Urban League of Portland Honors Civil Rights Pioneer Kathleen Saadat by Naming New Affordable Housing Community after Her
The Urban League of Portland held the official building dedication and naming ceremony for the Kathleen Saadat Residence, the downtown Permanent Supportive Housing apartment community. Formerly The Fairfield, the building is named after Oregon civil rights pioneer Kathleen Saadat. This act of reclaiming the building in a neighborhood where Black communities have been systematically displaced is meant to send a message long carried by Kathleen Saadat herself: We belong here. We have always belonged here.
“Kathleen Saadat has always had such a power, such a voice, such a presence. She has always stood 10 toes down for what it is that she believes in. She puts her shoulder to the grindstone to do that work,” Nkenge Harmon, President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland, said at the celebration. “When we began the naming process, I knew immediately what we should name it. This building is on Harvey Milk, and it serves Black Queer women and other community members. And I said, ‘We will name it Kathleen Saadat.’”
Urban League of Portland is the service provider for residents at The Kathleen Saadat Residence, which opened in 2024 and is fully leased. The building represents an innovative strategic partnership—innovative because its impact is concentrated and powerful, strategic because it is daring: a reclamation of downtown, and a demand for acknowledgment of our humanity.
“The thank-yous seem almost inadequate...It’s not big enough to say thank you,” said the guest of honor, Kathleen Saadat, at the building dedication ceremony. “This is so big that I don’t even have a word for it. I can’t even imagine it. I can only feel it.”
The building sits at 1103 SW Harvey Milk Street, reflecting the neighborhood's history as a hub for Portland's LGBTQ+ community. The building itself was constructed in 1911. Kathleen Saadat and six others marched through those very streets in 1976 demanding recognition and rights.
Permanent Supportive Housing is liberation made tangible. It provides what marginalized communities need not just to survive but to claim space, build stability, and live with dignity. This is equity. This is empowerment. This was the true credo of Kathleen Saadat's work: ensuring people had what they needed to walk through doors and stay.
Dedicating this building corrects discriminatory practices that have erased Black communities from downtown Portland while continuing Saadat's legacy of creating space where voices can be heard and lives can flourish. Just as Saadat has been a conduit for many voices, this building, as her namesake, becomes a respite for many, a sanctuary of permanence, empowerment, and home.
As one resident shared: "This place saved my life. I would not know where I would be without this space. The program and staff have been a source of scaffolding on my dark days. I've been given a second chance, and I'm taking it fully."
The event, held at The Kathleen Saadat Building’s Community Room, was an authentic celebration of legacy, leadership, and community. It was meant to honor Kathleen Saadat’s lifelong commitment to civil rights, equity, and justice in Portland and beyond.
We at the Urban League of Portland recognize her profound impact on generations of advocates. We also affirm our shared commitment to creating spaces that reflect the values she championed: dignity, inclusion and love. This dedication also furthers the mission of the Urban League of Portland by uplifting Black excellence, honoring community leadership, and reinforcing our commitment to culturally-specific service provision and social justice.