Washington Foundation January/February 2020 Newsletter

DR. JAMES W. WASHINGTON JR. & MRS. JANIE ROGELLA WASHINGTON FOUNDATION The Washington Foundation • PO Box 22952 • Seattle WA 98122

James Washington Fountain of Triumph

CULTURAL ARTS

O O O

COMMUNITY & CREATIVITY

2020 The WASHINGTON Year

Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Inc. The Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the acquisition, preservation and exhibition of materials relating to the history and culture of African-Americans in the State of Washington . * Solicits, collects, and preserves family and organization memorabilia * Prepares and presents exhibits for local special events * Recognizes, annually, African-American pioneers in their fields of endeavor Friends create a Brighter Future for ALL!

For Information, questions, comments, and contributions contact Dr. James W. Washington Jr & Mrs. Janie Rogella Washington Foundation (The Washington Foundation) 1816 26th Avenue P PO Box 22952 P Seattle WA 98122 206 P 709-4241 P jjw181626@aol.com P www.jameswashingtonculturalcenter.org Facebook P James and Janie Washington Cultural Center

Thanks to those who maintain and keep our “Little Free Library” full of greats books; thanks to Esther Ervin for building the “Little Free Library.”

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER ! KEITH W ILLIAMS, FLYRIGHT PRODUCTIONS

Thank you James & Janie for the Vision. . . . We Love you!

NEWS & INFORMATION FROM THE WASHINGTON FOUNDATION BOARD VOLUME 3 P ISSUE NO. 1 P JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

110TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR JAMES W. WASHINGTON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2019 FELLOWSHIP HALL - MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WYMAN

French ! Bonne Année . . . Japanese ! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu Swahilli ! Sikukuu ya Mwaka Mpya! . . . Spanish ! Feliz Año Nuevo Chinese ! Xin Nian Kuai Le

Thank you 2019 & a Happy New Year of Communit & Creativity

The following is Virginia Wyman's Presentation Speech at the 110th Birthday Celebration for James W. Washington, Jr. Her sister, Dee Wyman assisted her with the gift presentation.

The other sister, Chi Chi was also in attendance. We fervently express our thanks to the Wyman Youth Trust for supporting the Washington Foundation since it birth in 1997.

Rev. Dr. LaVerne C.Hall (Exec. Dir.) Board Members pictured: Ed Morris, Rosemary Young, Elma Horton (President) Jessie Attri, Jim Yearby, Henry Smith Henry Smith

irst and foremost, on behalf of the Washington Foundation Board, thanks so very much for all the support given to us during 2019 and certainly years prior. The Washington Foundation appreciates every expression of your generosity, including but not limited to financial contributions and introducing and inviting others to become a part of the Washington Mission. Your presence and participation is the reason we can move forward into 2020 with confidence and reason to widen our collaborative with individuals and community organizations. Our newest board member is Henry Smith. Residing in Louisiana, Mr. Smith will be collaborating, reaching out, and creating new relationships with other parts of this nation. He was the Foundation’s very first Writer-in-Residence in 2019. Welcome Mr. Smith!

The Board in 2020 is committed to continuing our ONE Campaign themed “Carousel”, to reach out to 1 million individual contributors, asking them to commit/give $1.00 a year, a month, or a week, with a target goal of One Million Dollars. These monies will be used to renovate, renew and restore the Washington house and gardens.

The house is 102 years old and needs lots of work. If you have not made your One Commitment, now is the time to do so. PO Box 22952, Seattle WA 98122. Thanks to our ONEs on the Carousel contributors noted here: Join the Carousel of ONEs. . . to let us add your name . . .

Rev. Dr. LaVerne C. Hall, Exec, Dir.; Mrs. Elma Horton, Board Chair; Jessie Attri ! Gloria & Edwin Morris; Paris Williams ! Jim Yearby; Rosemary Young ! Glen Youngblood; Mr. Anon; Thomas F. Bangasser, Pastor Robert Britten, Patricia & Jerome Butler; Victor & Victoria Butler; Nancy Chang; Brenda Charles Edwards; Minnie Collins; Marjorie Cottoms; Cutie Kitten; Pastor Micah Daniel; Esther Ervin & Al Doggett; Lindsey Engh; Zane Fitch & Sharon Rose Fitch; Winston Fitch & Victor Fitch; George & Christine Foster; Kieran & Paige Foster; LaWayne Charles Foster; Dorothy Gourdine, Miriam Gourdine, Erica Hale; Sadiqua Iman; Yvonne Jenkins; Carmen Jones; Outlaw Kandyce; Rev. Dr. Victor C. Langford III; Harold Lincoln; Gail Marino; Tamika Moseley; Maura Salamah O’Brien; Guy Punt; Merlin Rainwater; Annie Riggins; Sara Semitic; Rev. Dr. Linda Smith; Robert Stevens; Lana Sunberg; Callie Vallall; Linda Watson; Annie Williams; Clara Williams; Freddie Williams; Gracie Williams; Lamar Williams; Gazelle Williams; Lee Wright; Virginia Wyman.

Thank you Virginia Wyman, Charter Board Member & Member Emeritus, for your continuing support of the James & Janie Washington Foundation.

This was a festive evening for the James & Janie Washington Foundation! Thank you all for attending this special event! The vision of the James & Janie Washington Foundation is to provide a platform for the entire community to gather around the theme of art. Well, it’s working tonight!

