Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Kyle Jolibois conducted by dindria barrow on August 17, 2022. In this interview, Kyle tells us about his birth and how he is connected to the grittiness of Tacoma. To paraphrase him, "Tacomans are fighters and survivalists no matter who is in control of the city." Kyle’s story is about resilience and speaking truth to power. He leads his life with a direct and realistic view about our environment and our social/political issues. Kyle is open about his views, his sobriety goals, and his physical disability. His strength is his voice and his desire to stand up for what is right.

Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Janice Kampbell conducted by dindria barrow on August 25, 2022. In this interview, Janice tells the story of how her parents met each other after World War II in rural Michigan on a blind date. Farming and the military were a part of her parents’ lives and Janice grew up a child of a military pilot and a nurse. Her family moved to a variety of locations in the United States. Janice became a nurse like her mother and retired after 43 years. Janice is a Pierce County Master Gardener and shares her first encounter with planting seeds into frozen dirt with a spoon. Janice concludes her oral history by sharing the history of the Tacoma Urban Land Trust (2010) also previously known as the Guadalupe Land Trust located on Hilltop, Tacoma. The Tacoma Urban Land Trust's website is https://www.tult.org

Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Anita Latch conducted by dindria barrow on August 30, 2022. In this interview, Anita outlines the places she calls home using artwork that her daughter created of locations Anita has lived in. Her grandparents had a farm near Traverse City, Torch Lake, Michigan. She watched trains pass by in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. She lived in a ground floor apartment in Nerburgh, New York after living in Wallkill near Woodstock. Anita’s dad drove the family on Interstate 80 in a Super 88 to McChord Air Force Base and Spanaway, Washington. She remembers listening to a transistor radio in the back of the car during the trip. Anita left home at 15 years old and hitchhiked to Grants Pass, Oregon. She went to college in Redlands, California and then learned silversmithing in Jerome, Arizona. Anita also spent time in Tahiti when her daughter was young. She moved around often between her homes. Anita is a traveler, a journalist, a teacher, a political advocate, and an artist with many life stories. She has been a Precinct Committee Officer and has served on the Tacoma Civil Service Board. “Democracy is not a spectator sport!” Anita declares towards the end of her interview, “so, get involved in voting for each election.” Her openness and honesty are palpable in this oral history and there is some strong language and adult content.

Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Tom Stenger conducted by dindria barrow on October 20, 2022. In this interview, Tom Stenger shares his family history going back four generations in Tacoma. Tom is a third generation Stadium High School alumnus and received his law degree from the University of Washington. Tom discusses his early years, working as a janitor in college at the University of Puget Sound, and his time serving on the Tacoma City Council. Tom has lived in Tacoma all of his life and, specifically, in the Hilltop neighborhood since buying a house in 1985. Tom has been interested in history ever since he was 14 years old and is the living co-founder of the Tacoma Historical Society.

Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Freddie Mae Barnett conducted by dindria barrow on January 28, 2023. In this interview, Mrs. Barnett shares her life story with us. She tells us of her upbringing in Athens, Georgia, and military travels with her husband. Mrs. Barnett was active in the military community and in Tacoma. She is a past president of the Tacoma Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Washington State Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and the Regional Association of Colored Women’s Clubs which are all affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.

From back of image: "Only a minute example of the buses which arrived- also note negro population."

Carolyn Treleven holds a sign reading, "This doesn't stop abortions... it stops SAFE abortions."

Interviewer: What brings you here today?
"Outrage. Frustration. Exhaustion... this is for everybody that has a fundamental right to make decisions about their own medical care."

Jan Runbeck, RN and Mike Mowat hold sign, made by Planned Parenthood, together reading "Protect safe, legal abortion."

"My aunt was orphaned uh, at about six months of age when her mother, uh, had, and we don’t know if it was self-induced abortion or if she went to a, uh, alley abortionist, was found dead on the kitchen floor in a puddle of blood from the fact that she knew she had more children than the family could support. So, uh, that’s the personal story, but I’m also a public health nurse and demographically, when women have access to abortion, they have better long-term outcomes, society has better outcomes as far as literacy rate, poverty rates, health rates, and all that. So, from a public health long-term perspective, it’s better for society, and individually, um, my aunt would have had a much better life, had she had a mother." - Jan Runbeck, RN
"I’m just generally opposed to taking advantage of people or keeping people down, I mean there’s a huge movement all over the world and all through history of keeping uh people down, so we have low wages, people without rights, so even in our own constitution, which they use as a preface for-for overturning Roe vs. Wade, women had no rights at that time. So if they can take away those particular rights, they can take away all the rest of them." - Mike Mowat

Katt Merilo hold a sign reading "Pregnant, pro-choice, + pissed off." The back of her sign, unpictured, reads, "Here for my unborn's rights - to protect her body + plan her own future."

"I am here because of abortion rights affects all people, not just women, not just cis women, but women of color, trans women. And, abortion rights are very important for all of us to be able to plan our futures, and our families, and keep ourselves safe. I’m also nine months pregnant, I’m due on Monday... It's a girl."

Brian Schmidt, carrying a child on his back, holds a sign reading, "The majority draft opinion does not represent the majority of Americans!"

"It’s [laughs] it’s uh not fair that a small percentage of people can dictate the rights of a large, I mean, millions of people."

Aja Fulani pictured in black tactical gear.

"We’ve seen the reality of what happens to people who want to make their voices heard, call for justice whether it be peacefully or otherwise, we have seen that when that runs counter to what the state’s interests are, they are silenced one way or another. And our presence is hopefully at least a small deterrent if nothing else. We’re a symbol of security to the people that are here to make them feel like they can engage with their community and be heard without fear of retribution."

Photo description from Pastor Tony Martin:

When taken: 1966-67
Where taken: Salishan, 42nd and Roosevelt St.
Who is in the photograph? Mr. Booker and Mr. Martin
What memory is contained in this photo? Two best friend, friendship

Oral history interview with previous Tacoma resident Larry Duncan conducted by dindria barrow on November 29, 2022. In this interview, Larry shares his experience in one of Tacoma’s East Side neighborhoods, Salishan. Larry illustrates how his racial identity has been a mystery and how he has tried to piece it together like a complex puzzle. An intriguing person that appeared in his life twice showed up first as a person who made kites. Could this be a person who is somehow related to his birth parents? As he continues to learn about himself, Larry's dream is to be the best dad and husband possible for his family.