how diverse is oregon? (Portland, Eugene: employment, home, college)

[backdrifter]

Great post Leisesturm!

I think, to put it in somewhat simplistic terms, the so-called "benign neglect" towards black issues is due to the fact that those issues aren't as much of a problem here. Being from a mixed White/Latino family, and having friends of many ethnicities--Pacific Islander, African-American, Latino, and White, I find that my family and theirs are all integrated into the general American culture without any particular "Black issues" or "Latino issues" or "Mixed issues." There isn't any sort of divide between any of us and we form a true American "melting pot" of sorts simply because we are all on an equal plane living average American lives and none of us, minority or majority, are given special consideration. I believe this is along the lines of the "assimilation" that Leisesturm was speaking of. Yes, it's not very diverse at all in Oregon compared to the East Coast, but I don't believe that it's just lip service that is given to diversity here simply because there is less of it to be found. Say Oregon were a more diverse state... In that case I think there would be a wide acceptance here of the various races and ethnicities and they would be fully assimilated into the "American" culture rather than be split into "White" and "Black" and "Latino" etc. They would all be simply Oregonians, just as they are now.

[krab]

I used to live in Eugene, OR and I think Oregon is wonderfully undiverse.

[binxtheweimer]

it appears that many have missed my point.
i simply state a fact: portland is NOT as diverse, culturally and politically, as other communities that have a deeper influence of and understanding of african-american culture.
one deals with that reality as one wishes to deal with it.
it does have ramifications in many ways.
the fact i may enjoy portland for many of the reasons that other white portlanders enjoy it, does not eliminate my disappointment that the area is so deficient in terms of its appreciation of african-american culture, and its lack of concern for political issues of concern to black folks.
and i am sorry, but it is amazing that posters like enricov take what i've written and twist it for whatever reason they wish to twist my words.
i've never said, and would never say that only black musicians can play blues or jazz and that my appreciation of that music is somehow limited by the color of the musician. that is silly and the fact that enricov would attempt to argue that i made that point is sad.
but the fact is that those music genres have grown out of the african-american tradition and it is telling that music venues that offer that music will be able to hire white musicians but will not, for whatever reason, hire black musicians.
i guarantee that if you go to detroit or chicago or new york or atlanta or memphis or st. louis or even madison, wisconsin, you will find many, many african-american musicians playing these forms of music. the fact that you so rarely see that here in the northwest is telling.

Leisesturm,
sorry, but there are plenty of places that are better for african-americans. plenty of places where black folks do enjoy more political and economic power and where you can go to find african-american writers, musicians and artists prominently and regularly offered.
as i have said, portland is a wonderful place in a lot of ways and i do like it for many reasons.
i agree that it is unfortunate that so many african-americans do not enjoy many of the wonderful things that portland has to offer.
i am not one of those people.
i go skiing on mt. hood.
i go to the coast to run my dog on the ocean.
i'm often one of the few black faces under a bike helmet as i participate in biking events that range from seattle-to-portland to the bridge ride.
i visit astoria and hood river and tour brewpubs all over the state.
i hike in the gorge with my dog, often the only dark face anywhere in the places i go.
i visit british columbia and victoria island and love the fact that it is so close.
i know of and enjoy the many positives of life in the northwest and would never refuse to participate in what the area does offer.
its lack of real diversity, and the benign neglect that it displays to those issues is sadly one of the negative aspects of life in portland.

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by binxtheweimer

i guarantee that if you go to detroit or chicago or new york or atlanta or memphis or st. louis or even madison, wisconsin, you will find many, many african-american musicians playing these forms of music. the fact that you so rarely see that here in the northwest is telling.

