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When Races Collide: Willie Steward and the Voluntary Desegregation of Tacoma Public Schools

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.

Why Internment? The Story of Japanese-Americans During World War II

Oral history interview with Joseph Kosai by Arlene Mihara conducted 04/19/1991. The interview recounts Joseph Kosai's personal experiences as a Japanese American citizen forced to evacuate his Tacoma, Washington residence on May 18, 1942 in response to the issuing of Executive Order 9066. Joseph, who was eight at the time, was transported with family members, first, to an assembly center in Pinedale, California, then to Tule Lake, where Kosai's extended family was dispersed and sent to different camps. Joseph, his mother, and younger sister were sent to the Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho, where they would remain until May 17, 1945. In the interview, Kosai recalls his impressions of life in the internment camp. He also describes his readjustment after being released from Minidoka, as well as the impact of discrimination upon his subsequent educational and career opportunities. He also discusses his involvement in the national redress movement and other civil rights issues.

The Burley Community: Preserving the Past

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.

An Interview with Luke Joinette

Oral history interview with Luke Joinette by Cyndi Pierce conducted 05/04/1991. Luke Joinette, former Executive Board member and secretary-treasurer for the Tacoma chapter of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International League, discusses his work with the Local 61 labor union. Recounting the events surrounding the unions 1969 strike, Joinette reflects on the confrontations between picketers and employers and between the local chapter and its national affiliate. He concludes with some thoughts on the current state of the Local 8, the newest incarnation of the Local 61, and on the unions sharp decline in membership since the 1970s.

Peter C. Stanup: A Leader Among the Generous People

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.

The Puyallup Land Claims Settlement: A Lesson in Struggle

Oral history interview with Bill Sterud by Miguel Douglas conducted 05/20/2015. Examining the social, economical, and communal effects of the Puyallup Land Claims Settlement of 1990, this research essay explores these various elements through the assistance of an interview conducted with the current Puyallup Tribal Chairman, Bill Sterud. Sterud was also the Puyallup Tribal Chairman at the time of that the settlement took place, providing a vivid recollection of the Tribal community before and after the settlement and how the settlement changed the course of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians forever. This research essay also explores several of the major issues found within the non-Indian community surrounding the land claims settlement as well.

Mid-Knight Run: The Story of One Family's Journey to the Northwest from the Deep South

Oral history interview with Dorothy Knight by Shawn Jenkins conducted 05/14/2014. Dorothy Knight recounts her family's journey from Moss Point, Mississippi, to Tacoma, Washington, and compares and contrasts life in the Northwest and the Deep South. The interview focuses in particular on the interplay between region and racism within the United States.

South Tacoma Then and Now

Oral history interview with Floyd Olson by Eric Rader conducted 05/15/2015. The purpose of this oral history was to interview Floyd Olson in order to capture his perspective and memories as they pertain to the South Tacoma Business District and how it was transformed due to the construction of I-5 and the Tacoma Mall. Mr. Olson is a lifelong South Tacoma resident and has vivid memories of the time both before and after I-5 and the Mall. As of yet the Tacoma Community History Project has no oral history pertaining to South Tacoma; thus it is an aim of this project to resolve that omission. The methodology used was a personal interview with Mr. Olson using pre-conceived, open-ended questions based on prior research. The interview was conducted in such a manner so as to be as respectful to Mr. Olson while at the same time keeping the focus of the interview on the changes and history of South Tacoma. The results of the interview show that indeed prior to I-5 and the Mall the South Tacoma Business District was a thriving, wholesome area that catered to the everyday needs of the surrounding residents. However, the completions of I-5 and the Mall undoubtedly altered the atmosphere of the area; Mr. Olson can attest to these changes. The implications of this oral history are in laying the foundation for future studies on South Tacoma.

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