NAAM’s Elders Circle
The Elders Circle is NAAM’s opportunity to shed a light on exceptional Black community leaders over the age of 75 who have led and won victories in the struggle for civil rights, social equity, and opportunity in the greater Pacific Northwest
. Our first cohort of inductees was introduced As part of our MLK60 celebrations. NAAM had the privilege of recognizing eight of these distinguished and honorable leaders at the MLK60 opening ceremony at Garfield High School on November 6, 2021. On National Grandparents Day in 2022, NAAM inducted the next cohort of inductees into the Elders Circle. NAAM has officially designated that day as African American Elders Day, a holiday we recognize annually. Here are a list of this year and past inductees.
2023 Elders Circle Inductees
Lyle Quasim
Mr. Lyle Quasim is an activist and community organizer. He was involved in civil rights activism as a student at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and as a community organizer in the West Side of Chicago, his home neighborhood. He was drafted into the Vietnam War and served in Da Nang, as an Air Force medic, where he worked with military nurses and doctors to set up a free medical clinic in downtown Da Nang. His experiences as a medic in Vietnam solidified his commitment to ending the war, and upon his return, Quasim began working at the Shelter Half, the GI coffeehouse in Tacoma. This also inspired his work with antiwar and progressive organizations around the Northwest. From 1989 to 1993, he served as the Director of the Safe Streets Campaign for Tacoma and Pierce County. Later from 2009 to 2012, He served as President of Bates Technical College, one of the 34 Community and Technical Colleges in the State of Washington. Now retired, his last position was the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of the University of Washington-Tacoma.
Dr. Mona Lake Jones
Dr. Mona Lake Jones is a writer, orator, educator, and distinguished community leader. Known to many as Grandhoney, she has served as Poet Laureate for the City of Seattle and Washington State’s Martin Luther King County. Dr. Jones has a unique ability to capture audiences by singing and speaking her stories and poetry. Her experience as a community activist coupled with her writing talent and presentation skills has gained her a national reputation. The Seattle Times once reported her as “The Maya Angelou of the Pacific Northwest” and the Medium newspaper named her as a “Seattle TrailBlazer.” Dr. Jones has truly left her mark on Washington having graduated from Washington State University, University of Washington and Seattle University where she received her doctorate in educational leadership. Through her work, Dr. Jones has received a variety of honors over the years including having been selected by the Ford Foundation as a Freedom Sister for her community, civic and literary contributions. She was also featured as one of twelve women on the National Distinguished Black Women Calendar and is now listed as a United States History Maker.
Claude Burfect
Mr. Claude Burfect is a labor activist who has spent his life fighting against inequality. Living through the Jim Crow/Segregation Era, Claude Burfect attended several demonstrations for racial equality and experienced police brutality first hand. In time, he joined the NAACP and CORE to peacefully fight segregation and discrimination. In 1963, he helped rally his Baptist community members from various churches to travel to the March on Washington. For his work, in 2022 Mr. Burfect was honored at Seattle's August Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Seattle became his home after serving in the military in Da Nang, Vietnam. He worked at Boeing, the Seattle Times and at Fircrest School. Burfect was a longtime Local 341 President and WFSE Leader who ran for Council 28 President. Currently, Burfect is an at-large board member of the Seattle/King County NAACP chapter. He also serves on the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the MLK Labor Executive Board, King County Pre-Apprenticeship Collaborative, and Black Educational Strategy Roundtable.
Kibibi Monie
Ms. Kibibi Monie is an accomplished writer, actor, singer, and director as well as the owner and executive director of Nu Black Arts West, the oldest African American Theatre Company in the Pacific Northwest. Ms. Monie is known as one of the most exciting storytellers and performers in the Pacific Northwest and has been the resident storyteller for the Woodland Park Zoo’s African Village. She has a long history of directing and performing in Seattle. Her combination of music and drama combined with dance and African folktales create a unique storytelling performance. A Nana for the Cape Coast people in Ghana, Monie has been in partnership with The National Theatre of Ghana and the Twedaase Primary School in Tema, Ghana for several years. She’s developed a Cultural Heritage Program for the children of Ghana along with children here in the US. Monié is the first African American to be President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Seattle local. In 2022, Monie was honored by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) at the 50th Anniversary of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) celebrating community members and artists that have sustained LHPAI over the past 50 years. Organized in collaboration with Langston Hughes and the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, the program honored Monie as a key member of the LHPAI community who has contributed to its longevity and instrumental in shaping its future.
