By Jessica Ward, November 4, 2025
I recently joined the Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland, hosted by the Fair Housing Council of Oregon. This powerful tour explores Portland’s history of housing discrimination and the communities that fought for fairness and inclusion.
Portland’s hidden housing history—stories about exclusion, resilience, and progress.
It was more than an educational experience. It was emotional. I left with a deeper understanding of how Oregon’s past still shapes our neighborhoods today.
Beginning at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue 🏛️
Our first stop on the Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue outside the Oregon Convention Center. The monument depicts three figures: Dr. King, an immigrant worker, and a child. Together, they represent courage, unity, and the hope for equality.
Standing before the statue, I thought about the people who came to Oregon searching for opportunity. Many immigrants, workers, and families were met with laws that excluded them instead of welcoming them. Early Oregonians argued that housing was a “personal transaction” and that government shouldn’t interfere. Sadly, that belief created space for systemic housing discrimination that lasted generations.
From Albina to Montavilla: A City Divided 🏙️
Next, the Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland visited neighborhoods that were once separate towns — Albina, Montavilla, and others. Each area has a story of growth, loss, and resilience.
Albina once served as the heart of Portland’s Black community. Williams Avenue buzzed with Black-owned businesses, music venues, and cultural pride. By the 1990s, Albina’s population was about 75% Black. By 2020, it had dropped to 25%. Many families were pushed east to Gresham and East Portland, where sidewalks, grocery stores, and public services remain scarce.
Portland’s transformation tells a difficult truth. It’s now considered one of the most gentrified cities in the nation. Understanding how that happened is crucial if we want to build a more inclusive city.
The Bigger Picture: Land, Power, and Policy 🌎
The Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland also explained how government policy shaped who could own land. The Donation Land Act of 1850 gave white settlers millions of acres of Native land. Later, the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887forced Native families into individual ownership, which led to widespread land loss.
Even in the 1900s, injustice continued. Between the 1930s and 1960s, less than 2% of FHA loans went to nonwhite families. These policies prevented homeownership for thousands and deepened racial wealth gaps that still exist today.
The Golden West Hotel: A Symbol of Community and Pride 🏨
Another memorable stop on the Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland was the Golden West Hotel, once the largest Black-owned hotel on the West Coast. Located near Union Station, it gave Black travelers a safe place to stay during segregation.
The building still stands today, owned by Central City Concern, but its legacy runs deeper. Nearby stood Mount Olivet Baptist Church, which the Ku Klux Klan pushed to move out of downtown. These stories revealed how racism wasn’t only social — it was systemic and deliberate.
Hard Truths and Lessons Learned ⚖️
The tour continued to uncover painful chapters of history. At the Portland Expo Center, we learned it was once used as a Japanese American assembly center during World War II. Families, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, were held there before being sent to internment camps.
We also discussed Portland’s Red Squad, a police unit that targeted activists, and the Silver Shirts, a local hate group modeled after Nazi Germany’s brownshirts. These facts were hard to hear but necessary to confront.
Hearing these stories, I was reminded of one quote from our guide:
“Every accusation is a confession.”
It spoke to the hypocrisy of discrimination — how fear often projects itself outward, targeting others to mask its own insecurity.
Connecting the Past to the Present 🌾
The Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland also highlighted how inequity reached beyond the city. During the 1970s, small family farms collapsed as big agriculture took over. Whether in rural or urban Oregon, communities with less power lost the most.
Writer William Faulkner once said, “The past isn’t even past.” After this tour, that quote felt more real than ever. Portland’s history lives in its streets, its housing, and its policies.
Why You Should Take This Tour ✊
This tour changed how I see my city. It connected history, policy, and humanity in a way that reading alone cannot. Whether you’re a local resident, a student, a business owner, or part of a community organization, this experience is worth taking.
Go as an individual or bring your company, team, or group. The conversations that follow will inspire awareness, empathy, and change.
Final Reflection
The Fair Housing Bus Tour Portland isn’t just about the past — it’s about our responsibility now. Learning these stories helps us understand why equity and fair housing matter today.
If you live in Oregon, I encourage you to take the tour. It will challenge you, inform you, and move you to think differently about what “home” truly means.
Contact me today! To read more about my expertise in East Portland check out my blog
Jessica Ward
Broker | ADU Specialist | OR & WA
She/Her
My life is fueled by a profound passion for serving others and making a positive impact on my community.
A proud Pacific NW native, I am intimately acquainted with the fabric of local life – its people, its treasures, and its countless opportunities. My sociable nature thrives on connection, and I embrace the roles of an active listener and clear communicator, values that underpin the ability to forge authentic bonds. Aptly dubbed the “queen of resources and connections” by my clients, I bring an extensive bag of “hats” I wear to the world of real estate. I seamlessly meld a vast reservoir of industry knowledge with a deeply personalized touch, ensuring that every individual need is met. My specializations encompass an array of real estate experience and knowledge. From guiding first-time home buyers, strategizing with investors, building with developers, to facilitating seamless relocations for those venturing from afar. I'm also known to expertly navigate the intricate terrain of down payment assistance programs, grants, and investment opportunities.Follow me: @Jessica_TheHomeGirl
Affiliations and Accolades:
- ADU Specialist
- Earth Advantage Certified
- Licensed Broker in Oregon & Washington
- Youth Rights and Justice (Board Member & Sponsor)
- Lents Neighborhood Association (Former President)
- Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors (Member)
- National Association of Real Estate Brokers (Former Board Member)
- Diversity Chair Award Winner (LRR- 2022 & 2024)
- The first African American to close a transaction with a Black owned title & escrow company in Oregon state history (Vanport title & escrow)
- T: 971-230-8164
- jessicaw@livingroomre.com
