About Powell Barnett

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click here for the History Link page on Powell Barnett.

Powell Samuel Barnett was born in Indiana and was part of the first large migration of African-Americans to the territory that became Washington; this group of 300 settled in Roslyn to work in the mines. Powell Barnett became active in the Roslyn community and later in Seattle where he married Katherine Conna. He was a lifelong Democrat, serving his area as a Precinct Committee Officer for over 20 years. He helped to found the Urban League and served as President. He helped to establish the East Madison YMCA and worked to merge the local black musician’s union with the white musician’s union after many years of racial animosity. He proudly served on a committee to help Japanese people relocate after World War II. His achievements were many and he received many honors during his lifetime. When he died in 1971, the City of Seattle recognized his years of service by naming the former Garfield running track “Powell Barnett Park.” His life of community involvement is being carried on by his granddaughter, Maisha Barnett, who is heading up the renovation project.

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There's a little bit about him included at an exhibit that will be up at MOHAI for a few more weeks (through February, I think).

This January, KUOW ran a short piece on Powell Barnett, telling the story of how he is responsible for having saved the Meredith Mathews YMCA back in the 1940s.

Quintard Taylor mentions Mr. Barnett in his excellent 1994 history of the Central District in a section dealing with how citizen involvement helped prevent "neighborhood succession" (a euphemism for the rapid racial transformation of a neighborhood). He writes that the best example of this kind of involvement making a difference, and keeping a neighborhood healthy, diverse, and connected, is the old Leschi Improvement Council whose membership included Powell Barnett (who Taylor describes as a first and foremost as a community activist), Gene Warren, Leon Bridges, James Sanders, Roger Sale, and Sheila Bodemer.

The story Taylor cites is from the May 27, 1967 Seattle P-I (p. 15). The P-I doesn't have issues that old on-line, does someone else have easy access to this story...Perhaps Dr. Sale would come and talk to our group about the old Improvement Council (and perhaps you know one of the other members listed above??)

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