University Libraries University of Washington Digital Collections
Not a member yet
286132 research outputs found
Sort by
Anna Guerra interview
No full textAnna Guerra was born in Laredo, Texas and is a 9th generation Laredoan. Her family helped found the town back in 1755. She grew up speaking Spanish, learned English in school and recently learned Hebrew. She attended the University of Texas where she persued a law degree, receiving her Doctorate in Jurisprudence in 1992. She also received her Master's in Clinical Psychology and has been practicing as a psychotherapist for almost 21 years. She's lived in Houston, Texas for 28 years. Anna was raised Catholic but recently converted to Judaism and currently belongs to a congregation in Houston. She started the Spanish citizenship application but did not complete the process.Anna discusses her childhood upbringing and family lineage in Texas and her educational, religious and language background. She shares her Sephardic origins and the discovery of her paternal great grandmother being Jewish and growing up in northern Mexico. She discusses the genealogy and local history projects showing Rio Grande colonists of Sephardic origin from the 1750s (00:05:14). Anna talks about her Mexican American identity, tracing ancestry through DNA, and her research focus on her Sephardic origins (00:09:38). She discusses converting to Judaism (00:18:56) and her experiences attending synagogue (00:23:10). Anna explains how she learned about the Spanish citizenship opportunity (00:26:47) and her motivations for applying (00:30:07). She explains how Spanish citizenship provides affirmation of history and the complexity of identities and feelings of belonging (00:35:28). Anna concludes with thoughts on Sephardic identity and connection to Jewish culture and people (00:45:27).Topics presented in order of discussion on recording:
-Childhood upbringing in Texas; education, language, and religious background.
-Discovery of Sephardic origins in college and confirmation that paternal great grandmother was Jewish and from northern Mexico.
-Sephardic communities in Nuevo Leon during the 1750s.
-Genealogical research using DNA and family trees.
-Discussion of Mexican American identity, tracing heritage back to the 1500s, and desire to better understand hidden Sephardic identity and origins.
-Converting to Judaism, feeling called to Jewish identity, and understanding story of Jewish family migration.
-Personal experiences and cultural connections with Ashkenazi Jews.
-Intellectual freedom within Jewish faith compared to experiences growing up Catholic.
-Subliminal transmission of Jewish identity.
-Learning about citizenship opportunity and applying for certificate of Sephardic ancestry.
-Applying for affirmation and validation of Jewish and Spanish background and history; making history explicit and being part of emerging reconnection.
-Thoughts on persecutions of Jews in Spain and impact on belonging to the country.
-Complexity of the human experience - being oppressors/conquerors and oppressed/subjegated; importance of embracing historical complexities.
-Identifying as a Sephardic Jew and experiences attending a conservative Ashkenazi synagogue.1 online resourceSephardi Citizenship Oral Histor
Two plastic bottles of homemade eyewash used during the racial justice protests in Seattle in June, 2020
No full textThese recycled plastic water bottles held homemade eyewash solutions for treating effects of chemical agents like teargas and pepper spray used by police on protesters during the June protests for racial justice, 2020. They were collected by MOHAI staff from Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.2 Bottle, Water; Materials: plastic; Dimensions: 8.25 in.H x 2.5 in.Dia
Flour sack from Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill, 2020
No full textDuring the COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide quarantine lockdown in 2020, many people took to baking and, in various places including Seattle, it was difficult to buy flour which was flying off the grocery store shelves. The donor of this artifact, along with his roommate, drove to Burlington (about 65 miles) to purchase this flour bag from Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill. They named the bag "Flourence" (like Florence) and listed all the items they baked with this flour.1 Bag, Food Storage; Materials: pape
Seattle park sign, "Small, Simple, Socially Distant," 2020
No full textThe Seattle Parks Department created a selection of instructional signs for use in local parks during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strongly recommended health and safety protocols included social distancing and keeping groups small, even when gathering outside.1 Sign, Instructional; Materials: plastic; Dimensions: 17.75 in.H x 23.75 in.W x .25 in.
Cotton mask, "It's a Girl!" from Virginia Mason Birth Center, 2020
No full textThese masks were distributed to new parents at the Virginia Mason Birth Center in Seattle during the COVID-19 pandemic.1 Mask, Surgical; Materials: cotton; Dimensions: 5.25 in.H x 7 in.
King County Elections "Vote!" mask, 2020
No full textThese masks were issued by King County Elections to staff working at in-person voting sites for the 2020 general election. The design includes the word “Vote!” in the five languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean) that the ballots were available in at the time. This mask was used by a worker at the formerly named CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle.1 Mask, Surgical; Materials: cotton; Dimensions: 5 in.H x 8 in.
