Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asia Weekly
Credit: Ashley Harrison
We strolled the streets, past buildings, past the clearings where the buildings once stood. For the most part, we stick to our business rather than consider our surroundings.
That’s understandable, according to Ashley Harrison, a partner at the Black & Tan Hall community group in Seattle. It’s just disappointing.
“What if we all knew the history of a particular place we frequent?” Harrison asked. “It’s so cool that the Louisa Hotel has a window decal that names all the businesses that have been known to exist within its walls since it was built. History is often seen in general terms, but reflect on where you live or where you stand The specific history of a particular location can be powerful and profound.”
To educate the public about this history, Black & Tan Hall created the Seattle Green Book Self-Guided Tour. Named for the historical “Green Book” guides of black motorists, this tour covers the Jackson Street corridor with several important stops through the Chinatown-International District (CID). Visitors can choose to use Hall’s website for a guide or to download an app.
Part of the frescoes of the 1930s jazz scene in the basement of the Hotel Louisa today. (Source: Ashley Harrison)
Victor Green, a black New York City postman, published The Green Book, commonly known as the Green Book for Black Motorists, between 1936 and 1966. It provides a handy list of black-owned and black-friendly businesses, black motorists who drive off-road, and candid advice on how to safely traverse racially fraught areas.
The Jefferson Street Project at Black & Tan Hall includes extensive research from the Green Book, but also reveals significant history through the CID.
“Several Seattle locations in the Green Book are Asian-American owned,” Harrison explained. “In an era of apartheid, these businesses made positive choices to welcome black patrons, and some advertised in the black-owned newspaper ‘The Northwest Enterprise’. It seems that the Japanese-owned hotel/single-room building is in the CID played a special role in providing housing for black residents.
“We reviewed 1920 10-year-old and Jackson census records [which] List Chinese, Japanese, Black, White, and Interracial families in the same neighborhood. At the time, the adjacent Central District was also the geographic center of Seattle’s Jewish community. “
Community residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds also work, socialize and collaborate artistically. Seattle-based black photographer Al Smith has documented his community for 50 years as a member of a photography club called the Kohga Club, the only non-Japanese member.
Filipino musicians have strong ties to Seattle’s jazz scene, forming their own jazz bands and/or playing in integrated black and Filipino bands.
Harrison added, “A coalition of influential multiracial organizations, called the Jackson Street Community Council (JSCC), was founded here in the 1950s. During our research, we were pleased to learn that the headquarters in [original] The Black & Tan Club was part of the JSCC in the late 1940s. It was a direct link between the historically black-owned general club and the multiracial political advocacy of the community of that era. “
World War II brought forced internment of the Japanese on the West Coast, which in turn sparked a housing shortage for blacks in the region. As Japanese landlords traveled to refugee camps, white landlords often denied housing to blacks.
“This trip included all the information we could find in the historical record about the housing crisis sparked by Japanese landlords renting out rooms to black tenants,” Harrison said. “We discovered these articles late in our research, There’s probably more information on this topic than we’ve found so far. The Densho and Wing Luke museums are both great resources for readers who want to learn more about the history of incarceration in Japan.
“Our primary source is digitized historical newspapers. The Library of Congress’s American Chronicle Project has digitized thousands of American newspapers, including Seattle publications in English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and more. This is an extraordinary resource , without it, we would not be able to complete this project during the pandemic because libraries and archives are closed.”
Black & Tan Hall defines itself as a values-driven cultural center whose mission is to sustain a prosperous and equitable economy through arts and cultural programming. It takes its name from the many multiracial “black and tan” clubs that gave birth to the jazz scene throughout the United States, including Seattle’s true “black and tan” club, located in Jackson’s 12th from 1922 to 1966. Street and Jackson.
Future plans for the modern Black & Tan Hall include opening its headquarters at 5608 Rainier Avenue South in Hillman to house a restaurant and a performing arts hall.
“Ideally, our travels will continue to bring people into the community to support local businesses here today and learn about the layering and important history of the community,” Harrison concluded.
“We hope this tour will add to the ongoing conversation about the history and vitality of these communities.”
For more information on Seattle Green Book Self-Guided Tours and to download the tour app, visit blackandtanhall.com/greenbooktour.
Andrew is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
