Seattle in Coalition

“This well-written, well-researched, superb work undermines attempts to discount the organizing skills of the working and under classes . . . . Highly recommended.”—CHOICE

“Deeply engaging. . . . Johnson does a wonderful job of describing Seattle’s geography and politics. . . . Those interested in the history of Northwest politics will find much to value here, as will urban historians, labor historians, and anyone interested in the ways working people and people of color have understood and responded to globalization.”—Journal of American History

“A rich book [that] rejects the notion that ‘identity politics’ fractured collective organizing, illustrates ties between civil rights and labor activism, illuminates the evolving challenges of labor unions under neoliberalism, and maps relationships between local, regional, and transnational activist networks. Each of these interventions is important and timely.”—Pacific Historical Review

“In this timely and important study, Johnson excavates Seattle’s 'long 1960s' history of multiethnic and multiracial activism through an exploration of overlapping movements that included Native American, African American, Chicanx, and Asian American 'Third World' solidarity activism in the face of urban decline and white-majority neglect. This engaging and deeply researched study of Seattle, one of the USA’s most important cities, is long overdue.”—Marc Rodriguez, Portland State University

“Seattle in Coalition is a pathbreaking study of multiethnic coalitions struggling for civil rights and social justice in the American West. It is a prototype for future such studies and an inspiration for today’s struggle to preserve American democracy.”—Mario T. García, University of California, Santa Barbara

“Diana Johnson’s book offers a lens into multicultural participation in anti-globalization movements, resulting in a convincing case for the long history of activism in Seattle. The assertion that multiracial communities were interested in issues beyond their districts has long been overlooked in histories of postwar cities and segregation—Seattle in Coalition helps amend that gap.”—Josh A. Sides, California State University Northridge

“Seattle in Coalition reinterprets the 1970s as an era of thriving multiracial coalition, challenging the more traditional, declensionist interpretation of the decade. Connecting Seattle’s local, regional, and transnational issues and activism, and building upon the city’s earlier ethnic and racial history, Diana Johnson demonstrates how activism rooted in the 1970s shaped efforts for decades to come.”—Shana Bernstein, Northwestern University