The University of, for, and with Portland

THE MUSIC OF ELLINGTON, Monk, and Fitzgerald echoed across the academic quad. This time it wasn’t our immensely talented University of Portland Jazz Ensemble. It was the sound of performers from the Vanport Jazz Festival.

Now in its eighth year, the Vanport Jazz Festival brings world-class musicians and jazz aficionados together for a weekend of fun, community, and above all else, great music. This August, University of Portland hosted the Festival for the first time, and it was a beautiful celebration.

The Festival takes its name from an often overlooked chapter of Portland’s history. To house the thousands of laborers who worked in the region’s shipyards during World War II, business leaders purchased land just north of city limits, created the largest public housing complex in the country, and named it Vanport (a portmanteau of Vancouver and Portland). At its height, over 40,000 people called the community home. It was the second largest city in Oregon.

Discriminatory practices prohibited Black people from living in most parts of Portland. But Vanport was different. It was open to all. After the war was over, many shipyard workers and their families remained, making Vanport the most diverse city in the state.

Things changed on Memorial Day in 1948. Massive flooding caused the Columbia River to breach levees protecting Vanport. The community was destroyed and more than 18,000 people were left homeless.

Over 75 years later, the Vanport Jazz Festival honors this history and celebrates Portland’s Black community.

Hosting the Festival was important to me and to UP. Warmth, welcome, and hospitality are distinctive charisms of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Recent pronouncements from Pope Leo XIV underscore the need for Catholic institutions to joyfully engaged with the world. Thus, our mission compels us to be the University of, for, and with Portland. Opening wide the doors of our campus to audiences that might not otherwise visit is an important pathway to achieving this goal. And we aren’t stopping there. From the Rip City Remix, to high school graduations and basketball tournaments, to conferences and charity walks, to hundreds of lectures, concerts, and performances, The Bluff has emerged as a true community hub for culture, entertainment, and the arts, and it’s open to all.

ROBERT D. KELLY, PhD, is the 21st president of University of Portland.