[TOM FAY] Hello, everyone.
Welcome to the celebration today.
I'm Tom Fay.
I'm the chief librarian for the Seattle Public Library.
Thank you for joining us
as we celebrate the successful conservation of the Soul Pole
and its return to its home for nearly 49 years, the Douglass-Truth Branch.
The library's goal from the beginning has centered around maintaining
community access to the Soul Pole and preferably in its original spot.
And we've done so today.
We're delighted to see that is standing tall on this historic corner.
In early 2021, however, it became clear that the Soul Pole had deteriorated
and needed some conservation, and we had hoped to return it to this location.
While we knew that the sculpture was very important to Seattle's African American
and Central District communities, the library emerged from this process
with a clearer understanding and a deeper appreciation of its significance.
As you can read in the original plaque
in 1969, artists associated with the Seattle Rotary's Boys Club
carved the 21-foot tall sculpture to represent 400 years of African American history.
It was gifted to the library in 1972
and was installed on April 24th, 1973.
Last year, after the Soul Pole was deinstalled by Artech and assessed for conservation,
we began working with Stephanie Johnson-Toliver of the Black Heritage
Society of Washington State to uncover more about its history.
We're also grateful for their support and guidance.
Throughout this process, we've learned about the role of Raqib Mu'ied,
formerly Gregory X, an artist and activist who served as the Rotary Boys
Club, Rotary Boy Club art director and led the Soul Pole Project.
You can see in this
poster, Gregory X at the installation
in 1973.
He worked with youth from the Boys Club after school to carve
the pole, a former telephone pole donated by the city.
And it was designed to represent the 400 years
of African American history and the struggle for justice.
It's wonderful that Mr.
Mu'ied's son Elijah could join us today to share more about his father's
work and legacy, as well as other family members.
We've also learned more about Wilson Gulley Sr., a community leader
who was director of the Boys Club at the time of the Soul Pole
and worked with Gregory X to make the project happen.
Mr. Gulley support of the Soul Pole Project is just one example of many innovative,
innovative ways the Boys Club supported families in the Central District.
They mentored kids and helped them thrive.
It's a real honor that several of Mr.
Gulley's four children Deborah Gulley-Collins, Wilson Gulley Jr. and Keith Gulley,
as well as other family members and friends, could join us today
to share more about their father and his important work in the community.
As they will tell you, they worked on the Soul Pole themselves
after school at the Rotary Boys Club with Mr. Mu'ied
We've heard that the carving of the pole was a community effort,
and I've also heard from several today that it wasn't easy.
If you look at the original plaque at the base of the Soul Pole, you'll read the names
of the five artists that are mentioned besides Gregory X: Brenda Davis,
Larry Gordon, Gregory Jackson, Cindy Jones, and Gaylord Young.
We know that these artists were high school students who worked on the Soul Pole
and that most attended Garfield High.
We're happy that Davis is here with us today, the granddaughter of Brenda Davis,
and she's here to help us honor her grandmother's work.
With more to learn about the youth and originally involved,
we will continue to work with the Black Heritage Society on gathering and preserving this history.
If you do have a story to share, please look for a staff member today.
They'll be roaming around through the audience and here as we have some drinks and treats.
So please check in with us if you do have a story, we'd love to hear it.
The Soul Pole is just one example of the Central District's
community's deep involvement with the Douglass-Truth Branch over the decades.
The library is so grateful for the collaborations we've had with partners like
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which established the branch collection
of African American literature in 1965.
Since that time, the collection has grown to more than 10,000 items.
If you go into the library after this program, I encourage you to explore the collection
and please say hello
to our new African American collection and community engagement librarian Taylor Brooks.
And Taylor, if you're out here, wave your hand for folks to see.
There she is right back here.
This is Taylor's second day, so don't ask her any trick questions.
She is a great librarian. She'll find an answer.
It might just not be right in the moment, so please say hi.
Another name.
Another example is this branch's
very name as far as community involvement originally named after Henry Yesler,
community leaders Millie Russell, who recently we learned was important
in advocating for the gift of the Soul Pole and Roberta Byrd Bar,
among others, founded a group called the Black Friends of Yesler Library,
which raised funds for the library and supported its growth and connections
to the community and through their efforts in organizing the community around a name change.
The branch was renamed after abolitionist
Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.
The last thing I want to mention is the conservation process.
The initial focus of this project was conservation, with the goal of preserving
the Soul Pole in as close to its original form for as long as possible.
We're grateful that we're able to work with Artech Fine Art Services,
which has extensive experience in restoration and preservation,
and that Corine Landrieu, one of the Northwest
top conservators, directed the conservation work.
We're happy that Corine could join us today, as well as Kate Dawson, a representative of Artech.
They did exceptional work in conserving the Soul Pole
in a way that would protect and stabilize it for many years to come.
In alignment with these goals, despite the fact that it has undergone
significant repair, you'll see almost no visible changes to the Soul Pole
with the exception of its new shiny hat.
The new zinc cap is really to protect it
from water and other insects and things getting in and having fun.
So we have made sure that won't happen anymore.
And as soon as, excuse me, and soon, we will be installing a new plaque
to honor the Soul Poles Conservation Project and its unique history.
