Airway Heights, Washington’s Unknown Sundown Town
Faculty Mentor
Larry Cebula
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
History
Abstract
The town of Airway Heights is a relatively new community but has a racist past that does not seem to be widely known by the public. The town may not even be aware of the racist ideals on which the town was founded. After the Second World War, racial covenants began being attached to properties throughout Airway Heights. Carl Lundstrom, CEO of Rocket Investment and mayor and founder of Airway Heights, made the covenants attached to properties in Airway Heights. Lundstrom’s actions can be seen as one of the defining reasons for why Airway Heights became a sundown town. This history affects the town to this very day: the racist history of Airway Heights during the Second World War and how negatively African American soldiers were treated at the time at Geiger Air Force Base. The racist past of Airway Heights can still be seen to this very day, as evidence shows that the town has a very high white population and a low Black population. Racist acts seem to be a regular occurrence in Airway Heights, and racist flyers being distributed by self-proclaimed Nazis is just one example of this. Airway Heights is not recognized by the State of Washington as a sundown town, but the evidence is there to prove it. The town was founded on racist ideals, and this contributes to the town’s history today. Without this history, Airway Heights could look completely different. The town should not ignore the horrible past but should be aware of this racist past and acknowledge the harms done towards African Americans. Without recognizing this history, the town of Airway Heights can fail to grow and learn from the mistakes made in the past.
Recommended Citation
Chavez, Ehriza, "Airway Heights, Washington’s Unknown Sundown Town" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 30.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/30
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Airway Heights, Washington’s Unknown Sundown Town
PUB NCR
The town of Airway Heights is a relatively new community but has a racist past that does not seem to be widely known by the public. The town may not even be aware of the racist ideals on which the town was founded. After the Second World War, racial covenants began being attached to properties throughout Airway Heights. Carl Lundstrom, CEO of Rocket Investment and mayor and founder of Airway Heights, made the covenants attached to properties in Airway Heights. Lundstrom’s actions can be seen as one of the defining reasons for why Airway Heights became a sundown town. This history affects the town to this very day: the racist history of Airway Heights during the Second World War and how negatively African American soldiers were treated at the time at Geiger Air Force Base. The racist past of Airway Heights can still be seen to this very day, as evidence shows that the town has a very high white population and a low Black population. Racist acts seem to be a regular occurrence in Airway Heights, and racist flyers being distributed by self-proclaimed Nazis is just one example of this. Airway Heights is not recognized by the State of Washington as a sundown town, but the evidence is there to prove it. The town was founded on racist ideals, and this contributes to the town’s history today. Without this history, Airway Heights could look completely different. The town should not ignore the horrible past but should be aware of this racist past and acknowledge the harms done towards African Americans. Without recognizing this history, the town of Airway Heights can fail to grow and learn from the mistakes made in the past.
