A definitive jazz multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy established deeply original voices on his three primary instruments– the bass clarinet, alto saxophone, and flute. Dolphy pioneered the use of the bass clarinet as a solo improvising instrument, and, with Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins, he is one … Read MoreEric Dolphy (1928-1964)
At the beginning of the 20th Century most African American voters in Seattle were Republican. Despite their loyalty to the GOP, many of these black Republicans claimed the Party would not address the needs of African-Americans. The King County Colored Republican Club (KCCRC) was founded … Read MoreKing County Colored Republican Club (1915-1945)
The Great Migration was the mass movement of about five million southern blacks to the north and west between 1915 and 1960. During the initial wave the majority of migrants moved to major northern cities such as Chicago, Illiniois, Detroit, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New … Read MoreThe Great Migration (1915-1960)
The Black and Tan Club was a leading jazz nightclub located in Seattle, Washington, operating from 1922 until 1966. The nightclub flourished and was known as the most famous nightclub in Seattle at the onset of World War II. It derived its name from the … Read MoreThe Black and Tan Club (1922-1966)
On March 26, 1938, Berry Lawson, a twenty-seven-year-old African American waiter staying at the Mt. Fuji Hotel located on Yesler Way in downtown Seattle, Washington, was reportedly asleep in a chair in the hotel lobby. He was spotted by three Seattle Police Department officers, who … Read MoreBerry Lawson Case (1938)
Lodie Biggs, one of the few black professional women in pre-World War II Seattle, was also a significant political activist in the 1920s and 1930s. She was also involved with the transformation of the Seattle branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored … Read MoreLodie Biggs (?-?)
The Colored Marines Employment Benevolent Association (CMEBA) was organization that united black maritime cooks and stewards who were seeking employment in Seattle. In the process it challenged the racism of the all-white, Maritime Cooks and Stewards Association of the Pacific (MCSAP). The CMEBA was founded … Read MoreColored Marine Employment Benevolent Association (1921-1934)
The Frances Ellen Harper branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded in Seattle, Washington by Mrs. Emma Ray in 1891. It was a local branch of the WCTU, an organization dedicated to total abstinence from alcohol based on the belief that alcohol … Read MoreFrances Ellen Harper Branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (1891-1895)
Michael K. Ross was a Washington State legislator, civil rights activist, and contractor who, although he worked from within established political channels, was not afraid to go against the grain to affect social change. Ross’s early years followed a conservative trajectory. Born in Iowa City, … Read MoreMichael K. Ross (1941-2007)
In June 2007 the United States Supreme Court issued a narrow five to four ruling invalidating racial integration plans in Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Kentucky. The Court reasoned that the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause prohibited schools from voluntarily using racial classifications to achieve integration. … Read MoreParents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007)
