SaharaTulip: Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

I was recently a chaperon on my daughters' field trip to the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle, Washington.

I met their fellow multicultural club members at school at 10am on a windy, wet day. We all got on a bus together and off we went, crossing over waterways, driving on highways and finally reaching the very scenic hilltop of the old Coleman School, which is now NAAM.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

I was living in Seattle during the conclusion of the The Colman School Occupation, the longest act of civil disobedience in U.S. history, in 1993 and had followed NAAM's process until opening in 2008. For many various reasons, I had yet to enter it's doors and now after our visit, we can't wait to go back.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

We started our tour in the main atrium. The building in which the museum is housed has affordable housing on it's upper floors, which help maintain the museum's operating budget on the main floor. The building was purchased from the City of Seattle and is since maintained by the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. The museum has since obtained it's own non profit status and houses permeate and rotating exhibits.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

The kids were then taken to historical panels and asked what would bring African Americans to the Northwest? As they talked about opportunities, housing, possible less discrimination then the Deep South, they were lead through eras in Washington history. They learned about George Washington Bush, and our northwest connections to the Tuskegee Airmen, among other interesting stories of our history.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

We also learned the deep connection the Mt. Zion church had to the area, Martin Luther King, Jr. came and spoke to the congregation, in providing a family to so many people.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

We concluded by discussing how during racist eras in our history, minority groups turned to each other for support and talked about the Asian connection to the African American community.

Exploring the Northwest African American Museum with Kids by A Crafty Arab

We took a break for lunch before heading to see the visiting exhibit The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper on view. My oldest daughter immediately ran to the Jacob Lawrence since she recognized him and we spent a little time talking about the use of color and value in his work.

Our last stop was in the The Atomic Frontier: Black Life in Hanford, WA exhibit that was eye opening for me. I had no idea there was such a large population of African Americans that came from all over the country. It was fascinating to learn more about this bit of Washington history.

That was all the time we had and we took a quick group photo with our fabulous docent before we had to get back on the bus to go back to school.

At the dinner table that night, both daughters agreed that they would like to go back and spend more time in the Works on Paper room to learn about new artists. I also told them I managed to see the Torchbearers: Portraits of African American Leaders in Seattle and King County by Robert Wade side exhibit and I wanted to point out some familiar names to them.

Plus all three of us agreed we didn't spent nearly enough time in the gift shop.