Introduction

Hello, What’s Up, Hesci,

My name is Amber. I’m Black (African American) and Mvskoke (Native American) and I’ve lived in Portland most of my life. I attended MLK Elementary School, Harriet Tubman Middle School, and Cleveland High School. For college, I attended the University of Oregon where I studied biology and anthropology. Following college and some time in Eugene, I moved back to Portland where I worked in the science field and the nonprofit sector for a few years. Then in 2012 I started Conscious Coils.

Conscious Coils was birthed out of a desire to provide natural hair care to Black children in both foster care and adoptive families, as a means of transmitting Black culture and ensuring they had access to the Black community, even as they were in non-Black homes/families. I was partially inspired by what the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) has sought to accomplish—ensuring Native children remain connected to our peoples even as they are navigating the foster care system. Via Conscious Coils I’ve been able to do some of that very work over the years, as well as invest in my community in the tradition of Black Oregonian community-builders (and others) who have been committed to Black liberation. Many of whom instilled in me the importance of community organizing, as well as the value and responsibility of being an active participant in the place I call home. I learned early on, and later internalized the notion that any work I do must be about the ultimate realization of freedom for Black folks and for all oppressed peoples globally. That has become my life’s volition.

In my work and even when meeting Black newcomers to Oregon, I’m often asked, “Where is the Black neighborhood in Portland?” or “Where are all the Black people?” I often respond to the effect of, “It does exist, and we exist, but we are simply dispersed due to harmful and intentional urban planning policies, and gentrification.  But if you look online, you’ll find what you need.” This kind of response almost always felt unhelpful and limiting, but it was often all I had to offer.  It wasn’t until recently when I needed to find Black-specific programming for my family that I understood the magnitude of the issue. This project was thus born out of addressing my own needs, finding tangible ways to support newcomers, and finally supporting my clients and their families.

What was initially meant to be a youth-specific guide evolved into this final project—a guide for all Black folks—as it became apparent that many of the resources and programs were interconnected and an attempt to address the ramifications that stemmed from the calculated fracturing of our community in Portland.  I realized too that all Black Oregonians were in need of and deserving of a central location to find Black-specific community, resources, businesses, and programming. Thus, The Black Community Guide (aka “The Guide”) was born. 

Curating this comprehensive guide has given me great insight into the resilience of Black Oregonians and has further ignited a profound sense of pride for what we—Black folks—are doing around Oregon.  It has absolutely been a labor of love, and I will continue to pour into it with my whole heart as I add to it.  I am encouraged by what I’ve found, and I hope you will be too.

Please share “The Guide” far and wide. Also, please use the Contact page to send suggestions of organizations, programs/activities, resources, and/or directories that would fit within our mission of connecting, informing, and empowering Black Oregonians.

Amber Starks, » Afro-Indigenous (Black and Mvskoke) Advocate, Community Organizer, Educator, and Writer » Owner, Conscious Coils Natural Hair Salon in Portland  » Creator and Curator, Black Community Guide™

Mission, Intent & Function

The Black Community Guide’s mission is to connect, inform, and empower Black Oregonians & visitors. It is also a proclamation that Black people do in fact live in Portland, and in Oregon, and that we—Black, African, and Afro diasporic peoples from all walks of life, and with differing experiences and abilities—are an integral part of Oregon’s past, present, and future. Thus, this guide rejects the narrative that “There are no Black people in Oregon,” and instead celebrates Black Oregonians’ fortitude, collective care, connectedness, and determination. 

While it acknowledges the institutional, structural, and systemic anti-Black racism we’ve endured since the onset of Oregon’s Black Exclusion Laws, it simultaneously underscores the ways in which Black Oregonians have and continue to refuse our oppression. It also reflects and uplifts the tireless work of individual Black folks, Black community-builders, and Black organizations who have stood, and continue to stand in the gap to provide programming, resources, support, and advocacy to ensure the advancement, health, and stability of Black people and Black communities throughout Oregon. 

Ultimately, this guide highlights the ways Black Oregonians have and continue to build community and thrive despite the intentional displacement of our peoples, and divestment of our physical Black neighborhoods (such as Albina, Vanport, and N/NE Portland). Finally, it seeks to feature Black folks and organizations who are attempting to reverse the fracturing of our neighborhoods and/or address the isolation of Black folks around Oregon. 

Let this guide be a testament to Black Oregonians’ brilliance and evidence of our collective strength. Let it also be a reminder that we deserve to thrive, to have healthy communities and neighborhoods, to have political and economic power, and ultimately to live free of anti-Black racism in our state, and in the world.