Right now 750 names of Scandinavian immigrants are etched on permanent plaques at Leif Erikson Plaza on Seaview Ave.
The Leif Erikson International Foundation is continuing to honor those who came over from Europe and are accepting more names to put on the stones surrounding the Leif Erikson statue. For $125 you can have your Scandinavian ancestors’ names added, the year they came and where they’re from. The one condition is the person (or people) must have come to North America from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland or Denmark. There is room for just under 200 more names for a total of 1,580 names. The deadline is whenever the plaques fill up with names or next summer, whichever comes first. You can submit names here (.pdf) or calling 206-778-1081.
Immigrant names wanted for Leif Erikson Plaza
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
So white people only?
If they came from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland or Denmark to North America they could be purple. Don't try to make this something that it isn't.
Where does it say that?
If you happen to have a non-white ancestor from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland or Denmark, put his/her name on a stone! If other immigrants (say…from England, Ireland, Botswana, wherever) want to raise money and dedicate a plaza somewhere in Ballard, great!
For the record, I am a non-white, non-Scandinavian, non-male who sees absolutely nothing wrong with a community honoring its founders who, in the case of Ballard, were mostly Scandinavian.
Diversity means a celebration of all cultures and nationalities… yes, even the white ones. ;-)
Wow the race card already? An ignorant simplified version of a completely invalid concept at that. A large portion of the population that came over was considered mongoloid for the majority of history, so even your basic precept is wrong.
Coon in 1939 was the one who decided that Caucasoid were a mix of sapiens and neanderthals, something we know is as false as the concept of race.
They are trying to celebrate one of the many cultural influences that shaped this city.
Do you have a problem with the Seattle Asian Art Museum too?
I meant to say that Coon redefined Caucasoid to include the Lappi, Karelians etc…
Norge for eva. According to the UN, best quality of life. Booya.
True racism and discrimination needs to be fought and confronted in every instance. I believe that’s what makes us a progressive, enlightened, and accepting neighborhood.
But I’m saddened when someone tries to distract us by crying racism in trivial and seemingly imaginary circumstances. By doing this, it only serves to further justify those opinions (usually on the far right) that we’re a society that’s gone too “politically correct,” and to desensitize all others to what real racism is.
I don’t know what the motive of the first commenter on this story was. Maybe he/she was genuinely concerned that the memorial was exclusionary. But please don’t be distracted. There are still many greater issues that deserve the good fight. This isn’t one of them.
The only thing worse than insensivity is HYPER-sensitivity. Too many years of the lazy revisionist media and college educations have obviously tainted many people. My Grandmother came from Oslo in 1889. Ya see, back then there were no agencies telling people they were victims. They came, they were happy to be here, and now it's our history/legacy. I will have to look into this for Grandma. Yup. Norwegian-Americans are alive and well. Just not too many any longer. You can always tell us. Just not much though!
apparently too many years of the lazy revisionist media and college education haven't done much to help Scandinavians with their math skills.
So there's 750 names right now? And yet there's room for 200 more names for a total of 1,580 names.
am I missing something, or is there some fuzzy leif erikson mathematics I don't know about?
Freddie makes a snarky comment and people come out and take it seriously, make a point about what this statue and plaza is about, and we should move on.
Srake, why do you have to make this about some agenda? What does college have to do with it? How is the media, lazy, revisionist, or otherwise have anything to do with it? Why not blame Obama for this?
Haven't looked at the site or the names, but I'd guess that if each family has a few members it would eat up the 830 spaces with 200 families of four rather easily.
y not – There are currently 750 names and they're looking to add 830 more. They have about 200 spaces available.
so of the 830 they are looking to add, about 630 have been accounted for and/or purchased already, but not made?
sorry to be so dense on the matter. I think it's a really cool project.
I love running past the Leif Erikson sculpture in it's 'new' location. The way he's situated to look North towards returning boats seems perfect.
Well said!
The last name of Shiurba for a innigrant name, please
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