Oral history interview with Bil Moss by Kristina L. Walker conducted April - May 2009. Community leader Bil Moss looks back at six decades of social activism and discusses her involvement in Tacomas civil rights movement. She describes her early work to secure open housing in Tacoma, which arose from her personal struggles to purchase property outside the Hilltop area, and her work with the Tacoma Chapter of the Links on the Sickle Cell Project. Moss touches on a number of her civic and political activities in these three lengthy interviews and shares some insights into the social barriers she has faced as an African-American woman.

Oral history interview with Willie Stewart by Katherine L. Jennison conducted 05/04/2017, 05/12/2017. On the heels of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Tacoma School District took voluntary measures to desegregate a select number of schools with high non-white enrollment. The district superintendent, Dr. Angelo Giaudrone, drew attention to the de facto segregation, and primarily focused on two elementary schools: Stanley Elementary, with a black population of 64 percent and McCarver Elementary, with a black population of 84 percent. In 1963, a subcommittee was formed to analyze and study the de facto segregation and provide recommendations for potential solutions. On July 8, 1966, a plan was announced by the school board for an optional enrollment program that relied on closing McCarver Junior High and to provide limited open enrollment to students affected by the closing. The district hired its first black principal, Willie Stewart, in 1970 in order to bridge the divide between the school district and the black community. Stewart led the summer counseling program to work with families on the transition between the closing of their neighborhood school and their new school of their choice. According to the United States Commission on Civil Rights a decade later, the summer counseling program was pivotal to the success of the voluntary desegregation program in the Tacoma School District.

Oral history interview with Brian Skiffington by Zack Pattin conducted 05/13/2014-05/15/2014. Local musician Brian Skiffington presents a history of the modern hardcore punk movement in Tacoma, Washington. Heavily involved in the punk and hardcore scenes as a drummer and venue-booker, Skiffington discusses notable bands and individuals and touches on the philosophical and political aspects of the punk and hardcore subcultures. He describes his involvement in local venues, including the Lake City Community Center, the Viaduct, and the Frameshop, as well as "punk houses" such as the 1227 House and the Bunny Ranch. The influence of bands such as Greyskull and Left With Nothing are also discussed.

Oral history interviews with Shirley J. Winsley and Lorraine Wojahn by Joy Adams conducted October-November 1998. Washington State Senators Shirley Winsley and Lorraine Wojahn discuss their decade-spanning political careers and comment on trends and shifts in American politics.

Oral history interviews with Joseph N. Ellis and Diana K. Jeffrey by Patti R. Saunders conducted 05/07/1991. The oral history interview transcript contains interviews with Joe Ellis, Executive Director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission and Diana K. Jeffery, Administrative Assistant at the Mission. Ellis gives a brief background on his life and training, as well as an overview of the history of the Tacoma Rescue Mission, including some discussion of the work and character of the superintendents who preceded him (C. M. Shaughnessy, Ray L. Marvin and G. Hanley Barker). Ellis describes the programs and services provided by the Tacoma Rescue Mission in some detail. Jeffery recounts her ten years of service with the Mission, where she started as the manager of the emergency family shelter. She describes her direct work with the clients and refers to some individuals who apparently were present at the time her interview was recorded. In addition to those for Ellis and Jeffery, release forms are included for five participants from the ""New Life"" program who also were interviewed, as well as another Mission staff member, but these interviews are not contained in the transcript.

Oral history interview with Lena M. Landry by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman conducted February-July 2008. In this series of interviews, Puyallup Tribal Elder Lena Landry recounts stories from her childhood, focusing in particular on her time at the St. George's and Chemawa Indian Schools and at Cushman Indian Hospital. She also touches on her later work with the Metropolitan Development Council and the Puyallup Tribal Council.

Oral history interviews with Dennis Flannigan, Greg Kleiner, and James L. Walton by Janice M. Foster conducted January-Febrary 1994. Pierce County Councilman Dennis Flannigan, Safe Streets program coordinator Greg Kleiner, and Deputy City Manager Jim Walton talk about their involvement with Tacomas Safe Streets Campaign. Interviewees discuss the programs short-term and long-term goals and describe some of the difficulties in organizing grassroots movements.

Oral history interviews with Lillian Allen Walker and Carolyn Hershberger by Theresa Harmon conducted 02/1993. Two longtime members of the Kitsap County YWCA share the history of their organization, tracing its evolution from a wartime social club to a community outreach task force. The Lillian Walker interview focuses on the organizations early years, as well as Walkers civil rights activities. The Carolyn Hershberger interview covers the establishment of the ALIVE (Alternatives to Living In a Violent Environment) program and its merger with the Kitsap YWCA in the late 1970s.

