In Step with Brian Casserly: ‘Leaving Home, Building a Future: The Immigration Story of the Pacific Northwest’
- RHSociety
- 32 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Richard Hao, Youth Director At Large
Edited by Laura Lee Bennett, Executive Vice President
On February 14th, the Redmond Historical Society kicks off its 2026 Saturday Speaker Series with Brian Casserly, PhD, History Professor and Department Chair at Bellevue College, who will give a talk on “Leaving Home, Building a Future: The Immigration Story of the Pacific Northwest.”
An Irish immigrant himself, Brian will share insights on the diverse waves of immigrants who shaped Redmond and the region—from their contributions to local industries and communities to the challenges they faced along the way.
We caught up with Brian for a bit of Q&A.
RHS: How long have you been around history, and what made you first think you wanted to pursue it as a profession?
Brian Casserly: I got my bachelor’s degree in history in 1999, then went to graduate school. I got my master’s degree and finished my PhD in 2007. I’ve always been interested in history—fascinated by stories about the past, the experiences of people living in the past, and how lives, culture, and society have changed over time to get to where we are today. In graduate school, I started teaching at the University of Washington, then taught part-time at various community colleges in the area, and eventually got a full-time job at Bellevue College in 2012. I’ve been here ever since.
RHS: What’s your favorite aspect of learning, researching, or teaching history?
Brian Casserly: I like pretty much all of it. I like the stories it tells about human societies—understanding how societies and cultures came to be the way they are. I’m intrigued by the differences between our society today and the past, and how we went from very different societies and cultures to how we are today.
RHS: Is there anything specific about teaching history—like discussions—that you enjoy?
Brian Casserly: A fundamental aspect of my teaching is having students analyze primary sources: the voices of those who lived in the past. We use those pieces of evidence to gain insight into how people lived, how they thought, and what their experiences were—whether it was 50 years ago, 100 years ago, or 500 years ago. Primary sources are the building blocks of historical understanding. That can be challenging and rewarding. The language and writing styles can be very different from what we’re used to today, as writing in the late 1800s can seem formal and stilted. Once students work through that, it can be an eye-opening experience to see how people thought, and to understand that in many ways, people in the past are very similar to us in what they want from life.
RHS: What led you to research the immigration story in the Pacific Northwest?
Brian Casserly: One of my fields [of study] in grad school was Pacific Northwest history, and I also [studied] general U.S. history. Anyone studying U.S. history quickly realizes how important immigration was―and is―in shaping the United States. That's true in the Pacific Northwest as much as anywhere. In the late 1800s and early 20th century, there was a massive wave of immigration to the Pacific Northwest. This is when the Northwest gets settled by white people after the U.S. government negotiates treaties and takes land away from Native Americans. White settlers move in, industry develops, the economy expands, and that creates economic opportunities that attract immigrants from many different places. I’ve been fascinated by how people from widely different cultures came here and helped build the region’s culture, economy, and society.
RHS: Is there a certain era you’re going to focus on?
Brian Casserly: The talk focuses on the last decades of the 1800s and the first two to three decades of the 20th century. The late 1800s into the first decade or so of the 1900s was a period of very high immigration to the United States, but also significant backlash and pressure to restrict immigration. That started with the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which dramatically reduced the ability of Chinese people to migrate to the United States. Later, there were additional restrictions on other groups from Asia. By the early 1920s, new laws significantly restricted overall immigration and placed quotas on many nations. That’s where I end the talk—after the introduction of those quotas, how they cut back immigration, and how they privileged people from specific countries, notably Northwestern Europe. Places like Britain, Germany, Ireland, and the Scandinavian countries have had the highest quotas, while Southern and Eastern Europe have had smaller quotas, and Asia has had no quotas at all—essentially shutting down immigration from Asia. I’ll also talk about what motivates restrictions and the impact immigrants had on the society and economy of the Pacific Northwest.
RHS: Immigration is often misunderstood in U.S. history. What is the biggest misconception you encounter when discussing Pacific Northwest immigration with students or audiences?
Brian Casserly: Sometimes it’s hard for students to grasp the impact immigrants had in shaping the society of the United States and the Pacific Northwest—how important immigrant labor was in building what the Northwest became by the early 1900s, including the economy. Many students aren’t aware of the hostility immigrants faced in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and they’re surprised by what drove that hostility.
RHS: What’s one takeaway you hope every audience member carries with them after your talk?
Brian Casserly: Immigration has a long and significant history in the Pacific Northwest. Immigrants were major contributors to the region’s society, culture, and economy Also, .many arguments in opposition to immigration―or calling for restrictions―are nothing new. These arguments have been made multiple times in the past, and there are waves of hostility to immigration every few decades, just as there are waves of immigrants arriving over time. I want people to understand both the impact of immigrants and the recurring patterns of hostility and restrictions.
RHS: Has the perception of immigration in the Pacific Northwest changed over time, or is it mostly treated through the same lens?
Brian Casserly: Some arguments change slightly, but a lot remain the same. For example, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, some people argued immigrants were taking jobs from white Americans. You still hear that argument today. It’s more complicated than it initially seems—immigrants contribute significantly to many aspects of society. Specifically related to the economy, they fill shortages in certain skills, create jobs through businesses they establish, and often do jobs other groups don’t necessarily want to do.
