This interview with Jacqueline "Jackie" E.A. Lawson (1928-2021) was conducted by Al "Butch" Smith Jr. for the Al Smith: Seattle on the Spot Oral History Project and jointly created with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. Lawson was the past President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State at the time of her interview, and she talks about her memories and perceptions of Seattle photographer Al Smith and his photography of Seattle's African American community in the Central Area. The first interview was conducted by Butch Smith in August of 2015, with the second part of the interview happening about 18 months later in March of 2017. Jackie Lawson's cousin Chris Jones and MOHAI Curator of Photography Howard Giske join the second part of the interview.

Jackie Lawson was the first Black certified genealogist in the Pacific Northwest, co-founder of the Black Genealogy Research Group in Seattle, and a founder and Chair of the Collections Committee of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Inc.. A historian and author, she received numerous awards for her work preserving the region's Black history, including the Lifetime Legacy Award from the American Association of State and Local History in 2019 and an award from the Association of King COunty Historical Associations in 2021.

The photo shown here of Jackie Lawson was taken by MOHAI Image Technician Kathleen Knies at the time of the second interview.

Note: As of 2024, MOHAI's transcripts are created in line with best practices for oral histories, including respecting and preserving the narrator's dialects and speech characteristics. The PDF transcript found in the Media field below reflects this. Contact MOHAI if interested in accessing the audio recording.

Caption information source: "Seattle's Black community suffers a loss with the passing of Jacqueline E.A. Lawson, but her legacy lives on in perpetuity," Converge Media, July 28, 2001, https://www.whereweconverge.com/post/the-legacy-of-jacqueline-e-a-lawson-will-live-on
Caption information source: Jacqueline Lawson obituary, retrieved at https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/jacqueline-lawson-1082891845/