2022 Elders Circle Inductees
Minnie Collins
Mrs. Minnie Collins is a poet, educator, administrator, and faithful community volunteer. Mrs. Collins is the author of several books and is a member of the African American Writers’ Alliance of Seattle. She served as an award winning English tenured faculty at Seattle Central College, and she taught at Bellevue College and the University of Washington. Mrs. Collins served on the initial planning committee member for the Northwest African American Museum, and has served as a NAAM docent. She has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University; a master’s degree from George Washington University, a Washington’s Principal Certificate from Seattle University, and continues life-long learning during her six continent travels. The intersections of diversity, inclusion, equity and preserving nature are her passions. She believes that joy flows from solidarity.
Esther Mumford
Mrs. Esther Mumford believes in history. Family history has always been important to Esther Mumford. As the great-granddaughter of the enslaved, she has been involved in civil rights activism all of her life. As a member of the Congress of Racial Equality, her involvement included making signs, picketing, and engaging in non-violent direct action. When Mrs. Mumford graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1964 from the University of Washington, and after negotiations by CORE, she was hired by Carnation Milk Company to work on their order desk, becoming their first and only black employee. With a mutual desire to preserve the history and art of African Americans in Washington, a group met at the Mumfords’ home in 1977. This committee became the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. She has been a member of the Northwest African American Museum Program Committee, and the Wing Luke Immersion Committee, among numerous other community engagements.
Al Doggett
Mr. Al Doggett was born in Brooklyn, New York where his interest in art began in childhood with encouragement from his mother. He was inspired by the art he saw in books and magazines. He studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, majoring in illustration and graphic design. After completing his further studies at the Art Students League, he was drawn back to the Pacific Northwest, where he had visited relatives a few years earlier and been inspired by the scenic beauty and open spaces. So, he moved to Seattle, Washington, where he opened Al Doggett Studio, providing artistic services to the commercial art community. He also created fine art for exhibitions throughout the Northwest. Thus, he gained a reputation as an artist and received numerous awards and citations. His other artistic pursuits include commissioned work, portraits and outdoor public art. Mr. Doggett has served as a mentor to NAAM’s Youth Curators.
2021 Elders Circle Inductees
Emile Pitre
Mr. Emile Pitre is a founding member of the Black Student Union at the University of Washington. He was born and raised in Louisiana. After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southern University, he came to UW as a graduate student, where he helped found the Black Student Union and began his life-long work mentoring Black youth. He has won numerous awards for his remarkable servant leadership and commitment to social justice. He is a dedicated member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Dr. Carver Gayton
Dr. Carver Gayton is an academic administrator, corporate executive, and museum chief executive. He grew up in Seattle and graduated from Garfield High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington as well as a master’s degree in educational administration from Temple University. He taught at Garfield and at Florida State University, and he was the first Black FBI agent in the state of Washington. He was UW’s first full-time Black coach and then served as the university’s director of affirmative action programs. He also worked for Boeing as director of education relations, was commissioner of the Washington State Department of Employment Security, and served as executive director of the Northwest African American Museum.
Eddie Rye, Jr.
Mr. Eddie Rye, Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Seattle as a child. He graduated from Garfield High School. After serving briefly in the military and then working at Boeing, he dedicated the rest of his life to Black community activism. He is best known for his successful efforts to have the name of Empire Way in Seattle renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Way as well as helping to rename our county after Dr. King.
Rev. Dr. Phyllis Beaumonte
Rev. Dr. Phyllis Beaumonte is an associate pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Seattle. She is the church historian and past president of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. She is a retired educator and is highly involved in making our state a better place for all.
Frances Carr
Mrs. Frances J. Ross Carr was executive assistant to Seattle mayor, Norman B. Rice, and Director of Diversity Affairs for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. She grew up in South Los Angeles, California, served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Washington. She was a founding director of Sound Savings & Loan Association, the first S&L in the country primarily owned and operated by women.
Larry Gossett
Councilman Lawrence Edward Gossett was a member of the King County Council for twenty-four years, including six years as council chair. He was born in Seattle and attended Franklin High School and the University of Washington, where he received the university’s first-ever degree in African American studies. He was a founding member of UW’s Black Student Union and helped to organize nearly a dozen high school and middle school Black Student Unions throughout Seattle. Before being elect to the county council, he worked as a community organizer and was the executive director of Seattle's Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP).
Josephine Stokes
Mrs. Josephine Stokes was one of Seattle’s first African American teachers and taught at the historic Colman School building. She is an award-winning educator and has been a longtime member of The Links, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and an inspiration to all in our community.
Norman Rice
Mayor Norman Blann Rice was Seattle’s first Black mayor, serving from 1990 to 1997. After earning a bachelor's degree in communications and a master’s of public administration from the University of Washington, he worked as a reporter at KOMO-TV News and KIXI radio. Later he served as Assistant Director of the Seattle Urban League, and worked for the Puget Sound Council of Governments. He then served as a member and president of the Seattle City Council before becoming mayor. More recently, he has served as CEO of the Seattle Foundation and as a member President Obama’s White House Council for Community Solutions.