Portland may be enlightened in some ways, but in other ways it's an overgrown small town, with all the parochialism that implies.
Oregon's population is 1.8% black, and Portland's is 5.6% black according to the 2010 US Census. There's white privilege everywhere, but it's extra-thick when white people don't even see black people, or when they (think they) can afford to ignore them. (Oops, 5.6% is all of Multnomah County. Portland itself has a whopping 6.3% black people.)
I'm still thinking about the woman who wasn't served at a restaurant. She told other stories about all the times she's spoken to management about unacceptable treatment. She also said she lived in Seattle for five years and had opportunities there she's never had in Portland, because Seattle is more of a melting pot. Just recently I noticed the wider racial mix while waiting at the Seattle train station, with a sense of relief.
Before I moved here, one person tried to warn me about how white Portland is, but I took big-city diversity for granted and didn't understand the ramifications.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-04-11 05:10 pm (UTC)Oregon's population is 1.8% black, and Portland's is 5.6% black according to the 2010 US Census. There's white privilege everywhere, but it's extra-thick when white people don't even see black people, or when they (think they) can afford to ignore them. (Oops, 5.6% is all of Multnomah County. Portland itself has a whopping 6.3% black people.)
I'm still thinking about the woman who wasn't served at a restaurant. She told other stories about all the times she's spoken to management about unacceptable treatment. She also said she lived in Seattle for five years and had opportunities there she's never had in Portland, because Seattle is more of a melting pot. Just recently I noticed the wider racial mix while waiting at the Seattle train station, with a sense of relief.
Before I moved here, one person tried to warn me about how white Portland is, but I took big-city diversity for granted and didn't understand the ramifications.