Where Did Black History Month Come From?
Black Historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson started a week-long event in 1926 promote the teaching of Black history in schools. It wasn’t until 1970, a time when popular middle school history textbooks only included two Black individuals for all of the 1900s, that the first Black History Month was celebrated. It was a Black student organization at Kent University and Black faculty that suggested changing it to a full month. It wasn’t until 1976, 50 years after the first Black History Week, that President Gerald Ford finally announced Black History Month would be a national observance.
Black History Month at Oregon REALTORS®
This month, for Black History Month, the Oregon REALTORS® want to share some of the history of real estate, property, and human rights of the Black community in Oregon. Read through the timeline below to start learning why Oregon’s demographics look the way they do. The beliefs of the first Oregon settlers shape our past, present, and future, especially when it comes to homeownership.
Printable timeline of Black History & Real Estate in Oregon
Resources to Learn More about Black History in Oregon:
- The Oregon Black Pioneers
- Oregon State Archives – Black in Oregon
- Vanport Mosaic
- Oregon’s Enigmatic Black History
- African American Roots in Salem, OR
- Timeline of Oregon and the US’s Racial, Immigration and Educational History – Compiled by Elaine Rector as part of CFEE (Coaching for Educational Equity)
What’s Next?
Looking forward, Oregon REALTORS® Diversity Key Committee, with the support of Oregon REALTORS® leadership, is working to address some of these injustices through a multi-prong approach:
– Training and Education: Educating our members on diversity, inclusivity, and fair housing, including free, quarterly CE on these topics.
– Outreach and Communication: Building partnerships outside of Oregon REALTORS® to help increase the accessibility of homeownership to historically marginalized groups and sharing those resources with the REALTOR® community in Oregon.
– Belonging: Support and development for diverse members. Supporting networking, mentoring, leadership development, and recruitment for members who have not historically been represented within the REALTOR® family (the BIPOC community, the Queer community, members with disabilities, and more).
To learn more about the Diversity Key Committee, or to recommend a partnership, please email ecurry@oregonrealtors.org.
Sources:
https://time.com/4197928/history-black-history-month/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month
Timeline Sources:
https://chicagorealtor.com/african-american-history-in-the-real-estate-industry/
http://www.osba.org/Resources/Article/Improving_Education/CFEE_Timeline.aspx
https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/oregonsocialjustice/oregon-black-laws/