Portland's Blind Spot to Racism - Ali McFarland

Portlanders, and Oregonians in general, proudly claim their progress against racism. Many are shocked that any hate driven violence could ever happen in a place like Portland, but people who live there do not seem to be surprised at all. It is not an uncommon occurence to hear groups of light skinned people socializing, and notice racial slurs and negativity. Those who see the real Portland on a daily basis know that it is not all rainbows and acceptance, and that there is still an underlying fear/hatred that proves dangerous for everybody.

Firstly, most people don't realize Oregon's long history of racism that still lingers around today. We technically entered the Union as a slavery-free state, but only because people of color were not able to live in Oregon at all. It was lawful to have whippings of up to 39 lashes for those who tried to reside within Oregon until they decided to leave. It also took Oregon almost a full century to ratify the 14th and 15th Amendments. In fact, they had the largest Ku Klux Klan membership per capita of any other unionized state. 

This innate racism was difficult to shake. In the 1940's, the African American population made up only .2%. This started to change during WWII when Henry Kaiser reached out to southern states to help on his shipyard, recruiting thousands. There was not even close to enough room in the small area of Portland where they were permitted to live, but it brought diversity into the state and jump started into the new era. 

The residual effects of this rocky start still exist today, barely beneath the surface. This is an uncomfortable topic that most try to avoid, but until we address it head on, nothing will change. For more information, click HERE.