Memory and Place in Black Portland: A Reflection on Our Event

📸 Photo courtesy of Imagine Black | Jesse L. Powell Jr.
 

On Sunday, January 26, 2025, Imagine Black hosted a powerful gathering at the Center for Black Radical Imagination in Old Town Portland. Memory and Place in Black Portland: A Book of Photos, Essays, and Poetry was the heart of this event—a stunning collection of work created by Portland State University students at Oregon State Penitentiary.
 

Community members came together to witness a moving photography exhibit, celebrate the book release, and engage in deep conversations about Black memory, history, and belonging in Portland. The event featured reflections on the creation of the book, highlighting the stories and artistic contributions that bring Black Portland’s history and present-day experiences to life.
 

With the room filled with poetry, essays, and photographs that honored Black Portland’s evolving landscape, attendees were reminded of the importance of documenting and preserving our stories—especially in a city that has historically displaced Black communities.

We are grateful to our leads, the Portland State University Black Studies Department and Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning, and the co-sponsors, including the Portland State University Black Studies Department’s Black Bag Speakers Series and the Center for Urban Studies, the Higher Education in Prison Program, PonyXPress, and Imagine Black’s Reimagine Public Safety Project, for helping to make this event possible.

✨ View the full exhibit and writings online: The PonyXPress PSU Black Studies Portfolio

 Thank you to everyone who attended and made this gathering so special. Let’s continue to honor our stories, our memories, and our place in Black Portland.