Celebrating Ed Washington
Black History Month is a time for us to reflect on and celebrate the history and cultural contributions of Black Americans to our society. One person who has had a great impact on our city’s own history and even on the Urban Forestry Division, itself, is Mr. Ed Washington. Ed Washington was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved to Vanport, Oregon in 1944 with his family. They were among the thousands who lost their homes in the Vanport Flood in 1948. To this day, he continues to contribute to many projects dedicated to remembering the history of Vanport and how its flooding disproportionately affected the Black community.
Civic Engagement
As a young man, he first got involved in serving the community by joining the Portland Chapter of the National Association of the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP). There, he was a member of the committee that led boycotts that would eventually stop discriminatory hiring practices in grocery stores like Albertson’s, Safeway, and Fred Meyer. He eventually became president of the chapter.
His commitment to civic engagement did not stop there. In 1991 he was the first African American to be elected to the Metro Council, where he stayed for ten years. His work extended to city government as well. He was a member of the Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) from 1998-2006. UFC is a volunteer body that is advisory to the City Forester, Portland Parks & Recreation Director, and City Council.
Ed Washington’s accolades for his service to the Portland community are too many to name in a short write-up. However, two awards worth highlighting are the Spirit of Portland Award and the Nohad A. Toulan Urban Pioneer Award for Public Service. He received both in 2018.
Keynote Speaker
We are grateful to Ed Washington for his tireless work in the community and wisdom he continues to share. If you are interested in hearing from Ed Washington himself, we are honored to have him as the keynote speaker at this year’s Tree Summit. This event will be held at the Rigler Elementary School Auditorium. The theme for this year’s event is “Growing Our Urban Forest Together.” He will be sharing about his life experience and giving advice on how we can affect change in the Portland community as well. We hope that you are inspired by the presentations and Mr. Washington’s speech to find ways you would like to help protect and expand the urban forest in Portland.