Cape Verdeans have been some of the earliest pioneers of the Pacific coast. The Lopes family seems to have led these early explorations. In 1858, Manuel Lopes, a Cape Verdean-born native, became the Seattle’s first barber and Black resident. He was a middle-aged sailor who originally settled in Massachusetts prior to moving to Seattle. About seventy years earlier, marcus Lopez became the first Black to set foot in Oregon and the first to be killed by Native Americans.

Cape Verdeans have... Read More