It's been over 25 years since a group of young African American men occupied the Old Coleman School to turn it in to a museum. I was one of the people in that group and I remember how cold it was that night we walked through the snow, pulled back some boards, and entered the old school.
That turned into the longest occupation of a public building in the history of America. Because of the politics of the occupiers we never did achieve our ultimate objective. We ran away allies and friends, and though we did create a committee and receive some city monies, we eventually lost control of the project.
Now the Urban League has bought the building and a smaller version of our museum is in the process of being built. People have asked me repeatedly whether I support this project and my answer is simply this: It's time to get something done with Coleman school and get this project behind us.
We were not the first group to occupy land or buildings in Seattle. Native Americans secured Daybreak Star through an occupation, and I was personally involved with the occupation of The Beacon Hill School that is now El Centro De La Rasa. The only real difference was that they managed their community politics better than we did.
This is not a project that I have abandoned. On the contrary I, and another former occupier, have met with the Urban League for some discussions about how we can help make this project the best that it can be. Hopefully they will not screw up their politics the way we did ours.
But as the African American Museum is being completed, I have been giving more thought to another project that will serve the interest of this region as well as the museum. We need to build the African American Athletic and Entertainment Hall of Fame for the Pacific Northwest.
I was again reminded about how important this is when I went to cover the second induction ceremonies of the Pacific Northwest African American Ethnic Hall of Fame. It's a national organization based out of Oakland, Calif. and according to the national founder, Arif Karib, this new local chapter is the best in the nation. Outgoing President Herbye White, and other members of the Pacific Northwest chapter, should be commended.
Over 300 people attended the ceremonies at the Don James Center at the University of Washington. The four people honored were Dr. Charlie Mitchell (University of Washington and Denver Bronco running back), Rhonda Smith (University of Washington and Seattle Storm player), Dave Mann (Seattle Rainier and one of the first dozen Black players in major league baseball), and Downtown Freddie Brown (Seattle Supersonic and member of Seattle's only male Championship Team).
This was one of the best ceremonies I have ever attended because the people understood how important athletics have been in transforming racial attitudes in America. Entertainers in music and theater have had a similar effect in changing people's racial perspective and that's why this Hall of Fame must be eventually built.
For now there will be a place reserved for them at the SeaTac Airport. Something is better than nothing, but it's hard to appreciate who these people are and what they accomplished in that environment.
Marti Wyatt, a former University of Washington player and Seattle sports announcer who now works for ABC, said it best. He said that Seattle is a unique place and the fact that the University of Washington is the only University in the nation with African American head coaches in football and basketball is indicative of how unique the region is.
It's unfortunate that people don't remember change agents like Spencer Hayward and vaguely remember the sweet jump shot of downtown Freddie Brown. In a hall of fame their exploits can be seen in photos and videos. Those who made history yesterday can remind us of that history today.
Would you like to share a thought with Charlie James? Send him an e-mail to editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]
