Martin Luther King visited Portland in 1961 and met with leaders of the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church. Rev. O.B. Williams stands on the far left.

The Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church held a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service on January 15, 1971.

The first page of the Urban League of Portland News Roundup newsletter, dated October 1961, announcing Dr. Martin Luther King’s visit to Portland on November 8, 1961, invited people to attend his speech at the Civic Auditorium (now the Keller) and to make a small donation to pay for his travel expenses. King was invited by the Urban League to participate in the Annual Equal Opportunity Day, which is still held every year.