Download the Seattle African American Heritge Guide pdf (1.1mb)

DID YOU KNOW?

Early African American settlers in the Pacific Northwest included a group of former slaves who had purchased their freedom in the 1850s and settled on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, and George and Mary Jane Washington who founded the town of Centerville, Washington (now Centralia) in 1875.

The Seattle Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1913, and is one of the oldest chapters west of the Mississippi.

Fraternal organizations including the Prince Hall Masons, the Colored Knights of Pythias and the Black Elks Club have a long history in the Central Area, and the Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the YWCA was established in 1919 to provide social, educational and employment support for women.

The Negro Repertory Company was established in the 1930s as the African American unit of Seattle's Federal Theatre Project.

The Thelma Dewitty Theater at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle's Delridge neighborhood was named for the first African American teacher in the Seattle School District, who began teaching in 1947.

Dancer Syvilla Fort, photo by Carmine Schiavone courtesy of the Skylight Gallery.

Dancer Syvilla Fort hailed from Seattle, and was the first African American student at Seattle's Cornish School of the Arts in the 1930s. Fort danced with the Katherine Dunham Company, and later had her own studio where her students included Alvin Ailey, Marlon Brando, and Eartha Kitt.

In 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his only visit to Seattle, speaking to an overflow crowd at the national headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The restored building is now home to A Contemporary Theatre. A bronze bust of Dr. King by sculptor Jeff Day commemorates King's visit and is displayed in the Allen Theatre.

Photo by Holly Taylor

Several city parks are named for prominent African Americans:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Park
2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Sculptor Robert Kelly created the park's black granite monument, which was inspired by King's "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech given in Memphis the day before he was assassinated in 1968. visit website

Homer Harris Park
2401 E Howell Street
Named for one of Seattle's most respected athletes and physicians.

Flo Ware Park
28th Avenue S and S Jackson Street
Named for a Central Area activist dedicated to social change.

Powell Barnett Park
352 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Commemorates a pioneering coal miner and community leader.

Sam Smith Park
1400 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S
Honors the first African American elected to the Seattle City Council.

More information about each of these Seattle Parks is available here >>