Douglass-Truth Branch Named Spaces
The Gayton Family Meeting Room; the Rae and Harry Kersch/Schultz Family Foundation Children's Area; the Louise Jones McKinney Reading Area; and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter Exhibit Area.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter Exhibit Area
The Gayton Family Meeting Room
John Thomas Gayton, son of slaves, came to Seattle in 1888 from Yazoo County, Mississippi, as the coachman of a white physician. Gayton married Magnolia Scott soon after he arrived and created a family that ultimately included four children, 17 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Gayton set a formidable example for his family as a dedicated father, an industrious worker and a leader with the Black community. Over the years he rose from being a coachman to becoming law librarian for the U.S. Court of Appeals, serving in that capacity for more than 20 years.
Gayton's family has excelled as executives and professionals in a wide variety of careers. All have followed their ancestor's example by giving back to the community through their volunteering.
Louise Jones McKinney Reading Area
Louise Jones McKinney is an educator, businesswoman and community activist whose compassionate commitment to excellence and community has been widely recognized throughout her more than 50 years of work in the Seattle area. Her range of contributions has included work for organizations specializing in youth education, senior services, HIV/AIDS, and all of Seattle's theaters. She has volunteered for more than 20 years including for the ACT Board, nurturing emerging organizations like Boys to Men, a praise dance team, and the Hansberry Project, which in 2007 named a playwriting fellowship in her honor. Through her work with Mount Zion Scholarship Ministry, she has raised thousands of dollars over 25 years to support academic excellence in an effort to lessen the belief held by many that children of color are incapable of high achievement. In addition, she has lead the effort to fund the Mount Zion Scholarship Endowment, managed by the Seattle Foundation.
Rae and Harry Kersch Schultz Family Foundation Children's Area
Rae and Harry Kersch had a love of children, books and reading, which they instilled in their children. Their daughter, Sheri Kersch Schultz, and her husband, Howard Schultz, chose to dedicate the Children's Area at the Douglass-Truth Branch in loving memory on behalf of the entire Schultz family.