NYC is 26% African American, Atlanta ~76%, Detroit is 99% African American, I don't know about Memphis or St. Louis but at least with Memphis you are around the 50% mark. I would certainly think club owners would have no trouble finding black musicians. What percentage of any given population is musically talented? Oregon is 3% black. Portland 6%. I am not surprised that most musicians are white. I was in Salem in 2004 and enjoyed a New Years Eve party/jazz concert at a supper club where all of the house band except the keyboard player were black. It is just a fact of life that a large population of black people didn't come this far west. The African American Literature section of the Barnes and Nobles in Lloyd Center is the largest I have ever seen, period. The other cities you mentioned have African American populations more than 20 times what is present in Oregon, if and when African Americans are present in Portland to the extent that they are present in Detroit and politics and law enforcement and education, etc. still resemble what they do now, then, I would completely agree with your opinions. I am happy that you are at least enjoying key intrinsics of the Northwest. So do I and my partner. I am no stranger to being the only African American at a group ride or classical music concert, etc. That is the price we pay for being 'different'. However, you can't shake the feeling that it would be better to be in the Midwest, why? You still would be in the minority of those doing the kinds of things you describe. Until more African Americans come to a wider enjoyment of uplevel entertainments it will always be thus. It isn't Oregon's fault that it isn't more 'diverse'. They can't import ethnic populations simply to make members already here of those ethnicities feel more at home. I knew coming out here what I would be facing. In my opinion you would do more for African Americans if you would use your obvious intelligence and skill with words to extol the virtues of northwest life to the unchurched than to go and join them in their collective mediocrity. You won't feel better for doing so, at least I don't think you will.

H

[binxtheweimer]

leisesturm,

i think that people reading my posts may have a mistaken impression about how i view portland.
i ALWAYS say very good things about portland to anyone i speak to about the city to friends.
as a matter of fact, anyone looking at my lifestyle would imagine that i have adapted to the city with a great deal of ease, as i routinely center my own life around the holy trinity of portland life: beer, dogs and bikes.
i really do enjoy the city and always let others, who may not be familiar with portland, know what a wonderful city it is, in so many ways.
in this series of posts, i was speaking specifically about issues related to diversity, which is, in my view, one of the few negative things about living in the city.
and to some degree, portland is a victim of geography. there is not much that the northwest can do about the fact that it is nestled in a corner of the country, surrounded by mountains and other natural barriers. it is tough to get here and that difficulty is one of the quaint aspects of life here in the northwest.
but it does make it a bit more difficult for influences that percolate throughout the rest of the country, to kind of drift this way.
again, that is both good and bad, but a fact of life here.

[Silverfall]

Each state has its own culture that has been created over time. The type of people that were willing to travel and settle in Oregon with their horses and carts were an adventurous sort. I understand what you are saying, but I guess for me, I like it that each state is influenced in it's own way. I came from the Chicago area so I was used to a lot of diversity.

Oregon's culture is focused more around adventurousness and outdoorsy things, and yes...a really good microbrew.

Do I miss being able to delve into the hundreds of subcultures that exist all over Chicago? There are times that I wish that we had that here, absolutely yes, but Oregon has its own culture, as you have gotten to experience. Like all cultures, some love it here and stay and some don't.

Unfortunately there is no way for influences to occur if minorities don't stick around to help Oregon "percolate."

[deidra rasmussen]

depends where you live in oregon. places like sweet home is about 96 % white. Salem on the other hand have alot of hespanics. so just depends

[Oregon Transplant]

After seeing this post I went over to the huge Washington Square Mall in Southwest Portland. I saw maybe 2000 people and not one Black Person. 90% White and 10% Asian.

[mmzero]

I'm not sure how relevant this is to 2008, but the Oregon Territory declared slavery illegal in 1844. This seems to have been more about limiting the black population than being pro-abolition. The last exclusion laws weren't removed from the OR Bill of Rights until 1926. I think this might of had some impact on the early immigration patterns in Oregon as well as the relative isolation.

In 2008 it's fairly obvious that OR isn't high on the diversity list. However, I've never been around people more polite or friendly than in Central Oregon, it's almost like Stepford. I think people have much more of a live and let live attitude as long as you are "green" in Oregon.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Oregon Transplant

After seeing this post I went over to the huge Washington Square Mall in Southwest Portland. I saw maybe 2000 people and not one Black Person. 90% White and 10% Asian.

That's because of the burbs surrounding it. If you head down to Pioneer Square, Lloyd Center, or Clackamas Town Center, it will be more diverse.