The 2015 Oregons Most Endangered Places includes Portlands Gray Building: Built at the turn of the last century, this modest false-front building is a significant reminder of Oregon’s role in the national Black History story, exemplifying a century of cultural and civil rights struggles in inner North and Northeast Portland. As early as 1906 an African American family, Henry and Katherine Gray, occupied the building. Mrs. Gray was a founding member of African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and founder of the Harriet Tubman Club. Katherine Gray served as Vice President and her daughter, Edith Gray, served as secretary for the Colored Women’s Council. In the 1960s the building was the location of Black Panther riots and other local interactions with the national civil rights movement. The nationally-known 1981 Opossum Incident, a racially charged conflict with Portland Police and elected leaders, led to marches, protests, and eventual firing of officers who unlawfully and symbolically left animal remains on the steps of a Black business. Despite its exterior alterations, the building’s association with Portland history makes it significant.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 20:49:52 +0000
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