Celebrating Black, Black History Month

Update
Written By Juma Sei

In the late 1800s, some of the earliest Black families in Portland made their home in Old Town. They were brought by the transcontinental railroad. (Captured by Juma Sei)

Black-serving organizations across Portland are celebrating a “Black, Black History Month” this year by hosting a pop-up museum with Creative Homies at The Horizon Enterprise Building in Old Town. 

Our Fund is sponsoring the museum!

Though our work often centers Albina as the historic heart of Black life in Portland, Old Town is one of the first neighborhoods where Black folks settled in the city–the railroad brought families from out east in the late 1800s. 

It’ll be a pleasure to hold space in that same neighborhood as we celebrate Black life today. This is an everyday practice in our community, but we double-down in February. 

Keep your eye on this feed as the month draws near—we’ll be updating to reflect new programing! Here’s what you need to know for now:

WHERE AND WHEN

The museum will be open from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday through Sunday, all month long.

It will live at The Horizon Enterprise Building in Old Town (433 NW 4TH Avenue, Portland, OR, 97209). Enter on 4th.

VOLUNTEER

We’d love to have you volunteer and help others navigate the space!

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

  • Albina Music Trust

  • Alisa Wilbon

  • Black Bald Film

  • Center for Black Excellence

  • Creative Homies | The Horizon Enterprise Building

  • The BLACK Gallery, curated by Don’t Shoot PDX

  • Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon - MESO

  • North East Production

  • Oregon Black Pioneers

  • Word is Bond

  • Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church

  • 1803 Fund

GALLERIES

The following galleries will be open to the public during all hours of operation.

  • Wall To Wall Soul | Curated by Albina Music Trust | An exhibit featuring photography and music from Albina Music Trust's community archive. This exhibit centers Albina's musical culture dating back to the 1940s and up to the current day. With an emphasis on the soul, jazz, and gospel music legacy of Portland's Black community, the exhibit aims to inform and transport visitors to a time when Paul Knauls' Cotton Club - a pillar in Albina’s Black community - was “the only place on the West Coast with Wall To Wall Soul.”

  • In My Skin | Curated by Albina Music Trust | Afro-Futurist Photography by Jason Hill. This exhibit celebrates the unique cultural identity, African ancestry, and diversity of Black Portland. Through dynamic portraiture and styling, In My Skin centers Portland's contemporary African Diaspora - highlighting artists and individuals residing here in Portland.

  • Racing to Change Interactive Kiosk | Curated by Oregon Black Pioneers | A look into how Portland's Black community organized for rights and recognition during the 1960s-1980s.

  • Black in Oregon | Curated by Oregon Black Pioneers | Stories of the first Black men and women who challenged exclusionary laws to settle in Oregon during the 1840s-1860s.

  • Beatrice Cannady: Portland's Advocate for Social Change | Curated by Oregon Black Pioneers | A profile of newspaper publisher and social activist Beatrice Morrow Cannady, the first Black woman to practice law in Oregon.

  • Louisa Flowers | Curated by Oregon Black Pioneers | An introduction to the life of Louisa Flowers, matriarch of one of early Portland's most prominent Black families.

  • Who We Are: The Fine Art of Isaka Shamsud-Din at 1803 | Curated by Don’t Shoot PDX | This exhibit features unique works by multi-disciplinary artist Isaka Shamsud-Din (b. 1940), showcasing decades of rare ceramics, paintings, clothing and more. This collection serves as a retrospective of Shamsud-Din’s art from his early beginnings to the arrival of his signature style through the decades. Known in the Pacific Northwest as a mural artist, art professor, and social commentary artist who critiques the complex history that makes up the African American experience, his large-scale paintings imbue vivid color and bold energy, bringing his characters to life. We hope this exhibit provides you with a valuable insight into Shamsud-Din’s process, techniques and important perspectives on American history, politics, and social culture. Learn more about Isaka’s work at isakashamsuddin.com

  • For the Record | Curated by Alisa Wilbon | This gallery is a bold statement of presence, heritage, and resilience. In a city where Black voices have often been marginalized or erased, this work stands as living proof of the existence and importance of Black people in Portland. Selected Black photographers capture more than just moments—they document the everyday lives, celebrations, struggles, and triumphs of Black people who have always been here, shaping the city we know today. These images serve as a visual record, not just of our time, but of the legacy we continue to build in Portland. This is the truth, the proof, and the legacy, documented for all to see and for future generations to honor. 

FILM SCREENINGS

We plan to screen a number of short films, produced and directed by local filmmakers. Stay tuned for more!

EVENTS AND ACTIVATIONS

ONE-TIME EVENTS

  • Soul Conversation | Albina Music Trust | 2.1 at 2:30 PM

  • Art Creation Event | Word is Bond | 2.15 at 11 AM

  • For the Record Artist Talk | Alisa Wilbon | 2.15 at 2 PM

  • Closing Reception | Creative Homies and 1803 Fund | 2.28 at 6 PM

RECURRING EVENTS

  • MESO Makers Market | MESO | 10 AM - 4 PM, every weekend, except for 2.22-2.23

  • Photoshoots | Word is Bond | 2PM, every Saturday

  • Open Mic Nights | Word is Bond | 4 PM, every Saturday

  • Book Club | Center for Black Excellence | 2PM, every Saturday

Juma Sei
Next

For the Record, Curated by Alisa Wilbon