Open to Question

From 1967 to 1980, the Open Door Clinic provided medical services, counseling, and referral services at no charge. This was a first in a long tradition of organizations in the University District that exist to serve the community of wanderers in the neighborhood.

1968 / Black Student Union Demonstration Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection

The Black Student Union staged a sit-in at University President Charles E. Odegaard’s office. This prompted several changes at the University, including the hiring of 12 new African American professors and the creation of an Office of Minority Affairs on campus.

At the University, student activists often targeted ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) and other military recruiting programs on campus.

A scene from one of the many community “reconciliation” meetings that occurred in 1969 and 1970, aimed at settling differences between competing factions in the neighborhood. These meetings were successful at negotiating better relationships among the neighborhood’s opposing groups.

1970 / Protestors on Interstate 5 Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection

Thousands of people spilled onto I-5 on their way to an anti-war protest in downtown Seattle. In this photo, 30 state patrolmen in riot gear await the crowd. The march was redirected, but the following day, 10,000 more people returned to the freeway to protest.

1970 / President Charles Odegaard Speaks Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection

Odegaard closed the University on May 8 for a “day of reflection.” He was one of 37 American university presidents to send telegrams to President Nixon asking for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and Cambodia.

Following the rally on campus, around 7,000 people marched to I-5, blocking traffic on the freeway. This photo shows the crowd of people as it made its way down NE 45th Street towards the Interstate.

In the week following the Kent State shootings, thousands of University students joined other students across the nation who threatened to go on strike if their demands to end the Vietnam War were not met. University students did go on strike, and it lasted for several weeks.

Anti-war students gather on top of a car the day after the Kent State shootings. “We realized that if there is one place in all of Seattle where things are going to be volatile… and people got out and expressed themselves; it was in the University District.”
–Patty Whisler, University District Activist and Volunteer

The day after National Guardsmen shot and killed four Kent State University students who were protesting President Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia, thousands of University of Washington students gathered in front of the Husky Union Building (HUB) to protest the shootings and the continuation of the Vietnam War.

The University District Center was an important contributor to the spirit of community activism in the neighborhood. The Center partnered with the University Baptist Church to provide temporary housing for wanderers. It set a precedent for the proliferation of community-oriented service centers in the University District.

In May of 1970, the first University District Street Fair was held on the Ave. Its intention was to ease past social and political tensions and focus on the positive aspects of the neighborhood. The first fair was a huge success, with over 50,000 people in attendance.

1971 / Native American Student Demonstration Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection

University of Washington students march on the Bureau of Indian Affairs for failing to meet the needs of Native Americans in Washington state.