The OMA attended the 2023 Urban League of Portland Equal Opportunity Day dinner and celebration! This was the first in-person dinner since 2019; this year, as we have done in past years, we brought a display to showcase the history of the Urban League of Portland and share information about the archival collection. In the pre-dinner cocktail hour, we spoke with about two dozen people to share that the collection is open and accessible to the public.

See past blog posts about the Urban League of Portland events and collection information.

At the dinner, the Urban League of Portland’s President, Nkenge Harmon Johnson, engaged in a conversation with Rukaiyah Adams, CEO of the 1803 Fund, which seeks to grow shared prosperity, through investments in community-based organizations and through smart financial investments. They spoke about the importance of Black wealth, which includes financial wealth, and importantly, cultural and community wealth. Harmon Johnson and Adams grew up together and both benefitted from the work of the Urban League in their youth; Adams shared that if anyone wants to see the fruition of the investment of the Urban League of Portland in Black youth, to look at her.

More photos of the display are below!

We look forward to the 2024 Equal Opportunity Day!