Alberta Main Street’s Equitable Placemaking Historical Markers Outreach Project seeks to collect stories that document the history of the African American community on Alberta Street. Stories will be included on the Alberta Main Street website, and selected stories will inform the creation of historical and cultural markers to be installed on Alberta Street between NE 10th – 31st Avenues.
Learn More: Alberta Main Street will be holding an informational community meeting about the project on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, 6:30 – 8 PM at Cerimon House (5131 NE 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97211). RSVP ONLINE
All stories are welcome and, with consent from the story teller, will be made publicly available on the Alberta Main Street website. We are particularly interested in the following:
- Stories from current or former King, Vernon, Sabin or Concordia residents whose lives and families have been impacted by social and economic changes in the area.
- Stories about historically significant events on or impacting Alberta Street.
- Stories that recollect a personally significant event or experience on Alberta Street.
Project Goals:
- Commemorate the history of the African American community on Alberta Street
- Ensure authentic community involvement in creating a shared public space by engaging community members to highlight the unique history and character of our neighborhood
- Raise community awareness about African American history on Alberta Street
Funding: If your story is selected to inform the creation of a historical marker on Alberta Street, you will receive a $500 stipend to participate in the marker design process. Funding for this project is provided from a grant received from the Portland Development Commission.
Share Your Story
We all have stories to tell that are steeped in a time and deeply rooted in place. Alberta Street history is made up of millions of these felt experiences. Whether you’ve lived near Alberta Street for 30 years or Alberta Street played an important role in a memory formed 30 years ago we want to hear your story. Business owners, residents, and visitors are all invited to submit stories.You can submit a story, photographs or other documents using the following methods:
- Submit your story online.
- Email: Email your story, along with your Informed Consent and Copyright Permission Form to stories@albertamainst.org.
- Mail/Drop Off: Mail or drop off your story, along with your Life History Form and Informed Consent and Copyright Permission Form to: Alberta Main Street, 1722 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR 97211
- Oral Histories can be recorded at the November 9th community meeting, uploaded electronically to the online submission form or contact AMS to schedule an appointment to record your story.
Project Background: On February 24, 2015, Alberta Main Street (AMS) held a community check-in called “Honoring Our Past, Planning Our Future” to gather input and identify priorities for our work moving forward. At this community gathering, many historically underserved and underrepresented stakeholders shared that they have not benefited from overall improvements on Alberta Street. There was a call for effective ways to embrace the rich history of the street. As a result, AMS wrote and received grant funding for Equitable Alberta Street, a project that expands AMS’ capacity to address issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion. A core component of this project is to honor and embrace the rich history of the African American community on Alberta Street. To achieve this goal, AMS is focusing on an equitable placemaking project to create historical and cultural markers within the district.
The outcomes from the Equitable Placemaking Historical Markers Outreach project will inform the production of the physical “markers” which will be funded by Alberta Main Street’s 2016-17 District Improvement Grant.
Upon completion of the project outreach, up to three stories will be used as the inspiration for cultural and historical markers to be installed on or along Alberta Street between NE 10th – 31st Avenues. Selected story tellers will be invited to consult with the artist(s) selected to design and install the markers.
Project Timeline (subject to change)
October 1 – December 31, 2016: Story collection openNovember 9, 2016: Informational meeting about the project RSVP Online
January 1 – January 31, 2016: Story review and selection period
February 15, 2017: Selected story tellers notified that their story has been selected
The design phase of this project is anticipated to begin February 2017 and it is anticipated that the markers will be installed summer 2017.
Point of Contact: Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Kenya Budd, Alberta Main Street Equity and Engagement Coordinator
kenya@albertamainst.org
(503) 683-3252 x 2
“Everyone has the right to live in a great place. More importantly, everyone has the right to contribute to making the place where they already live great.” -Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces