Two cool events coming up next week about the history of Portland's black communities.

One! Monday, February 7th, at noon, PSU prof Felicia Williams is giving a talk on the 10th floor of the Portland Building called, "Deliberate Destruction: A Look at Emanuel Hospital, The Portland Development Commission and Portland's Black Community." Sounds good and punchy, telling the story of how Emanuel Hospital and the Portland Development Commission demolished an entire black neighborhood around North Williams to make way for an expansion that never happened.

Two! Wednesday, February 9th, is the first day of an exhibit the black neighborhoods that vanished thanks to a flood, a freeway, and urban renewal. A former resident of Vanport, the mostly African-American city located where Portland International Raceway is now, will speak at the opening.