Abstract
This paper examines the nomination of the Williams Avenue YWCA in Portland, Oregon, in the National Register of Historic Places as a crucial event in recognizing and preserving Black heritage within American national history. Our analytical framework combines Black geography (Summers 2019; Watkins 2013) and multilevel governance theory (MLG) (Vogel 2007) to examine documents used for the nomination process of this community museum. How is its historic significance for Black communities framed? What connects the different levels of government and other actors in the process? To answer these questions we analyze two key primary documents for the National Register nomination process: the Multiple Property Document (MPD) African American Resources in Portland Oregon, from 1851 to 1973 (Galbraith et al. 2020) and the Registration Form Williams Avenue YWCA (Davis and Ewers 2019). MPDs and Registration Forms are key sources of information and have been underutilized in the academic context, relegating them to a mere bureaucratic function despite the wealth of information they collected about the representation of the ethnic and racial diversity of American history and its influence on the National Register (Hanson et al. 2022). We unpack the historical significance of the Williams, illustrating its multifaceted role in Portland’s African American community and emphasizing the role of various private and public actors in the nomination process. This analysis reveals that cities play a crucial role in protecting local history and highlights the importance of nurturing connections between cities and other levels of government.
Presenters
John ArroyoAssistant Professor, Urban Studies and Planning + Chicanx and Latinx Studies, University of California San Diego, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Black Heritage, Oregon, Community Centers, Heritage
