Tag: RSJI

For most of his life, activist and community leader Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000) of the Lakes Tribe (one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) worked for social change and justice for the native people of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Whitebear made many contributions to improving rights for Native Americans in Seattle and, in these [...]

For most of his life, activist and community leader Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000) of the Lakes Tribe (one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) worked for social change and justice for the native people of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.  Whitebear made many contributions to improving rights for Native Americans in Seattle and, in [...]

Jeanette Williams championed rights for women, people of color and the disabled.  Although the Washington State Legislature passed laws in 1967 and in 1971 (RCW 70.92 and RCW 7092A) requiring public buildings and public accommodations be built with barrier-free design to accommodate the disabled, the regulations were rarely enforced. Stating that the disabled are “the [...]

Social justice activist Roberto Maestas (1938-2010) testified at many public hearings and Seattle City Council meetings.  He lent his voice to the fight for the establishment of El Centro in 1972 and in support of many other organizations in the struggle for civil rights in Seattle. In 1973, Maestas spoke at a public hearing advocating [...]

Seattle celebrated its first Gay Pride Week June 24-30, 1974, with a variety of activities at private and public venues around the city. Mayor Uhlman gave the event official endorsement in 1977, declaring June 25 to July 1 to be Gay Pride Week in the City of Seattle. Keith Luttenbacher, in [...]

Seattle Municipal Archives Feature In May, we celebrate the contributions and heritage of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The commemoration originated in June 1977 as a congressional bill for a one-week celebration, followed by a Senate bill; President Carter signed a Joint Resolution in October 1978. President George H W Bush extended [...]

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Right Acts of 1968 on April 11, 1968; Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968. April is known as Fair Housing Month for this reason. In Seattle, until 1968, it was legal to discriminate against minorities in [...]

Seattle Councilmember Jeanette Williams, as head of the Human Resources and Judiciary Committee in the 1970s, encouraged the Office of Women’s Rights to work with the Seattle Fire Department regarding their policy on women. In 1974, Mayor Wes Uhlman encouraged Fire Chief Jack Richards to develop a program for women fire fighters. By 1975, [...]

Sam Smith was born in 1922 in Gibsland, Louisiana, and came to Seattle while serving in the Army during World War II. He earned degrees from Seattle University and the University of Washington, and then worked at Boeing before being elected to represent the 37th District in the Washington State House of Representatives. [...]