Tag Archives: Black History Month

Voices

OPINION | ‘Power Anywhere There’s People’

A youth-focused reaction to Fred Hampton’s 1969 speech.

by Michael Dixon and Mark Epstein

Our youth today are in an extremely fragile state. There is no movement they can look to be a part of that is guiding them to a better place. Whether we are a member of a group based on ethnicity, religion, gender, or gender preference, we are vulnerable to attack. The greatest threat to oppressive power today is that people will get out of their individual identity issues and unite. This is particularly troubling since the power of a people depends on the vision and power of its youth.

Continue reading OPINION | ‘Power Anywhere There’s People’ →
Voices

Reimagining Black History Month: Victoria Santos

(This article is reprinted with permission from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Reagan Jackson. Read the full “Reimagining Black History Month” series on FrontPorch.Seattle.gov. Stories and profiles will be added throughout the month.)

Victoria Santos is a cofounder of the BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State, a multicultural, cross-sector collaborative of 200+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color nonprofit leaders working in solidarity to promote wellness and restore resources in our region’s communities. She is also the director of the Center for Healing and Liberation, a home for transformative work, committed to the thriving of BIPOC community members and the liberation of everyone.

Continue reading Reimagining Black History Month: Victoria Santos →
Voices

OPINION | Reimagining Black History Month

by Reagan Jackson

(This article is reprinted with permission from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Reagan Jackson. Read the full “Reimagining Black History Month” series on FrontPorch.Seattle.gov. Stories and profiles will be added throughout the month.)

The earliest memory I have of celebrating Black History Month was in the fourth grade. I attended a predominantly white school in Middleton, Wisconsin. One day, my mom noticed my backpack was much heavier than usual. She asked why I was taking so many books to school. I told her about the lesson from the day before where my teacher summed up Black history with one specific story, the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This was long before Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s excellent Ted Talk about the dangers of a single story, long before I’d taken any social justice classes or learned any language to label that moment for the reductive, misguided, oppressive experience it was.

Continue reading OPINION | Reimagining Black History Month →
Voices

OPINION | Is This America?

by Lola E. Peters

The most effective speaker and advocate of the Civil Rights Movement was not Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or Jesse Jackson, or any of the myriad names quoted without end during Black History Month. That honor belongs to a woman whose power was drawn not from her title, status, economic, or educational achievements, but from the roots of her experience.

Continue reading OPINION | Is This America? →
Voices

‘Like Fine Wine, Black Joy Over Time’: The Necessity of Black Joy Narratives to Black Liberation

by Nacala Ayele

(This article is reprinted with permission from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Reagan Jackson. Read the full “Reimagining Black History Month” series on FrontPorch.Seattle.gov. Stories and profiles will be added throughout the month.)

As a Joy Actualization Coach for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, I define joy as the internal sense of well-being, satisfaction, and contentment that is independent of external circumstances. For Black People, the necessity of prioritizing joy can be a hard sell. How are we supposed to be joyful in the face of viral Black death, police murders, racial, health, educational, and economic disparities that are driven by a white supremacist system, and the many other ways that the length and quality of our lives are diminished by white supremacy? During Black History Month, we do deep dives into historical trauma, tragedy, and oppression, all of which make it hard to consider joy as something that should be prioritized, much less as a tool for liberation.

Continue reading ‘Like Fine Wine, Black Joy Over Time’: The Necessity of Black Joy Narratives to Black Liberation →
Arts & Culture

Black History Month Museum Offers Tours and a Close-Up Look at Local Black History

by Rosette Royale

As far as welcoming committees go, it’s hard to beat Michelle and Barack Obama. So, it’s a surprise to see Michelle — or at least a cutout of her — standing inside the rear entrance of the Columbia City Theater. Just to her right, playing on a nearby TV screen, a recorded Barack delivers the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, a moment that would propel him to national prominence and preview the oratorical skills that enchanted millions during his presidency. 

Continue reading Black History Month Museum Offers Tours and a Close-Up Look at Local Black History →
Community

Honoring Black History Month: Events in the Seattle Area

by Victor Simoes

Last Updated on February 22, 2023, 2:45 pm.

Black History Month is well underway. The annual celebration conceived by historian Carter G. Woodson began in 1926 as a time to honor Black resistance and raise awareness of Black history.

A wide range of events are happening throughout Seattle, uplifting Black histories, stories, and brilliance. These commemorations include educational events, workshops, art exhibitions, and an entirely new museum organized by Rainier Avenue Radio, showcasing the achievements and celebrating Black historical figures particular to the Pacific Northwest.

Listed below are some events around the Seattle area to honor and learn from the vast history of Black culture, identity, and excellence.

Continue reading Honoring Black History Month: Events in the Seattle Area →
Arts & Culture

MOHAI’s New Exhibit Celebrates PNW Black Architects

Meet the Black architects who designed our skylines.

by Amanda Ong

From Feb. 4 through April 30, 2023, the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) will exhibit “From the Ground Up: Black Architects and Designers,” highlighting the historical, as well as contemporary, talent of Black architects across the country, and particularly within the Pacific Northwest. The exhibit was created by the Museum of Science and Industry (MSCI) in Chicago and codeveloped with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State.

Continue reading MOHAI’s New Exhibit Celebrates PNW Black Architects →
Arts & Culture

Dru Holley’s ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ Documentary Reveals Hidden Black History in the PNW

by Beverly Aarons

Long before the internet gave instant access to America’s hidden history (to anyone willing to search for it), Bob Marley’s hit single “Buffalo Soldier” raised collective awareness about the forgotten Black regiments who fought in some of America’s earliest wars. Set over a steady, smooth beat, Bob Marley’s song sums up the formerly enslaved soldiers’ predicament in these refrains:

Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta …
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival.

Continue reading Dru Holley’s ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ Documentary Reveals Hidden Black History in the PNW →
Community

Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium Kicks Off Tomorrow in Tacoma

Attend in-person or virtually, for a ‘lifeline, and an asset map’ for Black entrepreneurs.

by Victor Simoes

The fourth annual Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium will kick off Black History Month tomorrow, Feb. 1, at the University of Washington Tacoma — William W. Philip Hall from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will be the first in-person edition of the event since 2020. The organizers hope to celebrate, learn, and build connections among Black-owned businesses.

Continue reading Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium Kicks Off Tomorrow in Tacoma →