Washington Sues To Protect National Archives Building

SEATTLE — In January of last year, the federal government announced that they were selling the National Archives and Records Administration’s building in Seattle.

Since then, they've indicated they'll be moving the records inside to two other centers in Kansas City, Missouri and Riverside, California.

In a release announcing the sale, the federal government admitted that the closure would have a negative impact on researchers and customers, but said they would continue to provide public access to the archives online, or in person to anyone willing to take the trip to visit.

However, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson says: that isn't enough. He and his office have teamed up with dozens of other groups, including 29 local tribes, the state or Oregon, and 9 historic preservation organizations, to file a lawsuit in an attempt to halt the sale and keep those records in Washington.

The coalition says these records are important to the state and its people, and should remain in Washington's possession.

“The word ‘archives,’ from the view of law firms, businesses and courts, tends to conjure an image of a records storage facility for ‘dead files,’” writes Tallis King George, a Puyallup tribal attorney. “I view the National Archives at Seattle as a vibrant, special collection library… A visit to the National Archives at Seattle, for native people whose ancestral historical and cultural records are housed there, fills a deep cultural yearning to know, honor and understand the lives and sacrifices of their ancestors.”

In a release announcing their lawsuit, the coalition points to several invaluable objects held in the National Archives building, including tribal treaties dating back to the mid-19th century, which are used to establish tribal membership and important historical records relating to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a law which limited how many Chinese laborers could enter the United States. Despite being created to discriminate against Chinese immigrants, the documents can provide valuable insight for descendants hoping to learn more about their ancestors.

“Most Chinese Americans left few records of their lives and history prior to 1950, making the Archive’s treasure trove of files related to the Chinese Exclusion Act all the more precious," said Connie So, president of OCA Asian Pacific Advocates' Grater Seattle Chapter. "Once, when Seattle hosted the Association for Asian American Studies conference, we made a special trip to the Archives. People marveled at the fact that they could find information on relatives that they thought were long-lost."

Ferguson says his office sent a letter asking the federal government to reconsider the move last February, explaining the archive's local importance and asking for public records on the proposed sale. Instead of providing those documents, the Public Buildings Reform Board first demanded the state pay $65,000 to see them. The board eventually dropped the bill, but still has yet to release any documents surrounding the sale of the building to Ferguson's office.

The attorney general says, that's illegal, and his office believes the National Archives building was never eligible for the Public Buildings Reform Board's expedited sale. As a result, his office has sued in an attempt keep the building and its documents in Washington.

"To be blunt, these federal agencies don’t give a damn about their legal obligations or what these documents mean to our region," Ferguson said. "Consequently, this lawsuit is our only recourse to compel the government to follow the law and respect the fact that these irreplaceable records contain the DNA of our region.”

The suit is Ferguson's 85th lawsuit against the Trump Administration.