The Portland Black Panthers

A substantial and important book that succeeds admirably in deepening our understanding not only of the ongoing struggles of Portland's black community, but also the impact of the Black Panther Party on the city's political and physical landscape. This work should gain a wide readership among those with an interest in the Black Panther Party, the modern African American freedom struggle, and the post-World War Two urban West and the contests over space and place that shaped it. Given the range and depth of insights it offers into the city's racial past and thereby into the contemporary City of Roses, it should also be required reading for anyone who has ever called Portland home. -- Nancy K. Bristow * Western Historical Quarterly * A substantial and important book that succeeds admirably in deepening our understanding not only of the ongoing struggles of Portland's black community, but also the impact of the Black Panther Party on the city's political and physical landscape. This work should gain a wide readership among those with an interest in the Black Panther Party, the modern African American freedom struggle, and the post-World War Two urban West and the contests over space and place that shaped it. . . . Required reading for anyone who has every called Portland home. -- Nancy K. Bristow * Western Historical Quarterly * The authors fill an important gap. . . . This is a significant contribution to our understanding of black history in the Northwest and just as important a contribution to the history of community organizing and urban development in one of the most important cities in the Pacific Northwest. -- Dale E. Soden * Pacific Northwest Quarterly (PNQ) * The Portland Black Panthers chronicles the largely peaceful efforts of Portland's black community to be heard during a turbulent time in Oregon history. * East Oregonian * An important study for students and researchers interested in the genesis of local black activism in US cities. Their detailed examination of the Portland's police operations adds to the information being collected on police behavior by those in the Black Lives Matter movement currently. -- Edward Leon Robinson Jr. * Journal of African American History (JAAH) * The book illuminates Portland's troubled passage through the 1960s and 1970s, as experienced by community activists, and the photographs evocatively humanize urban planning decisions. It is a must-read for teachers in Oregon's public schools and for any serious student of Pacific Northwest history, including undergraduates and graduates in ethnic studies, urban studies, criminal justice, and regional history. * Oregon Historical Quarterly *