In about 1998, in this hall, in front of the entire board of directors, James wrote a check to the Foundation representing his entire annual investment income. He had us witness this, showing us his commitment to this organization.

This evening, I am donating my two James W. Washington sculptures to the Foundation, and I have asked to deliver them in your presence.

I call James an uber-genius: by this I mean he was a genius at many things. Yet his mission was simple: inspire and promote the creativity in us all, in all arenas.

I wish to ask you to join me in supporting and stewarding this organization. Whatever good ideas you have, please share them.

In closing, I wish to salute Rev. Dr. LaVerne C. Hall for her leadership and unflagging devotion to the James and Janie Washington Foundation.

Thank you.

November 9, 2019 Virginia Wyman

Thanks Virginia for your gifts to the Washington Foundation. In addition, we thank you for your years of support, voice, presence, and participation.

The Washington Foundation Board continues to welcome the Friendships of community organizations . We as well extend our Friendship to them. We believe that Friends Create a Brighter Future for All. Within Friendships are unique and beautiful stories that must be shared.

This is Bettie Luke, the sister of the late Wing Luke. Bettie welcomed our 110th Birthday celebration guests in her language Chinese: Tonight, we celebrate the110TH Birthday Anniversary of James W. Washington, Jr., artist, poet, sculptor, community activist, and humanitarian. Please join in honoring the wishes of the Washingtons . . . sharing his creativity and encouraging others to explore and share theirs. Let’s Celebrate!

After her welcome, Bettie shared the following story of Wing Luke and James Washington: Wing always admired and appreciated artists and would make a point of talking to them, since he was also an artist. Wing had skills in Chinese painting, but gained attention for his political cartoons.

Wing was most known for his work in social justice. I first met Dr. Quintard Taylor, (founder of BlackPast website) at the UofO in Eugene, Oregon. When he learned I was from Seattle, he mentioned a landmark case where a Black family could not buy a house in North Seattle. It was a big surprise when I told him, the attorney in that case was my brother, Wing Luke! And I attended that trial when I was a Senior at Garfield Hign School.

After that, Quintard asked me to review text of his new book before he sent it to be published - "The Forging of a Black Community; Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era". Then I asked him to be Chair of my Masters Committee.

James Washington knew about Wing's landmark case. Thus, James Washington and Wing Luke formed a relationship through art and social justice. I believe that is why James donated his art work when The Wing Luke Museum started holding Annual Dinner and Art Auctions to support the museum.

So the fact that Wing Luke and James Washington knew each other, was the main reason I was happy to take part in your 110th Birthday celebration of Washington. That relationship is indeed a happy reason to celebrate! In fact, I am choosing to be at your event instead of a major family celebration. I like the concept of building bridges between cultural communities.

Others welcoming our guests in their language include: Spanish + Toni Webb; Québécois French + Madeleine Betz; Swahili + Lady Dee; Japanese + Erin Shigaki; and English + Ovid Thompson

Toni Webb

Madeleine Betz

Lady Dee

Erin Shigaki

Ovid Thompson

Historical Note - - - Some of the original Board members of the Dr. James W. Washington Jr & Mrs. Janie Rogella Washington Foundation, founded in 1997.

Listed: The Honorable Charles Z. Smith (founding President, now deceased), Anne Hauberg (now deceased), Pat McFarlnd, the Honorable Dan Evans, Anita Ball Ervin Woodrow Irving Jr (deceased), Elma Horton, Rev. LaVerne C. Hall, Robert Flowers, Virginia Wyman, Nerissa Williams, Ellie Smith

Please note: The Homer Harris Emergency Hub group was formed about a year ago to help the neighborhood around Homer Harris Park prepare for resilience in case of a disaster such as a major earthquake. Three workshops and several meetings were held in 2019 and now the leadership team is planning for activities in 2020. Plans are to apply for City of Seattle funding to purchase supplies for the Hub (storage box, tent canopy, message boards, radios, etc) and to participate in upcoming community events in the neighborhood. Meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month, 7 pm, in the community room of the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA. All are welcome to attend! For more information contact Lee Nolan, Hub Co-captain, hhhublee@gmail.com.

Dr. Homer Harris (1916-2007) former Garfield High School and University of Iowa football captain has a Seattle park named in his honor, located near the Meredith Matthews YMCA, the address is 2401 E Howell St. 98122.

On behalf of James & Janie, the Washington Foundation Board, expresses thanks and gratitude to each person/organization attending the 110th Birthday Anniversary Celebration of James W. Washington on Saturday evening, November 9, 2019 at the historic Mount Zion Baptist Church at 1634 Rev. Dr. S. McKinney Avenue. Your participation and contributions gifted the Foundation with approximately $10,370.30. Of this amount, Chihuly Gardens & Glass Foundation gave $1,500.00 earmarked for our Artists-in-Residence Program. The Wyman Youth Trust gifted the Foundation in the amount of $2,000.00.

T

hank you to Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for a $10,000.00 grant. This grant will be used for our Artists-in-Residence Program and some interior improvements, making the space better for our artists and visitors.

Tamika was the Washington Foundation’s second writer in Residence n 2019 ,completing the book that is noted here during her month-long residency.

More Artists/Writers/Storytellers/Poets-in-Residences Publication of Janie Washington’s Story Annual May Garden Party More Community & Creativity More Friendships