Preserving Martin Luther King County’s African American History Thanks to a generous grant from 4Culture, the BlackPast.org staff has created a special section on the history of the black residents of Martin Luther King County, Washington. Included below are brief profiles of the individuals, organizations, … Read MorePreserving Martin Luther King County’s African American History
Constance Williams Rice became one of the most influential women in Seattle in the late 20th century and remains so well into the 21st century. She was born to the union of a subway motorman, Elliott Williams, and Beulah Marshall Williams on June 23, 1945, … Read MoreConstance Williams Rice (1945- )
In the following article historians Bruce Glasrud and Cary Wintz discuss their new book, The Harlem Renaissance in the American West which argues that the literary and artistic outpouring by African Americans during the third decade of the 20th Century was a national phenomenon which … Read MoreThe Harlem Renaissance in the American West
Sir Mix-A-Lot, pioneering Pacific Northwest rapper and producer, was born Anthony Ray in Seattle, Washington on August 12, 1963. He grew up in Seattle’s Central District and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1981. Early on, Mix-A-Lot had an ear and a passion for music. … Read MoreAnthony “Sir Mix-A-Lot” Ray (1963- )
Image Courtesy of Seattle University Gordon McHenry is a contemporary community leader in Seattle’s non-profit social services institutions. McHenry’s father, Gordon McHenry, was the first in his family to graduate from college and the first African American engineer promoted into management at the Boeing Company. … Read MoreGordon McHenry Jr. (1957- )
Tuskegee Airman Howard Adolphus Wooten was born on April 20, 1920 in Lovelady, Texas to parents Johnnie C. Morris Wooten and Howard L. Wooten. His father was the principal of the “colored school” in Lovelady, a town 100 miles north of Houston, and his mother … Read MoreHoward A. Wooten (1920-1948)
Louise McKinney (née Jones) was an African-American educator, human rights advocate, philanthropist, business woman, community activist, and patron of the arts. She was a long-established galvanizing force of civic life in Seattle and in the State of Washington. Born Louise Jones on July 12, 1920 … Read MoreLouise Jones McKinney (1930-2012)
Shonda Rhimes is the first African American woman to write and produce a top-10-rated show on network television. She is most known for her work writing and producing the shows Grey’s Anatomy (2005- ), Private Practice (2007- ), and Scandal (2012- ). Rhimes was born … Read MoreShonda Rhimes (1970- )
In 1991, Sherry D. Harris was the first out black lesbian elected to public office in the United States. This also gave her the distinction of being the first African American woman on the Seattle City Council in Washington State. Harris was born on February … Read MoreSherry D. Harris (1957- )
Charles Rolland was the first African American chair of a major political party in Washington State. Roland served as chair of the Washington State Democratic Party during the years 1993-1995. He won his campaign through the labor-intensive task of personally driving hundreds of miles across … Read MoreCharles Rolland, III (1951-2012)
