In the 1960s, Freddie Mae Gautier wrote to Martin Luther King Jr., urging him to come to Seattle. The Pacific Northwest, she said, has many of the same problems as the South—but people here could be complacent.

Gautier’s letter confronts the dominant narrative that Washington State is an “exceptional” place rather than a microcosm of the larger U.S. society. How does her story, and the story of other Black women, challenge this understanding?

When the 1960s ushered in a wave of political ferment in Washington State, Black women were the driving force behind civil rights campaigns to dismantle statewide racial segregation and discriminatory practices. This talk examines their collective leadership efforts and activist work, which resulted in significant policy changes and profoundly impacted the state’s residents. By centering Black women’s experiences and sacrifices, we can learn valuable lessons about the past and its relevance to ongoing contemporary social and political issues.

Quin’Nita Cobbins-Modica is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her teaching and research focus on the history of black women’s social activism and politics, particularly in the American West. She is also a contributor to BlackPast.org, an award-winning website dedicated to advancing African American and Global African history, and currently serves as vice-president of its board of directors.