At the time of Marilyn Strickland's 2007 campaign, Tacoma had no African-American representation on their school board, city council or county council. Despite the city having one of the largest populations of people of color in Western Washington (31%), it was severely lacking in terms of elected officials of color.

Thankfully, Strickland does not ignore this elephant in the room.

Tacoma has a rich African-American history that stretches back generations. Today, in honor of Black History Month, Strickland and interim Pierce County Executive Director of Public Health, Lyle Quasim, will speak about "past struggles, current views, and future hopes and dreams for the intergenerational black community" in Tacoma. City Club is hosting the event.

We look forward to the opening of doors from Strickland, and the increase and growth of African-American politicians in Tacoma.