|
Seafair royalty and escorts from the Japanese American Citizens League strolling past the unfinished Washington State Coliseum, Seattle, November 18, 1961
|
|
|
|
|
| Title | Seafair royalty and escorts from the Japanese American Citizens League strolling past the unfinished Washington State Coliseum, Seattle, November 18, 1961 |
| Photographer | Ogawa, Elmer, 1906-1970 |
| Date | 1961 |
| Notes | This image is from a series of photographs taken several months before the official opening day of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, when Japanese American Seafair royalty and representatives from the Japanese American Citizens League took a walking tour of the Century 21 fairgrounds as a means of generating publicity for the event.
The Space Needle, in an early phase of construction, can be seen in the background.
Stamped on image border: Photo by Elmer Ogawa
Filed in: Ogawa 10-5-42 |
| Contextual Notes | The first Seafair festival took place from August 11 to August 20, 1950. The celebration was designed to attract tourists and to reinforce Seattle's position as the self-proclaimed "boating capital of the world" through water-themed events and attractions. Hundreds of thousands of people attended over 100 events throughout King County, which included boat and bicycle races, water-skiing competitions, musical performances, neighborhood parades and parties, and coronation ceremonies for Seafair water kings and queens. The tradition continues to this day, and is perhaps best known for the hydroplane races that take place on Lake Washington, the aerial acrobatics of the Navy's Blue Angels, and the elaborate Seafair Torchlight Parade that closes the festival each year.
The Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League served as the voice of the Nisei (second generation Japanese). The members (primarily professionals) tended to be highly nationalistic and proud of their American citizenship, promoting good citizenship and active participation in civic life. Organized 1921, as Seattle Progressive Citizens' League, it became the Seattle Chapter of the National Japanese American Citizens League in 1930.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Seattle Japanese American Citizens League met to organize an Emergency Defense Council composed of the presidents of many Nisei organizations. When incarceration became inevitable, the Seattle Japanese American Citizens League began to cooperate with the War Relocation Authority in the removal and in governing the Puyallup Assembly Center (Camp Harmony). James Sakamoto, Chairman of the Emergency Defense Council, became Chief Supervisor of the Japanese staff at the Puyallup Assembly Center.
The Chapter was inactive during the period immediately following the war, but was formally reactivated in 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Seattle Japanese American Citizens League became involved in civil and human rights issues. Chapter members participated in the statewide effort to eliminate from the Washington state constitution the 1899 Alien Land Law which prohibited Asians from owning land. In 1966, SJR 20 passed as an amendment to the constitution. |
| Subjects (LCTGM) | Beauty contestants--Washington (State)--Seattle; Women--Washington (State)--Seattle; Building Construction--Washington (State)--Seattle; Sports & recreation facilities--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Subjects (LCSH) | Seattle Center (Seattle, Wash.); World's Fair (1962: Seattle, Wash.); Japanese Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle; Key Arena (Seattle, Wash.) |
| Location Depicted | Unites States--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Digital Collection | Society and Culture Collection
|
| Order Number | SOC3191
|
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see: http://www.washington.edu/specialcoll/service/reproduction.html
Please cite the Order Number. |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries, Special Collection Division |
| Repository Collection | Elmer Ogawa Photograph Collection. PH Coll 178 |
| Object Type | Photograph |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from a photographic print using a Microtek Scanner 1000x at 120 dpi in JPEG format at compression rate 3 and resized to 768x600 ppi. 2011 |
|
|
|
|
|
