1 00:00:14,047 --> 00:00:16,483 He was always a photographer. 2 00:00:16,516 --> 00:00:19,386 He was an artist. 3 00:00:19,386 --> 00:00:23,890 It was like you were engaged in what was happening 4 00:00:23,890 --> 00:00:27,494 at that particular moment, that he would take the photographs. 5 00:00:29,496 --> 00:00:31,731 What he covered was happy. 6 00:00:31,731 --> 00:00:36,102 You know, he showed people enjoying themselves. 7 00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:41,841 And when you look at his pictures, for me, you feel that. 8 00:00:42,008 --> 00:00:46,513 And so when I want to feel good, I look at some of his pictures 9 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:52,185 because it is it's a nice escape. 10 00:00:54,287 --> 00:00:57,290 A great photographer always finds a way to be 11 00:00:57,290 --> 00:01:00,860 in just the right spot at just the right moment. 12 00:01:01,194 --> 00:01:03,663 And that was Al Smith Sr. 13 00:01:04,964 --> 00:01:07,367 He knew when to snap that shot. 14 00:01:08,201 --> 00:01:10,570 People are having a great time. 15 00:01:10,937 --> 00:01:15,175 He was tuned in to capturing those moments that brought us joy. 16 00:01:18,178 --> 00:01:19,712 Absolute joy. 17 00:01:20,980 --> 00:01:21,548 I feel like, 18 00:01:21,548 --> 00:01:25,351 wow, I wish I had been alive to be around that scene. 19 00:01:25,351 --> 00:01:27,153 That would have been pretty cool. 20 00:01:34,194 --> 00:01:36,663 You can just feel the audience. 21 00:01:36,663 --> 00:01:40,633 That's, to me, a very energetic photograph. 22 00:01:41,634 --> 00:01:44,204 If anyone has a greater appreciation 23 00:01:44,204 --> 00:01:48,074 for Al Smith's work, it would be his son, Al Smith Jr. 24 00:01:48,074 --> 00:01:50,343 Or Butch to those who know him. 25 00:01:50,343 --> 00:01:54,114 Butch says his dad took so many pictures 26 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:58,184 because he truly cared about his Central Area community. 27 00:01:59,352 --> 00:02:01,521 He never would refer to himself 28 00:02:01,521 --> 00:02:04,457 as a historian, but that's what he was. 29 00:02:05,492 --> 00:02:07,393 The nightclub ones are sort of the glamour 30 00:02:07,393 --> 00:02:10,797 end of things, the concert shots and so on. 31 00:02:10,797 --> 00:02:14,167 But his day to day work in the community, 32 00:02:14,167 --> 00:02:16,436 those are much appreciated. 33 00:02:17,337 --> 00:02:19,139 It's different when you have a photograph. 34 00:02:19,139 --> 00:02:21,040 It gives a whole another dimension. 35 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,477 He took photographs of birthday parties, 36 00:02:24,711 --> 00:02:27,580 weddings, oh you name it. 37 00:02:27,714 --> 00:02:30,917 He was capturing things he thought should be captured. 38 00:02:31,551 --> 00:02:34,220 He didn't just photograph Black people, you know, he 39 00:02:34,220 --> 00:02:38,258 photographed Chinese, Japanese, Filipino. - In the Central District. 40 00:02:38,258 --> 00:02:43,630 In those days, it was just a melting pot and a mix of all kinds of people. 41 00:02:43,897 --> 00:02:46,366 That was a very special time in Seattle history. 42 00:02:46,599 --> 00:02:50,670 How lucky are we to have somebody who documents the history 43 00:02:50,670 --> 00:02:55,542 of a community that otherwise may not have been documented at all? 44 00:02:55,542 --> 00:03:00,246 It's an opportunity to time travel and see how 45 00:03:00,246 --> 00:03:03,850 vital and interesting their lives were at that time. 46 00:03:04,784 --> 00:03:08,221 If it were not for the Smith Collection, 47 00:03:08,388 --> 00:03:12,725 there'd be a huge void for us in terms of documenting. 48 00:03:12,725 --> 00:03:14,761 Over the decades, the Central District. 49 00:03:16,963 --> 00:03:18,531 Redlining limited 50 00:03:18,531 --> 00:03:21,201 where Black people could own homes in Seattle. 51 00:03:21,601 --> 00:03:24,037 That was the Central District. 