Appreciating Portland's "Other" History
Origins of the Portland Red Guide
Michael Munk talks about his background and his reasons for developing an interest in Portland's radical history, the history he feels is neglected by the mainstream such as movements advocating full employment, protection of the environment, equal rights, etc. Munk's interest in this history resulted in the publication of the Portland Red Guide, a historic book now in its second edition.
As Told By...
Michael Munk
Retired Political Scientist
Michael Munk was born in Prague in 1934 and escaped the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia to Portland in 1939. His political activity began in the 1950s, when he became a local opponent of nuclear testing as well as a promoter of a Portland concert from Paul Robeson. He received his PhD in Politics from New York University, taught political science for more than twenty-five years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Roosevelt University in Chicago and Rutgers University before retiring in Portland. He is author of The Portland Red Guide (Ooligan Press, 2007), as well as articles in Oregon Historical Quarterly, Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Portland Alliance and more.
