Lizzie Koontz Weeks was an early suffragist, activist, and the first black social worker in Portland, Oregon. Weeks was possibly born in 1886 in Washington, D.C. to mixed-race parentage. Although not much is known of her early life, she moved to Portland, Oregon where she … Read MoreLizzie Koontz Weeks (ca. 1886-1976)
Jo Ann Hardesty is the first African American woman to serve on Portland’s City Council and the third black woman to serve as an Oregon State Representative. Hardesty was born as one of ten children on October 15, 1957 in Baltimore, Maryland where her father … Read MoreJo Ann Hardesty (1957- )
Information on Moses Harris’ birth and lineage is limited. It is believed that he was born in either Union County, South Carolina or somewhere in Kentucky. Harris was also known as Black Moses or the “Black Squire.” During the 1820’s Harris moved west and began work as a fur … Read MoreHarris, Moses [aka Black Moses / “Black Squire”] (1800?-1849)
Justice Adrienne C. Nelson is the first African American justice on the Oregon State Supreme Court, having been appointed on January 2, 2018. Justice Nelson graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with degrees in English and Criminal Justice and earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University … Read MoreAdrienne C. Nelson (1967- )
Portland Police Arrest Two Black Men in the Albina Riot, 1967 Image Ownership: Public domain The 1967 Albina Riot in Portland, Oregon, occurred during a summer in which over 150 other cities were experiencing civil unrest. Underlying resentments and racial tensions that had been mounting for decades were … Read MoreAlbina Riot, Portland, Oregon (1967)
Joseph Paul Reason was the first African American to attain the rank of four-star admiral in the United States Navy. Reason was born March 22, 1941, in Washington, D.C., the son of Howard University librarian and French language professor Joseph Henry Reason, and schoolteacher Bernice … Read MoreJoseph Paul Reason (1941- )
Dr. Donnis Hazel Thompson was an athlete, coach, University of Hawaii Women’s Athletic Director, State of Hawaii Department of Education school superintendent, Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission chair in Hawaii, and champion for Title IX women’s athletics in Hawaii. Thompson was born in Chicago, Illinois, … Read MoreDonnis Hazel Thompson (1933-2009)
Image Ownership: Public domain Kimberle Crenshaw is a Professor of Law and an advocate and educator for civil rights, race studies, constitutional law, and social inclusion. She currently teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as Columbia University. Crenshaw was born … Read MoreKimberle Williams Crenshaw (1959- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Klay Alexander Thompson is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was born February 8, 1990 in Los Angeles, California to Mychal Thompson, a former NBA player, and Julie Leslie … Read MoreKlay Alexander Thompson (1990- )
Haben Girma at the White House with President Barack Obama, July 20, 2015 Image Ownership: Public domain Haben Girma, both blind and deaf, is a disability rights advocate and attorney who became the first deaf and blind graduate of Harvard Law School in Massachusetts when … Read MoreHaben Girma (1988- )