Student Historian

Washington native Heather Peterson is a history major at the University of Washington, Seattle campus.  She will graduate in 2009 and then spend some time traveling internationally.

Emma Azalia Hackley (1867-1922)

Emma Azalia Smith Hackley was an African American singer and Denver political activist born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1867.  Her parents, business owners Henry and Corilla Smith, moved to Detroit where she attended Washington Normal School, graduating in 1886.  Smith, a child prodigy learned to … Read MoreEmma Azalia Hackley (1867-1922)

Lillian Evans Annie/Evanti (1891-1967)

Lillian (Evans) Evanti, one of the first African American women to become an internationally prominent opera performer, was born in Washington D.C. in 1891.  Evanti was born into a prominent Washington, D.C. family.  Her father, Wilson Evans, was a medical doctor and teacher in the … Read MoreLillian Evans Annie/Evanti (1891-1967)