One hero and friend of Japanese Americans, both individuals and the community generally, was Paul Robeson. Robeson was (after Joe Louis) the most popular and visible African American of the 1930s and 1940s. He was a celebrated stage actor and movie star, an internationally famous … Read MorePaul Robeson and Japanese Americans, 1942-1949
Leonard Randolph (Lenny) Wilkens was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 28, 1937, son of an African American father and white mother. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section, one of the toughest sections in the city, where he endured many hardships, including the … Read MoreLenny Wilkens (1937- )
Jesse Binga’s rise from relative poverty to become the wealthiest African American entrepreneur and banker in Chicago in the late 19th century earned him a national reputation. Binga was born on April 10, 1865, in Detroit to William W. Binga, a barber and native of … Read MoreJesse Binga (1865-1950)
Harold G. Moss, leader and a founder of the Tacoma Urban League and past president of the Tacoma branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was the first African American to serve as mayor of Tacoma, Washington. He was also … Read MoreHarold Moss (1929-2020)
Roslyn, Washington was a coal mining town located at the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains. The first commercial operations in Roslyn were initiated in 1886 by Logan M. Bullet, Vice President of the Northern Pacific Coal Company, (a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad). … Read MoreRoslyn, Washington (1886- )
In the following article, Janie L. Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix and the younger sister of music legend Jimi Hendrix, reflects on the lives of their grandparents, Bertram Philander Ross Hendrix and Zenora Moore. Her article reminds us of the rich entertainment heritage … Read MoreThe Blood of Entertainers: The Life and Times of Jimi Hendrix’s Paternal Grandparents
John Lovick is one of the most successful African American politicians in Washington state history. He has held a number of political positions at the state and county level and is currently a member of the Washington State House of Representatives for the 44th District … Read MoreJohn Lovick (1951- )
Harold Mills is a boat racing pioneer and award winning driver. Born August 16, 1953 in Seattle, Washington, he spent nine years in Houston, Texas as a child. He came back to Seattle and grew up as a fan of boat racing. In the late … Read MoreHarold Mills (1953- )
Father Divine, founder of the International Peace Missions Movement, was a religious leader, businessman, and civil rights activist. He was born George Baker in Rockville, Maryland sometime in 1876 to George and Nancy Baker. Viewed by many to be a cult leader, his doctrine was … Read MoreFather Divine (c.1876-1965)
A pioneer playwright, actor, author, and teacher, Theodore Browne was best known for his association with the Negro Unit of the Federal Theatre in Seattle, Washington in the 1930s. He was also an original member of the American Negro Theatre (ANT) and one of the … Read MoreTheodore R. Browne (ca. 1910-1979)
