The American Federation of Music (AFM) Local 493 in Seattle, also known as the "Negro Musicians' Union," was founded in 1918 as Local 458 when African Americans were excluded from Seattle's first musicians' union, AFM Local 76. Local 493 was at the heart of Seattle's vibrant jazz scene, and its E. Jefferson Street "clubhouse," the Blue Note, was a lifeline for the Black community, functioning as a union hall, nightspot, and social club. Changing times and increased racial tolerance eventually saw the two unions formally merge in 1958. AFM Local 76-493 is still an active union in Seattle as of 2024.

In January 2018, the Museum of History & Industry, in partnership with the Northwest African American Museum, held a panel discussion titled "Local 76-493: Jazz and the Racial Integration of Seattle’s Musicians’ Union." The panel featured three professional Seattle musicians who were long time members of AFM Local 76-493. Pictured here, they are, from left: music historian and bassist Kurt E. Armbruster; tenor saxophonist Barney Hilliard; and jazz pianist Overton Berry. At right is education and civil rights leader Carver Gayton, who moderated the panel.

Caption information source: "AFM Seattle Local 493 (1918-1958), 'Negro Musicians' Union,'" by Peter Blecha, HistoryLink.org Essay 10329.
Caption information source: Archived event announcement on MOHAI website at https://mohai.org/event/local-76-493-jazz-and-the-racial-integration-of-seattles-musicians-union/