Efforts to establish an African American Heritage Museum & Culture Center in Seattle began in 1969 and came to the forefront in 1981 when Omari Tahir-Garrett and Isaiah Edwards led a community based coalition in opposing the construction of a police precinct in the heart of Seattle's historically Black Central Distict, proposing a positive cultural institution instead.
After successfully blocking the construction of the police, the community turned it’s attention to the recently closed Colman school as the future home of the African American Heritage Museum & Cultural Center. When the mayor began to go back on his commitment to developing the museum, a dedicated few took action.
On Nov. 23, 1985 the longest recorded act of civil disobedience in U.S. history began when Omari Tahir, Earl Debnam and a small group of concerned community members including Charlie James, Michael Greenwood and others, occupied the abandoned Colman Elementary School, demanding that the building be developed into the African American Heritage Museum & Cultural Center in Seattle, WA
In 1994, at the direction of African American Mayor Norm Rice, several of Mayor Rice’s Boule (Sigma Pi Phi) fraternity brothers became involved with the project including Bob Flowers who became the Chairman of the board. In 1997 the School Board voted to sell the building to the AAHMCC for $329,000.
After being questioned by board members regarding the management of museum funds, Flowers began subverting the progress of the organization. He refused to make the down payment on the building even after the city of Seattle provided additional funds to do so. He would go on to later attempt to orchestrate the removal of founding board members. At the time Mr. Flowers was also a board member of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Board of Directors, who would eventually seek a development project of their own at the Colman school.
In 2000, after prolonged negotiations with the School District, the AAHMCC presented the check for $50,000 dollars for the down payment on Colman school. The check was returned to the AAHMCC.
Soon after, the Urban League presents a proposal for a condominium based real estate development. The City council would then take $400,000 earmarked for the AAHMCC and give it to the Urban League for a feasibility study.
The Urban League reportedly purchased the building for $804,000 in 2003 and has been collecting money in the name of the museum. In 2005, Carver Gayton former FBI agent and fraternity brother of Norm Rice and Bob Flowers was appointed Executive Director at an inflated salary of $100,000 per year.
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