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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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584 results for: Asian American

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Image of Al Young at NHRA Northwest division banquet, 1978
Photograph

Al Young at NHRA Northwest division banquet, 1978

Alfred John (“Al”) Young (1946-2022) was a former World Champion drag racer, and the first Asian-American World Champion race car driver. Young campaigned his 1970 Dodge Challenger for over 25 years, won the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) World Championship, and several AHRA and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) titles. For most of his racing career, Young was sponsored by…
ID Number:2020.13.7
Date:1978
Image of Chinatown - International District resiliency poster, 2020
Poster

Chinatown - International District resiliency poster, 2020

Mulitmedia artist Moynee Chau grew up in the Chinatown - International District of Seattle. Early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, Chau became aware of xenophobic and racist stickers posted in the neighborhood by a white nationalist hate group. In response to this anti-Asian backlash, Chau created this poster to support the community and honor its history of resilience. In a…
ID Number:2020.33.1
Date:2020
Image of Fumiko Hayashida at her home, Seattle, March 16, 2001
Photograph

Fumiko Hayashida at her home, Seattle, March 16, 2001

Fumiko Hayashida (1911-2014), was one of the first Japanese Americans to be incarcerated during World War II. Her parents were berry farmers on Bainbridge Island, and she married another berry farmer, Saburo Hayashida. On March 30, 1942, 227 Bainbridge Island residents of Japanese descent, including Hayashida, her husband, and their two children, were forcibly removed from their homes. Hayashida and…
ID Number:2020.42.4.46.01.24
Date:2001
Image of Chung Sun Cafe menu, circa 1943
Menu

Chung Sun Cafe menu, circa 1943

The Chung Sun Cafe in Ballard was owned and operated by Hoisan Chinese immigrants Thomas Tan Chinn and Fong Ten Ng Chinn. Located at 5133 Ballard Avenue, the restaurant operated from the early 1940s until Thomas Chinn's sudden death in 1974. Mr. Chinn, a resident of Ballard, was also a member of the Chong Wa Benevolent Association and the Gee…
ID Number:2021.15.2
Date:Circa 1943
Image of King Fur Cafe menu, circa 1945
Menu

King Fur Cafe menu, circa 1945

In the 1930s, several Chinese nightspots opened in Seattle's Chinatown neighborhood (now the Chinatown - International District), catering to both Asian and non-Asian customers. Among them was the King Fur Cafe at 709 1/2 King Street, run by long-time manager Fred Eng until around the 1960s. King Fur's menu offered both Chinese and American dishes, in addition to music and…
ID Number:2021.15.9
Date:Circa 1945
Image of Louie's Chinese Garden menu, 1943
Menu

Louie's Chinese Garden menu, 1943

Charles Louie opened Louie’s Chinese Garden on South Main Street in Seattle’s Chinatown (now the Chinatown - International District) sometime in the 1930s. In the 1940s, the restaurant served both American and Chinese food, and was also a nightclub, offering dancing with a regular orchestra. During World War II, patrons could buy War Stamps at the cashier’s counter. Louie’s sons…
ID Number:2021.15.10
Date:1943
Image of New Chinatown restaurant  menu, 1943
Menu

New Chinatown restaurant menu, 1943

Daniel Woo opened his New Chinatown restaurant and supper club in the early 1940s. Located on 6th Avenue South and Main Street in Seattle’s Chinatown (now the Chinatown - International District), it offered both dining and dancing. A January 1944 newspaper ad promotes the New Chinatown as a great place for an evening of fun. It opened at 6:00 pm…
ID Number:2021.15.11
Date:1943
Image of Queer N Asian Hotline poster, 1997
Poster

Queer N Asian Hotline poster, 1997

This poster was part of a project of the Queer N Asian Hotline in Seattle, active in the late 1990s. With the subtitle "Future" printed at bottom, the poster depicts seven smiling Asian men, standing outdoors in public, with one couple hugging while holding a dog on a leash. Text on poster: Celebration & Hope. Diversity & Health. Out –…
ID Number:2021.16.2
Date:1997
Image of
Scrapbook

"Chinese Crisis," Seattle Daily Call, February 8, 1886

Seattle's earliest Chinese residents are believed to have arrived in the early 1860s, and while welcomed at first for the role they played in the region's development, Chinese immigrants were not allowed to vote and were subjected to numerous laws that restricted their rights. In the mid-1870s and early 1880s the national economy took a downturn, increasingly leading white workers…
ID Number:2022.3.3.2.1
Date:1886
Image of
Scrapbook

"More Quiet," Seattle Daily Call, February 9, 1886

Seattle's earliest Chinese residents are believed to have arrived in the early 1860s, and while welcomed at first for the role they played in the region's development, Chinese immigrants were not allowed to vote and were subjected to numerous laws that restricted their rights. In the mid-1870s and early 1880s the national economy took a downturn, increasingly leading white workers…
ID Number:2022.3.3.2b.1
Date:1886
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