I know a lot of  that history.  

Locally, The main reason there are any black people in Oregon at all is because they were brought in during WWII to build mostly Liberty ships in Portland; they lived in Vanport until the big flood.  

Some of those in the US Army during WWII who didn't run the RedBall Express to provide logistical support for racist Patton's Armored  attack across France wound up building the Al-Can Highway up through British Columbia.  Some of them wound up in Portland, after the war, .as well  

Living on and perpetuating  the hate from the past will never improve the future, however.