The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle’s Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era

by Quintard Taylor

"Seattle's first black resident was a sailor named Manuel Lopes who arrived in 1858 and became the small community's first barber. He left in the early 1870s to seek economic prosperity elsewhere, but as Seattle transformed from a stopover town to a full-fledged city, African Americans began to stay and build a community. By the early twentieth century, black life in Seattle coalesced in the Central District, a four-square-mile section east of downtown. Black Seattle, however, was never a monolith. Through world wars, economic booms and busts, and the civil rights movement, black residents and leaders negotiated intragroup conflicts and had varied approaches to challenging racial inequity. Despite these differences, they nurtured a distinct African American culture and black urban community ethos. With a new foreword and afterword, this second edition of The Forging of a Black Community is essential to understanding the history and present of the largest black community in the Pacific Northwest"--

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Urban Planning, Cities, College

426 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Graham]

The book is an excellent historical survey of the black community in Seattle covering the social, civic and economic activities of its inhabitants. It offers many insights to the origins and particular strains of institutional racism found here along with a survey of black/asian relations in the city.

The book falls short in that it acknowledges the many local civil rights organizations of the day and their commitment to equality, but doesnt acknowledge that the quelling of the left, by liberal institutions, hindered efforts to keep, improve and ultimately realize Seattle's black neighborhood as truely equal with the rest of the city. The book was written in 1994 so maybe it was a sign of the times in academia 🤷‍♂️.

That being said, this is an important work and definitley worth the read.

[fletch]

Excellent and enlightening case history of the Central District: "Racial toleration is meaningless if people are excluded from the vital economic center and relegated to the margins of the urban economy. Seattle, whether in the 1870s or the 1960s, provided substantive evidence of the limits of a racial liberalism incompatible with economic inclusion. Indeed Seattle's apparent success, and its underlying failure, in its race relations paradigm has been its meticulously crafted image which promoted the illusion of inclusion."

Since this book places more focus on interactions between Seattle's Black & Asian communities (as opposed to other histories that only report on black-white relations), I expected more discussion about the famed Gang of Four (Larry Gossett, Bob Santos, Roberto Maestas, and Bernie Whitebear). But maybe that developed after the Civil Rights Era, so it wasn't quite within the boundaries of his study.

[Marlene Lewis]

Scholarly research and passionate commitment combine with eminently readable prose in this exploration of the emerging Black community in Seattle from frontier origins through the sometimes turbulent '60s. Taylor includes many historic photos that bring to life the history he relates through bad times and good, discouraging and hopeful.

[Josephine Ensign]

Fascinating, troubling, and illuminating, this now almost classic narrative history is a must-read for anyone calling Seattle home.

[Lilya]

Somewhat outdated language and terms. One of the only books to write about this specific topic and did so well. I wish there was literature on later migration patterns.

[CKJ]

I am a living extension of this book. As an African American male with roots in the Seattle Central district since the 1920’s , blessed to have the ability to read this book close to the Seattle waterfront during the years of the reopening in 2025-26. I have a chance to lookout and visit locations of historical sites mentioned, also obtain knowledge of how the street names and formation of the city came about. In addition I am familiar with families such has the Spearman’s and the Dixons that have shared their history. My father was also one of the few minority welders on the shipyards. I was also good friends with Mr Gerald Hatcher one of Seattles first African American realtors. I needed this book to regain my connection to the city of Seattle. Thank you Author Quintard Taylor!!!

[Lonnie]

What a great book with so many important lessons for how to organize today.

[Faye]

The best thing about this text was the angle of the scholarship. Meaning, it explored a relatively un-researched population. I found the account too sterile and academic. I guess I prefer my scholarship in the narrative and I was spoiled because I read this right after Leon Litwack's Trouble in Mind.

[Mike]

I really don't read enough history books to know, but I think this is a pretty solid book.

[Enrique]

I enjoy his lectures on the UW channel here in Seattle. I need to read more of his works so that I might see what else he knows about Seattle's rich history.

[Phillip]

Dense with information but easy to follow and well organized. Brings outsiders perspective to Local History