Oregon State University
Oregon African American Railroad Porters Oral History Collection


Cliff Jackson Oral History Interview, Part 2. August 23, 1983

Cliff Jackson Oral History Interview, Part 2

Interviewer Unknown

August 23, 1983

Location:  Location Unknown.

In this second recording of Cliff Jackson, he briefly talks about his parents and siblings, then talks about the differences between train service when he was an employee and modern trains, and asserts that the service and atmosphere have declined over the years. Jackson describes working for the Democratic Party in Kansas City where he had to pay black persons to get them to vote in the 1920s. He recalls waiting tables at a place President Harry S. Truman and his wife went to and visiting with Bess Truman years later. Jackson gives advice to young people in light of the changes in service industry occupations. He also compares the red light district of Portland in the past to present and discusses the lack of sexual health knowledge when he was young. Jackson then reminisces of his years working in the hospital’s cancer ward.