Oral history interviews with Murray Morgan and Rosa Morgan by Amy L. Adams conducted 11/10/1998. Murray and Rosa Morgan share their life stories, recalling key events from Tacoma's history and reflecting back on their numerous adventures around the globe. Murray discusses his sixty-year career as a journalist and historian, including his time as a night news editor for CBS in New York and his time as a U.S. Army code clerk stationed in the Aleutian Islands. In the second interview, Rosa describes her eclectic career as a proofreader, copy editor, photographer, teacher, researcher, and reference librarian.

Oral history interviews with Norm Schut, George D. Masten, Howard Jorgenson, Gary Moore, and Esther Stohl by Randy Brooks conducted January-February 1992. Union leaders and activists, Norm Schut, George Masten, Howard Jorgenson, Gary Moore and Esther Stohl discuss their early lives, how they came to be involved with organizing, and their roles in the development of the WFSE local in Washington State.

Oral history interview with JoAnn Tryfon by Mark Kilner conducted between 05/12/2014 and 05/20/2014. JoAnn Tryfon discusses her mother's unbringing in Idaho, father's imigration to the United states and his hat shop in downtown Tacoma. She also discusses her own upbringing, her community involvment and relationship with the Greek Orthodox Church in Tacoma as well as her general experience of being a Greek-American.

Oral history interview with Gerry Garrison, Marion Van Winkle, and Marylou Handford by Audie Mangold conducted January-February 1993. They share stories about their unique community and discuss the major social and cultural changes that have taken place on the island.

Oral history interviews with Maria Moore and Barbara Laxson by Tom Wilson conducted 05/11/2015, 05/12/2015. The Burley Utopian Community was part of the growing Social Equity Movement of the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. The origin of the idea of seeding the United States with Socialist Communities came from an organization led by Eugene V Debs. Debs was a veteran of the labor troubles that gripped the nation beginning in the 1880's and culminated with the deaths of thirteen workers during the Pullman Strike. Debs began to believe that the only hope for the workingman was Socialism. With that in mind the national Socialist organization looked for opportunities to spread the Socialism, Washington State was selected as the site of the colony, chosen because of its history of labor activism and a smaller population that would be sympathetic to the cause. Thus was born the town/colony of Brotherhood, a name that was soon surrendered for the commonly used, Burley. Plagued with troubles from the onset, the colony lasted only 15 years. This is story of a community that has survived, not so much physically, but in spirit, a spirit that still holds this small community together today. That spirit can be seen in the words of Barbara Laxson who is a longtime resident who lives in one of the original homes built by the colony where an oral history was recorded. It can also be heard in the words of Maria Moore, an American citizen born in Mexico who lives now in Burley. Mrs. Moore, is a former member of the Burley Community Association the group that is charged with maintaining the community properties, her interview was conducted in the community park. In their words you can begin to understand why it is so important to try to keep and keep the history and the name Burley alive today.

Oral history interviews with Grant Larson and Corinne Larson by Donald R. Tjossem conducted 07/18/2011. In this pair of interviews, Grant and Corinne Larson describe life in the Taylor Bay community of Key Peninsula. Grant Larson, a Taylor Bay native whose grandparents immigrated to the area in 1857, shares stories from his childhood, comments on his early fishing and logging careers, and reflects on how the community has changed since his youth. Corinne Larson describes the rural lifestyle of Taylor Bay in the 1950s and also talks about their time as a husband-and-wife fishing team in Alaska.

Oral history interviews with Tadaye Fujimoto Kawasaki, Yoshiko Fujimoto Sugiyama, Kimi Fujimoto Tanbara, and Sadako Hirose by Brenda Sonnier conducted 02/1993. Sisters Tadaye "Teddy" Kawasaki, Yoshiko Sugiyama, Kimi Tanbara, and friend Sadako Hirose recall their school years at Tacomas Nihon Go Gakko (Japanese Language School) and describe life within the citys Japanese-American community during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. They provide an extensive history of the school building, including its designation as a registration center following Executive Order 9066 and its use as a hostel for Japanese-Americans returning home from internment camps.

