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39-564: The museum reopened after being closed for about three years due to the challenges the COVID19 pandemic. While the physical buildings were closed to the public, the museum remained active throughout that time. The museum reopened on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - January 16, 2023.  2023 exhibits include: "Colors of Life- African American Abstract Art and the Regathering of Community", which features

78-426: A NPO as they are not formed explicitly for the public good as an NPO must be, and NFPOs are considered "recreational organizations", meaning that they do not operate with the goal of generating revenue as opposed to NPOs. An NFPO does not have the same obligation as an NPO to serve the public good, and as such it may be used to apply for tax-exempt status as an organization that serves its members and does not have

117-478: A bookstore/gift shop, galleries for temporary and permanent exhibitions, and spaces available to the public as rentals. It is adjacent to Jimi Hendrix Park . The museum's inaugural exhibit featured the work of Jacob Lawrence and James W. Washington, Jr. , two prominent, internationally acclaimed African American artists who made their homes in Seattle. Among the works in the show were Lawrence's series of five panels on

156-651: A local black-owned architecture firm, was selected to design the museum conversion. Rico Quirindongo, of DKA, served as the lead architect on the project. The redesign transformed the building into a museum on the ground floor with the second and third stories reserved for 36 affordable apartments. The building, a former elementary school, was nominated for landmark status by the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board in 2005. It became an officially designated Seattle landmark in 2009. The museum has 17,000 square feet (1,600 m) of floor space, including

195-774: A presence that attracted other settlers and strengthened the American claim to the area in later debates between Great Britain and the United States over partitioning the Oregon Country. George Bush lived out the rest of his life in Washington. He maintained excellent relations with local Amerindians , many of whom he nursed through epidemics of measles and smallpox. He also extended remarkable generosity towards his fellow settlers, sharing grain with needy neighbors rather than selling it to speculators at great personal profit. One year, wheat

234-490: A year, and helped several families make the trip to Oregon. According to the Bush family history, Bush built a false bottom onto his wagon in which he hid over a hundred pounds of silver, worth about $ 2,000. The great-granddaughter of Bush claims that Bush had hidden $ 5,000 in silver dollars, some gold bricks, and $ 50 slugs. With him he brought many species of fruit and shade trees that he would plant in his farm at Bush Prairie. By

273-437: Is a legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. An NFPO does not earn profit for its owners, as any revenue generated by its activities must be put back into the organization. While not-for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations (NPO) are distinct legal entities, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. An NFPO must be differentiated from

312-406: Is now Tumwater, Washington . (Tumwater's official history gives most of the credit for its founding to Simmons and the other white settlers; and mentions only in passing one of the main founding fathers of Tumwater, George Bush) Bush and Michael Simmons built the area's first gristmill and sawmill in 1845, and Bush helped finance Simmons' logging company. Bush introduced the first mower and reaper to

351-455: Is or is not" (NAAM Website), and "A Long Walk to Hope: Exploring Seattle’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual March Through Photos", which features the photography of Susan Fried. The first efforts at creating the museum began in 1981, by a multi-racial coalition called Community Exchange. In 1984 a formal task force was established. The following year, community activists Earl Debnam, Michael Greenwood, Charlie James and Omari Tahir-Garrett occupied

390-569: The Oregon Country working for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). About the time Robidoux was hired to establish a trading post at the Blacksnake Hills (which became St. Joseph, Missouri ), Bush moved to the area near said trading post and in 1828 purchased (with cash not grant or homestead) 80 acres of land. His property was in an unorganized part of Clay County, where he married Isabella James,

429-587: The Oregon Trail . Bush's navigation skills and knowledge of the western region, gained during his years as a trapper, made him the indispensable guide of the party. Isabella's training as a nurse was an important contribution as well. Bush and his family were also known to be very generous, purchasing supplies for their fellow travelers first in Missouri and later at great expense at Fort Bridger . Bush bought six Conestoga wagons, equipping them with enough provisions for

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468-599: The United States and Great Britain . The wagon path they laboriously cut would become the northern spur of the Oregon Trail. Bush's connections with the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver may have helped the settlers gain access where the company had previously barred Americans from settling. The Bushes and the other five families established a settlement, named Bush Prairie, at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound in what

507-573: The Washington State Legislature . In 1890, he introduced the bill establishing the institution that is now Washington State University . In 1973, Jacob Lawrence did a series of five paintings depicting George Bush's journey by wagon train from Missouri to Bush Prairie. The paintings are in the collection of the Washington State Historical Society . In 2009, a Bush butternut tree was planted in Bush's memory on

546-689: The Bushes unambiguous ownership of their land, which it did in 1855. Bush was thus among the first African-American landowners in Washington State. According to the Oregon Trail History Library: The Bush-Simmons Party is credited by some historians as having been in large part responsible for bringing the land north of the Columbia River—the present-day state of Washington—into the United States. They established

