Vera Parham
Vera Parham is Professor of History at American Military University. She earned her PhD in Native American History from the University of California, Riverside, and an MA in Public History from the University of San Diego. Her research and publications focus on the use of protest by various Native American groups and individuals of the Pacific Northwest aimed at preserving and protecting culture and heritage. Lexington Press published her latest book titled, Pan-Tribal Activism in the Pacific Northwest: The Power of Indigenous Protest and the Birth of Daybreak Star Cultural Center. She also serves as the Vice President of the World History Association of Hawaii and has presented papers on Indigenous struggles for survival at numerous conferences. Her publications appear in several anthologies and journals that concentrate on Native American and Public History. Professor Parham teaches courses in World History, Indigenous Activist Women, Native American Cultural Survival and History, United States History, Public History, and Historiography. Her museum experience includes time at the National Museum of the American Indian.
American Military University
Session
The city of Seattle sits at an international crossroads of culture, politics and economics. Her deep ports make her a natural gateway to the Pacific. Her global world view brought the World Trade Organization stomping down her door in 1999. And her many industries have long drawn waves of immigrants from multiple countries to work on farms, in fisheries and the booming tech industry. Family connections spanning generations have kept the city’s population tied to Pacific nations such as Hawaii, the Philippines, Japan, China and Korea. But like all American cities, Seattle’s history of displacement and dispossession of Indigenous people and lands, followed by the subtle and not so subtle racist policies inflicted on Asian American and African Americans is a legacy the city still struggles with. In the late 20th Century, Seattle’s Japanese American population made a unique choice leading to a vibrant and successful social justice movement. When it came time to rally for equal rights, legal protections and the acknowledgement of past wrongs, the Japanese American community in Seattle turned outward for support. They built powerful coalitions with other minoritized communities in Seattle, and their influence spread to international rights movements. Starting with the formation of the Jackson Street Community Council in the 1940s-initially a group of African American and Japanese American business owners- Japanese American activists in Seattle positioned themselves to build cross cultural and cross border coalitions to strengthen front line negotiations for change.