Olympia, WA: The Capitol Theater on 5th St.
Photo by: Marissa Price.
"Americans are very rich. They are
rich because they can have a deep understanding of other
cultures, and living in
a diverse population we can learn a lot from each other." -Toy
Kay
Toy Kay's father settled in Butte, Montana, in
1887. When Toy was 16 she was married to Bill Kay of Olympia,
Washington, in 1941. The Kays were one of two Chinese families
in Olympia at that time, the other family was the Locke family.
Toy worked
at Kay's Cafe, had two children, and when the children
grew up she decided to go to the Evergreen
State College. Through
her education she discovered the importance of history,
culture, and the arts.
The awareness of how cultures can affect people
of various backgrounds inspired Toy Kay to reach out to the
community. Toy Kay created the Olympia
Area Chinese Fellowship in 1974. The
OACF promotes traditional Chinese arts, theater, dance, story
telling, and holidays throughout the local community.
The goal of the OACF is to celebrate diverse cultures, and
preserve them in a community setting.
