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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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1183 results for: Black/African American

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Image of Ernestine Anderson at home in Seattle, January 31, 1984
Photograph

Ernestine Anderson at home in Seattle, January 31, 1984

Ernestine Anderson (1928-2016) was an internationally renowned American jazz and blues singer. Her connection to Seattle began when her family moved to the city 1944, and she was discovered by band leader "Bumps" Blackwell, who hired her as a singer for his Junior Band. Anderson's first show was at the Washington Social Club on East Madison Street. The band (which…
ID Number:2000.107.007.24.03
Date:1984
Image of Ernestine Anderson performing at Jazz Alley, Seattle, December 16, 1991
Photograph

Ernestine Anderson performing at Jazz Alley, Seattle, December 16, 1991

Ernestine Anderson (1928-2016) was an internationally renowned American jazz and blues singer. Her connection to Seattle began when her family moved to the city 1944, and she was discovered by band leader "Bumps" Blackwell, who hired her as a singer for his Junior Band. Anderson's first show was at the Washington Social Club on East Madison Street. The band (which…
ID Number:2000.107.007.24.04
Date:1991
Image of Doug Barnett discussing new play, Seattle, April 5, 1970
Photograph

Doug Barnett discussing new play, Seattle, April 5, 1970

Black Arts/West was Seattle’s first black theatre and functioned as a three component program: theatre, dance, and an art gallery displaying the work of local and national artists. Evolving out of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Black Arts/West was founded by Douglas Q. Barnett (1931-) in 1969. As a division of the Central Area Motivation Program, an anti-poverty…
ID Number:2000.107.014.21.01
Date:1970
Image of Powell Barnett accepting Jackson Street Community Council Man of the Year award, Seattle, April 1964
Photograph

Powell Barnett accepting Jackson Street Community Council Man of the Year award, Seattle, April 1964

Powell S. Barnett (1883-1971) was a Seattle-based musician, baseball player, civil rights activist, and African American community leader. Born in Indiana, Barnett moved with his family to Roslyn, Washington, in 1889. His father, an ex-slave, was one of many black miners recruited to work in Washington coal mines. As a teenager, Powell also worked in the Roslyn coal mines, and…
ID Number:2000.107.014.21.02
Date:1964
Image of Powell Barnett and Katherine Conna Barnett on their golden wedding anniversary, Seattle, August 23, 1956
Photograph

Powell Barnett and Katherine Conna Barnett on their golden wedding anniversary, Seattle, August 23, 1956

Powell S. Barnett (1883-1971) was a Seattle-based musician, baseball player, civil rights activist, and African American community leader. Barnett married Katherine Conna (1890-1971) of the pioneering John N. Conna family in 1906, and the couple settled in Seattle. Powell Barnett organized the Leschi Improvement Council and became its first president in 1967, led in organizing the East Madison YMCA and…
ID Number:2000.107.014.21.03
Date:1956
Image of Roberta Byrd Barr, 1966
Photograph

Roberta Byrd Barr, 1966

Roberta Byrd Barr (1919-1993) was a civil rights leader, educator, and journalist. Born in Tacoma, Byrd Barr returned to Seattle in 1959, attending University of Washington and working as a teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, and then librarian at John Muir Elementary. When Seattle teachers and parents boycotted the city’s public schools and demanded desegregation in 1966, Barr headed the…
ID Number:2000.107.014.25.01
Date:1966
Image of Panel at Allied Arts Congress meeting, December 4, 1966
Photograph

Panel at Allied Arts Congress meeting, December 4, 1966

In 1966, Allied Arts of Seattle President Norman Johnson issued a challenge to members of the organization and to the larger arts community to expand the scope of community involvement in the arts. A panel was convened for the December 1966 Allied Arts meeting, to discuss the need for outreach to Seattle’s Black and Indigenous communities, particularly in the city’s…
ID Number:2000.107.014.25.02
Date:1966
Image of Roberta Byrd Barr and her son Robert, May 4, 1967
Photograph

Roberta Byrd Barr and her son Robert, May 4, 1967

Roberta Byrd Barr (1919-1993) was a civil rights leader, educator, and journalist. Born in Tacoma, Barr returned to Seattle in 1959, attending University of Washington and working as a teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, and then as librarian at John Muir Elementary. When Seattle teachers and parents boycotted the city’s public schools and demanded desegregation in 1966, Barr headed the…
ID Number:2000.107.014.25.03
Date:1967
Image of Roberta Byrd Barr sitting at desk, May 4, 1967
Photograph

Roberta Byrd Barr sitting at desk, May 4, 1967

Roberta Byrd Barr (1919-1993) was a civil rights leader, educator, and journalist. Born in Tacoma, Barr returned to Seattle in 1959, attending University of Washington and working as a teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, and then as librarian at John Muir Elementary. When Seattle teachers and parents boycotted the city’s public schools and demanded desegregation in 1966, Barr headed the…
ID Number:2000.107.014.25.04
Date:1967
Image of Roberta Byrd Barr with Law Forum student panelists, Seattle Center, March 21, 1968
Photograph

Roberta Byrd Barr with Law Forum student panelists, Seattle Center, March 21, 1968

In 1968, the Seattle-King County Bar Association and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer sponsored a series of four free public forums on “What Everyone Should Know About the Law.” The second forum of the series, “Juvenile Rights and Responsibilities,” featured a panel of six high school students and seven adults, most of whom worked in fields related to youth and the law.…
ID Number:2000.107.014.25.05
Date:1968
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
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