The Honest 101 on Being Black in Portland: So You’re Black and Moving to Portland?

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If you’re reading this, you’re probably a Black person on their way to starting a new life in Portland, Oregon. Or…you’re not Black and you’re just curious about what I’m going to say. That’s coo’ too! But either way, you’re probably somewhat aware that being Black in Portland…might not be easy.

AND YOU WOULD BE RIGHT.

For lack of better words, being Black in Portland is a culture shock. Honestly, moving from ANYWHERE else in the country to Portland is a culture shock.

Well…maybe not if you’re coming from Austin, Texas….but I digress.

I moved to Oregon ten years ago from Southern California when I received an academic scholarship to attend university up here. Silly little teenage me was like “oh, free money! How different could it be?”

I learned VERY quickly.

Since then, I’ve been living in the Portland metro area for about six years now and I know it can be tough and challenging and…flat out WEIRD to be Black in Portland, so I wanted to write up some tips that have helped me along the way so that hopefully your transition into your new home is a bit easier.

Portland is FAR from perfect, especially if you aren’t white, but we can make it work.

Quick Facts about Oregon/Portland

• Location: Oregon is located in the upper left corner of the United States, affectionately referred to as the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The city of Portland is right on the northern border of Oregon and southern Washington (the Columbia River acts as the state divide).
• Weather: Compared to other parts of the country, the weather in Oregon is relatively mild. However, there is a good amount of rain. Like…9 months of rain (November-May). But it’s more of a moderate, constant rain, not the sudden heavy downpours that the south gets. Summers do get very warm (80s-100s) and many older buildings do not have central AC. Springs are usually colder and wet, but lots of wildflowers. Fall starts off warm with trees changing colors, then quickly shifts to winter, which is usually dreary, rainy. It’s mildly cold, but sometimes there’s light snow fall, but nothing like the Midwest.
• Natural Disasters: Portland doesn’t have many natural disasters. It does run along the west coast fault-line, so “the Big one” (aka the GIANT earthquake that is predicted to be catastrophic to the west coast) is looming in the future, but Portland rarely feels earthquakes. Sometimes the Oregon coast goes on tsunami watch for earthquakes in California, Mexico, or even Japan, but not much of a thing here. However, wildfires are a natural disaster that is a growing occurrence, and wildfire season on the west coast is usually during the summer into early fall (August-October). We do get wildfire smoke drifting from California and the surrounding states as well during that time.
• Ancestral Land of Portland: The Indigenous people of the Portland metro area are the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya and Molalla Tribes/Nations, as well as other Tribes and bands. You will notice numerous sites, cities, and landmarks named for these Tribes.
• Percentage of Black people in Oregon/Portland: According to the 2020 census, about 2% of the overall Oregon population is Black. The percentage of Black people in Portland is almost 8% (largest in the state).
• International Airport: Portland International Airport (PDX)

Pros and Cons of Being Black in Portland

Now, imma give you a fair warning – this post on being Black in Portland is about to be long. In fact, you’re gonna get a whole lot more information that you asked for. But, trust me, it’s all interesting and it’s all very useful information. BUT if you’re short on time and want the quick SparkNotes version, here are the basic pros and cons of being Black in Portland. Or, yanno, just living in Portland in general

Pros:

• No sales tax
• Great place for foodies: tons of innovative new restaurants, craft breweries, food carts, cafes and coffee shops, vegan and GF restaurants, international grocery stores, and lots of food festivals
• Easy access to some of the most beautiful outdoor spots in the country
• Clean air
• If someone’s annoying you, you can say “is it because I’m Black?” and they’ll back off and never bother you again
• The 3 months of summer are beautiful

Cons:

• High income tax
• Not a lot of other Black people in Portland/Oregon
• Slow speed limits and even slower drivers
• Random old white ladies will constantly compliment your hair in the grocery store and/or say you look like their adopted niece
• Strangers will assume the other Black person in the room is your sibling
• Not a lot of soul food or southern food
• Allergy season can be brutal
• Lots of dreary grey days
• The rural parts of Oregon and the PNW feel very…racist (confederate flags, white nationalist/supremacy groups, rude stares, etc). They were LITERAL sundown towns – but I’ve traveled all around the state and wrote about Road Tripping While Black in Oregon

As with any city, Portland is what you make of it and how adaptable you are. But I’m not gonna front, being Black in Portland can be challenging. There’s a few reasons why.

