Lewis & Clark and Albina Vision Trust Launch Historic Partnership

The Albina Vision Trust (AVT) and Lewis & Clark are proud to announce a historic partnership to weave education and opportunity into the built and cultural fabric of a redeveloped Lower Albina, a historically Black neighborhood in inner Northeast Portland. This alliance will create permanent infrastructure and programming for residents, students, educators, and community members to learn together and build community-based knowledge, contributing to the flourishing of one of the most innovative zip codes in the United States.

Winta Yohannes, executive director of Albina Vision TrustThe AVT–L&C partnership is anchored in a shared recognition of the power, potency, and necessity of city building done differently. AVT’s efforts to reroot working-class and historically displaced Portlanders in Lower Albina and reimagine Portland’s central city align with Lewis & Clark’s focus on promoting productive civic and community engagement, and innovating in pursuit of a more just society.

“The Albina Vision Trust cannot build a world-class district without a world-class commitment to education,” says Winta Yohannes, executive director of the AVT. “Education is the backbone of economic mobility, community-led development, and all visionary acts of hope and healing. We are proud to approach this partnership with Lewis & Clark as both builders and learners.”

During the 1950s and 1960s, urban renewal policies displaced Black families and forced them to leave their stable, vibrant community. Government officials carved up the neighborhood, demolishing thousands of homes.
Credit: Courtesy of Albina Vision Trust

This multigenerational effort will have two primary areas of focus. First, AVT and L&C plan to create a world-class education and economic empowerment hub, a permanent physical space in the redeveloped Lower Albina district. Second, the partners aim to integrate education and economic opportunity as core values of the built, social, and cultural fabric of Lower Albina through large-scale programming and place-making initiatives.

“We are excited to be working with Albina Vision Trust, a truly transformational redevelopment project that is sure to become a model for other cities nationwide,” said Robin H. Holmes-Sullivan, president of Lewis & Clark. “Bringing the Albina and Lewis & Clark communities together has untold value for all, including offering immersive learning opportunities for our undergraduate, graduate, and law students as well as a chance to codevelop a brighter future for our city. We are looking forward to collaborating with the Albina community on the shared vision for educational and economic empowerment that uplifts all.”

As stewards and developers of a communally held freedom dream anchored across a 94-acre project area, AVT is guided by community’s highest aspirations: a neighborhood where social, physical, and financial wealth are accessible and abundant; where sustainable infrastructure supports world-class housing, mobility, and access to the Willamette River; and where innovative policy, planning, and development frameworks center the needs and futures of our children and families.

Working with AVT offers Lewis & Clark an opportunity to reimagine education and to advance several of its new strategic imperatives in its plan The L&C Advantage. This roadmap for the future includes investments in educational experiences and opportunities for students that develop their leadership capacity and readiness to make an impact on their communities and the world.

This lasting partnership will include the provision of key services that build household and community wealth for Albina residents through L&C’s legal clinics; the provision of culturally appropriate and empowering mental health services; and learning opportunities for children and youth. It will also foster learning for Albina residents and Lewis & Clark students, staff, and faculty that leads to community-based knowledge production. In addition, this partnership will create avenues for Albina residents to pursue certifications, earn college credit, and pursue postsecondary opportunities through Lewis & Clark’s College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and School of Law.

Both organizations look towards the multi-decade redevelopment of Lower Albina, not only with a deep understanding of its past, but with an unwavering belief in the boundless potential of its future. The Albina Vision Trust and Lewis & Clark are proud to formally announce their commitment to building that future together.

Albina Vision Trust Office of the President The L&C Advantage