You can see a mock-up of it here.
I'm now pleased to hand the mic over to Adiam Emery,
who is the Chief Equity Officer of the City of Seattle.
The mayor sends his regrets that he could not attend today,
but Adiam is here to give us some of his remarks.
[ADIAM EMERY] Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
The challenge of being on the grass and high heel.
I keep sinking in, so if I'm getting stuck here, come and pull me out.
Okay.
Alrighty.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you Tom Fay and the Seattle Public Library for bringing everyone together to celebrate
the successful conservation and reinstallation of the Soul Pole.
As we gather here today, to celebrate again the conservation
and reinstallation of the Soul Pole, a 25, a 21-foot tall public sculpture
that has stood tall at the Douglass-Truth Branch of the Seattle
Public Branch since 1973.
We are also honoring the cultural significance centerpiece
in the heart of Seattle's Black community.
Public art is one of the ways in which we preserve
generational history and community narrative,
especially in the face of gentrification
and displacement of our community is experiencing currently.
The Douglass-Truth Branch holds a special place in the mayor's heart.
Growing up in the Central District, the mayor
regularly took advantage of the library services.
A Garfield graduate, he went to the same school
as the artist who created the Soul Pole.
And what some of you might know
that his mother also worked for Seattle Public Library
as Finance Manager.
I believe his special relationship with the public library can be seen today
in our administration's enthusiasm for our commitment
to our public libraries.
As I look at the pole, the Soul Pole and its history,
it's a reminder to me the energy and investment
we need to focus on our kids and youth.
So we want to share our gratitude for what the library,
the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Artech,
and the community were able to accomplish here
by working together, as well as gratitude.
Gratitude for the Boys Rotary Club, and all that
they did for the community, including the Soul Pole.
This special
moments represents both the past,
the future, what the community built here, and the opportunities
the library will provide for so many in the future.
Before I close my remarks, and I thank you so much for having me here on this special day,
I would like to introduce Stephanie Johnson-Toliver,
who is the President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State,
which maintains the largest public collection
of African American memorabilia in the state.
The Black Heritage Society has been an important library partner
on the Soul Pole Project and other ongoing initiatives with the library.
Please help me welcome Stephanie.
(applause)
[STEPHANIE JOHNSON-TOLIVER] Thank you so.
Oh, hello, everyone.
This is so wonderful.
This day, seeing everyone in the community.
This fabulous day in the neighborhood.
Return of the Soul Pole to 23rd
and Yesler.
It was probably just about a year ago this month
when I stood here on this spot with Seattle Public Library representatives and
folks from Converge Media
to talk about the importance,
significance, the history of the Soul Pole,
and also just a little anxiety
about the fact that it was going to be deinstalled.
So that word deinstalled, I was just,
made me anxious, made me nervous.
But what we know is that
it went to a place, it went to Artech and with the conservators there
to bring it back in this beautiful condition that you see today.
The Black Heritage Society, along with the Seattle Public Library,
as the restoration was going on with the pole,
really wanted to know more about the history,
history of the pole, the carvers of the pole.
We knew names. We knew a little bit about them.
We knew that they attended Garfield High School
and were at the Rotary Boys Club, but that was about it.
So as the progress on the pole was happening,
the library and DHS were reaching out to the community to say, "Please come forward."
People came forward
and they continue to come forward to tell us the stories.
And you'll hear some of those stories today. I hope you'll ask,
particularly the Gulley family that's here today,
and then also
it it'll be my pleasure to introduce
the lead artist's son on this project in just a second.
But I wanted to say that
the pole, the Soul Pole represents the tenacity
and significance of the African American footprint
in the Central District.
This is a beacon on this corner.
And I'm so proud today to see it back and just,
you know, kind of fighting back, the tears just a teensy here, to see it back.
So I'm really happy to
to talk more about it.
But I think with
with others behind me waiting to get and share their ...
get up here and share their stories, I'm going to cut to the chase and introduce
today
the son of Raquib Mu'ied, Gregory X:
Elijah Mu'ied.
(applause)
[ELIJAH MU'IED] Good afternoon.
All right, let's get a little participation.
Good afternoon.
Thank you.
Everybody feeling good? I know it's a little chilly.
I'm a warm you up a little bit.
I want to, first of all, thank
the Seattle Public Library for putting on this event.
Want to thank Artech, the ladies who are instrumental
in doing the physical work of it, beautiful work, is very much appreciative.
It is a momentous occasion for me and my family.
Some of us are here right now.
As she just introduced me.
I'm Elijah Mu'ied.
I am the oldest son of Raquib Mu'ied, formerly Gregory X, who was the art director
at the Rotary Boys Club at the time.
I want to say it was 1969 that the pole was actually carved.
So there's, it's legacy for us.
So this is a very happy, happy
event for me.
I was three years old
at the creation of the Soul Pole in 1969, but throughout the years, as I grew older,
it was a source of pride for my family and I, having been introduced
to the pole by my father, Raquib Mu'ied,
known at the time as Gregory Q X.