History of Oregon

The reason why being Black in Portland comes with so many extra things to think about is because of the history of Oregon and the state’s relationship with Black people.

For one, it used to be ILLEGAL to be Black in Oregon.

I know. Wild, right? I’ll make this quick, but let me start from the beginning.

Before Oregon was a state, the US government referred to it as “Oregon country” and then the “Oregon territory.” Indigenous Nations lived here, but of course the European powers didn’t care about that and jointly moved as they pleased (bringing with them a bunch of diseases, war, and bitter rivalries between other Europeans).

Europeans (and then Americans) traded with the Indigenous peoples of the area and though the relationship was…clunky, putting it lightly, it continued for a while.

The expedition of Lewis and Clark (and also Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone woman, and York, a black man enslaved by William Clark) marked the start of America’s invasive journey into Oregon. While York was not technically the first documented Black person in Oregon (there are records of people of African descent on sailing voyages from other countries well before American colonization), York WAS the first documented Black American in the land we now call Oregon. He also was able to vote for decisions made during the federally funded expedition, technically making York the first Black American to cast a federal vote.

The American Colonization of Oregon

After the Lewis and Clark expedition came a few things that made Americans RUSH into the Oregon territory. Namely the onset of the Oregon Trail (1840-1860, the mass migration of white settlers from the Midwest to the west coast), the mindset of Manifest Destiny (1845, the ideology that white Americans DESERVED all of the land from the east coast to west coast), and the Oregon Donation Land Law (1850, any single white male could claim 320-acres of land if he settled in Oregon, or 640-acres if he was married to a white woman OR mixed white-Indigenous woman).

The sudden and IMMENSE introduction of all these new white settlers to the Oregon territory was devastating to the Indigenous Nations. The settlers brought violence, disease, and land encroachment. Some Indigenous communities suffered losses of 90-95% of their population. Violently forced between a rock and a hard place, the US government forced their hand into signing treaties that would place their communities onto reservations in exchange for…well, the US government not continuing to kill them and take away their livelihood.

Of course, as the US government does, they did not even uphold that promise. Reservation land allotments were DRASTICALLY smaller than agreed upon, and placed in parts of Oregon that had very low access to water and food. Indigenous Nations would be forced to share the reservation with other communities who many times did not share the same culture or even language as each other. Then…the US government completely dissolved its end of the bargain, stripping the reservations of their federal Tribe status and with it, protections and autonomy that was supposed to be guaranteed by the treaty. It was only through decades and decades of Indigenous activism that some Tribes regained federal recognition.

While white settlers claimed “their new land,” the actual communities living and caring for it were forced off. Today, there are currently nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, and they are STILL fighting for their livelihood.

History of Black People in Oregon

While a few Black people also made the journey to Oregon on the Oregon trail, it was an EXTREMELY dangerous and expensive journey. So…there were only a handful, and even then, they were either enslaved and taken along with their white slave owner’s family, or they were free, but still accompanied their white employer on the journey.

The reason some Black Americans decided to venture out to the Oregon territory was…for the exact fact that it was a territory. It technically wasn’t the United States of America, so it was a chance at true freedom away from the country that had enslaved (or once enslaved) them. So while there weren’t many, it was an opportunity. At that time, free Black people in Oregon worked as farmhands, seamstresses, or in the lumber or mining industry.

That all changed on the brink of the Civil War.

You see, at the time, Oregon had the decision on whether or not it would become an official state. The white voters at the time were torn. On one hand, becoming a state would mean federal relief, federal funding for infrastructure and education, federal protection, etc etc…

But on the other hand, becoming a state would mean that ONE, they would be forced to be a free state because they were above the Missouri Compromise line.

So slave owners who brought enslaved people to Oregon would have to free them. But even worse than that, becoming a free state would mean free Black people could just…COME TO OREGON. White settlers in Oregon had grown accustomed to living a largely “Black-less” life.

Oregon was their white utopia.