52 00:03:24,037 --> 00:03:26,906 But gentrification has now forced them out. 53 00:03:27,540 --> 00:03:28,775 Also gone, 54 00:03:28,775 --> 00:03:32,312 much of the rich culture and soul of that community, 55 00:03:32,412 --> 00:03:36,482 it's just really important to have the history there so people don't 56 00:03:36,482 --> 00:03:40,720 think, well, yeah, a lot of Black people used to live here and now they don't. 57 00:03:40,787 --> 00:03:44,424 I realize the historical significance 58 00:03:45,024 --> 00:03:47,927 and I don't want those pictures to just sit. 59 00:03:49,495 --> 00:03:50,997 But this is old. 60 00:03:54,534 --> 00:03:55,435 So Butch, 61 00:03:55,435 --> 00:03:56,636 with the help of the Black 62 00:03:56,636 --> 00:04:00,506 Heritage Society and the Museum of History and Industry, 63 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:05,912 are making a concerted effort to get Al Smith Sr.’s images out there 64 00:04:06,446 --> 00:04:09,515 as a way of connecting the present to the past. 65 00:04:10,383 --> 00:04:11,918 Look at those dresses. 66 00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:12,619 I know. 67 00:04:12,619 --> 00:04:12,919 Yeah. 68 00:04:16,289 --> 00:04:17,724 It helps to ground you. 69 00:04:17,724 --> 00:04:20,727 And when you're grounded and feeling connected, 70 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,632 I think that that sense of community is more conducive 71 00:04:25,632 --> 00:04:31,504 to building neighborhoods and the character of neighborhoods. 72 00:04:31,671 --> 00:04:36,276 Recently we were having a discussion about how character matters in our community. 73 00:04:36,843 --> 00:04:40,480 And when we see these images and these photographs 74 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,417 that that capture of that character, it just reinforces it. 75 00:04:45,785 --> 00:04:46,886 It's a great 76 00:04:46,886 --> 00:04:50,156 way to memorialize 77 00:04:50,156 --> 00:04:53,092 what the Central District used to be. 78 00:04:53,226 --> 00:04:55,428 Smith's photos are so captivating, 79 00:04:55,695 --> 00:04:59,432 they were featured in a 2022 memory study called SHARP 80 00:04:59,832 --> 00:05:04,103 Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-Imagery. 81 00:05:04,504 --> 00:05:07,874 It brought together the City's Aging and Disability Services 82 00:05:08,041 --> 00:05:10,176 and the University of Washington. 83 00:05:10,176 --> 00:05:11,644 Seniors with early 84 00:05:11,644 --> 00:05:15,381 Alzheimer's or dementia walked the neighborhoods of their youth 85 00:05:15,682 --> 00:05:19,719 using some of Smith's pictures to jog memories and discussions. 86 00:05:20,186 --> 00:05:24,524 One particular photo consistently got a huge response. 87 00:05:24,791 --> 00:05:28,628 That was the photo of the parade. 88 00:05:28,995 --> 00:05:33,366 It was the big Cadillac with the Esquire on the side 89 00:05:33,733 --> 00:05:36,469 and somebody waving in the crowd. 90 00:05:37,704 --> 00:05:40,807 There was a lot of “I remember that!” 91 00:05:41,274 --> 00:05:46,112 When people can see these images and these photographs, it's defining. 92 00:05:46,112 --> 00:05:50,850 It gives you a sense of place about where you live or where you came from. 93 00:05:51,584 --> 00:05:54,721 It allowed these Black elders to be seen in places 94 00:05:55,021 --> 00:05:57,256 where they hadn't been seen in a long time. 95 00:05:57,724 --> 00:05:57,990 You know, 96 00:05:57,990 --> 00:06:02,061 there are just a lot of great discussions and memories and a lot of laughter. 97 00:06:02,862 --> 00:06:06,766 You know, he carried his camera everywhere. The Black Heritage Society 98 00:06:06,766 --> 00:06:11,037 and the Smith family continue to push for Al Smith Sr.'s photos 99 00:06:11,204 --> 00:06:14,640 to be prominently displayed in new Seattle buildings, 100 00:06:14,974 --> 00:06:17,944 as well as long standing community landmarks. 101 00:06:18,644 --> 00:06:21,714 All this to honor one man's lifetime 102 00:06:21,714 --> 00:06:25,918 hobby and transform it into a lasting legacy. 103 00:06:27,053 --> 00:06:28,421 He would 104 00:06:28,554 --> 00:06:33,126 appreciate it, but it's not something he expected. 105 00:06:33,726 --> 00:06:36,496 He said I wasn't doing anything special. 106 00:06:36,863 --> 00:06:39,265 I was just taking pictures. 107 00:06:39,265 --> 00:06:40,566 He meant that. 108 00:06:42,034 --> 00:06:46,472 He was just surprised nobody else was. 109 00:06:58,351 --> 00:07:03,289 Watch CityStream Tuesday nights at seven on the Seattle Channel or find us anytime 110 00:07:03,289 --> 00:07:07,527 online at SeattleChannel.org.