Son Deth, a Cambodian refugee, with two of her nine children. Son Deth moved with her family to Pierce County in 1975 and was sponsored by the Christ Lutheran Church of Lakewood.
Back of Photo: --Statue of Love and Gratitude-- Sai Dinh Nguyen works on a statue of love and gratitude that he and Khuyen Van Hoang molded from 1,200 pounds of concrete. It isn't known yet where the statue will be placed, though some consideration has been given to moving it to a community center at Bayview, WA.
Back of Photo: --New Life-- A plastic bathtub is something new to Vietnamese refugees Long Vo and his wife, Lahn, both 21, who arrived in Wenatchee last month. They are starting a new life with their 2-year-old daughter, Tien, and infant son.
A child sleeps at Sea-Tac Airport after an 11-hour flight from Hong Kong. They were among 300 refugees who had arrived in early June 1979 at Sea-Tac Airport.
Front of Photo: Ramona Bennett shown with her daughter, Ee-Nuck-A-Mee, 7, is best known for her years of activism as Chairwomen of the Puyallup Tribe in Tacoma, Wash. Today, Ms. Bennett is Director of Family Services at the Seattle Indian Center where her job involves finding Indian foster homes for homeless Indian children.
Back of Photo: Tom Dixon, president of the Tacoma Urban League speaks to the media. The Rev. J.A. Boles sits beyond. These men delivered a statement to the press after conferring with other Black community leaders at St. John Baptist Church. The subject is police procedures and the shooting of a Black purse snatching suspect. Staff photo by Peter Haley
TACOMA., Washington -- A WINNER -- Bill Smitherman, left, won his race for a seat in the Washington House of Representatives, to become the only Black in that legislative body. His father, Willy Joel Smitherman, right, also ran for a House seat, but lost. Associated Press Photo
Front of Photo: DEAD AT 66--Yakima Indian fishing rights activist David Sohappy Senior stands on the bank of the Columbia River in front of an old fishing platform at Cooks Landing, Washington, in this November 1990 file photo. Sohappy died Monday at Hood River Care Center in Oregon. Sohappy had been in ill health since suffering a stroke in 1988. Associated Press File Photo, 1990
Front of Photo: WHITE SWAN, WASHINGTON -- SOHAPPY BURIED -- Mourners circle the grave of David Sohappy Sr. during his funeral service Thursday on the Yakima Indian Reservation. Sohappy, a well-known fishing rights activist, died on Monday. Associated Press Photo
Back of Photo: The Rev. George Stallings conducts services at the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church/ Stallings has broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and has founded his own Imani Temple in Washington D.C. NEWS/MAYNARD; Staff Photo by Bill Hunter
Back of Photo: "Damon Herd, the Tacoma Fire Dept's 1st black Fire Marshal, stands before a fire truck at the station that also is home to his office (901 Fawcett)."
Herd is 36 years old in the photo and became a firefighter in 1971. According to Herd, he was a part of the first group of minority applicants that the Tacoma Fire Department recruited in the early 1970s.
Back of Photo: Nez Perce tribe member Jo Ann Kauffman, Executive Director of the Seattle Indian Health Board, poured a can of Treaty Beer into a garbage can. She appeared at a press conference condemning the new product and said the can contained "Hate and prejudice." Conference was at Indian center near Fort Lawton. Bruce Kellman/News
Video recording of a presentation to the Black Collective by poet and author Noni Ervin for the 2022 Kwanzaa Celebration. Ervin is the author of "Verbatim: Living, Loving, Surviving" and a member of the Seattle-based African American Writers' Alliance. She is the Founder and Creator of Kinara Park Kids and the Founder of the Kwanzaa Awards.[1]
In this photograph believed to be from the mid 1880s, a group of Puyallup Indians gathers on the shore of the Puget Sound to gamble. The game they are playing appears to be the bone game, where two teams of 10-12 sit opposite each other. One team has four bones which they pass to the distracting accompaniment of the pounding of sticks and singing of chants. The other team must guess who has the bones. In the background are longboats and a bridge. The Puyallup village during this time period was believed to be at the foot of South 15th St. KING-003, TPL 2897.
A group of Puyallup Indians with their longboats (canoes) on the Puget Sound around 1886. Behind them can be seen the Northern Pacific Railroad bridge. The Puyallups were primarily fishermen, hunters and gatherers. The local salmon provided their primary food source, but was also a symbol of reverence to the tribe. In the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854, they ceded many of their territories but retained their fishing rights. Their village at this time was believed to be at the foot of North 15th. KING-014, TPL 2895.
In this circa 1886 photograph, a Native American family lounges in their long boat near the shore. In the background can be seen the Northern Pacific Railroad bridge. The canoe is loaded with supplies, probably returning or setting off for the family's hunting ground. The Puyallup tribe members were primarily hunters, gatherers and fishermen. During this time period, their village was believed to be located at the foot of North 15th. KING-015, TPL 2894.
This early 1880s photograph by C. E. & Hattie King is of the Tacoma waterfront. Several European Americans are standing near Indian canoes moored along the shoreline. The location is believed to be south of the James Williams salmon cannery in Old Tacoma. The Kings brief period of photographing Tacoma views documents the blending of cultures and history--the presence and traditions of local Native Americans and the presence of newer Americans establishing homes, industries and towns in the West. KING 016, TPL-3746.
In August of 1944, many servicemen of color turned out for dance night in the main auditorium of the USO #2, 713-15 Commerce St. During World War II, the US military was still segregated and USO #2 was sponsored by the YMCA for the entertainment of African American servicemen and women. The main auditorium was decorated with transparencies by the Washington State Progress Commission. The project was under the supervision of Bert Smyser. The auditorium was a large space that could be adapted for many uses. (photograph by F.L. Powell of Tacoma) (information provided by USO #2 brochure for Recognition Ceremony)