They wanted the benefits of becoming a state, but they didn’t want the added infrastructure and jobs to bring BLACK PEOPLE along with it. In their OWN WORDS, white politicians in Oregon stated, “it would be highly dangerous to allow free Negroes and mulattoes to reside in the Territory, or to intermix with Indians, instilling … feelings of hostility toward the white race.”

So Oregon made their own compromise.

In 1859, Oregon became the first AND ONLY free state admitted to the Union with a clause that prohibited Black people from entering the state. Black folks already in Oregon (either free or enslaved) had to get out – 2 years for men, 3 for women. If they didn’t, the law stated they would be lashed. Further exclusion laws prohibited Black people from owning property and businesses in Oregon, make any contracts within Oregon, or intermingle with other races, namely Indigenous folks because then Black people would get tribal enrollment.

Being Black in Portland and Oregon today

Although these exclusion laws were ultimately overturned and seldom enforced (slave owners didn’t HAVE to free their slaves and most Black people in Oregon didn’t leave/get kicked out – Jacob Vanderpool is the only known/documented Black person to be forcibly removed), the fact that those laws passed set the stage for the overarching theme of Oregon.

Black people were not welcome.

Because of this history, and even after the last exclusion laws were overturned for good, Black people didn’t really want to go to Oregon. Like…obviously! But during the Great Migration throughout the 1910-1970s, where Black folks left the Jim Crow south for the Midwest and Western states, some people did move to Oregon. Prospects of jobs and a fresh start was one thing, but Oregon is also a beautiful state with clean air and relatively easy access to the outdoors.

Which…brings us up to speed to being Black in Portland today.

Neighborhoods in Portland

If you’re moving to Portland, you’re probably going to want a lay of the land first. So let me go over a brief geography lesson first before we get into the nitty gritty.

Portland can be split into four quadrants, and when people talk about the different areas of Portland, they usually start off with whatever quadrant it’s in. The city of Portland is divided in half vertically (east and west) by the Willamette (Will-lam-et) River. From there, it’s also split down the horizontal (north and south). So the four quadrants of Portland are Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest.

In Southwest Portland, you’ll find the university (Portland State University, PSU) and the major hospital (Oregon Health & Science University, OHSU, also a medical university). There are a lot of fancy “houses on the hill” as well as the fancy south waterfront.

Northwest Portland hosts what most people would consider “downtown Portland.” It also has the Chinatown/Old Town neighborhood, Nob Hill and 23rd Street (think pretty townhomes and fancy boutique shops), the even fancier Pearl District, and the revitalizing neighborhood of Slabtown.

Southeast Portland is a favorite for a lot of folks because….there’s usually free parking on the east side of the river haha. It’s also usually a bit easier on the wallet when it comes to rent, though it depends on what you’re looking for. But specifically Southeast has a lot of great food on Division Street, and fun small owned shops on Hawthorne Blvd. The Sellwood/Moreland and Woodstock areas are a bit slower and more residential, while closer to the river has more activity.

However if you’re Black in Portland, you’re gonna wanna check out Northeast Portland. It is the historically Black part of Portland, and where you’ll find a majority of the Black in Portland-proper community. Particularly, the Albina neighborhood (nicknamed the Soul District) was particularly crucial in the Black history of Portland, as well as the Alberta (now the city’s art district/hub) and Mississippi neighborhoods, though those two are undergoing dramaticcc gentrification.

Other Neighborhoods?

Outside of those four quadrants, two other areas that are notable to point out are the North and East-East parts of Portland. In the high north part of Portland you’ll find the St. John’s neighborhood, which also has a lot of Black and brown people (well, high for Portland at least), as well as the Airport and the bridges that’ll take you over the Columbia River to Washington state.

Speaking of crossing the river, I also want to point out that Vancouver, Washington has a good number of Black folks, in part because when Oregon was founded, Washington didn’t have those same exclusion laws so many Black people just crossed the river haha. There’s also no income tax in Washington, just throwing that out there (but you have to both live AND work in Washington).

On the far east side of Portland, you’ll find that the community feels a bit more diverse, and a lot of that is because of the racist redlining of Portland in an effort to keep non-whites out of the city-proper. It’s a lot more affordable, but it does feel like a DRIVE to get into the city, especially during rush hour.