585-815: The Pacific Northwest. George Bush was born in Pennsylvania around 1779. An only child, he was raised as a Quaker and educated in Philadelphia. Bush's African American father, Matthew Bush, was born in India . Matthew Bush worked for a wealthy English merchant named Stevenson for most of his life. At Stevenson's home in Philadelphia , Matthew Bush met his wife, an Irish maid who also worked for Stevenson, and they married in 1778. Pennsylvania did not repeal its anti-miscegenation law until 1780, suggesting that Matthew Bush

624-637: The United States. By staking an American claim to the area, Bush and his party had also brought Oregon's black American exclusion laws, clouding the title to their land; these laws would not have applied if the territory were under the British Empire. When the Washington Territory was formed in 1853, one of the first actions of the Territorial Legislature in Olympia was to ask Congress to give

663-629: The Washington State Capitol campus was dedicated on November 19, 2021. This monument refers to the contributions of Mr. Bush and his son William Owen Bush to Washington Territory, Washington State, and what became Washington State University. A copy of this monument will be installed on the campus of Washington State University at Tri-Cities in Richland, Washington. Although Bush is widely known today by his ostensible full name of George Washington Bush, doubt has been cast on if "Washington" actually

702-494: The area in 1856. In addition to their farm, the Bushes ran a roadside hotel for free. Wayfarers traveling between Cowlitz Landing and Puget Sound liked to stop there. It was open to anyone who came through the area. The Bushes would give visitors a good square meal and gave gifts of grain and fruit grown on the Bush farm. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 ended the joint administration north of the Columbia, placing Bush Prairie firmly in

741-400: The daughter of a Baptist minister of German descent, on July 4, 1830. Missouri was a slave state at the time and had adopted anti-miscegenation laws in 1821, but like his father's marriage, there is no evidence that his marriage was thought to be illegal at the time. Bush was a free man and had never been a slave, but, while he was of African and Irish descent, Missouri did not provide him

780-505: The disused Colman School to claim the building as the desired museum location. Tahir-Garrett's son Wyking Kwame Garrett later also participated in occupation, which continued for eight years. Meanwhile, the city of Seattle, Seattle School District, and community activists explored other possible locations for the museum. In 1993, a not-for-profit organization called the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center

819-530: The goal of generating profit. An example of this is a sports club , which exists for the enjoyment of its members and thus would function well as an NFPO, with revenue being re-invested into improving the organization. These organizations typically file for tax exemption in the United States under section 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code as social clubs. Common ventures for which NFPOs are established include: Charities, as NFPOs, function under

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858-555: The grounds of the Washington State Capitol , and later also dedicated in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The tree is a direct descendant of a seedling brought west on Bush's wagon and planted in 1845 at the Bush homestead on Bush Prairie. The original tree was one of the largest, and likely the oldest, living butternut trees in the United States when it died in 2021. A permanent monument to George Bush and his family on

897-587: The group that had originally occupied the building, leading to a split among African-American activists. Carver Gayton was appointed director of the museum and Barbara Earl Thomas was appointed curator in 2004-2005. In 2006 the Museum became its own 501(c)(3) non-profit separate from the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. Ground was broken in spring 2006. During the March 2008 opening ceremonies, Wyking Kwame Garrett seized

936-530: The life of George Washington Bush , Washington State's first African American settler, and Washington's work from 1956 entitled "The Young Queen of Ethiopia," carved from Mexican volcanic stone. Though the artists came from different backgrounds and their art entreated different topics and mediums, "one thing they held in common was a firm belief in their own direction as artists. Their work moves us because they were clearly compelled to do it, to communicate deep social or inner truths. Both Lawrence and Washington did

975-613: The microphone and described the Urban-League-led museum as a "disgrace," a "scam," and "not what we sacrificed our lives for." He refused to leave or to be quiet, and was arrested. Nonetheless, Carver Gayton acknowledged the occupiers' role in bringing the museum into being: "They had a role in improving visibility of the African American Museum. They were part of that. We can't discount it." Similarly, Rev. Sam McKinney, former pastor of Seattle's Mount Zion Baptist Church, thanked

1014-635: The next twenty years. Bush fought under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans . (Bush, Jeremiah Mabie and William Rutledge are the only known War of 1812 veterans to have settled in Thurston County, and the earliest known U.S. veterans in the county. ) He later worked as a voyageur and fur trapper with a Frenchman named Joseph Robidoux IV headquartered in St. Louis, then spent several years in

