Trailblazing Black Women of Washington State

Marilyn Morgan

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2022
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781439675366
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: History

Breaking glass ceilings, organizing clubs, and making history as the first in their fields, these trailblazing Black women paved the way for new generations.

From Nettie Craig Asberry, founder of the Tacoma NAACP, to Dr. Dolores Silas, now honored by a school bearing her name, these women forged a path amid adversity. Black women were crucial to the war effort, working as Rosies at Boeing during World War II, and in the post-war years, Seattle musicians like Edyth Turnham and Her Knights of Syncopation were in high demand. These teachers, scientists, and politicians served on boards, led protests, and fought for civil rights across the state.

Join author and historian Marilyn Morgan as she chronicles the incredible lives and contributions of Washington's Black women.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Susie Revels Cayton: Writer, Activist and Newspaper Editor
• 2. Nettie Craig Asberry: Iconic Civil Rights Leader
• 3. Alice Augusta Ball: Brilliant Unsung Chemist
• 4. Washington State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs
• 5. Bertha Pitts Campbell: Pioneering Activist and Trailblazer
• 6. Lillian Walker: Bremerton’s Civil Rights Vanguard
• 7. Thelma Dewitty: Seattle’s First Black Teacher
• 8. Willetta Riddle Gayton: The Seattle School Board’s First Black Librarian
• 9. Letitia Graves: The First President of the Seattle Branch of the NAACP
• 10. Madame Luella Ruth Brown Boyer (Brent): Everett’s First Black Woman Business Owner
• 11. Breaking the Color Line: Boeing Hires Black Rosie the Riveters
• 12. Jennie Samuels: Pioneering Clubwoman
• 13. Nora B. Adams: The Seattle School Board’s First Black Woman Principal
• 14. Dorothy Hollingsworth: First Black Woman Elected to the Seattle Public School Board
• 15. Dr. Dolores Silas: The First Black Woman Elected to the Tacoma City Council
• 16. Victoria Freeman: Longview’s Civil Rights Pioneer
• 17. Manima Wilson: The First Black Woman to Graduate from Everett High School and the University of Washington
• 18. Rosa Franklin: The First Black Woman Elected to the Washington State Senate
• 19. Fabienne “Fae” Brooks: Trailblazing Law Enforcement Officer
• 20. The Women Who Propelled the Seattle Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
• 21. Black Women Musicians Were the Backbone in Establishing the Black Musicians’ Union
• 22. Patti Bown: Internationally Renowned Jazz Pianist, Composer and Singer
• 23. Edythe Turnham and Her Knights of Syncopation
• 24. Ruby Bishop: Seattle Hall of Fame’s First Lady of Jazz
• 25. Peggy Joan Maxie: The First Black Woman Elected to Washington State Legislature
• 26. Jane A. Ruley: The First Black Woman Teacher in Washington State
• 27. Marjorie E. Pitter King: The First Black Woman to Serve in the Washington State Legislature
• 28. Frances L. Scott: The First Black Woman to Become a Lawyer in Spokane
• 29. Dr. Maxine Mimms: The First Black Woman to Establish a College
• Bibliography
• About the Authors