Blocked Out: Race and Place in the Making of Modern Astoria seeks to complicate the common belief that Astoria is a predominantly white town simply because it has always been so. In reality, Astoria at its founding was a multi-racial and multi-ethnic space. It is only through deliberate efforts on the local, state, and federal levels that Astoria is the overwhelmingly white community of today. This exhibit explores the topic in two sections. The first consists of three kiosks that greet visitors when they first enter the gallery that discuss the history of race and attempts at community formation in Astoria. The second, on the main wall, attempts to map physical locations throughout the city where explicit discrimination took place and became codified. Importantly, this map is a work in progress and is currently incomplete.

This exhibit made possible by contributions from James and Janet Aalberg, and the Oregon Black Pioneers.