Students at WSU were key allies to civil rights leaders, lending their energy and passion to the cause.

The research surrounding the civil rights movement is never-ending, which is a great thing! Marc Arsell Robinson, Assistant Professor of African American History at California State University, has recently released a new book focusing on civil rights protests in the Pacific Northwest region. Prof. Robinson discussed his work with The Conversation and noted that, as an African American born and raised in Seattle, he felt a responsibility to share what he had learned about the city's connection to the civil rights protests.







Generally, research on the civil rights movement has focused on the Southern states and Oakland, Calif. However, the Washington Post reports that Pacific cities, such as Portland, had a small but impactful Black community that sparked civil rights activism. With his book, Washington State Rising, Prof. Robinson is adding to the narrative of civil rights protests near the Pacific. He says that it illustrates Black Power's reach beyond major cities and its effects on higher education, plus how Black student activists used community organizing and interracial alliances to create change.



Through the research process for Washington State Rising, Robinson made some interesting discoveries about the connection between the University of Washington and the Seattle Black Panther Party. He revealed that the Black Student Union at UW helped connect the Black Panther Party to Seattle and that members of the BSU co-founded the Seattle Panthers.

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