East Madison-East Union Mardi Gras Parade photograph collection, 1952-1957
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Seattle Times Company; Baker, Gil (Gilbert L.), 1919-2005; Forde Photographers (Seattle, Wash.)
- Title
- East Madison-East Union Mardi Gras Parade photograph collection
- Dates
- 1952-1957 (inclusive)1952-08-051957-08-05
- Quantity
- .07 linear feet, (1 pamphlet binder) : 6 photographs
- Collection Number
- 2022-005
- Summary
- Six photographs of the East Madison-East Union Mardi Gras parade in Seattle's Central District.
- Repository
-
Seattle Public Library, Special Collections
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104-1109
Telephone: 206-386-4636
specialcollections@spl.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open and available for use.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
The Central District's East Madison-East Union Mardi Gras Festival was established in 1952 as one of several neighborhood celebrations coinciding with the larger citywide Seafair Festival. The roots of the festival lay in the International Carnival which the Jackson Street Community Council hosted in 1950, coinciding with the first Seafair festival. The Carnival featured Japanese, Filipino and Black communities and culture in an effort to promote Seattle's South District, specifically the Jackson Street business area, and show that it was a safe place for people to visit and enjoy. This joint celebration was short-lived but it gave way to the Chinatown Parade, Bon Odori and the Mardi Gras festival.
The East Madison-East Union Mardi Gras Festival was initiated by Russell Gideon (1904-1985), a Black businessman who was the president of the East Madison-East Union Commercial Club and owner of a pharmacy at 22nd Ave. and E. Madison St. The weeklong festival was an important source of community pride and featured a number of events including a Queen's Ball, carnival festivities and games, creole food and barbeques, costume competitions and a street dance. The young woman elected queen of the Mardi Gras celebration also joined the Seafair court. In its first year, the parade featured floats, bands, and drill teams and drew an estimated 15,000 people. The inaugural 1952 parade route traveled along 19th Ave., E. Madison St., E. Union St., and 23rd Ave., expanding further south in later years.
The festival continued through the 1960s. In 1968, the parade was canceled after police raided the Seattle Black Panthers office and arrested Black Panthers Aaron Dixon and Curtis Harris, causing riots to ignite in the Central District. The police arrested more than 60 others and were faced with charges of brutality and misconduct. After a brief pause, the event returned 1970 as the Peace and Brotherhood Festival, then was reimagined as the Black Community Festival. In 1997, it became the Umoja Fest/ African Heritage Festival and Parade.
Content Description
The collection includes six photographs in total. One photograph shows the Mardi Gras queen candidates for 1955. Four photographs depict parade floats carrying the parade queen and her court. The queens featured include Clara Carpenter (1952), Annette Marshall (1954), Blanche Nolley (1955), and Mary McAllister (1957). The final photograph shows the Chinese Girl Community Marching unit in the 1954 parade. Some photos include views of local businesses in the Central District such as the Fireplace Tavern, 23rd Ave. Café, East Madison Café, Winthrop's Clothing, Peterson Paint Company, Little Record Mart and Tradewell.
Use of the Collection
Return to TopAdministrative Information
Arrangement
This collection was processed at the collection level.
Related Materials
These photographs have been digitized and can be found online in our Black Culture and History Collection: https://cdm16118.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16118coll37/search/searchterm/spl_bch_2022005_*/field/identi/mode/all/conn/and
Acquisition Information
Collection was purchased in 2022.
Processing Note
Acknowledgement of Harmful Content
The Seattle Public Library Special Collections Department is committed to creating an inclusive archive that documents the history of our diverse communities in a respectful manner. Our collections include historic materials that may contain images and outdated language which can be harmful due to issues such as racism, colonialism, sexism and homophobia. This content can provide important insight into the creator and context of the historic materials but can also reveal hurtful biases and prejudices.
We may decide to use or retain harmful language in our description when the terms have been used by the creator(s) of the materials to describe themselves or their community; when we have reused description created by the donor; when we have transcribed information directly from the materials; and when using national standards such as Library of Congress Subject Headings, which allow for standardized searching and retrieval of records. When including language from the original material in our finding aids or descriptions, we will indicate that this material comes directly from the original item by putting the language in quotes or prefacing it with a note that says the description is transcribed from the item or provided by the creator.
We will continually review our finding aids to identify harmful language and encourage you to contact us at specialcollections@spl.org if you find language that causes concern.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- African American women--Washington (State)--Seattle
- African Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Chinese American women--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Chinese Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Festivals--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Parades--Washington (State)--Seattle
Corporate Names
- Seafair
Geographical Names
- Central District (Seattle, Wash.)
