UW Libraries Blog

January 31, 2025

Black History Month 2025

UW Libraries

In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to explore some of the incredible history-makers and historical resources that celebrate the incredible contributions of Black leaders, academics and artists who have made an impact in our community, and the world.  From podcasts to poetry, music, film and books, many of the works listed here emphasize stories with a particular connection to the Pacific Northwest and UW community. Share your favorite resources with us @uofwalibraries (Instagram)

Cover image for Jacob Lawrence in Seattle

Jacob Lawrence in Seattle

“Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is widely recognized as one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. He is best known for epic multi-panel narratives like the Migration Series (1940-1941) and Struggle: from the History of the American People (1954-56), which he created as a young artist living and working in in New York City. The second half of Lawrence’s career, which he spent in Seattle as a Professor of Art at the University of Washington, has received far less attention. The essays in this volume, researched and written by the participants in the Spring 2021 art history seminar “Art and Seattle: Jacob Lawrence” at the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, help fill in this gap.” Read the book.

The Long Shadows of Seattle  podcast series that explores the stories of important people that made an impact on Seattle’s history of racial justice and political activism. Using collections from the University of Washington Libraries’ Special Collections, host Stellan Harris guides you through the lives of some of Seattle’s hidden figures.

One image from Image of protest on UW campus from The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project.

From The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project:

UW Special Collections:

UW Special Collections holds rare books and images that share the stories of Black history through the lens of Black authors, artists and activists, offering a one-of-a-kind perspective that only primary sources can impart. The following selections are but a few examples:

UW Libraries Ethnomusicology Archives The UW Ethnomusicology Archives has been collecting and curating unique ethnographic music recordings, films, and video since 1962. It holds a trove of unique recordings and films documenting music from around globe, and around the block.

Explore the work of these black artists with historic ties to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest:

  • Charlemae Hill Rollins and the Spencer Shaw Historical Children’s Book Collection

    Spencer Shaw telling stories to group of young children

    Spencer G. Shaw, a University of Washington professor emeritus of Library Science was a nationally recognized storyteller and advocate for children’s reading. Born in Hartford in 1917, Dr. Shaw was among the first African American librarians to integrate the professional ranks of the Hartford Public Library, becoming the first African American librarian hired by the library system.   Dr. Shaw honed the craft of storytelling and earned a reputation for captivating children and adults alike with the folk tales he uncovered from ethnic traditions the world over. He had a long and illustrious career as a librarian and educator including his tenure with the UW from 1970 to 1986. Dr. Shaw knew many children’s authors & his important collection of books, many inscribed to him, came to Special Collections as his gift in 2010 when he passed away.

    Charlemae Hill Rollins

    Dr. Shaw’s collection at UW Libraries features several works by Charlemae Hill Rollins including Black Troubadour: Langston Hughes, winner of the 1971 Coretta Scott King Book Award. This copy was given to UW Libraries by Spencer G. Shaw and is inscribed by the author to Shaw. Rollins was a pioneering librarian, author and storyteller. Undeterred by the racist, segregated policies that prevented black children from attending school in Oklahoma, Rollins’s family founded a school which Rollins attended as a child. She went on to Howard University and later became a children’s librarian at the Chicago Public Library in 1927.  During her thirty-one years as head librarian of the children’s department as well as after her retirement, she instituted substantial reforms in children’s literature. She authored four books highlighting the achievements of black leaders, authors and artists.

    First-editions of landmark historical narratives within UW Special Collections:

    Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. By Frederick Douglas, 1845.  Written by the famous orator and former slave, this narrative recounts Douglass’s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. Considered to be one of the most influential pieces of American literature, it fueled the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States.

    Narrative of Sojourner Truth : a northern slave, emancipated from bodily servitude by the state of New York,1850. An American abolitionist and women’s rights activist, Truth was included in Smithsonian magazine’s list of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time”. Truth dictated her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert resulting in this narrative, published in 1850. The copy in Special Collections is one of the first editions.

    From the UW Libraries Labor Archives:

    Earl George

    The papers and photographs of Earl George: George was a Black worker and leader, labor and civil rights activist, and photographer.  He participated in the Seattle General Strike of 1919 as a longshore worker. He also became the first Black president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 9 in 1938. He worked towards combatting racial discrimination, including a 1948 campaign that succeeded in dismantling racist hiring practices of Seattle-area grocery stores. As a photographer for a number of political publications, including the Communist Party, George’s papers also include photographs of community activists and political actions happening around the city in the late 20th century.

    The Tyree Scott papers and photograph collections as well as the papers of Scott’s partner, Beverly Sims: Scott and Sims were Black labor organizers in Seattle. Tyree led the United Construction Workers Association and devoted his time to combatting racial discrimination in the labor movement. Beverly Sims was one of the first Black women to complete the IBEW electrician apprenticeship program and also worked for the Northwest Labor Employment and Law Office. She sadly passed away last year. A portion of the Tyree Scott and Earl George photographs have been digitized and are accessible in the digital collections database.

    Start Your Research:

    The UW Libraries Research Guide for African American history is an expertly curated resource hub for primary and secondary sources including databases, journal articles and access to collections like the Black Freedom Struggle of the 20th century, NAACP papers and more.

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