Go a little more east and you’ll be in the city of Gresham, which doesn’t have as many city resources as Portland, but may feel more comfortable community-wise with its higher concentration of diversity. On the opposite end, just west of Portland is the city of Beaverton, home to big companies like Nike, Genetech, and Intel just down the road in Hillsboro. Because these companies attract a lot of candidates from all over the country and the world, Beaverton (and Hillsboro) has a bit more diversity than Portland.

Crime in Portland?

Is Portland safe?

If you’re asking this question…you’ve probably seen or read news about the 2020 protests in Portland. You’ve probably heard that the city is on fire…and it’s overrun by “ANTIFA”…and it’s a lawless place and even stepping foot in the city will get you KILLED.

…

First of all, the news is GREATLY exaggerated.

Second, I’m from round the way. I grew up in the IE and LA. I know how to DUCK, okay. Portland is a walk in the park for me. It’s a piece of cake compared to ANY other major city in America.

If you grew up in NYC, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Philly, Detroit, DC, Oakland, Little Rock, Bawlmor, Minneapolis…you’re gonna be alright.

If you grew up on a Martin Luther King Jr Blvd…you’re gonna be alright.

If there were shoes thrown over telephone lines in your neighborhood…you’re gonna be alright.

In short, in terms of violent crimes, Portland ain’t that bad. AT ALL. Now, for people who grew up in Portland all their lives, have violent crimes gotten worse? Overall, sure, but the population of Portland has also doubled in that time and that’s just part of becoming a larger city. The violent crime rate is still MUCH lower than cities of comparable size and population.

It isn’t all dandy tho

While I wouldn’t stress to much about violent crime in Portland, that doesn’t mean it’s the most comfortable city in America. Far from it. For one, there is a GOOD amount of petty crime, mainly car break-ins, getting your car parts jacked, and business vandalism. And…the elephant in the room, but I’ll touch on that in a bit. Let me give you some background.

Interstate-5, also known as I-5, runs all along the west coast. From the Mexican border, through California, through Oregon, through Washington, and up to Canada. And unlike the east coast, where major cities are relatively close together (usually 3-4 hours away at most), the major cities on the west coast are spaced very far apart. Meaning a lot of I-5 in California, Oregon, and Washington are largely unmonitored. This has made I-5 a notorious super highway for both drug trafficking AND human trafficking.

But…not the WORST.

I know people who live in Portland are probably about to be flabbergasted by this realization, but although the drug addiction epidemic is very noticeable in Portland, it doesn’t touch some of the cities in the country with the worst opioid addictions, like Omaha, Meza, Fresno, and Arlington (TX). Similarly, while human trafficking is bad in Portland, largely because of I-5, cities like Tampa, Dallas, DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago have higher rates.

This isn’t to diminish the harm these two issues have on Portland, but just to give perspective to folks who may be familiar with those other cities. There IS a huge black market for catalytic converters (and one bust was showing ring leaders in the rich suburb of Lake Oswego…), so there are lots of car break-ins and petty vandalism of cars. And small businesses, unfortunately. Don’t leave your valuables in your car, but…that should just be a standard rule of thumb.

Now…let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

Oregon’s homeless population. It is…a very noticeable issue and, if I may speak frankly, a momentous failure by the city of Portland and the entire state. For one, because a housing crisis is the result of poor government regulation and action – and that applies to ANY place, not just Portland. It is a result of elected officials not treated unhoused folks as people, and helping them as PEOPLE, not as problems. But I won’t go into that today.

When you come to Portland, yes, you will see tents and encampments.

But again, surprisingly, Portland doesn’t even rank top 15 for highest homeless population (meanwhile…Eugene, Oregon, does). While Portland is above the national average of having unhoused people Portland doesn’t even make top 32 of having the highest homeless population on a per capita basis (Eugene, Oregon, however, is 1st per capita). Overall, the state of Oregon has seen a decrease in rate of homelessness of about 8.2% from 2020 to 2021, much of that a result of the organizations working to house people in Portland (and Eugene).

Contrary to popular conservative belief, no, people do not come from arounddd the country just to be homeless in Portland. In fact, the vast majority of unhoused people in Portland are Oregonians, with some coming from rural parts of Oregon who do not have support systems in place.

