After the long Covid lockdown, many of us are feeling a yearning to get out of the house. As restrictions loosen, businesses are reopening, including our area museums. This summer is a great opportunity to learn more about our local history. By understanding the history and culture of our city, we will be better equipped to bring God's healing and reconciliation to our neighborhoods and our region. We hope you had a chance to visit one of the places featured in our last newsletter. This installment will focus on Tacoma.
Places to Visit in Tacoma
Tacoma Art Museum
The exhibit The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection opened on July 31 and runs through November 28. "The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection celebrates the achievements and contributions of Black Americans from 1595 to present times. Considered one of the most comprehensive surveys of African American history and culture outside the Smithsonian Institution, the exhibition of the same name features the shared treasures amassed by Shirley and Bernard Kinsey during their five decades of marriage. The collection includes masterful paintings and sculpture, photographs, rare books, letters, manuscripts and more that offer a well-rounded look at the African American experience and provide new perspectives on the nation's history and culture."
Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park
On November 3, 1885, all of the Chinese people left in Tacoma were rounded up and expelled from town. In 1992 a group of citizens and local officeholders began a process of reconciliation. After more than a year of work, "on November 30, 1993, the City Council unanimously approved Resolution No. 32415 to acknowledge that the 1885 expulsion was "a most reprehensible occurrence." The City Council recognized the efforts of the citizens committee and endorsed the concept of building a Chinese Commemorative Park and international pavilion at the former National Guard site on Commencement Bay."
"Designed around the backdrop of a Chinese garden and intended as a place of healing and harmony, the park allows visitors to walk along the interpretive pathways through the sculptured landscape of a Chinese garden and to enjoy the natural beauty of Commencement Bay. The park provides an opportunity to reflect upon the past, ponder the present, dream of the future, and celebrate our cultural diversity and common humanity. The park serves as an inspiration for other communities and a model to those who work for reconciliation in all parts of the world."
Learn more about the history of Chinese Exclusion in Tacoma and the creation of the park with this short film from local PBS station KBTC: Of Race & Reconciliation (16 min)
Washington State History Museum
Explore the history of Washington State through a variety of exhibits. In particular, look for these exhibitions.
Great Hall of Washington History – A walk through time, showcasing some of the state's earliest history and a variety of artifacts from Native American civilizations and cultures.
Remembrance – Explore the intergenerational impacts and legacy of the incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
Washington: My Home – Explore migration and immigration through the experiences of diverse individuals who, over time, have come to live in Washington.