It's funny to me how white folks both here and out of state think Portland is so liberal and unbiased. It's not. Get over yourselves. You're not that liberal and in the end... you're not any more open minded than someone from georgia or kentucky. race relations here are akin to the 1950's. how this myth gets perpetuated i have no idea but the article above and the one from the oregonian on sunday should wake some people up... it's really a racist... not african-american friendly place. just because you have an obama sticker left over on your bumper from last november doesn't make you progressive. nor does going to blazers game... oh yeah... and save me your "my best friend" "my daughters boyfriend" "the drummer in our band" is black spiel.... it's old and offensive and makes you look more ignorant than you actually are...

There are worse places than Portland, but racism is as American as apple pie.

What else is new?

I personally think, no matter the color of your skin, most people are going to notice your personality, work ethic, your education and your social ability to work with others. No matter what color you are, if you do not have a good foundation to grow on or an intellect to rise above your personal oppression you probably wont make it out of a court house, understand your rights to obtain a fair wage or be able to turn your cheek and rise above the assumptions people give at a glance on a daily basis. Stop waiting for others to pave the way for you and take personal action. Educate yourself about your options, plenty of public information is available. This study only comparing blacks to whites makes the evaluation racists to begin with. What about the information for other races and cultures in oregon?

Your summary of the Urban League findings lays out several facts and then jumps to a conclusion. It's a shameful fact that African Americans are more likely to suffer from unemployment, poverty and are less likely to graduate than whites in Oregon. That our educational system is to blame is speculation. Our schools are trying to teach literacy, a requirement for most entry level jobs. While we're in the realm of speculation, what about the disintegration of the nuclear family, babies being born out of wedlock, lack of male role models and racially biased laws? A person can easily be incarcerated for drug possession. Let's not solely blame our schools, who for the most part, seem to be doing what they can.