Julia Swan, Author at

Independent Historian

Julia Swan is an M.A. student in Museology at the University of Washington. Julia graduated magna cum laude from Whitman College, in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2006, with a B.A. in History. She is interested in public history and is studying the influence of museums in sharing stories from the past with a broad audience. Julia’s experiences in museums include interpretation and education, public programming, and public relations.

Cliff Hooper, Sr. (1917-2001)

Cliff Hooper, Sr. was an artist, an activist, and a community leader. Though born in Evansville, Indiana, he became an important part of the black community in Seattle. Hooper graduated from the Cornish School of Allied Arts in Seattle in 1953 and soon earned recognition … Read MoreCliff Hooper, Sr. (1917-2001)

Keve Bray (1925-1972)

Seattle businessman and political activist Keve Bray played an essential role in the local civil rights movement and is especially notable for his role in the black power movement in the Central District. Bray was born on June 9, 1925. Very little is known about … Read MoreKeve Bray (1925-1972)

Andrew Young (Seattle)

Andrew J. Young (not related to Martin Luther King’s lieutenant and Southern Christian Leadership Conference member of the same name) was a civil rights activist in Seattle during the middle part of the twentieth century. A lawyer, Young first reached prominence when he served as … Read MoreAndrew Young (Seattle)

Central Area Committee for Peace and Improvement

African American civil rights and political activists in Seattle had been working throughout the early 1960s to integrate and bring equality to the city’s black population. By 1967, however, many blacks in Seattle began to criticize integration and the civil rights movement as a whole … Read MoreCentral Area Committee for Peace and Improvement

Central Area School Council (1969-1975)

The Central Area School Council (CASC) was formed in 1969 at a time when community control of public schools was considered by many local activists as a more effective strategy than school integration in improving the performance of African American students. Activists argued that with … Read MoreCentral Area School Council (1969-1975)

Operation Equity

Although racially restricted housing covenants had been banned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948, various forms of de facto housing segregation kept African Americans relatively isolated spatially in urban areas, including the city of Seattle. Many white homeowners in the years following the Court’s … Read MoreOperation Equity

Charles V. Johnson (1928- )

Charles Vernon Johnson was an influential member of the Seattle African American community from the moment he moved out west in 1954 to attend law school at the University of Washington. Johnson, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, was one of a few black graduate students … Read MoreCharles V. Johnson (1928- )

Central Area Civil Rights Committee

In 1963, prominent Seattle, Washington civil rights leaders united to form the Central Area Civil Rights Committee (CACRC). Members were typically notable figures in other existing groups like the Urban League (Edwin Pratt), CORE (Walter Hundley), and the NAACP (Charles Johnson), although some represented community … Read MoreCentral Area Civil Rights Committee

Drive for Equal Employment in Downtown Seattle (DEEDS)

One of the driving forces of the Civil Rights Movement in Seattle, Washington was the desire to end unfair employment discrimination in the city. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was at the forefront of the Seattle struggle to ensure equal employment in the 1960s. … Read MoreDrive for Equal Employment in Downtown Seattle (DEEDS)