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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 Jacob Lawrence at Seattle Art Museum, December 15, 1974
Photograph

Jacob Lawrence at Seattle Art Museum, December 15, 1974

Painter Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was known for his portrayal of the African-American experience, using blacks and browns juxtaposed with vivid colors. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism," though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem. Lawrence also taught, and spent 15 years as a professor…
ID Number:2000.107.19741215.1.13
Date:1974
Image of Central Area residents painting a red line down the middle of Roy Street to protest red-lining bank policies, August 17, 1975
Photograph

Central Area residents painting a red line down the middle of Roy Street to protest red-lining bank policies, August 17, 1975

In the mid-20th century, protesters began challenging long-established inequitable practices in housing. Racially restrictive housing covenants and discriminatory lending (“redlining”) excluded people of color from buying or renting housing in most of Seattle’s neighborhoods. Seattle passed an open housing law in 1968, making redlining illegal, but it often continued in secret and its effects have continued for decades. This photo,…
ID Number:2000.107.19750817.2.21A
Date:1975
Image of Central Area residents painting a red line down the middle of Roy Street to protest red-lining bank policies, August 17, 1975
Photograph

Central Area residents painting a red line down the middle of Roy Street to protest red-lining bank policies, August 17, 1975

In the mid-20th century, protesters began challenging long-established inequitable practices in housing. Racially restrictive housing covenants and discriminatory lending (“redlining”) excluded people of color from buying or renting housing in most of Seattle’s neighborhoods. Seattle passed an open housing law in 1968, making redlining illegal, but it often continued in secret and its effects have continued for decades. This photo,…
ID Number:2000.107.19750817.2.22A
Date:1975
Image of Curtis Robinson checking the power poles of his Metro trolley bus, Seattle, November 1975
Photograph

Curtis Robinson checking the power poles of his Metro trolley bus, Seattle, November 1975

In December 1975, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published what it jokingly referred to as a “report on the anthropology and sociology of bus riders.” The research was based on an interview with four-year Metro employee Curtis Robinson, driver of the 19th Avenue trolley bus. Robinson reported on the different communication styles of passengers: the talkers, who sit in front directly across…
ID Number:2000.107.19751100.4.4A
Date:1975
Image of Curtis Robinson at wheel of Metro trolley bus, Seattle, November 1975
Photograph

Curtis Robinson at wheel of Metro trolley bus, Seattle, November 1975

In December 1975, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published what it jokingly referred to as a “report on the anthropology and sociology of bus riders.” The research was based on an interview with four-year Metro employee Curtis Robinson, driver of the 19th Avenue trolley bus. Robinson reported on the different communication styles of passengers: the talkers, who sit in front directly across…
ID Number:2000.107.19751100.4.12A
Date:1975
Image of Garfield principal Roscoe Bass at Central Area School Council meeting, Seattle, June 13, 1976
Photograph

Garfield principal Roscoe Bass at Central Area School Council meeting, Seattle, June 13, 1976

Roscoe Bass was an longtime educator and civil rights activist. He graduated from the Kansas State Teachers College and came to Seattle in 1958 as a substitute teacher. Bass served as the principal of Garfield High School for six years and is credited with helping turn it into one of the best schools in Washington. Bass also worked in the…
ID Number:2000.107.19760613.1.11
Date:1976
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 Lillian Gideon at home, Seattle, January 12, 1993
Photograph

Lillian Gideon at home, Seattle, January 12, 1993

Lillian Morris Gideon (1907-2006) was widely known in Seattle as a volunteer and philanthropist in Seattle's African-American community and other groups. Born in Mobile, AL and educated at Boston College, Gideon served in the American Red Cross during both World Wars, and moved to Seattle in the 1950s with her husband Russell, working as a social worker at the VA…
ID Number:2000.107.19930112.1.35
Date:1993
Image of MLK Day parade on Seneca Street, Seattle, February 18, 1993
Photograph

MLK Day parade on Seneca Street, Seattle, February 18, 1993

This image shows the MLK, Jr. Day parade in Seattle on January 18, 1993. Dr. King would have turned 64 that year. The march started at Garfield High School, but this year it rerouted from the traditional route down Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The organizers decided to change the route to go through downtown Seattle in order to highlight…
ID Number:2000.107.19930118.2.40
Date:1993
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