Emmett Hercules Holmes was a civil rights activist, and early Spokane settler.

ID: 5733 ~ Source: Image courtesy of Joseph Franklin, "All Through the Night", 1989

This file appears in: Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane

Emmett Hercules Holmes was a civil rights activist, and early Spokane settler.

Emmett Holmes was one of the first African American settlers in Spokane. He grew to be an important political figure in Washington State, and by the time of his death, he had held more government posts than any other Black man in Washington.

This file appears in: Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane

Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane

By Elizabeth Hedt

A 1908 article in the Seatle Republican, an African American newspaper, cast a spotlight on Spokane, “A Group of Beautiful Homes of Negros in the Northwest.” It showcased five houses owned by Black Spokane businessmen. Frank L. Wilson, a caterer,…