Honors scholar wins WSU’s third national Portz award in four years

Clara Krause ('24) became the third WSU Honors College student in four years to be recognized with a National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Portz Scholars award for her honors thesis "Into the Matrix: Unveiling a Story of Black Resilience in the Tri-Cities." NCHC institutions can submit one student work per year from which the top four are selected.

Krause's thesis challenged the idea that a building has to look significant to be deemed so, arguing that vernacular, or ordinary architecture, can fit the designation if its history and purpose are of notable value to the community. She focused on the Matrix, an 8,600 square foot, one-story, metal and steel building in East Pasco, Washington that "played a crucial role" in the development of Black entrepreneurship during the late 20th century in racially segregated Tri-Cities. The building's historical significance harkens to the Manhattan Project, which brought Black workers for Hanford's plutonium production.

Established in 1970 by Black community leaders, the building offered "emblematic significance in the struggle for economic self-reliance and community empowerment…," Krause wrote. Layered architectural and social history and cultural studies reveal the building's story, first as "a beacon of hope and a source of essential services… at the ethos of 'Black Capitalism,'" and then as "a symbol of continuity and adaptation" for the Latinx population it serves today, she said.

Portz awardees receive a $350 stipend and are recognized at an NCHC national conference plenary session where they discuss their work. Now a WSU graduate student, Krause credits thesis advisor and mentor, Architecture Professor Phil Gruen, whose guidance nurtured a passion for historic preservation.

"I learned so much by working with Clara on this project. From the outset, she was committed to looking for ways to elevate the built environment of underrepresented and marginalized people and communities," Gruen said.

After identifying the Matrix as a potentially important site, Clara uncovered evidence that spoke to discrimination and resilience in the East Pasco community, he said, with the challenge being to maintain focus on the most poignant moments.

"As a faculty mentor, it was wonderful to receive drafts that kept expanding the story and compelled us to recognize that the building was even more significant than we originally thought."

Krause's interest in the project didn't end with her honors thesis.

"Clara has done the research and hopes to nominate the Matrix to the National Register of Historic Places, even though it is no longer in its original condition," Gruen said.

The designation would bring attention to an important historic community resource and raise public awareness about the discrimination accelerated by the Manhattan Project, Gruen added.

Krause's thesis is WSU's third Portz recognition in four years. Samantha King Shaw's ('21) thesis examining the role of Black queer artists in 1920's Harlem Renaissance, focused on the text Fire!!, bringing a fresh analysis to that period. Alicia Callahan ('23) was invited to the Norman D Memorial Park dedication ceremony in Golden, Colorado for her thesis on long-term combat effects and the Sixth Armored Division World War II soldiers who liberated the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp in 1945.