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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES The national archives and Records Administration building contains documents important to families based in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. |
Washington state seeks to block the move of historical archives that document the history of Asian Americans and Indigenous Americans in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
The state's Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Jan. 4 that his office filed a lawsuit against the federal government for illegally proceeding with the sale of the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) building in Seattle which houses the documents.
Among the files stored at the building are some 50,000 documents related to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which forced Chinese immigrants to go through a discriminatory application process meant to curb Chinese migration.
“The Archives are critical partners in the conservation of our community’s history,” said Connie So, president of OCA Asian Pacific Advocates – Greater Seattle Chapter. “Most Chinese Americans left few records of their lives and history prior to 1950, making the Archive’s treasure trove of files related to the Chinese Exclusion Act all the more precious."
The federal government plans to ship the National Archives building’s irreplaceable, un-digitized records more than a thousand miles away to archive centers in Kansas City, Missouri and Riverside, California.
"This will effectively eliminate public access to the records," says Ferguson.
Twenty-nine federally recognized tribes, Alaskan tribal entities, and tribal communities from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, as well as nine community organizations, historical preservation societies and museums and the state of Oregon joined Ferguson’s lawsuit.
The National Archives building in Seattle stores exclusive and un-digitized tribal and treaty records, as well as Chinese Exclusion Act case files and records regarding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The records are invaluable resources for researchers, historians and individuals seeking information about their family history or heritage.
The fight to keep the archives in Seattle began about a year ago when it was learned that a little known 5-person federal panel, the Public Buildings Reform Board, recommended closure of the facility so it could be sold. No one was notified about the plans and there was no request for public comment.
After months of contentious back-and-forths between the state and the PBRB, in October 2020, the PBRB decided that it would sell the Archives building in Seattle early this year as part of a bundled sale along with 11 other federal properties around the country. It buried the details of the pending sale deep in a 74-page document on its website.
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NATIONAL ARCHIVES Photographs of immigrants are stored at the National Archives in Seattle. |
The Seattle archive facility houses original case files for people who entered the country through ports in Portland and Seattle. These case files includeThe National Archives in Seattle also contains 50,000 case files related to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was passed to limit the number of Chinese laborers entering the U.S. Individuals applying for entry into the country under the Chinese Exclusion Act had to go through an extensive application process.
The Seattle archive facility houses original case files for people who entered the country through ports in Portland and Seattle. These case files include identification photographs, biographical information, interrogation notes, copies of federal and local court records, as well as personal letters and photographs. These files, created to discriminate against Chinese workers, have become a critical resource to Chinese Americans looking for information about their ancestors.
A dedicated group of local volunteers has been working to index these files, creating an extensive database of family history. If the federal government moves these files, the volunteers will not be able to complete their work or help people learn about their family history.
Among the Asian American groups that have joined the Washington lawsuit are the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, OCA Asian Pacific Advocates – Greater Seattle Chapter, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and the Wing Luke Memorial Foundation.
One potential path offering a ray of hope is that the Office of Management and Budget will have a new leader soon. President-elect Joe Biden has recommended Neera Tanden to become the director of the OMB, which oversees the PBRB. As an Asian American, it is hoped that she might be more sympathetic to those who want to keep the archives in the Pacific Northwest.
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