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Narratives or stories are powerful and show up in every part of our lives. We watch, listen, and learn about stories every single day of our lives. Stories are a retelling of characters’ experiences and their problems. The reason why we enjoy and attach ourselves to stories is that we want to understand how characters, settings, events, actions, interactions, and results are all interconnected with each other. However, the purpose of why stories are so important is that they create and re-create meaning(s) through interactions and public messages. 

The importance of storytelling was a recurring theme that I experienced throughout the whole immersion, especially when we meet with Bruce from Vanport Mosaic. Vanport Mosaic is a memory-activism platform that amplifies, honors the present, and preserves the silenced histories that surround us to understand our present and create a future where we all belong. Vanport Mosiac amplifies the stories of Portland’s African American Community to expose the struggle, perseverance, and resilience that continues today. 

The presentation of multiple first-person narratives exposed personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The things I learned from these narratives helped me understand more aspects of Vanport. Beatrice shared that she didn’t realize she was homeless until later in her life. Jackie shared that they had to learn to meet people and experience new cultures in Vanport because everyone who lived in Vanport was from other parts of the country. Lurlene shared that people don’t talk about Vanport. Lee talked about the segregation in the city of Portland, but also in Vanport. Ben shared that there are so many opportunities to hate, but you can use that hate to drive for change. Myrtle shared that she lost everything during the flood because people thought they could go back and get their stuff. Kent shared that getting on the street is easy by just organizing and educating those to create change. Donna shared that she didn’t just lose her house, but also her church, her parent’s business, and her community. Even though these are specific parts of each story that caught my attention, each story has so many more messages that are important for the history and experiences in Vanport. Listening to different stories exposes issues that were not brought up before and/or need to be discussed. Being an Organizational Communication major, listening to these stories helped me understand systems and structures that are purposely placed in our society. 

The reason I signed up to participate in the North Portland Civil Rights Immersion was that I realized I did not have any historical knowledge about the city I reside in. The University has no aspect of the curriculum or an option to take a Portland history class. I felt like I needed to find a way to learn more about the history of Portland. Throughout this whole immersion, I have learned about the history of Vanport, the African American community, and so much more. The best part of this immersion was listening to every single narrative because each one was unique. Having over a year left of my educational journey, I can’t rely on the classroom to be my only source of historical knowledge. Sometimes you have to seek out history and deal with the real world on your own time.   

By Bella Metcalf 

Tuesday, March 1st was a day spent engaging with the community and getting to know how people interact and build community despite change. Previously during this immersion, we had learned about the Columbia Villa, a public housing site that housed predominantly low-income people of color. In 2001 the neighborhood received a grant that enabled the revitalization of Columbia Villa into New Columbia. We spent the day visiting the neighborhood with the goal of understanding what life was like, and how the revitalization efforts affected the residents. 

We started the day meeting with Shalonna Jackson and Michael Mangum, two community organizers who work for Home Forward, which is an organization that focuses on blending affordable rental homes as well as owner-occupied homes to revitalize the New Columbia neighborhood. Shalonna and Michael spoke about their experiences with working with Home Forward as well as the history of the neighborhood. 

Next, we talked to two women, Lei and Larena, who worked at the Charles Jorden Community Center in the New Columbia neighborhood. They spoke about the importance of the community center and how it plays a role in creating a sense of belonging for the residences.

Afterwards, our group spent time cleaning the neighborhoods’ community garden. During this we got the chance to speak with one of the members of the neighborhood. She told our group about how the garden provides a deep meaning to her because it gives her an outlet to engage with others in the community as well as spend time outdoors. To me, this encounter was significant because it made me realize how having a sense of belonging and community can be so impactful for peoples’ well-being. We ended our time at New Columbia talking with Charles, who works for the local grocery store in New Columbia. He shared his food, coffee, and experiences with our group.

Throughout all our interactions with people in New Columbia it was clear how passionate they were about their community and how eager they were to share their passion with our group. I left this experience feeling inspired to engage in my own community in a more meaningful way, as well as hopeful to the future of New Columbia because of the passion the community members expressed.

After our long day of visiting New Columbia, we went back to the Church where we were staying and invited member of the Church over to join us for dinner. Reverend Marva brought us her homemade pie, cake, and lasagna, all very delicious! We spent the night exchanging our stories and hearing about their personal experiences. We also learned about the Church’s history and how gentrification has led to the Church’s decline in membership. 

Throughout the day I felt immense gratitude towards those who shared their stories with our group, as well as a gratitude for those who care deeply for their community. Getting to understand the passion and care people have for their community was contagious and made me want to engage in my own community more.

By Kari Thordarson

Today we watched the movie “Imagining Home” which focused on the sense of community that existed in the Columbia Villa neighborhood and the effects of the renovation project that took place in 2003. This neighborhood was created during World War II as a homing community for shipyard workers, and after the war it became a public housing site. In the following decades this neighborhood faced economic and social isolation, a surge in violence and the buildings were in deteriorating conditions. In an effort to provide better living conditions for its residents Columbia Villa through the funding of the HOPE IV program were able to rebuild the neighborhood and integrate them more into the surrounding communities. With this renovation project people were forced to relocate for 2 years until the building of New Columbia ended. In this new community affordable and owner-occupied homes were integrated as to create a community with people of various social standings. Although, the project in the eyes of developers would revitalize this community that had been long forgotten families feared the end of a resilient community. 

When watching the movie, a newer resident of the Villas said that those who look down on the community could end up there if a family member dies or if they lose their job; therefore, the line separating the Villas residents from the outside is very thin. This struck me as she shared her story about how she ended up there, especially since she owned a house with a white picket fence, which so many associate with the American dream. Unlike other people the Villas were a sign of hope for this woman and her family in their escape from domestic abuse, to keep going forward. Since the people who lived in that region were mostly low-income people of color, her narrative had a big impact on me as one’s financial situation can change abruptly and what we know to be true can change just as fast.

By Araceli Lara