Seattle’s Segregation Story

Seattle has a long history of racial discrimination and segregation. Until the late 1960s, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans were shut out of most neighborhoods, schools, many occupations, and sometimes stores and restaurants. This slide show explores Seattle segregation in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

The map at right shows the residential segregation of African Americans in Seattle’s  Central District in 1960.