EVERETT—Marilyn Quincy, founder of the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee and Snohomish County legend, passed away on June 4. She was 81.
“Your selfless service and extraordinary contributions have left a profound and lasting impact on our community. You helped shape a brighter, more hopeful future for generations to come. Though your passing leaves a great void, one that cannot be filled—we remain deeply grateful for the time God allowed us to share with you,” said DanVonique Reed with the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee.
Marilyn Quincy was a name so ingrained in Snohomish County history that it’s difficult not seeing her and her family’s influence in the region.
From William P. Stewart Highway in Everett named after her great grandfather — a Black Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army and was part of the Illinois 29th Colored Infantry; to the Civil War memorial in Snohomish also honoring Stewart; to the county’s annual Nubian Jam event; to the Marilyn Quincy Community Center in Marysville; to the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee (SCBHC); to the way the Everett Public Library assembles its historical archives, Quincy has had a tremendous impact on shaping the area since her family first settled here in the 1880s before Washington was a state.
Quincy was awarded the Legacy Award at the SCBHC’s Red and White banquet, appropriately named the Marilyn Quincy Award, in 2023. The award was in partnership with the city of Everett and an associated plaque will be displayed somewhere in the city at a yet-to-be-determined location, memorizing Quincy’s great work for years to come.
“Marilyn Quincy was an essential ingredient to the celebration and inclusion of African Americans in Snohomish County. Her consistency, wisdom, and love made her an unbelievably valuable elder in the community. We all loved and respected her, and carried her guidance forward to make the annual Nubian Jam Festival in Everett the long running community building event that it has been for decades. With her passing the community will have to find a miracle worker to even come close to making the impact that she did. We will miss you Ms. Quincy. I will miss you Ms. Quincy,” said Mukilteo Councilman Louis Harris.
Quincy had always known her family had deep roots in Snohomish County. Her mother was born in Everett in 1918 and knew that her grandparents, at least, had lived in the county for years. Her great grandfather, William P. Stewart, is buried in the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Snohomish.
When Quincy was a child, her family had the tradition of visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day to pay respect to veterans. During these visits her mother would frequently say: “one of these days I’m going to go to Snohomish and see if I can find my grandparents grave,” but she never had the chance.
In 1993, during Everett’s centennial anniversary, Quincy began researching her family’s history in preparation for an exhibit the city was holding, honoring resident’s families who lived in the area around the time Everett became a city. Quincy thought this would be an appropriate time to carry out her mother’s wishes in locating her great grandparents, to gain a better understanding of when her family arrived in town. She found them at the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Snohomish, where her grandfather, who served in Illinois’ 29th Colored Infantry, was memorialized as a war hero.
The 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was Illinois’ only Black regiment during the Civil War, arrived at Galveston Bay, Texas on June 18, 1865, and was present at the first Juneteenth on June 19, when Major General Gordon Granger read General Order Number 3 informing its residents of the end of the Civil War and slavery was abolished.
Pleased to learn this, Quincy then took her research further at the Everett Public Library but was surprised to hear there was little record of Blacks living in Snohomish County at the time. She knew she had to take matters into her own hand.
Researching further, Quincy learned that her great grandfather was living in Snohomish County around 1897 although she believes he came much earlier. Her grandfather, for example, contributed to the Census when Washington became a state in 1889 so she knew her family was living here then.
Through genealogy, Quincy learned her family originated from Wisconsin where her great, great grandfather was recorded as one of the first people to buy land in the Cheyenne Valley. Quincy also learned that her grandmother’s family — known as the Shepherd Family — came from slaves and were brought to Wisconsin, by their master, to set them up with a new life.
Somewhere down the line the Shepherd family moved to Washington, settling near Monroe, although Quincy has yet to find the reason why in her research. According to the 1889 census, there were three black families in Snohomish County: The Udells in the Edmonds area, the Richardsons in Monroe, and the Stewarts near Snohomish.
Apartments in Marysville was renamed the Marilyn Quincy Community Center in her honor. Photo Courtesy of Marilyn Quincy.
When Quincy was younger, there weren’t many other Black families in Snohomish County, so many would get together for picnics on the fourth of July. Prior to that, Black families in the area would seldom see each other, only at funerals, and according to Quincy, the Fourth of July picnic was a way to have a sense of community and check-in with one another in a more jovial setting. One of these gatherings came to be known as Nubian Jam, on July 3, 1993, that paved the way for the eventual founding of the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee.
Quincy has endured her share of discrimination over the years. After high school she encountered difficulty landing a job. When visiting the employment office, she was told the only place that was hiring Black people was the Scott paper company and nursing homes. She chose the nursing home route where she worked for three years.
While working at the nursing home, Quincy, who shared with the Lynnwood Times she was overweight at the time, began taking an interest in nutrition and enrolled herself in Everett Community College to become a dietician.
Shortly after, she saw an ad for her dream job — working as a dietician at a local hospital. She called the hospital, explained her qualifications, and was told she would be a “perfect fit,” according to Quincy, and to “get right down here for an interview.” When she arrived for an interview, however, the employer said they could not hire a Black person, Quincy told the Lynnwood Times.
The incident landed Quincy on the news about six months later. In that report, the hospital explained they had hired a Black man during World War II who had taken a knife and threatened his employees. They swore to never hire a Black person again. Later, the hospital was ordered to come up with an affirmative action plan but by then Quincy had her reservations based on her past experience.
She decided to try her luck at the Boeing company instead, where she worked for three years. During this time her husband, also a Boeing employee, was transferred to Everett so she followed — being closer to where they lived in Snohomish County anyway. The couple worked opposite shifts, with Quincy working nights and her husband working days — a scheduling conflict that “wreaked havoc” on their marriage, she once told the Lynnwood Times.
Throughout the years, Quincy also served on the Board of the Snohomish County Immigrant and Refugee Forum where she helped refugees from other countries acclimate to life in Snohomish County, was on the board of M2 Job Therapy where she helped inmates of local prisons develop job hunting and life skills to successfully transition upon release, was on the Workforce Development Board where she researched the labor market and even established training programs to encourage businesses to move into Snohomish County, and worked on the Dislocated Worker Program that helped people whose jobs had been eliminated by plant closures or large downsizing learn new workplace skills, learn job hunting skills and work with employers to hire them.
Quincy was extremely active in her church (New Life Everett) and was able to go on mission trips to Mississippi to build houses with Habitat for Humanity and distribute food, and the gulf to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She has also been able to help with local needs through several other church projects.
For her outstanding achievements in her career in the Employment Security Department, and contributions to the to the quality of life in Snohomish County and Washington State, Marilyn Quincy was honored and recognized in 2007 by the Washington State Legislature with House Resolution 4649 that was introduced by then-Representative John Lovick.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
