Black History of the Northwest
A collection of stories about the lives and history of Black people living in the Pacific Northwest.
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Stories
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George Bush: The Black pioneer who founded Tumwater
Tumwater is the earliest American settlement site in what would later become Washington state. And it was founded by George Bush, who was African-American.
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How a young Black family fought John L. Scott and changed Seattle
In 1959, at a dentist’s home in Seattle, a housekeeper was told to leave early. Her employers were hosting a neighborhood meeting. Before she left, she overheard their discussion: They were plotting ways to prevent a young Black doctor and his family from moving into the Modernist house across the street. They had a secret weapon: real estate titan John L. Scott.
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Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen of the northwest on the squad's 80th anniversary
The Tuskegee Airmen are some of the most well-known Black soldiers to serve in World War II, but we hear so little about the few who came from right here in the northwest. Thomas Gray is the recording secretary for the local Sam Bruce Chapter. He wasn't a pilot himself, but when the retired Boeing engineer happened to go by one of their meetings decades ago, the airmen invited him to become a member.
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This pioneer worked the Underground Railroad — and founded Seattle's Black Central District
In the early days, they called him Big Bill the Cook.
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Seattle’s first black cop meets a killer over checkers
Horace Cayton was an African-American sociologist born in Seattle in 1903. His father was born a slave; his mother was the daughter of the first black U...
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A walk in Seattle with my father, who was born a slave
Horace Cayton was an African-American sociologist born in Seattle in 1903. His father was born a slave; his mother was the daughter of the first black U...
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Not in your history book: When white strikers abducted black workers on a Seattle streetcar
Horace Cayton was an African-American sociologist born in Seattle in 1903. His father was born a slave; his mother was the daughter of the first black U...
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Seattle's first black Seafair queen and others from these forgotten photos
A year ago, we published photos from the 1940s and 50s of black people in Seattle just living their lives.
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Rare photos of Black Seattle unearthed
Seattle is a young city, y oung enough that most of its history can be traced through photographs. Until recently though, most of those photos have been...