Walter T. Hubbard is a leader in Seattle's African-American community. Hubbard was born and raised in New Orleans, served in World War II, and moved to Seattle in 1951. In the 1960s and 1970s Hubbard became active in the struggle for racial equality. Though largely a black civil rights activist, Walter Hubbard's influence is not limited by ethnicity. As president of the Central Area Civil Rights Committee, a coalition of black civil rights organizations and advocates, from 1969 to circa 2002, Hubbard sought to promote justice and equality in interracial relations and participated in activities to secure worldwide interracial justice.
A devout Catholic, Hubbard is a unique blend of religious traditionalism and racial revolutionism, utilizing what to many were distinct passions to form a theology of racial parity. On the local level, Hubbard co-found and served as president of the Catholic Interracial Council of Seattle, which was formed by the Archibishop of Seattle to spearhead Catholic participation in civil rights and interracial justice. During the 1970s, Hubbard was co-chairman of the Seatte Interreligious Committee for the Rights of Soviet Jewry, an interfaith group concerned with the problems of Soviet Jews. In 1976 Hubbard traveled as the Committee's emissary to Brussels for the Second World Conference on Soviet Jewry. Hubbard also was active in the Catholic community on a national level. From 1969 to 1973 he served as a board member and officer of the National Catholic Conference For Interracial Justice. From 1973 to1980 Hubbard served as president of the National Office for Black Catholics (NOBC), which was founded in 1970 with the primary purpose of advocating within the Catholic Church for Black Catholics and Black people. He also held the presidency of the Seattle Black Lay Catholic Caucus. Hubbard served on Seattle University's Board of Regents from 1976 to 1996 and on the Board of Trustees for Matteo Ricci College from 1976 to 1978.
Walter Hubbard has also been active in numerous aspects of local governance. From 1972 through 1974 he chaired the Combined Advisory Council of the Seattle Model Citiy Program (SMCP), a federally-funded urban redevelopment program. This group of citizen representatives coordinated the efforts of four Seattle Model Neighborhood areas and reviewed SMCP procedures and projects. Hubbard also served on the SMCP East Branch Advisory Council in 1971 and 1972. Hubbard ran for King County Council and Washington State Senate and was elected to the Seattle Freeholders Board. He also served on the Washington State Prison Terms and Parole Board, and was the Seattle Representative of the National Center For Dispute Settlement of the American Arbitration Association.
From the guide to the Walter T. Hubbard papers, 1964-2002, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)
