A History of Displacement: Gentrification and Black Activism in Portland, Oregon

African-Americans have been oppressed in Portland Oregon since the early 19th century when it followed exclusion laws banning black people from being allowed into the territory. Though not as drastic, this pattern of oppression carried on well throughout the 20th century as well, after many African-Americans moved to Portland from across the country to work in shipyards during World War II. Federal housing acts that originally came into effect during the 1940s and 1950s with the goal of helping blighted neighborhoods recover into prosperous communities through urban renewal. This study looks at the Housing Act of 1954, the Model Cities Plan, and the Albina Community Plan critically. Although these plans were implanted under the assumption the projects would help the community, efforts often disrupted economic development, displaced hundreds upon hundreds of residents, and led to the gradual displacement of the community that is still occurring today