Club Initiatives

Nettie J. Asberry was a civil rights icon and Black leader in Tacoma’s Hilltop until her death in the 1960’s. She cemented her legacy in Tacoma through a lifetime of service to Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood and its residents, with her impact being irrevocably tied to her home, located at 1219 South 13th St, now 130 years old.

It was in this home that Nettie taught music and Black history to youth.

From this home the Hilltop response to the flu pandemic of 1918 was coordinated.

It was in this home that she founded the Tacoma Colored Women’s Club, and the first NAACP chapter west of the Rockies.

Dr. Asberry’s house was a place the Black community gathered to address civil rights for Black people during the first half of the 20th century.

In early 2022, after years of effort and with significant investment from the WA State Legislature, the Tacoma Colored Women’s Club purchased the Asberry Historic Home Site, bringing closure the first phase of this important project.

Now, the Tacoma CWC believes that the Asberry Historic Home Site should be restored and managed for community benefit, implementing a long-time vision of a full historic restoration of the home with special consideration to Nettie’s famed front music room.

To fulfill this vision, we intend to complete a community-led design process to create a space for Black cultural reclamation. This is a special opportunity for this community to advance and protect urban historic preservation of a Black-centric sites in a city with too few examples of such.

With your financial support we can make the Nettie Asberry Historic Home Site a reality.