Tag Archives: Black History

Community

‘Reconciliation Tour’ Documentary Connects Black Baseball History-Makers to Young Athletes Today

by Victor Simoes

Baseball Beyond Borders (BBB), a Kent-based organization that uses baseball as a tool to increase opportunity and support academic excellence for student-athletes of color, released its first documentary, Reconciliation Tour, in September. The film centers on baseball’s healing power through community building and the athletes’ shared experiences while paying homage to the sport’s historic role in the fight for civil rights and its place in Black American culture. Made in partnership with local Black media production company Converge, the documentary follows 21 BBB members on a trip to the South. 

Continue reading ‘Reconciliation Tour’ Documentary Connects Black Baseball History-Makers to Young Athletes Today →
News

Students and Teachers Demand Funding for Ethnic Studies and Counselors, and a Permanent Ban of Police in Schools

by Ronnie Estoque

On Feb. 8, members of the Seattle Student Union and the Seattle Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators gathered at the John Stanford Center during a Seattle Public School Board meeting advocating Black Lives Matter at School demands that include the implementation of restorative justice and ending zero-tolerance discipline, the hiring of more Black teachers, the requirement of both Black history/ethnic studies curriculum for K–12, and funding additional counselors while permanently banning police in schools.

Continue reading Students and Teachers Demand Funding for Ethnic Studies and Counselors, and a Permanent Ban of Police in Schools →
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 →
News

NEWS GLEAMS: Retired Black Firefighters Protest, Vandals Strike FCS Van, & More

curated by Emerald Staff

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

✨Gleaming This Week✨

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Retired Black Firefighters Protest, Vandals Strike FCS Van, & More →
Features

Seattle Green Book Tour App Aims to Keep Local Black History Alive

by Troy Landrum Jr.

As the product of the Great Migration, a historical period in American history where millions of African American citizens left all they knew and took all they had from the Jim Crow South to cities up North in hopes of a better life, my grandmothers took their rightful place in that movement in hopes of a Promised Land that wasn’t always so promising for them. What was stronger than the reality of that promise was the hope they brought with them. They came with hopes that one day their kids and grandchildren could reap the future benefits of their elders being uprooted. 

Some of those benefits can be felt in the work of Black & Tan Hall, highlighted along with local Black history in the upcoming Seattle Green Book Self-Guided Tour app coming in March.

Continue reading Seattle Green Book Tour App Aims to Keep Local Black History Alive →
Arts & Culture

The Unspoken Truths Museum to Open at ARTS at King Street Station Gallery

by Melia LaCour

“Resistance, Resilience, Remembrance, and Liberation”: poetic words straight from the heart of multiple award winner, community scholar, ethnomuseumologist, and second-generation storyteller Delbert Richardson. His soulful words describe the theme of his upcoming installation, “American History Traveling Museum: The Unspoken Truths,” which will open at the ARTS at King Street Station Gallery on Nov. 16, 2021, and continue through Jan. 15, 2022.  

“My work is primarily geared for children and young adults,” Richardson shared. “No professional development, no white teachers. It’s really around identity development and self-actualization for Black kids, right? When we think about slavery and, historically, our story starting from 1619, then that becomes the placeholder of who we are and how we see ourselves and how we allow ourselves to be seen. So, I was determined to challenge that narrative. That’s what my museum does. It challenges that narrative based on my own story.”

Continue reading The Unspoken Truths Museum to Open at ARTS at King Street Station Gallery →
Arts & Culture

Lisa Myers Bulmash: the DNA and Soul of Black Art in Seattle

Leave a comment

by Lisa Edge

In Lisa Myers Bulmash’s home, a new item commemorates her contest winner status — a cerulean pageant sash. The phrase “Miss Thang 2021” is written across it, and a rhinestone-encrusted safety pin ensures it stays in place. Bulmash can’t help but laugh when she talks about her husband’s playful gift. 

Continue reading Lisa Myers Bulmash: the DNA and Soul of Black Art in Seattle →