The ''Portland Observer'' is one of the oldest

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

newspapers in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Established in 1970, it is published weekly (on Wednesdays), in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. Rev. Alfred L. Henderson founded the paper in the 1970s, in the tradition of the ''People's Observer'', a 1940s publication that had ceased publication in 1950. Retrieved August 6, 2016. That paper also originally went by the name of "''Portland Observer''."

Historic Portland Observer

The Portland Observer was launched by William H. McClendonn in 1938, but due to the Great Depression, folded in 1939. Another paper had the same title in

Portland, Michigan Portland is a city in Ionia County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,883 at the 2010 census. The city is situated in the south central portion of Portland Township and is known as the "City of Two Rivers" since it is the confl ...

, from 1876 into the 20th century.

Post-1980s

After several changes in ownership, the Washington family acquired the paper in the 1980s, during which Joyce Washington helmed the publication. Upon her death, Washington's son Charles "Chuck" Washington, a

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

native and a graduate of Jefferson High School, briefly took over as publisher until his death in December 2012. The paper was then passed on to Mark Washington who controls the paper today. Portland politician, radio host, restaurateur, and veteran

Bruce Broussard Bruce Dale Broussard is chief executive officer and president of Humana, a health insurance company with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Background Broussard received a degree in business from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business A ...

has held a leadership position at the paper. Additionally, Albert Williams is currently the general manager of the Portland Observer and is involved in many aspects including hiring, editing, writing, advertising, and editing. In their website, they state their key focus of bringing stories focused on "education, health, politics, and law and justice" to their readers.

References

External links

Portland Observer
{{coord , display=title , 45.557 , -122.662 1970 establishments in Oregon African-American history in Portland, Oregon African-American newspapers Newspapers published in Portland, Oregon Newspapers established in 1970 Weekly newspapers published in the United States