African American Portland: History

Black pioneers were among the earliest non-Native people to settle in Oregon, but it was not until World War II that thousands of African Americans migrated to the Northwest to find work in the shipyards and keep the railroads running. Today Portland is home to more than 41,000 African Americans, most living on the east side of the Willamette River.

Despite daunting barriers and discrimination, African Americans have made important contributions to Oregon in politics, medicine, the environment, sports and the arts. Portland's many parks, for example, make the city one of the greenest in the nation. That's thanks largely to Charles Jordan, a former city commissioner who championed green spaces in cities, far ahead of his time.

Read The Skanner's brief history of African Americans in Portland.

Notable Black Portlanders

Notable Black Americans on the Portland entertainment scene include actor Danny Glover, conductor James DePriest, blues vocalist Linda Hornbuckle, pianist Janice Scroggins, Grammy-winning jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, saxophonist Mike "Philly" Phillips, jazz drummer Mel Brown, and rappers Cool Nutz, Rose Bent, Luck One, Illmacculate and Animal Farm.