So why does it feel SO MUCH MORE NOTICEABLE in Portland? Both California and Washington (specifically Seattle area) have much higher rates of homelessness. In fact, Californian cities account for 6/10 of the cities and areas with the highest rate of homelessness (NYC is first, then Los Angeles, then Seattle, then the Bay area). The reason why the issue is much more visible than these other cities is simply because Portland is smaller. Los Angeles has entire blocks and neighborhoods where unhoused people create shelter for themselves, away from residential areas, businesses, and tourist spots.

Portland…doesn’t have that separation.

In Portland, you will find a large concentration of unhoused folks in downtown Portland and Chinatown/Old Town. But also along the sidewalk and parks of various neighborhoods because…there is nowhere else for them to go. I just wish the city officials wouldn’t ignore it, considering Portland has a $255 million dollar budget for addressing the crisis.

But I digress. Move with compassion.

How to Find Community in Portland

Okayyyy now with all of the background info and rough details out of the way, lets get on with making being Black in Portland a liiiiitle bit easier, year? So let’s say you find a place to live and a job…what else is there to making a new home?

Finding community of course! Being Black in Portland is hard, not only because it is a higher cost of living (and higher income tax) for some, but largely because it’s hard sticking out because you’re the only person Black in Portland. Or rather, I should say it FEELS that way. Because again, there are some of us out here. Finding your people can take a lot of time (and trial and error), but I’m going to list a few resources that I wish I had known about when I moved to Oregon.

• Black Portland: If you’re gonna be Black in Portland and you use Facebook, I highly recommend joining this group. You can ask questions about being Black in Portland, get advice and recommendations, and even see what the other Black people will be getting up to on the weekends. This is where I’ve found a lot of Black hair dressers, braiders, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, real estate agents, and more.
• Black Girl PDX: Similarly to Black Portland, Black Girl PDX is specifically a space for Black women and femmes to hang out and share events and ongoings. They hosts Black Girl Brunches and other events, though usually in the summertime.
• PDX Black Excellence: A community organization dedicated to shouting out Black businesses, organizations, and events in Portland. Highly recommend subscribing to their newsletter and following their Instagram page.
• Prose Before Bros PDX: A social bookclub for Women of Color in Portland. It was founded by Nanea Woods, along with the Freadom Festival. The monthly bookclub meets up at women-opened businesses around Portland.
• Oregon Black Pioneers: Oregon’s only organization dedicated to preserving and teaching the history of Black people in Oregon and what it was like being Black in Portland and Oregon’s early days. Sign up for their news letter to find out about events and Black history tours around Oregon!
• Stay Litt PDX: A Black led group for Queer BIPOC events. It can be hard finding Queer spaces that aren’t OVERWHELMINGLY white, so if you’re looking for that community I highly recommend following them and being involved with their events.

Where to Eat in Portland

So now that you’ve gotten yourself situation in Oregon…what do you do? While Portland has grown a lot, it doesn’t have the same big city feel of other cities. Restaurants and bars don’t stay open too late. There isn’t a big name headliner at the stadium every weekend. And for most of the year, the weather isn’t too great, limiting backyard BBQs and cookouts. So where do you eat when you’re Black in Portland?

Not all hope is lost my friend. For one, Portland is a major foodie city. Tons of great restaurants, with new spots opening LITERALLY every week. It’s a full time job just trying to keep up. Now, mind you, while there ARE a lot of great Black owned restaurants in Portland, you’re not going to get the overwhelming variety that you’ll find back south or the east coast. Just like you wouldn’t go to Kansas City for authentic Japanese sushi…I’m not sure why anyone would expect to find an abundance of chitlins and pig feet in Portland either.

Again, there are a handful of good southern and soul food up here. BUT. I would also challenge you to be open minded and try out new types of cuisine if you haven’t. Portland has THE BEST Thai food in the country, and overall an amazing selection of Asian cuisine. You’re in a new place. EXPLORE IT.

That said…there are also not great restaurants. Because I’m a blogger, I’m going to link some of my favorite restaurants around Portland so you don’t need to do as much trial and error. Just have patience with me, since I’m just one person and I pay out of pocket for all of my meals (not sponsored!!!), but I have a lottt of content coming!

