Faith leaders and community members gathered in Portland for the Black Community Summit, where speakers warned of renewed threats to civil and voting rights.
PORTLAND, Ore. — “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”
That question, first posed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., set the tone for the Black Community Summit. It kicked off Friday at Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus and drew clergy, activists and residents concerned about the current political climate and its impact on civil rights.
“It is a critical time as an existential threat against the Black community and our nation today, an eroding of our civil rights and human rights,” said the Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes Jr., president of the Albina Ministerial Alliance.
Haynes, who helped register Black voters in the South during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, pointed to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the use of race in drawing voting districts as a troubling development. He said the ruling weakens the political power of Black voters and echoes past battles over the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“The Voting Rights Act, Dr. King felt, was essentially the major prize of the Civil Rights Movement,” Haynes said. “Many people died for this civil rights act. The were beaten, imprisoned, churches were bombed, children were killed. And so, this is a central part of who we are.”
Other faith leaders said the concerns are not new, but part of a recurring struggle.
“We’re just coming full circle. It’s not like we’ve not been here before,” said Bishop C.T. Wells, senior pastor of Emmanuel Church.
Wells said that while Portland may not face the same voting restrictions as some parts of the country, local residents should still view the issue through a national lens.
“While we’re on the West Coast, we can affect change in the entire nation,” said Wells. “And recognizing that as dark as it is, God is still in charge.”
Many community members said they attended the summit to better understand how to respond.
“It’s 2026, right?” said LaQuida Landford, who said her goal was to listen and learn. “Black Portlanders, Natives, have fought for many years around civil rights, so to see something like this in recent times, it’s kind of mind-blowing.”
Speakers throughout the opening session emphasized that the path forward lies in peaceful organizing and civic engagement. Haynes encouraged attendees to raise awareness and organize, pointing to recent marches and rallies as signs of progress.
“We must mobilize people and create a consciousness,” he said. “We must wake people up to a new consciousness to what is going on in the nation.”
The Black Community Summit continues Saturday at PCC’s Cascade Campus, beginning at 10 a.m. Organizers said the event is open to the public.
