On Sunday, June 16, Zachary Stocks mesmerized an audience of over 100 people at the Yachats Commons with his presentation “Oregon’s Black History: 450 Years in 45 Minutes.”
Zachary is the Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers. An extraordinary story-teller, he breathes life into the history of how Black people have influenced and shaped Oregon’s political, cultural, and social structure.
Oregon Black Pioneers is dedicated to telling the history of Black people in the region that became the state of Oregon. The first documented person of African descent to land here was Marcus Lopius in 1788. According to the log of the American ship Lady Washington, anchored in Tillamook Bay, a Black man from Cape Verde went ashore with a crew of his shipmates to gather sea grass to feed the livestock on board. Lopius pursued a Native person he believed had stolen his saber or machete. Other crew members joined the fray but fled back to the ship when it was apparent that Lopius had been killed.
Zachary was delighted at the excellent turnout on Sunday. Among the attendees was a Black couple passing through Yachats on their way to Eugene to catch a flight home to North Carolina. They were intrigued by the reader board outside the Commons announcing Zachary’s talk and came in to check it out. Although they had to leave before the presentation ended, they told a View the Future volunteer that they were very pleased to see Black history being presented in Oregon.
As part of its mission, View the Future supports cultural preservation. VtF co-sponsored Zachary’s talk with Yachatians for Social Justice and additional support from the Yachats Ladies Club.
View the Future will be sponsoring Mr. Stocks next year, strengthening community awareness about the history of Black people in Oregon.
Learn more about Oregon Black Pioneers at https://oregonblackpioneers.org/
