Seattle Public Library Celebrates 50 Years Of The Douglass-Truth Branch Name

The Seattle Public Library’s Douglass-Truth Branch will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its renaming on Saturday, Dec. 13, from noon to 5 p.m., with an event honoring the Central District community that shaped its identity.

The library, located at 23rd Avenue and East Yesler Way, opened in 1914 as the Henry L. Yesler Memorial Library. It was renamed in 1975 after neighborhood residents voted to honor two prominent Black abolitionists — Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth — marking a powerful moment of civic engagement and representation.

“The renaming celebration will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about and honor the rich community histories of the Douglass-Truth Branch and its collection,” said Brian Den-Hartog Lindsey, curator of the branch’s African American Collection. “There will also be opportunities to help us dream about Douglass-Truth’s next 50 years.”

The event, presented in partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®, Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter (AKA-DUO), and the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, will feature all-ages activities including a performance by the Garfield Jazz Quartet, branch history tours, and a presentation on the African American Collection. The collection began in 1965 with a donation from AKA-DUO and has grown into one of the largest of its kind on the West Coast.

“The Douglass-Truth Branch stands as a living testament to the power of history, community, and purpose,” said Saunjah Brantley, president of AKA-DUO. “The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®, Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter, are proud to be at the forefront of a movement that turned knowledge into action and legacy into light. The change signified solidifying representation for the heart of the community that beats in the walls of this library and through every book of the collection.”

The Douglass-Truth Branch’s name change followed decades of demographic transition in Seattle’s Central District. By the 1960s, African Americans made up the majority of the library’s users, yet the institution had been slow to reflect that shift. Members of AKA-DUO — including Roberta Byrd Barr, Ruth Marie Brown, and Dr. Millie Russell — partnered with branch librarian James Welsh to make the library more inclusive, beginning with the creation of the African American Collection.

Dr. Russell and the Black Friends of the Yesler Library later led a community effort to rename the branch. In 1974, a ballot was distributed to residents listing 10 notable African Americans. Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth tied for first place. A year later, on Dec. 5, 1975, Seattle Mayor Wesley Uhlman issued a proclamation officially changing the name, followed by a two-day community celebration.

In a letter to the mayor, Dr. Russell called the renaming the result of an “eight-year effort to rename the Central Area library to a name which would instill a deep oneness and response in our library.”

“As a hub of accessible knowledge for all people, the Douglass-Truth Branch embodies the history and legacy of the Central District,” said Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, president of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. “A passionate group called the Black Friends of Yesler Library led the charge to rename the branch to represent the tenacity of community. This action of civic engagement is the history and service that the Black Heritage Society of Washington State recognizes as the power of community.”

The celebration is sponsored by donors of The Seattle Public Library Foundation. More information is available at www.spl.org/DouglassTruth50.