streets. Boutiques. Galleries. Independent fashion houses. Vegetarian and vegan and dinner and brunch and every other dining option you could imagine. It also has soul food, or the more generic "southern food," which seems to mean the same thing in this city. That's something you don't find everywhere in town.
Our new neighborhood also has churches. More churches than in sacriligious Southeast. They appear to be racially mixed, with lots of people of every color going to even the most predominantly black. The blacker the churches, the better that everyone dresses. I love the teenagers in their pressed slacks and the old ladies with hats that match their purses and their dresses.
I really like where I live, but I don't know what to make of it all.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at March 13, 2006 05:52 PM
Comments
Oh Courtney, you are such a good writer. Welcome to your wonderful new living place adventure. Portland is a good city, despite its racism, past and present. I am glad you and Ben are back in it.
Posted by: Sue at March 15, 2006 08:38 AM