• Black Owned Restaurants in Portland
• Black owned Dispensaries in Portland
• Best Mexican Restaurants in Portland
• Best Date Night Restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Food Carts in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Pizza Spots in Portland (coming soon)
• Refreshing Juice Bars in Portland
• Best Vegan restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Thai restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Workspace Cafes in Portland
• Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Indian/South Asian food in Portland (coming soon)
• Brunch Spots in Portland
• Best African Restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Caribbean Restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Where to Get Drinks in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Chinese Food in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Japanese Food in Portland (coming soon)
• Where to Find Filipino Food in Portland
• Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Portland (coming soon)
• Best Breweries in Portland (coming soon)

Where to Shop in Portland

This is a very arbitrary, but considering this is a Black in Portland blog post, imma shoutout some of the amazing Black owned businesses in Portland! First, for those of y’all who enjoy a good farmer’s market stroll, highly recommend checking out the Come Thru Market. It is a market that runs May-October and centers Black and Indigenous farmers and makers. You’ll find a ton of Black and Indigenous small business here, as well as other awesome small artisans.

Some other Black in Portland businesses to support:

• Ecovibe Style: home decor
• Memory Box: interior design & home staging (website coming soon)
• Third Eye Books: book store
• House of Johnson: clothing
• Mister OK’S Essentials: candles
• Birds and Bees Nursery: plant shop/nursery
• The Hussle Way: health & wellness
• Ella Dean: organic hair care
• Elegant Boutique: mobile beauty supply store
• Callie’s Custom Hat Wigs: wigs
• At Home with Essie: real estate
• Seeking Space Yoga: yoga studio
• Lash Lab: lash services, products, and education

Get Outside in Oregon

I think one of activities that causes the most hesitation around being Black in Portland is getting into nature and outdoor activities. For one, the outdoor industry ALREADY has a history of being antiBlack and fatphobic (which steams from antiBlackness), and it makes those activities seem very unwelcoming to us.

Well, I’m here to remind you that the outdoors is for EVERYONE.

Even city folks that have never been on a trail in their life. Or owned a piece of hiking gear. Or even know where to begin with hiking.

You deserve nature too.

But I get it, it can be intimidating, especially being Black in PORTLAND – the literal whitest major city in America with equally white dominated outdoor spaces! Thankfully, there are a lot of organizations to help you ease into outdoor spaces.

If you want to stay in town, but want to find a new way to move your body outside, I’d recommend joining the Deadstock Run Club, and like the name suggests it it is a running (and walking!) club brought to you by Deadstock Coffee, a Black owned coffee shop in Old Town. If you prefer biking then Bike POC PNW and Friends on Bikes are both great crews to ride with. Also PDX Climbers of Color regularly hosts climb nights!

In terms of hiking and camping and all that outdoor stuff outside of Portland, then definitely join one of the outdoor events with People of Color Outdoors (POCO) or Wild Diversity. They have group-led programs and trips for people of all ages.

Also, check out this dope post in Fodors about Hiking as a Hot Girl!

Stay in the Loop!

Now that you’ve got settled in, met some new friends, scoped out new favorite lunch spots, and found some new activities, it’s time for the fun part of Portland! Staying up to date on all the cool new things to do in town! And yanno, break up the monotony that comes with being Black in Portland. Below I’m going to list the social media accounts of some of my favorite Black Portland influencers, bloggers, community members that are always sharing new things to look out for!

• @theawkwardtraveller : travel and food (me, lol)
• @kayla_nicole64 : photographer and journalist
• @dreshadwilliams: photographer
• @_domappetite : food
• @nevafindsfood: food
• @_coffeefeed: coffee and tea shops

And I’ll add more as I find more great people making great content!

Black in Portland: Conclusion

Okay wow, that was a lotttt. But what can I say, a LOT goes into being Black in Portland and not only surviving, but also becoming acclimated to your new home and feeling like you actually enjoy it a little bit. Thank you so much for reading and if you are Black in Portland, or even not lol, I hope you stick around for more of my Oregon content! Or, yanno, whatever do you – but hopefully this post has helped ease your worries a bit! If you are Black in Oregon and recently (or not so recent) moved here, let me know in the comments below where you’re from and what was the most shocking thing to you about Oregon!

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