1053-545: The occupiers: "For eight years, they fought the wrecking ball." NAAM is among the cultural organizations in the city of Seattle that have originated through an occupation protest , including El Centro de la Raza and the Daybreak Star Cultural Center . The museum is located in the former Colman School designed by James Stephen and built in 1909 in the Jacobean architecture style. Donald King Architects (DKA),

1092-488: The painful work of finding their authentic voice as artists, a hard journey that few accomplish and which in itself sets them apart. That task was multiplied hugely by the fact that they were black men in a country with deep racial divides and prejudices. They were trailblazers, creating opportunities and helping others along the path. We can all benefit by the work they did." Interactive story times, movie nights, book talks, lectures, and research and writing workshops are among

1131-443: The premise that any revenue generated should be used to further their charitable missions rather than distribute profits among members. This revenue might come from donations, fundraising, or other activities undertaken to support their charitable cause. George Washington Bush George Bush (c. 1779 – April 5, 1863) was an American pioneer and one of the first African-American (Irish and African) non- Amerindian settlers of

1170-669: The programming and events hosted by the Museum. NAAM also hosts virtual exhibits and events, including the Dr. Carver Gayton Youth Curator Program sponsored by NBCUniversal and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. In 2009, the Museum "used an AAHC grant to establish an annual nine-month curatorial internship, strengthening the museum’s relationship with the University of Washington museology program." Not-for-profit organization A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization ( NFPO )

1209-604: The same legal status as a white man. It is noted that the marriage was performed by John P. Smith, Justice of the Peace, who may have had an arrangement with Bush. Smith had been appointed Justice less than a month before Bush's marriage, immediately following the formation of Washington Township in May 1830. To qualify for the formation of the township they had to certify to the Secretary of State "that there were at least 95 taxable inhabitants in

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1248-653: The time the Bush-Simmons party reached the Oregon Country over four months later, the Provisional Government of Oregon reacting to racially-charged violence had passed an exclusionary law barring black persons, slave or free, from entering the Oregon Territory on penalty of lashing. As a result, Bush and his party traveled north across the Columbia River , into territory that at the time was claimed by both

1287-488: The township upon its creation," including George Bush, whose 1828 land purchase was within Washington Township boundaries. Some sources state that his family lived in comfort there, while others suggest they faced increasing prejudice. Land records show they moved from the edge of Clay County to unorganized territory in what became Daviess County, and finally into unclaimed territory north of St. Joseph . This area

1326-406: The work of four Black Pacific Northwest artists: Showcasing abstract art featuring the works of Northwest artists: Vincent Keele, Shantell Jackson, Lo Mar Metoyer, and Yeggy Michael. Other current exhibitions are "Freedom of Expression", which showcases visual artistic expression produced by artists of African descent residing in the Pacific Northwest, "challenging any misconception of what “Black” art

1365-567: Was annexed after the Platte Purchase , and organized into Andrew County in 1841. The Bush family left a few years later. The family had nine boys, of which six survived past infancy, including Owen in 1832, Joseph T in 1833, Riley B in 1836, Henry S in 1840, January J in 1844, all in Missouri, and Lewis Nisqually in 1847 in the new territory. In 1844, Bush and his family (along with five other families including his friend Michael Simmons , totaling 31 people) left Missouri, heading west on

1404-598: Was buried in Tumwater, Washington at Union Cemetery, now a city pioneer cemetery called Bush/Union/Pioneer Calvary Cemetery. The cemetery is listed on the national, state and city registers of historic places. Historians have noted how Bush's experience exemplifies the interdependence and interconnection of people from different racial groups on the western frontier, as well as the ugliness of racial prejudice. Their six sons carried on their tradition of farming and public service. The eldest, William Owen Bush , served twice in

1443-445: Was either not considered black, or he was married under the care of Germantown Friends meeting in violation of the law. George's parents served Stevenson until his death. Stevenson had no other family and so left the Bushes a substantial fortune. When he was about twenty years old, Bush moved to Illinois where he entered the cattle business for the first time. In about 1820 Bush moved his cattle business to Missouri where he remained for

1482-499: Was formed and a Board of Directors was selected to oversee the project with Mayor Norman Rice 's office. In 1995, Mayor Rice appointed Bob Flowers as chairman of the museum board. The Urban League became involved in the project in 2001 under the leadership of Board of Directors and CEO James Kelly and purchased the Colman School from Seattle Public Schools in 2003. Unlike Flowers's group, the Urban League group had no continuity from

1521-457: Was in short supply and Bush was offered an unheard-of price for his entire crop. His response was "I'll just keep my grain to let my neighbors who have had failures have enough to live on and for seeding their fields in the spring. They have no money to pay your fancy prices and I don't intend to see them want for anything in my power to provide them with." Bush died in Tumwater on April 5, 1863. Isabella James Bush died September 12, 1866. Bush

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