Rudy Pearson, Author at

Academic Historian

Dr. Rudy Pearson received his Ph.D. from Washington State University. He is a Professor of History at American River College in Sacramento, California. His research focuses on African American social and labor history in the Pacific Northwest – dissertation topic was “African Americans in Portland, Oregon, 1940-1950: Work and Living Conditions – a Social History.” Dr. Pearson received the Oregon Historical Quarterly’s 2001 Joel Palmer Award for his article “A Menace to the Neighborhood: Housing and African Americans in Portland, 1941-1945,” Summer 2001, OHQ. In 2002, he enjoyed a five-week educational seminar in Uganda, courtesy of a Fulbright-Hayes scholarship.

Vanport, Oregon (1942-1948)

Vanport, Oregon was the largest WWII federal housing project in the United States, and as such, attracted national attention to the region. At its peak, Vanport was home to over 42,000 residents, making it the second largest population center in the state. The housing project … Read MoreVanport, Oregon (1942-1948)

J.J .Clow (1893-1979)

Reverend J(esse) J(ames) Clow was a beloved minister and a prominent figure in the struggle for civil rights in Portland, Oregon. In 1936, Rev. Clow began a service of ministry at Portland’s Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. Mt. Olivet was the first African American Baptist Church … Read MoreJ.J .Clow (1893-1979)

DeNorval Unthank (1899-1977)

Dr. DeNorval Unthank, a civil rights advocate and a highly respected leader in the black community of Portland, Oregon, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on December 14, 1899. After his mother died, Unthank’s father sent him to live with an aunt and uncle in Kansas … Read MoreDeNorval Unthank (1899-1977)