Seattle in Black and White
Singler, Joan; Valentine, Bettylou; Durning, Jean C.; Adams, Martha J.
Seattle was a very different city in 1960 than it is today. There were no black bus drivers, sales clerks, or bank tellers. Black children rarely attended the same schools as white children. And few black people lived outside of the Central District. In 1960, Seattle was effectively a segregated town.
Energized by the national civil rights movement, an interracial group of Seattle residents joined together to form the Seattle chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Operational from 1961 through 1968, CORE had a brief but powerful effect on Seattle. The chapter began by challenging one of the more blatant forms of discrimination in the city, local supermarkets. Located within the black community and dependent on black customers, these supermarkets refused to hire black employees. CORE took the supermarkets to task by organizing hundreds of volunteers into shifts of continuous picketers until stores desegregated their staffs. From this initial effort CORE, in partnership with the NAACP and other groups, launched campaigns to increase employment and housing opportunities for black Seattleites, and to address racial inequalities in Seattle public schools. The members of Seattle CORE were committed to transforming Seattle into a more integrated and just society.
Seattle was one of more than one hundred cities to support an active CORE chapter. Seattle in Black and White tells the local, Seattle story about this national movement. Authored by four active members of Seattle CORE, this book not only recounts the actions of Seattle CORE but, through their memories, also captures the emotion and intensity of this pivotal and highly charged time in America’s history.
A V Ethel Willis White Book
For more information visit: http://seattleinblackandwhite.org/
Product Details
About Singler, Joan; Valentine, Bettylou; Durning, Jean C.; Adams, Martha J.
Reviews for Seattle in Black and White
Brian Purnell
H-1960s
"This terrific book melds brief anecdotal offerings of the four authors, who participated in the Seattle chapter of CORE from 1961 to 1968, and a carefully drawn, unstinting look at a local attempt to bring about the beloved community. Highly recommended."
Choice
"The four authors deserve credit for their vision and their dedication to documenting an important time in Seattle's history."
Mary T. Henry
HistoryLink
"The book will revive memories for those who lived here at the time and serves as an eye-opener for those who think Seattle has always been the paradigm of a progressive, northern city."
City Living
"Four remarkable women helped reshape Seattle in the 1960s. And now they've given us a different perspective on the struggle for racial equality than we usually get. . . . Their history is not built around the usual outsized heroes, but the often-forgotten people who made the movement work. . . . I know Seattle better because of their book. It's a valuable window on CORE's seven years as a catalyst for change in Seattle."
Seattle Times
"This well-researched history and joint memoir was written by four women who were officers, project heads, or committee leaders in the Seattle branch [of CORE: Congress of Racial Equality]. . . . Hopefully, this book will ensure the story is not forgotten and will provide lessons on what needs to be done in the 21st century to achieve a 'world of equality.'"
Cheryl A. Smith
The Journal of African American History