Seattle
Segregation vs. Southern Segregation
In most southern states, segregation
of schools, busses, restaurants, and public facilities was
required by law. That was not the case in Washington State.
Indeed, it was technically illegal to discriminate on the basis
of race, although the law was almost never enforced.
Less total than the southern version,
Seattle’s segregation practices nevertheless severely limited
the housing, employment, and educational options
of African Americans.
Coon Chicken Inn on Lake City Way was a popular dining establishment when this picture was taken in the late 1930s
