Black Washington is the Washington State Historical Society’s ongoing initiative to commemorate the presence, contributions, and evolving impact of local Black communities.

Read, watch, and listen to stories about community organizing, engaging in labor and operating business, striving for civil rights, achieving education, pursuing the arts, and overcoming adversity and racism.

Explore the lives of iconic individuals, including business owners, faith leaders, politicians, journalists, dramatists, and musicians. Find cultural spaces, historic sites, and locations integral to Washington State’s Black communities.

Black Washington is also an educational resource that can be used in the classroom. Click on the Educators” in the main menu to find curricula and other educational tools.