On the fourth day of our civil rights immersion experience we received a tour of Vanport, visited a black owned book shop called: Third Eye Books and had a potluck with some of the church members from The First AME Zion. where we were not only able to connect with the members, but were even lucky enough to hear about the experience of living in Vanport from one of the church’s members.
Pilar: Something that stood out to me throughout the day was the theme of history that kept coming up throughout the day. In Vanport, the place was rich with history of different groups that existed and used the land for different purposes. In Po’Shines a member from the restaurant spoke to us about the history of how the establishment got its name, its ties with social justice and community work, as well as how the establishment had lasted throughout hard times. In Third Eye Books, the owners shared the history of the place and the importance of a Black-owned business having literature that represented perspectives from Black people. The theme of history today taught me that the history and the stories we tell are important in shaping how people see these events.
Nyibol: I moved to America about 13 years ago and have not really made an effort to educate myself about the history of Oregon beyond the stuff they teach you at school. I have had a lot of “what? I did not know that this thing or place meant or did this.” Today Heather (our Vanport tour guide) shared a poem by Kaia Sand, from the book that said “how do I notice what I don’t notice” and that poem resonated with me because often times I tend not to notice my surroundings. I wrote a paper about Vanport and completely forgot about it but touring it and learning even more today made me realize just how little I knew about the place. Being in the land where many at the time called home and seeing where things used to be, I found it hard to picture this once being a home to thousands. Just putting the two and two together even was hard for me. I found it really interesting how all of the things that said “Vanport” did not put Oregon next to it making the fact that it was once a city known, but how it just said “Vanport” alone leaving it’s meaning to those who do not know what that is a mystery.
Going on the tour as well as talking with the members of the church/community made us realize the importance of preserving these stories and using storytelling as tool to stay connected and keeping history alive.
-Pilar Hernandez and Nyibol Duop