Oral history interviews with members of the Jewish community, Rabbi Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Lucille Hurst by Nardah L. Fox conducted February-May 1992. The interviews with three members of Tacoma's Jewish community, Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Ruth Hurst, to some degree all touch upon the exodus of businesses (many of them Jewish-owned) from the downtown Tacoma business district. In two interview segments, Rabbi Rosenthal discusses early Jewish settlement in Tacoma, the 1960 merger of existing Conservative and Reform congregations to form Temple Beth El, and adds some details about his early life and training. Farber recounts his beliefs about misguided urban renewal practices of the 1960s and 1970s and reminisces about the many businesses that once flourished in downtown Tacoma. The transcript of the interview with Hurst appears to provide only an excerpt; she discusses her family business, Feist & Bachrach, as well as other downtown Tacoma stores operating prior to 1965.

Oral history interviews with Leonard W. Holden and Julius Jahn by Juanita Hembrow conducted 02/1992. Leonard Holden, founder of the Tacoma Friends Meeting, and Julius Jahn, a long-time member of the Religious Society of Friends, talk about the history of the Quakers and reflect on the personal experiences and revelations that inspired them to become pacifists and Conscientious Objectors. Holden shares his efforts in establishing a permanent Quaker meeting place in the Tacoma area, and Jahn describes his experiences with various Quaker groups and sects throughout the United States. Both men expound on the various services and humanitarian projects that the Tacoma Friends Meeting has been involved in, from draft counseling services to collaborative efforts with other churches to rehabilitate low-income housing.

Oral history interviews with Kosho Yukawa and Yaeko Nakano by Susan Stout conducted February-March 1992. This project includes interviews with the then minister of Tacoma Buddhist Temple, Reverend Kosho Yukawa, and Mrs. Yaeko Nakano, a longtime member of Tacoma Buddhist Temple and its principal organist. Yukawa describes Buddhist religious practices, the activities of the Temple and its various organizations, his family, and Sunya Pratt. Nakano discusses her family life growing up as a Japanese American in Tacoma, Washington during the Depression, her education, internment experiences during the Second World War, her training and work as a musician, and her involvement with the Tacoma Buddhist Temple in many capacities.

Oral history interviews with Joseph Schibig, Katy Schibig, and Joseph Marty by Pamela M. Hailey conducted January-February 1994. Joseph and Katy Schibig and Joseph Marty describe their experiences as Swiss immigrants to Tacoma and reflect on the legacy of the citys close-knit Swiss community. Areas of focus include the Tacoma Swiss Society and the Swiss Hall and Tavern, which Marty managed from 1952 to 1963.

Oral history interviews with Patricia Ditter, David Algers, Bill Bichsel, Doris Barkley, and Barbara Thomashofski by Cynthia A. Thomas conducted February-March 1992. Community members and church leaders reflect on the history and legacy of St. Leo Church, a Jesuit parish located in Tacomas Hilltop neighborhood. Long-time parishioners Patricia Ditter and Barbara Thomashofski and former parishioner Doris Barkley discuss the churchs growing pains in the wake of Vatican II and the subsequent emergence of its social justice ministry. Reverend David Alger, director of Associated Ministries, describes some of St. Leos numerous out-reach programs and shares his thoughts on its position as a spiritual anchor within the community. Lastly, Father Bill Bichsel, a former associate pastor at St. Leos and a well-known social activist, discusses his commitment to social justice and his involvement with several church-related projects, such as the Martin Luther King Center.

Oral history interviews with Mark A. Peters, Calvin Peters, Josephine Peters, James Krise and Randolph Krise by Carrie Bratlie conducted February-March 1993. Tribal members Mark, Calvin, and Josephine Peters and James Krise share their connections to Squaxin Island, a reservation located in the southern part of Puget Sound. Interviewees recount stories from their childhood and describe some of the hardships faced by Puget Sound Native Americans during and after the Great Depression. Mark and Calvin Peters, both tribal fishermen, also comment on the 1974 Boldt Decision, which reaffirmed fishing rights for Washington tribes.

Oral history interview with Mary Cabrini Rohr by Connie M. Smith conducted 02/1994. Sister Mary Cabrini Rohr (Frances Rohr, 1910-1997) discusses her decade-spanning nursing and teaching career, including her time as director of the School of Nursing at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington. Special focus is given to the schools 1954 changeover from a three-year professional program to a one-year practical program, a transition that Sister Cabrini personally oversaw.

Oral history interviews with Ramona Bennett and Suzette Mills by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman, Matt Nagel, Cheryl Milas, Clare Johnson, Dawn Quinn, David Octuck, and Brent Anderson conducted May-September 2009. Tribal leader Ramona Bennett discusses her forty years of advocacy work on behalf of the Puyallup Tribe and the Pacific Northwest Native American community. The interviews focus in particular on Bennetts time on the Puyallup Tribal Council (1968-1979), during which she campaigned for much-needed social and healthcare services. Other areas of focus include Bennetts involvement with the fish-in movement and the history of Cushman Hospital.

