In the early 1980s, the Portland school board voted to dismantle the last elementary school within a black neighborhood without any attempt to discuss the change with the community. Yet the community made sure their voices were heard. In this episode, Evan Smiley discusses the history of Portland’s integration and busing programs, and how community organizers fought institutional racism within the school districts. 

More at: http://www.publichistorypdx.org/2017/03/26/harriet-tubman-middle-school-protests-black-united-front-vs-portland-school-board/

Marching To Victory! The Briefest History of Women’s Suffrage in Oregon

“This Week Back Then” is a podcast and blog series born out of Professor Catherine McNeur’s HST411/511 Public History Lab: Podcasts and History course. Students did research, wrote scripts and blog posts, produced and edited podcasts, and collaborated with classmates to bring history to a broad audience. The class worked with producers at KBOO (90.7) to learn recording and editing skills. The students’ podcasts, posted here, will be broadcast during KBOO’s news hour each Monday starting in January 2017.

Corresponding blog posts on the topics appear at: http://www.publichistorypdx.org/