The fourth of seven children in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, August Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel, April 27, 1945 to an African American mother and a German immigrant father. By the time he was five, his parents divorced. His mother remarried in the late 1950s … Read MoreAugust Wilson (1945-2005)
Ray Charles Robinson, a talented musician, singer, and composer, was one of the first African American artists to merge the blues with gospel to pave the way for rhythm and blues (R&B) music. Robinson was born September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia. At age five, … Read MoreRay Charles (1930-2004)
York was an African American slave best known for his participation in the (Meriwether) Lewis and (William) Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. York was born in Caroline County, Virginia in 1770. York, his father, mother (Rose), and younger sister and brother (Nancy and Juba) were all … Read MoreYork (1770-1832)
Wing Chong Luke is a pioneer in Asian American politics. In 1962, at the age of 37, Luke, despite an active smear campaign, became the first person of Asian ancestry elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest and the first person of color elected … Read MoreWing Chong Luke (1925-1965)
Before the Civil War, when he was 18, William Grose left his home in Washington, D.C. and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Assigned to the USS Vincennes in 1853, he went to South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia and the Arctic during his tour … Read MoreWilliam Grose (1835-1898)
Walter R. Hundley, minister, sociologist, civil rights worker, and administrator, served in a number of important offices in Seattle government. Hundley was born in Philadelphia on March 8, 1929, and raised there in a black neighborhood which he recalled as being pretty rough. He graduated … Read MoreWalter R. Hundley (1929-2002)
The Negro Repertory Company (NRC) was established in 1936 by Florence and James Burton, directors of the Seattle Repertory Playhouse (SRP), as the Negro unit of the Federal Theatre Program, a part of the WPA. In its short life it produced ambitious and controversial plays … Read MoreNegro Repertory Company (Seattle) 1936-1939
Leslie “Wildcat” Carter was born on December 12, 1909 and migrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with his family as a very small boy. At fourteen, he and an older sister moved to Everett, Washington. One year later, at fifteen, he began his professional boxing career … Read MoreLeslie “Wildcat” Carter (1909-1985)
Frank Waldron was one of the most influential musicians and teachers in the first half of Seattle’s 20th century jazz scene. Waldron was born in San Francisco, California in 1890. By World War I he had moved to the Pacific Northwest and played music at … Read MoreFrank Waldron (1890-1955)
No. 35436. En Banc. Supreme Court September 29, 1961 [1] CIVIL RIGHTS – CONSTITUTIONAL LAW – PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES AND CLASS LEGISLATION – REASONABLENESS OF CLASSIFICATION. Laws of 1957, chapter 37, which amends the law against discrimination (RCW 49.60) by empowering the State Board Against … Read More(1961) O’Meara v. The Washington State Board Against Discrimination
