Series 1, Administrative, includes materials that document the daily functions of the Portland branch staff, primarily in the 1960s and 1980s. It includes correspondence, articles, pamphlets and ephemera, related to specific NAACP individuals and topics. A small number of materials document membership and financial activities. Lorna Marple, president of the Portland branch (1955-1956) and long-time chairman of the Political Action Committee, is a frequent figure in this series as the collection donar. A majority of the records in the series are organized by topic, and were collected by NAACP individuals in the course of their work for the organization.

There are substantial gaps in the records, with a majority of the branch records being donated to the University of Oregon in 1978 by Lorna Marple.

Series 2, Committees, includes materials related to specific Portland branch committees. Making up a small portion of the collection, the series contains meeting minutes, correspondence, and other working documents related to committee activities primarily from 1964-1967. As the chairman of the Political Action Committee and collection donor, Lorna Marple is again strongly represented in this series.

Series 3, Meetings and conventions, documents NAACP and non-NAACP events. It includes meeting minutes and event materials for the Portland branch, as well as items gathered at national and regional NAACP conventions during the 1960s and in 1985. A significant portion of the series is made up of materials from non-NAACP events, such as schedules, minutes and other ephemera from conventions and formal meetings. These are often from civil rights related organizations.

Series 4, Publications and publicity, includes both NAACP and non-NAACP articles, ephemera, books, and newspaper. Making up a majority of the collection, it includes published materials created by the local and national NAACP, as well as other organizations from the 1960s to 1980s. NAACP materials include Portland branch resolutions, membership brochures, and administrative guides in regard to specific civil rights activities. Non-NAACP materials comprise articles, journals, magazines, books, and newsletters from a wide variety of civil-rights-related organizations. Also included are newspaper clippings from a range of publications. While a majority of the clippings are from local Portland newspapers, some are from national publications.