Whitman College Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Scrutiny Mounts Against Legacy Of Northwest Missionary Marcus Whitman

By NWPB News June 1, 2021

The legacy of Marcus Whitmas and his missionary efforts in the 19th century are under increasing scrutiny, which Washington state lamakers recently voting to replace his statue in the U.S. Capitol with one of Native American rights leader Billy Frank Jr. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

For generations Marcus Whitman has been widely viewed as an iconic figure from early Pacific Northwest history, a venerated Protestant missionary who was among 13 people killed by the Cayuse tribe near modern-day Walla Walla, Washington, in 1847. Read More

More Than Half Of Washingtonians Surveyed Say They’ve Delayed Getting Health Care This Year

By Tom Banse December 4, 2020

Graphic showing excess deaths and COVID-19 deaths in Washington in 2020 above a normal year

An online survey conducted out of Whitman College found more than half of Washingtonians say they have delayed medical visits this year. The findings underscore widespread concerns about disruptions to health care during the pandemic. Read More

‘Not The Time To Slow Down’: RAPtivist Aisha Fukushima Returns To Walla Walla

By T.J. Tranchell May 14, 2019

Aisha Fukushima, founder of RAPtivism and 2009 graduate of Whitman College, returns as the 2019 commencement speaker. CREDIT: Dimitri Moore

Aisha Fukushima has a story to tell about hip-hop and rap, but it’s not the only story there is. Fukushima, a 2009 graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, returns May 19 to share this story and her world-wide journey as an artist and activist as Whitman’s 2019 commencement speaker. Read More

Proposal To Replace Statues Of Northwest Pioneer Marcus Whitman Stokes Backlash In Olympia

By Tom Banse January 30, 2019

A proposal to remove the larger-than-life statues of pioneer missionary Marcus Whitman from the Washington state capitol and the U.S. Capitol drew angry responses during an initial legislative hearing in Olympia. Continue Read More

Acting And Activism: Whitman College Play Explores Community Impact Of Immigration

By T.J. Tranchell December 17, 2018

Whitman College’s Because You Are Here is community theater but not in the way we usually think of it. Performers in this production met with members of the Walla Walla community—particularly the migrant population—to learn their stories and bring them to life. Read More