Provided to the QAM News
A 1918 letter from a young Black woman to a soldier friend about the influenza epidemic. A 1944 Urban League newsletter about helping Seattle’s new Black residents find jobs and housing. A 1966 photograph of students at a Freedom School, set up by the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) during the Seattle School Boycott to protest segregation.
These are just three examples of 300 items that have been added to The Seattle Public Library’s Black Culture & History digital collection in the past year, thanks to a Digital Heritage Grant from the Washington State Library. The grant allowed the Library to digitize 300 items comprising 1,000 pages of materials spanning the early pioneer days of Washington Territory, World War I and the Civil Rights era.
“We focused our digitization efforts on four main areas: the LeEtta Sanders King Collection, the Reverend Samuel McKinney Collection, the Maid Adams Collection of Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) materials and Seattle Urban League materials,” said Jade D’Addario, digital collections specialist at The Seattle Public Library. “Digitizing items from these collections amplifies voices in the Black community and brings together historic materials from multiple locations into one easily searchable spot.” All items are full-text searchable, and can be searched by date, creator, neighborhood and material type.
Here are highlights of the additions:
Selections from the Maid Adams Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), Seattle Chapter Collection: James Farmer founded the national Congress of Racial Equality organization in 1942 with the goal of improving race relations and addressing racial discrimination through non-violent direct action such as sit-ins, boycotts and freedom rides. Jean “Maid” Adams joined the Seattle Chapter of CORE in 1962 and helped run the group’s campaign against employment discrimination in local businesses. The Maid Adams CORE collection includes ephemera related to CORE’s Equal Employment Campaign, the Crosstown Bus Campaign (which led to the establishment of the 48 bus route through the Central District), “Corelator” newsletter issues and protest signs. Highlights of the additions include 1966 photos from a CORE Freedom School formed during the 1966 Seattle School Boycott, and a poster for James Baldwin’s 1963 benefit at the Moore Theatre. In addition to the CORE materials, there are items from local groups such as the Central Area Motivation Project and national groups such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Selections from the Reverend Samuel McKinney Collection: Samuel McKinney (1926-2018) was pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, one of Seattle’s oldest and most prominent Black churches, for over 40 years and was a major leader in Seattle’s Civil Rights movement. The collection includes biographical materials of Rev. McKinney and his family, as well as Mt. Zion event ephemera and photographs. New items include a photograph of Mt. Zion’s new sanctuary space, completed in 1975 with a design focused on African heritage, and a Mt. Zion newsletter celebrating Rev. McKinney's 30-year tenure as pastor.
Selections from Seattle Urban League Materials: The Seattle Urban League was founded in 1929 with the goal of improving the lives of Black people and other people of color in the areas of employment, health, education, welfare and housing. The Library’s collection includes newsletters, annual reports and other publications spanning from 1944 to 1978. Highlights of the digitized additions include a 1944 newsletter that documents the League's efforts to help Black community members find jobs and adequate housing. The collection also showcases the work of Edwin T. Pratt, a vital voice in the Civil Rights Movement, who served as the League’s executive director from 1961 until 1969, when he was assassinated outside of his Shoreline home.
Selections from the LeEtta Sanders King Collection: This small collection includes materials from LeEtta Sanders King, who moved to Seattle at the age of 17 in 1910, a time when the city had only a small number of Black residents. She worked as a legal secretary and later a music teacher and was active in the Red Cross during World War I. Her son, Winfield King, was a bandleader and an active member in the Negro Musicians Union. The collection includes photos, correspondence, and other ephemera relating to both LeEtta and Winfield. New additions include a 1917 photograph of LeEtta King at her work desk; a 1940 photograph of Winfield King with bandmates; and a 1918 letter from LeEtta to a soldier friend, who was soon to ship overseas, about the influenza epidemic.
The Library also digitized a selection of miscellaneous materials from the Seattle Room collections including selections from Seattle Magazine, a 1977 survey of the Central District, and an 1855 House of Representatives report asking Black pioneer George Bush to be granted the title to the land he had homesteaded. A special request was needed because the law, as written, did not permit Black men to claim land.
The Seattle Public Library has received two other Digital Heritage Grants from the Washington State Library, aimed at increasing the availability of historic digitized materials.
The two prior grants focused on digitization of the Northwest Photograph Collection. Washington Digital Heritage grants are funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services.