Oral history interviews with Lena Landry, Judy Wright, and Charles Thomas by Darlyne Reiter conducted 11/1998. Puyallup Tribal Elder Lena Landry and Puyallup Tribal Historian Judy Wright discuss the plight of Pacific Northwest Native Americans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and reflect on the life of Peter Stanup, a Puyallup tribal leader and activist whose 1893 death remains a source of enduring controversy. Charles Thomas, Peter Stanup's great-grandson, also shares his family's quest to uncover their history and their discovery of their connection to Stanup.

Oral history interviews with Aida Mohajer and Ebrahimi by Shadyar Omrani conducted 05/01/2020. Since COVID-19 started to become a global pandemic, it has caused personal and public traumas. Increase in unemployment rate, bankruptcy of small businesses, financial stress to the middle and working-class and the closure of many businesses which relied on peopleΓÇÖs social activities, including the gig industry, tourism industry and restaurants, are additional traumas to the issues of health and life threats people face by the contingency of the virus. By the end of May 2020, more than 2 million Americans were confirmed COVID-19 positive, 113 thousand of whom could not survive. Amongst the most affected populations, the people of color, especially Black Americans and immigrants have been suffering most. This research focuses on immigrant working women from the Middle East, whose life journeys are filled in with several traumas, some intensified during the pandemic. This paper provides two oral history records of two Iranian American working mothers, Aida Mohajer and Mrs. Ebrahimi, who carry historical traumas experienced in two different countries with two different cultures, i.e. Iran, and the USA. The intervieweesΓÇÖ stories show how the experience of trauma is related to the social class and what imposed social factors beyond choice can determine the class and different approaches to traumas.

Oral history interviews with Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin by Cheryl Marie Coney conducted 05/11/2011. Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin examine the social trends and attitudes that have shaped their experiences as African-American nurses. Particular attention is paid to the interviewees involvement with the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma, a local organization that provides professional and personal support to its members. Other topics of discussion include Tillmans union activity with the Washington State Nurses Association, Aikins teaching career at Pacific Lutheran University, and the current strengths and weaknesses of the nursing profession.

Oral history interview with Lorraine E. Joseph by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman conducted January-February 2008. Puyallup tribal elder Lorraine Joseph shares the history of the Indian Shaker Church and discusses how faith and prayer have shaped her life.

Oral history interviews with Wardell Canada, Isaac Morrow, Rodney Rhymes, Douglas Woods, Marlene Anderson, and Phil (Stevedore) Rees by Rebecca M. Crist, Duncan Plymate, Benjamin Williams, and Dave Larson conducted 02/1995. This collection of interviews with local longshoreman examines several aspects of the longshoring industry in Tacoma, including mechanization, race and gender relations, and the role of the national and local unions. Interviewees include Wardell Canada, Jr., a former member of the Black Longshore Association; Isaac Morrow, a Port of Tacoma foreman who pioneered on-dock intermodal shipping; Rodney Rhymes and Douglas Woods, two career longshoreman with thirty-five years experience between them; Marlene Anderson, the first woman in Pierce County to work in the longshoring industry; and Phil Rees, a casual (non-union) longshoreman who hopes to follow in his fathers and grandfathers footsteps.

Oral history interview with Faye C. Bates by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman conducted 05/07/2007. Faye Cabrini Bates shares her life story and recounts details from her social justice career, focusing in particular on her work with at-risk Native American youth and with St. Leo Churchs outreach programs. A long-time Indian rights activist, she comments on some of the political and social obstacles currently faced by Native American communities. Her father, Elder Martin Sampson of the Swinomish Tribe, is also discussed in-depth.

Oral history interview with Will J. Conner by Barbara A. Smith conducted 02/09/1992. Will James Conner talks about his fifty years in the theater management business and shares some of the history of the Temple Theatre, which he ran from 1932 to 1975. Reflecting back on hundreds of stage shows, music productions, and motion pictures, Conner provides some insight into the changing face of entertainment and entertainment technology before, during, and after World War II. In addition to the Temple, Conner also managed a number of other Tacoma theaters, including the Blue Mouse, the Music Box, the Rialto, and the Roxy (now the Pantages), and he touches upon each of these during this lengthy, in-depth interview.