In recollection of his stories,
the Soul Pole for me was presented
as an artistic representation
of what his overall activism and mission
in the pursuit of human equality for our people was.
It was a depiction of struggle, growth,
and awakening for African American people starting in Africa,
where we were taken to the advent of slavery
and the fight for freedom and equal humanity.
As an adult,
my father shared his memories of the Boys Club, among other things,
regarding his efforts to be not only an artistic guide to the young men and women,
but a life teacher, if you will, a buffer
between them and the outside world.
I think the Boys Club was his first significant role as an activist
and an excellent way to reach the young minds needing to be prepared
to succeed in the future.
He carved the top piece,
the head, which represents
African American awakening our freedom.
Which many of us know, we're still working on that to this day.
That's a story.
That's a story for another time.
(laughter)
My father's legacy
was that of a Black man born and raised in Seattle who loved his people
and wanted to see them rise above the boundaries and obstacles that they faced.
He aided in these efforts through his unwavering practice of his religious faith,
and also in the depiction of his art,
his mentorship, not only in his art, but his sharing of his work knowledge.
Those of you who may know him know he was a master plumber, carpenter.
He was involved in camps.
Minor home repair projects; taught a lot of young men and women
a trade to help them grow.
So for me,
this is a culmination of a legacy
that his children, including myself, my sisters and brothers,
still to this day, do our part as artists and creatives to further along.
And it is beautiful to see everybody out here.
I'm grateful to see all of you.
I wish some more people that I had invited would have come because this is a momentous
piece of history. [AUDIENCE MEMBER] We're here for you.
[ELIJAH MU'IED] Thank you.
(laughter)
In closing,
I want to give a little shout out to my dad.
May the memory of Raquib Mu'ied forever be cherished.
May his legacy live on.
And may his people finally find their fuel
and full humanity.
Thank you.
(applause)
It is my pleasure this at this time to introduce you
to Wilson Gulley, who was the Executive Director of the Boys Club at that time.
His daughter is here to represent him.
Her name is Debra Gulley-Collins.
You guys give your hands for Debra Gulley-Collins.
(applause)
[DEBRA GULLEY-COLLINS] Good afternoon everyone.
First, I want to thank God for this opportunity to celebrate the reinstallment of the Soul Pole.
I am thankful to have two of my brothers in attendance, Wilson Gulley Jr.
and his wife Maureen, Keith Gulley and his wife Michelle,
my aunt, my father's sister
Betty Reed, and my grandson Davion Robinson.
I remember being at the Rotary Boys Club
with my father, Wilson Gulley, when he was the Executive Director of the club.
Also, our mother, Catherine Gulley, was also there at the club working alongside her husband.
Our father, grew up in the "Central," as he called it,
attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School,
Meany Junior High School, and was a proud graduate of Garfield High School.
I spent many hours in the back yard with Gregory X
working on the Soul Pole, chiseling, using the torch to burn the wood -
my brother and I, Wilson - as well as
doing the sandpaper which were to me was the hardest,
was making sure that he wanted to make sure that the Soul pole was smooth.
And also during this time, anyone working on the pole with Greg,
also receive history lessons.
Dad was a visionary.
Some of his accomplishments during that, his tenure at the Rotary Boys
Club were programs such as the Glee Club, where his leader was
Mr. Kirk, teaching music.
The library was had updated materials.
They had an updated game room, sports, arts and crafts.
Also, there were college tours for students who wanted to go to school.
And every year, my father had what was called a celebration.
It was the youth and parent of the year. And every year
he would bring a special celebrity to celebrate with that.
The most important program to dad was the tutoring
and transportation to pick up the youth and bring them to the club.
So that way, parents didn't have to worry about their child while they were at work.
The club also included meals cooked by parents from their parent adult council,
and dad stated many times, the parents are the backbones.
Without the parents, he could not have made an excellent club.
Dad's vision for the community was to offer a safe and holistic place for youth.
Dad also wanted a striving community with businesses economic development.
We want to again thank everyone for making this day possible
to help honor my father and others who worked on the pole.
I know our father is smiling from heaven and thanking everyone
and keeping his vision of our rich history alive through the Soul Pole.
Thank you.
(applause)
[TOM FAY] Thank you Debra for sharing the stories about your dad.
And thank you for the family for coming out today to share this with us.
Thank you to Adiam for representing the mayor today.
Elijah and Stephanie, thank you for sharing as well.
I'm so glad this event is being recorded and captioned, allowing us to keep these stories
in our special collections and to share these exceptional histories with all of Seattle.
I also want to thank Converge Media, which produces content
and local news for the Northwest's Black community.
They have been following the story of the Soul pole through its conservation process
and been a true partner in the communications.
Before I close, I want to mention that we do plan to have a bigger celebration
probably next year when it's its 50th anniversary.
So we'll hopefully see more folks here in attendance for that.
And now we do have some refreshments here for folks, and we can mingle outside,
although it's looking a little menacing because Seattle can never be consistent in its weather.
And we know rain is likely to happen.
We do have indoors a large meeting room.
So if it does start to rain, staff will help lead you into the meeting room.
And please mingle.
Share stories. We'd love to hear more.
Enjoy the rest of the day. Thank you all.