Black Activism in Print: Visual Art from the African American Collection, now on view at the Level 8 Gallery of the Central Library, is more than just an art exhibit. Though it features beautiful art prints by prominent artists and activists Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett, it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history of the Douglass-Truth Branch (formerly the Yesler Branch), and how members of the Black community of the Central District built the African American Collection and saved the branch from closure in the 1960s. Over the past half century, the Douglass-Truth branch has been home to “one of the largest collections of African American literature and history on the West Coast.” But many Seattle residents likely don’t know the story behind the collection, and of the activists who provided access to a wide range of important print resources.
Following World War II, demographics of Seattle’s Central District changed dramatically, but the Library branch there – and its collection – wasn’t keeping up with the times. Seattle Public Library administrators planned to close the branch due to low circulation, until a group of dedicated women pointed out that materials available at the branch must reflect the needs and interests of the community it served. These women, all members of the local Delta Upsilon Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), took it upon themselves to raise money and encourage the Library to purchase materials by and about African Americans.
A community group called The Black Friends of Yesler Library was formed, and members of AKA – among them notable figures like Dr. Millie Russell and Roberta Byrd Barr, both featured in the exhibit – led them in raising funds and soliciting donations to build the collection. Dr. Russell also led the movement to change the name of the branch from Yesler to Douglass-Truth, to honor Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, in the mid-1970s. On display in the gallery are original letters, news clippings, and other documents that tell the story of the collection’s origins, and the ongoing advocacy of these amazing women.
Also on display next to the prints by White and Catlett are works by local Black print artists, as well as poems inspired by specific works contributed by members of the African American Writers Alliance. Learn more about the exhibit’s themes and the artists featured with this Resource Guide, and hear an interview with the exhibit’s curator, librarian Taylor Brooks, from the Douglass-Truth Branch, with Angela King, on the website of KUOW. Come view the exhibit in person through September 15th.
~ posted by Emily G.
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