Submitted by Bridget King.
Attendees are still sharing stories prompted by the Wednesday, 18 October book talk by journalist, professor and author, Kristal Brent Zook. She read excerpts from her newly released book: Girl in the Yellow Poncho to a rapt group of listeners in DuPont as her father looked on. He features in the book and described to attendees how reading it through twice already, he had cried both times. Kristal’s father is white and her mother, black; their relationship a conspicuously rare story in the 1960s. The book unfolds Kristal’s life as mixed race in a world not quite ready for her or her parents.
The relevance to locals from DuPont to Tacoma becomes apparent with a read of Kristal’s article: “This city is a Multiracial Mecca” from the six part series for Medium. Our region is featured as one of the most multiracial in the U.S. beyond Hawaii and California for adults, even higher for our kids. No surprise after 175 years of rich cultural history including Hawaiians and Chinese arriving with the Hudson Bay Company, Filipino and Latinos from the fishing industry, intermarriage with Native Americans, Korean War brides combined with today’s large military presence, the book resonates. The author was delighted to receive the personal stories of listeners and their plans to share the book with their adult children and grandchildren.
Kristal Brent Zook appeared recently on New Day NW on King 5 TV. See the interview below or here.