Souvenir rally towel from the inaugural season opening night home game of the Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly Seattle Dragons) XFL football team, 2020
No full textThe Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly the Seattle Dragons), established in 2019, was an XFL football team franchise based in Seattle. The XFL was a professional American football league that featured simplified rules for a faster pace game, and drew players from former college teams and the NFL. This bright orange rally towel commemorates the Seattle Sea Dragons inaugural home game on February 15, 2020, and is meant to resemble a dragon breathing fire when spectators wave it. The Sea Dragons as a team was ultimately short lived. In December 2023, when the XFL merged with the USFL (United States Football League) to become the UFL (United Football League), the Seattle team was not part of the merger.1 Towel, Hand; Materials: cotton --plastic --paper; Dimensions: 15 in.H x 17.5 in.
Covid 19- The resilience of everyday People
No full text"Polio, Scarlet fever, Spanish fly, H1N1, Whooping cough, HIV, and now Covid-19 to name just a few pandemics that haunted the USA. All of them spread death and misery throughout the population. This essay takes a look at ordinary people and how they dealt with natural and man- made crises during their lifetime and how they are coping now with the threat of Covid-19. Two people are interviewed for this project, an African American man from Baltimore MD and a White American woman with Scottish heritage from a rural area in WA State. Due to a historic turn of the event, the conclusion is looking into the equal rights protests that are going on all over the country and the world
Steve Smith interview
No full textIn this interview, Steve Smith recounts stories from his tenure at UW Tacoma during its early years, including anecdotes of students who returned to school mid-career, snapshots of graduation ceremonies, and past conversations with administrators and colleagues. At the start of the interview, Steve Smith describes his impressions of downtown Tacoma in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Further into the interview, he shares his experience working as an administrator who maintained close connections with colleagues at UW Seattle. He describes his involvement in the unique South Puget Sound Diversity Partnership. In conclusion, Smith emphasizes UW Tacoma’s remarkable connection with the local community, sharing his insights into the education system in the area from K-12 to college.Steve Smith (b. 1959) came to UW Tacoma during its initial academic year in the fall of 1990 as the Director of Admissions, Student Affairs, and Community Relations. He worked at UW Tacoma until 2009. Currently the executive director of the Black Education Strategy Roundtable, he has had a career lasting over 25 years in college administration in Tacoma. He is active in the community, serves as a board member of Pierce College, and has served on many community boards, such as the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8, Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, and Tacoma Community House. He has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Guidance and Counseling from Pacific Lutheran University. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and currently resides in University Place.The oral history interview with Steve Smith was part of the “Founding Stories” phase of the UW Tacoma Oral History Project.To request a high resolution or uncompressed reproduction, or to obtain permission to use any portion of this item, contact University of Washington Tacoma Library. Email: [email protected]. Please reference the Digital ID Number
Ryan Petty interview
No full textIn this interview, Ryan Petty discusses his extensive and strategic work bringing a flagship university branch campus to Tacoma with the goal of creating local access to public education and four-year degrees for the city to develop economically. He explains the economic situation of Tacoma in the mid-1980s and the need to increase higher education opportunities in order to develop the workforce and attract business investment. He describes his behind-the-scenes work with higher education administrators and community stakeholders to discuss a possible Washington State University branch campus in Tacoma and to eventually persuade University of Washington to establish UW Tacoma. He reveals his deep personal investment in the place and endeavor, marveling at how "it was meant to be" and he was "just the right person at the right time."Ryan Petty (b. 1949) served as the CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board (EDB) between January 1986 and October 1989. During this time, he played a crucial role in the eventual establishment of the University of Washington Tacoma. Petty grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1971 and juris doctor degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. Ryan enjoyed a 30-plus career in economic development and related nonprofit and public sector management, beginning in 1983 as Vice President for Economic Development of the Austin (Texas) Chamber of Commerce. He moved from the EDB to head up Forward Washington (then Washington’s statewide public-private partnership for economic development). In1992 he moved to Illinois to run the Chamber of Commerce and an allied economic development nonprofit for the City of Rockford (in Chicago’s NW growth corridor). Ryan returned to Tacoma in 2004 as Director of the City’s Community and Economic Development Department, where he served out much of the balance of his career. UW Tacoma's Petty and Mork Endowed Scholarship is named after him and the former City Manager of Tacoma, Erling Mork (who also succeeded Ryan as CEO of the EDB).The oral history interview with Ryan Petty was part of the “Founding Stories” phase of the UW Tacoma Oral History Project.To request a high resolution or uncompressed reproduction, or to obtain permission to use any portion of this item, contact University of Washington Tacoma Library. Email: [email protected]. Please reference the Digital ID Number