Emmett Hercules Holmes was a civil rights activist, and early Spokane settler.
This file appears in: Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane: In Spokane's earliest decades, neighborhoods were segregated by wealth, not by race.
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: In Spokane's earliest decades, neighborhoods were segregated by wealth, not by race.
Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane: In Spokane's earliest decades, neighborhoods were segregated by wealth, not by race.
Before 1920, Spokane neighborhoods had no formal policies segregating housing by race. Successful Black Spokanites erected fine residents all over town, many of which still stand today.