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Seattle’s Gang of Four – An Interracial Coalition

The ‘Gang of Four’ or ‘Four Amigos’ is a group of four Seattle activists from Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Latinx communities.  They organized and advocated for the needs of people of color from the late 60s and 70’s onward.

Councilmember Larry Gossett is the last surviving member of the Gang of Four. Councilmember Gossett is a former Seattle Chapter Black Panther Party member, Co-founder of the University of Washington, Seattle Black Student Union, the former Executive Director of the Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP), and Co-Founder of the Third World Coalition He also founded the Minority Executive Directors Coalition (MEDC) alongside the Gang of Four.  He celebrated his 79th birthday this month.  In this interview with Councilmember Gossett from December, 2021, he reflects on the powerful and lasting work of the interracial coalition. 

Producer: Yuko Kodama

Photo: Gang of Four Book Cover “Gang of Four,” by Bob Santos and Gary Iwamoto

Councilmember Larry Gossett: From Harlem to the Mob Attack on the Country’s Capitol Building

A KBCS interview with one of our region’s powerful leaders, Councilmember Larry Gossett.  He served as King County Councilmember between the years of 1993 and 2019.  Councilmember Gossett was also an active Black Panther Party member and was a founding member of the University of Washington Black Student Union.  Listen to the experiences that transformed his life, and informed his approach to public service.

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Councilmember Larry Gossett and Governor Gary Locke

KBCS interviews two powerful civic leaders from our region.  This segment was produced in partnership with the International Examiner and Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment (APACE). (more…)

Seattle’s 1968 Franklin High School Sit-In

Seattle’s Franklin High School made history on March 29th, 1968 as reportedly over 100 students staged a sit-in. It was the first of its kind. And it helped to spark the civil rights movement in Seattle.

Episode 1 -Former Franklin High School student involved in the 1968 student sit-in, Charles Oliver recounts his experience of what led up to the Franklin High School sit-in.

Episode 2 – Former Franklin High School student involved in the 1968 student sit-in, Trolice Flavors shares his experience of the event.

Episode 3 – King County Councilmember and former participant of Seattle’s 1968 Franklin High school sit-in, Larry Gossett recounts what led up to the event and the impact that it had.

Episode 4 – Former black student union organizer at Seattle’s Garfield high school, Elmer Dixon talks about his support of forming Seattle’s Franklin High school black student union during the 1968 student sit in.

Episode 5 – Former participants in Seattle’s Franklin High School Sit-In, Trolice Flavors, Elmer Dixon and Charles Oliver, talk about what Black Lives Matter means to them

Music by Kevin MacLeod – “Acidjazz”

Photo  EJ Brisker and Kathy Halley speaking with the press after the Franklin High School Sit-In is courtesy of MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection