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In 1978, antigay citizens filed an initiative to repeal Seattle's inclusion of “sexual orientation” in its fair employment and housing ordinances. Seattle's queer residents sought to defeat Initiative 13 [I‐13], but disagreed deeply about how to do so. Key debates centered on whether sexual minorities should be highly visible participants in the struggle, if grassroots activism or professional campaign strategies should be used, and whether activists should concentrate solely on defeating I‐13 or link that effort to other long‐term struggles against injustice. Three organizations emerged to fight I‐13, reflecting the deeply felt beliefs that Seattle's queer activists expressed in the debates. Analysis of the I‐13 struggle offers insights into the complexity of coalition politics and the role of individual consciences in framing progressive activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama favorably described the role that incidental 'little interactions' between people can play in building an inclusive society. Centering on a historical case study, this article argues that historians, educators, and activists should address the characteristics of the activism of little interactions, defined as small personal encounters that reduce prejudice and promote social justice, but generally occur without participants envisioning themselves as activists. The case study analyzes efforts to support an interracial family that moved into an all-white Seattle neighborhood in 1948. With reinforcement from Lewis Gould Watts, neighborhood secretary of the Seattle Urban League, a cohort of white neighbors gradually used conversations and other small encounters, usually within their daily routines, to promote racial integration where they lived. Complementing more traditional and visible forms of activism, the activism of little interactions has contributed to the shaky steps taken by the United States toward full integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination of the impact that the novel "The Egg and I," by Betty MacDonald, had on the Pacific Northwest and explores the lawsuit that followed when several individuals from Quimper Peninsula, Washington sued MacDonald claiming their reputations had been damaged and her book was libelous. The 1951 lawsuit against MacDonald, filed by ten plaintiffs, became a source of humor and was covered by Seattle, Washington newspapers. It discuses the trial that ensued and the not guilty judgment that was found by the jury.

Historical narratives about racism in the U.S. military in World War II often center on the injustice directed against black military personnel by white political leaders, military personnel, and civilians, but give less attention to the pressures placed on Americans of all races during wartime to support and even enact violence against selected enemies. In 1944, black soldiers were tried in a court martial in Seattle, Washington, for the murder of an Italian man who had been a prisoner of war until the capitulation of Italy to the Allies. The history of their trial and surrounding public debates about the justification of violence during wartime demonstrates that the pursuit of antiracist justice by and for the black soldiers was strongly complicated by the ambiguous but powerful evocations of patriotic justice that arose during war and constituted a test of citizens’ value to the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]