• June 20
• |
• Pasco

From Mexican to Mexican-American: A Family Immigration Story

As immigration has become more hotly debated in the United States, the arguments have become cartoonish, with one side often painted as naïve and another as xenophobic. What has become lost is the human story of immigration to America, with all its complexity, heartache, and hope. Professor Carlos Gil sought to understand immigration by tracing […]

• June 19
• |
• Olympia

Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion

In March of 1942, 227 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on Bainbridge Island by the US Army. Starting with this small community, a national strategy began, with more than 120,000 Japanese American men, women, and children forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II. Clarence Moriwaki shares the story of Bainbridge Island—the […]

• June 17
• |
• Seattle

Washington on Wheels: Odd and Innovative Transportation Ideas from the Pacific Northwest

Though Boeing is the best-known innovator in travel to have emerged from Washington State, there are many others. From canoe journeys to flying cars (that actually worked!), explore the history and culture of travel in Washington State. Author and broadcaster Harriet Baskas takes audiences on a tour of notable highlights of state transportation history, examining […]

• June 15
• |
• Bellevue

Sticky Subject: The History and Culture of Sugar

When King Henry VIII wanted three pounds of sugar for his guests at an important banquet, he had a tough time getting it. Now the average American eats that much sugar in a single week. Once a rare, exotic ingredient, sugar has become a dietary staple, leaving its sticky fingerprints all over the globe. Anthropologist […]

• June 13
• |
• Seattle

Who Was Chief Seattle?

Chief Seattle wrote nothing down during his life, yet his words—both real and imagined—are known throughout the world. The result is a man made up of both historical and fictional aspects, from which conflicting messages can be gleaned. David M. Buerge, a biographer and a historian to the Duwamish Tribe, Seattle’s mother’s people, spent more […]

• June 13
• |
• Seattle

Who Was Chief Seattle?

Chief Seattle wrote nothing down during his life, yet his words—both real and imagined—are known throughout the world. The result is a man made up of both historical and fictional aspects, from which conflicting messages can be gleaned. David M. Buerge, a biographer and a historian to the Duwamish Tribe, Seattle’s mother’s people, spent more […]

• June 11
• |
• Tumwater

What’s Age Got to Do with It?

“You look good for your age.” “You’re too young to understand.” In employment decisions, family discussions, medical care, and even in birthday cards, assumptions about being “over the hill” or “a lazy kid” are common. What do you wish society would stop saying about your generation? How can we talk about age and aging in […]

• June 11
• |
• Tumwater

What’s Age Got to Do with It?

“You look good for your age.” “You’re too young to understand.” In employment decisions, family discussions, medical care, and even in birthday cards, assumptions about being “over the hill” or “a lazy kid” are common. What do you wish society would stop saying about your generation? How can we talk about age and aging in […]

• June 11
• |
• Tacoma

From Crime to the Classroom: How Education Changes Lives

According to statistics, Omari Amili’s story should have turned out much differently. His parents suffered from addiction which led to him growing up in poverty and struggling in school. Eventually, he ended up serving prison time—which was no surprise considering the combination of life factors that would suggest a lifetime of struggles with the criminal […]

• June 11
• |
• Tacoma

From Crime to the Classroom: How Education Changes Lives

According to statistics, Omari Amili’s story should have turned out much differently. His parents suffered from addiction which led to him growing up in poverty and struggling in school. Eventually, he ended up serving prison time—which was no surprise considering the combination of life factors that would suggest a lifetime of struggles with the criminal […]