The racist legacy of Oregon is not one of the most glorious chapters in its history. Lawmakers initially denied non-white people the right to work and own property, writing such rules into the constitution when the state was admitted into the Union in 1859. And through the 1930s, the Ku Klux Klan was a regular presence, directing public policy and even helping install Walter M. Pierce as governor in 1922.
In spite of the ugliness within our borders, African Americans still found their way here, looking for work and refuge from the even worse treatment they were receiving in the Jim Crow South. Some formed the backbone of the logging industry in Eastern Oregon and others were key to the war effort, living near Portland and helping build ships for the British Navy in the ’40s. Even in the face of segregation and fears from the white citizens, they persisted.
This troubled and troubling period of Oregon’s past forms the core of From Maxville to Vanport, a new album and multimedia performance led by the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. Composed by pianist Ezra Weiss and featuring lyrics written by author S. Renee Mitchell, the work explores the history of two settlements for Black families in Oregon.