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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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770 results for: Activism

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Image of Operation Homestead poster, Seattle, May 1991
Ephemera

Operation Homestead poster, Seattle, May 1991

Through the 1980s, low-income housing was steadily disappearing in Seattle. Many older downtown apartment buildings which offered affordable housing were condemned by their landowners as, in many cases, it was more profitable to have an abandoned property then to pay for management and upkeep. The direct-action group Operation Homestead, formed in 1988, occupied abandoned buildings to draw attention to this…
ID Number:2002.23.8.7.1
Date:1991
Image of Youth Advocates poster, Seattle, 1979
Ephemera

Youth Advocates poster, Seattle, 1979

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, problems with teen runaways and drug use in Seattle and King County led to the formation of Youth Advocates. The group advocated setting up counseling and training centers, modernizing the juvenile justice system, and dealing with family problems before young people ran away from home. By 1980, it had become part of United…
ID Number:2002.23.8.7.2
Date:1979
Image of Poster for Indian Fishing Rights demonstration, May 12, 1979
Ephemera

Poster for Indian Fishing Rights demonstration, May 12, 1979

The poster pictured here advertises a demonstration in support of Indian fishing rights, with a march from Westlake Mall to a rally at Waterfront Park in downtown Seattle. Sponsored by the Native American Solidarity Committee, the event featured speeches as well as Indian drumming and a performance by Sioux musician Floyd Westerman (1936-2007). Caption information source: "Demonstration set on Indian…
ID Number:2002.23.8.9.1
Date:1979
Image of Frog's March against War, handmade poster, May 27, 1972
Poster

Frog's March against War, handmade poster, May 27, 1972

After large protests against the Vietnam War in 1970, University of Washington students and other activists continued smaller protests over the next several years as the war became increasingly entrenched. This hand-painted poster advertises one of these demonstrations with a frog carrying a snare drum and "peace" written on his leg. Below is a quote from Henry Thoreau, "If a…
ID Number:2002.23.8.12.6
Date:1972
Image of Women Take Back the Night poster, Seattle, May 9, 1992
Ephemera

Women Take Back the Night poster, Seattle, May 9, 1992

The phrase "Take Back the Night" became popular in the 1970s to draw attention to sexual violence and violence against women, and it become the name of the annual marches held nationally and around the world beginning in the 1970s and continuing today. The march began as a way to protest the violence that women experienced while walking in public…
ID Number:2002.23.8.13.1
Date:1992
Image of Seattle Gray Panthers poster, 1992
Ephemera

Seattle Gray Panthers poster, 1992

The Gray Panthers, founded in 1972 and still active as of 2020, are a series of multi-generational local advocacy networks in the United States which confront ageism and many other social justice issues. During the early years of the 1970s and 1980s, the main issues of the Gray Panthers included forced retirement, ageist stereotypes, cuts to Medicare and Social Security,…
ID Number:2002.23.8.14.2
Date:1992
Image of United Farm Workers boycott poster, Seattle, 1975
Ephemera

United Farm Workers boycott poster, Seattle, 1975

This 1975 poster calls for the boycott of all lettuce and grapes sold without the UFW label, and calls out Gallo wine in particular for its contract with the Teamsters rather than the farm workers union. Printed on both sides, the poster also describes union-busting efforts by grape growers, the hazardous nature of farm work, and the success of the…
ID Number:2002.23.8.14.4
Date:1975
Image of Smoke-In poster, Volunteer Park, Seattle, June 10, 1979
Ephemera

Smoke-In poster, Volunteer Park, Seattle, June 10, 1979

From the late 1960s into the 1980s, marijuana "smoke-ins" were held by legalization advocates, antiwar protesters, and others in big cities nationwide. The Youth International Party (Yippies) organized an early smoke-in attended by 25,000 in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 1970, a anti-war counter to the nearby "Honor America Day" festivities with Billy Graham and Bob Hope. The annual July…
ID Number:2002.23.8.15.1
Date:1979
Image of Get Peaced Off! poster, January 14, 1991
Ephemera

Get Peaced Off! poster, January 14, 1991

After Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait in August 1990, the United Nations Security Council and the Arab League passed resolutions giving Iraq a deadline of January 15, 1991 to leave Kuwait and authorizing military intervention if this did not occur. When Iraq did not withdraw, the United States and coalition forces from other countries began a heavy bombing campaign, codenamed…
ID Number:2002.23.9.20.1
Date:1991
Image of November 12th Coalition March poster, November 12, 1983
Poster

November 12th Coalition March poster, November 12, 1983

During the Reagan administration in the 1980s, U.S. foreign policy was rooted in winning the Cold War and dispelling communism. U.S support was given to right-wing governments in Central America and the Caribbean in an effort to dispel Soviet influence and leftist regimes. In 1983, the November 12 Coalition organized a day of protest to bring attention to the violations…
ID Number:2002.23.11.11
Date:1983
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