Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators (ORABSE) requested the PPS Board of Education change the name of the Blanchard Education Service Center (BESC) to Dr. Matthew Prophet Jr. Service Center to commemorate the legacy of service to Oregon by Dr. Matthew Prophet Jr. He was longest serving and first Black Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, the largest school district in Oregon.

The presentation, titled a “village vision” led the PPS Board of Education, without reservation, to vote immediately and a unanimous decision to change the name to the Dr. Matthew Prophet Jr. Service Center.

We hope you join us at the unveiling ceremony of the new signage

In honor Women’s History Month, Dr. Carmen P. Thompson centers the experiences of free and enslaved Black women in early America in a discussion of her newly published book, The Making of American Whiteness: The Formation of Race in Seventeenth Century Virginia, to show how gender relations with White women and White men reveal the resiliency of Black people and the contours of race during the era.

Tuesday, March 14 | 5:30 PM

The Soul Restoration Center

14 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211

Calling Black Educators! Registration is open for the ORABSE Educator Symposium 2023: Building Educational Excellence.

Join ORABSE Black Educators for professional growth and development on April 15, 2023 from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM in Portland Oregon.

The day will include workshops, meals, networking opportunities, and our keynote speaker, Dr. Lisa Collins.