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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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23 results for: African Immigrants

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Image of Jeff Mart grocery store at 17th and Jefferson, Seattle, August, 26, 1992
Photograph

Jeff Mart grocery store at 17th and Jefferson, Seattle, August, 26, 1992

This photo shows the Jeff Mart convenience/grocery store at 17th and Jefferson in the Central District when it was owned by Korean immigrants Raymond and Grace Chung. The Chungs bought the store in 1991 from Harry and Mary Shigaya, of Japanese heritage, continuing to sell staples to the Central Area community, which since the 1960s was chiefly African-American. The store…
ID Number:2000.107.107.32.01
Date:1992
Image of Grace Chung with customers at Jeff Mart grocery store, Seattle, September 30, 1992
Photograph

Grace Chung with customers at Jeff Mart grocery store, Seattle, September 30, 1992

This photo shows the interior of the Jeff Mart convenience/grocery store at 17th and Jefferson in the Central District when it was owned by Korean immigrants Raymond and Grace Chung. Here, Grace Chung works behind the counter, bagging up a purchase while chatting with two male customers. The Chungs bought the store in 1991 from Harry and Mary Shigaya, of…
ID Number:2000.107.107.32.02
Date:1992
Image of Won Ldy Paye with students at McGilvra Elementary School, February 19, 1988
Photograph

Won Ldy Paye with students at McGilvra Elementary School, February 19, 1988

Won-Ldy Paye is a storyteller, dancer, drummer, and artist from Tapita, Liberia. He was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people of northeastern Liberia, and is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional Dan entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Paye immigrated to the US in 1990…
ID Number:2000.107.139.04.01
Date:1988
Image of Won Ldy Paye teaching African music to fourth grade students, Seattle, February 19, 1988
Photograph

Won Ldy Paye teaching African music to fourth grade students, Seattle, February 19, 1988

Won-Ldy Paye is a storyteller, dancer, drummer, and artist from Tapita, Liberia. He was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people of northeastern Liberia, and is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional Dan entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Paye immigrated to the US in 1990…
ID Number:2000.107.139.04.02
Date:1988
Image of Zaid Tesfaion in a class at the Refugee Women's Alliance, Seattle, January 22, 1991
Photograph

Zaid Tesfaion in a class at the Refugee Women's Alliance, Seattle, January 22, 1991

In the early 1990s, refugees arriving in Washington were coming from more and more diverse places. In the 1980s, most arrived from Southeast Asia, fleeing the ongoing effects of the Vietnam War. By contrast, in 1991 the state estimated that fewer than half of incoming refugees came from Southeast Asia. About 42 percent were Jews or Pentecostalists arriving from the…
ID Number:2000.107.151.05.04
Date:1991
Image of Dior Seck at Black Community Festival, Seattle, July 30, 1993
Photograph

Dior Seck at Black Community Festival, Seattle, July 30, 1993

In this image Dior Seck of Senegal is surrounded by handmade Senegalese dolls in traditional dress. Seck is the owner of Sahle International Arts and Crafts in the University District and was selling African art, old and new, at the two-day Black Community Festival at Judkins Park in the Central District neighborhood of Seattle. Caption information derived from captions written…
ID Number:2000.107.165.25.01
Date:1993
Image of Ahmed Isse at American Red Cross headquarters, Seattle, December 28, 1992
Photograph

Ahmed Isse at American Red Cross headquarters, Seattle, December 28, 1992

Ahmed Isse, a former Somali government official, came to the United States in 1991 as a refugee from the Somali Civil War. He settled in south Seattle, with a daughter living in Tacoma and a son in Vancouver, BC. Isse had left other relatives behind, including a son in Mombasa, Kenya, and at least one sister in Somalia.In late December…
ID Number:2000.107.19921228.2.30
Date:1992
Image of Ahmed Isse looking at photographs at Red Cross headquarters, Seattle, December 28, 1992
Photograph

Ahmed Isse looking at photographs at Red Cross headquarters, Seattle, December 28, 1992

Ahmed Isse, a former Somali government official, came to the United States in 1991 as a refugee from the Somali Civil War. He settled in south Seattle, with a daughter living in Tacoma and a son in Vancouver, BC. Isse had left other relatives behind, including a son in a Mombasa, Kenya, and at least one sister in Somalia.In late…
ID Number:2000.107.19921228.2.37
Date:1992
Image of Seafair pirate at Mardi Gras parade, July 25, 1993
Photograph

Seafair pirate at Mardi Gras parade, July 25, 1993

For over 70 years, Seattle’s Black community has a held a summer festival that was part of Seattle's International Festival, now Seafair. The first, in 1952, was called the East Madison/East Union Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras later transformed into the Pacific Northwest Black Community Festival, and in 1997 it became the Umoja Fest African Heritage Festival.On the afternoon of July…
ID Number:2000.107.19930725.3.09
Date:1993
Image of William Deng walking in the Pioneer Square area, Seattle, August 2001
Photograph

William Deng walking in the Pioneer Square area, Seattle, August 2001

In August 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Washington state had gained more foreign residents in the past decade than in the previous thirty years combined. Sudan-born William Deng, 24, was one new Seattle resident. After his village was attacked, he and other children escaped across thousands of miles of desert and spent years in refugee camps before arriving…
ID Number:2000.107.20010803.4.32
Date:2001
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