Walking through Alton Baker Park is much like any other: paths, clearings and some trees. It would be easy to overlook the rich and tragic history of this innocuous green space, one that is core to the Black history of Eugene.
This was the site of the Ferry Street Village, or “The Under the Bridge Community” (From a statement by Laurie Trieger). This community has been consistently overlooked as our city has developed, with it only recently receiving official recognition from the local government. It is imperative that we, as the people of Eugene, appreciate this community as a cornerstone of our city’s history.
The Ferry Street Village was the first Black community in Eugene. In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Talicia Brown-Crowell said that, when it first began in early 1940s, it consisted of only five families. These families came together in an act of solidarity and defiance: Eugene, and Oregon as a whole, were…