Reports and Newsletters
A note from our Chief Executive Officer, Azalea Renfield
Reports and Newsletters
A note from our Chief Executive Officer, Azalea Renfield
A Note from Our CEO,
Azalea Renfield
As summer winds down, I find myself reflecting on how much community shows up when we make room for it. This month, we spent an evening with the Black Business Association of Oregon, celebrating the founders and builders who make this city what it is. We joined Black Oregon Land Trust and Feed'em Freedom Foundation for an evening of storytelling and shared meals rooted in land stewardship. And our board came together for another meeting of diligent, transparent work on behalf of this organization.
This month we brought our story of Reparative Development back home to the Housing Oregon Conference. We shared what this journey has taught us about repair, ownership, and what's possible when communities lead.
What ties all of this together is the same thing it always has: relationships. The rooms we sit in, the tables we're invited to, and the partners who keep showing up alongside us are what make this work sustainable. We are not just building here. We are building trust, one connection at a time.
Thank you to everyone who continues to walk this path with us: our team, our partners, and the neighbors who share your time and your trust.
With gratitude,
Azalea Renfield
President & CEO/Executive Director
COMMUNITY & PARTNERSHIPS:
Community Voices: Roots of Regeneration
Our CEO, Azalea Renfield, was invited to attend Black Oregon Land Trust and Feed'em Freedom Foundation's Roots of Regeneration: Soil to System, a farm to table dinner celebrating Black land stewardship, regenerative agriculture, and community, held on BOLT's farm grounds.
Azalea joined leaders from across the community: 1803 Fund's Rukaiyah Adam, Camille Idedevbo, Lakeitha Elliot, and Amira Tripp Folsom; Albina Vision Trust's Kayin Talton Davis; Feed'em Freedom Foundation's Bee Baek; hosts Qiddist Ashé and Ms. Moonlight of Black Oregon Land Trust; and Councilor Loretta Smith.
The evening featured a seasonal meal crafted from locally grown ingredients, storytelling, and live music, all in support of BOLT's work expanding land access, culturally rooted education, and sustainable farming opportunities for Black communities across Oregon.
It feels special to be in community with partnerships across Portland that are rooted and determined to create holistic environments for Black Oregonians.
Thank you, Black Oregon Land Trust and Feed'em Freedom Foundation, for having us.
This Labor Day season, we spent an evening with the Black Business Association of Oregon at their Black Business Month Mixer, alongside the founders, builders, and neighbors who make Portland what it is.
Community development isn't only about buildings. It's about who gets to own, grow, and stay. Every connection made in a room like that one is part of the work we do together.
Thank you to BBAO for creating this space.
Showing Up for Black Businesses
Williams & Russell CDC was proud to sponsor The House Party, Taking Ownership PDX's community concert at The Redd, in support of housing justice for Black and Indigenous communities in Portland.
It was a night of music and neighbors, built around a belief we share: that Portland families deserve the chance to not only own, stay, and build here, but to enjoy ourselves and these spaces too. Joy is an act of resistance, and that belief is the center of our work on housing and development. It goes further when we show up as neighbors, alongside organizations moving in the same direction.
Thank you to Taking Ownership PDX for having us, and to everyone who filled the room.
Taking Ownership's 2nd Annual House Party
Thank you for being a part of this historic project
Board Updates
Our board convened for its third meeting of the year, three of four scheduled for 2025. Board members approved the filing of the 2025 990 and the 2025 Financial Audit, key milestones in keeping WRCDC's operations transparent and accountable to the community we serve.
Thank you to our board for their continued diligence and commitment.
We are thrilled to announce that tickets, tables, and sponsorship opportunities are officially open for Harlem on the Hill: A Night at the Cotton Club, our inaugural celebration gala, taking place Saturday, February 27, 2027 at the Portland Art Museum.
The evening marks a major Northeast Portland milestone: the completion of 20 affordable homeownership townhomes, 10 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom units, four with accessible ground-floor living, built on the site at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue that was once home to a thriving Black community before it was taken through eminent domain.
These homes are the first realized piece of a broader vision for the 2.99-acre Hill Block, which will also include additional affordable rental housing and a business and community hub. This is your chance to be in the room when history is made, and to be part of writing the next chapter.
Seats, tables, and sponsorship packages are limited, so don't wait.
Secure Your Seat for HARLEM ON THE HILL
Stay connected with us as we continue to build
Have questions or want to learn more? We would love to hear from you at contact@williamsrussellcdc.org. This work is powered by community and that includes you.
Reports and Newsletters
A note from our Chief Executive Officer, Azalea Renfield