Stephen M.
Yelp
This is a very well-presented and -managed museum of the history of African Americans in the Pacific Northwest, comprising Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, with a slight emphasis upon the cities of Tacoma and Seattle. It is a self-paced museum (at least when I went), and exhibits are clearly marked with descriptions of what you're looking at. There are a few interactive sections as well, where you can watch and listen to people and events, or open drawers to find "treasures" that give more depth to the displays. One exhibit has a large-form book with several pages you can turn to read the pages, which was interesting. There are many donated items to help illustrate the history of the area, from advertising pamphlets to church bulletins to black-owned or -operated newspapers. The emphasis is upon the people who live or have lived here, but there is one section with a globe that illustrates where our African American neighbors have come from, with no holding back about the terrible circumstances that stole them from their families and neighbors, put them on overcrowded ships, and brought them to be sold off as machines. But it also shows that there is an incredible will to fight back against pain and death, and that African Americans, who often came to the Pacific Northwest to escape terrible injustice elsewhere, still had to fight that same injustice here. And yet these were ordinary people--servants, porters, mechanics, teachers, preachers, doctors, and the like--who built a community where they landed.
I think it's important to see our history as it is. It's great to see the good parts, of course--to see Larry Gossett, Norm Rice, and Ron Sims as full-size images in the lobby, as a great reminder of what people can do when they have just the tiniest slice to thrive and lead--but it's also necessary to see all the bad as well--the riots and the destruction and the oppression, which remind us that the past can either instruct us of what not to do, or guide us on what we should do.
The museum itself occupies most of the ground floor of the old Colman School, and the docent gave me a small tour of the building & told me about the history of this wonderful old school. There's a gift shop with a few themed items and books, and there is a genealogy center to do some research on your roots, as well as a reading room.
There is also a gallery on the ground floor which hosts various exhibits throughout the year. At the time of my visit (January 2018) there were three or four photographers represented by a collection of their works, as well as an exhibition of collages and "found items" from the past which are turned into art. The photos were gorgeous, and each photographer's work showed how much the eye of the photographer determines the mood and the effect of the photo. Very nicely done. The collage work was also interesting as it is possible to get quite close to the art. (Reminder: do not touch the work of an artist! Look only!) The several representations of "St. Felicia" and the mythology connected with her were all quite moving and even humorous--St. Felicia, for example, is encircled by outthrust arms, showing us her palm. It was funny and challenging, and a reminder that art doesn't have to be static to be moving.
This is a great stop for anyone who lives or who is near the Seattle region and who wants to know more about our common history and to understand the lives of our neighbors and friends.
* I should add that I've lived here for 25 years, drive by the Colman School every day on the way home from work, and never knew this museum existed. Only the kind suggestion by a friend last week informed of its existence. I'm just sorry I didn't know about this sooner and didn't visit it before.
