One Day Tour Highlights Black History in Oregon

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Photo Credit: City of Portland Archives (image cropped)

Best Oregon Tours collaborated with Oregon Black Pioneers to lead a one day bus tour revolving around Black History and key historic landmarks in Oregon.

“We’re tracing the impact to Portland’s early community with the WWII shipyards, migration of southern black families to Portland, the Vanport flood and the beginning of urban renewal,” explains Best Oregon Tours owner and lead tour guide Clem Ogilby.

Oregon Black Pioneers museum exhibit, A Community on the Move, at The Oregon Historical Society runs till June 28th and details the bravery of Portland’s black residents from 1940 to the mid-1950s.

The one day tour on May 16th, is going one step further than the exhibit, by giving the public the opportunity to interact with these monumental places.

“Seeing the exhibit at the Historical Society is a great way to understand the past, but actually going to these places, walking through them, feeling them come alive with history- that’s why we’re doing this guided tour,” says Clem Ogilby.

The tour will stop at Denorval Unthank Park, Salem Pioneer Cemetery, Golden West Hotel and settlement homes of African American Oregon Trail pioneers.

Seats are limited for the special one-day only event. To buy tickets and learn more, click HERE. A Community On The Move, Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, Feb. 1 - June 28, Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Related Slideshow: Oregon Black Pioneers Exhibition Opening at Oregon Historical Society

The Oregon Black Pioneers have partnered with the Oregon Historical Society to present a Community on the Move, an in-depth exhibit about the impact of WWII Shipyards, the Vanport Flood, and urban renewal programs on Portland-area black families and businesses in the 1940s and 50s.

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The state’s premier Black heritage organization is dedicated to illuminating African Americans’ contributions to Oregon’s history through research, publications, exhibits, and community outreach. The organization’s newest exhibition, A Community on the Move, directly builds on two highly successful collaborations with the Oregon Historical Society and reflects the all-volunteer organization’s increasing capacity to create meaningful opportunities for community dialogue and learning.

Launching Tuskegee Victory Ship, 1946

Photo Credit: Oregon Historical Society (image cropped)