Tag Archives: The Soul Pole

Central District’s Soul Pole Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary This Saturday

by Amanda Ong


This Saturday, April 29, The Seattle Public Library will host “Preserving Neighborhood Character: The Soul Pole at 50 Years” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Douglass-Truth Branch in the Central District. The event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historic Soul Pole’s installation at the branch on April 24, 1973. 

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The Morning Update Show — 4/11

The Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.

We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.

Morning Update Show — Monday, April 11

The Soul Pole Returns Home to the Central District! | Participatory Budgeting Process Getting Ready to Roll | Ketanji Brown Jackson Changes the Face of the Supreme Court | Focus on the Black Family — What Makes a Black Man “Cool” or “Square” | BLM Under Fire About $6M Mansion

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Where Did the Soul Go?

by Rayna Mathis


Seattle’s Central District (CD) has gone through drastic changes over the last 20 years. Many communities have called this historic neighborhood home: Jewish people, Japanese Americans, and African Americans. Long-time residents and displaced families whose histories go back generations will lament this sentiment. 

If you’ve been to the CD in the last month, you might have noticed an important piece of 23rd and Yesler missing — the Soul Pole. In the summer of 1969, as part of President Johnson’s Model Cities Program (which ended in 1974), the Soul Pole was carved in a month by five teen artists, aged 14–16: Brenda Davis, Larry Gordon, Gregory Jackson, Cindy Jones, and Gaylord Young and was led by Seattle Rotary Boys Club Art Director, Gregory X. The sculpture honors 400 years of African American history by using four figures to represent significant moments of the Black man’s experience from primitive, to slavery, to liberation.

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The Morning Update Show — 4/27/21

The Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.

We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.

Morning Update Show — Tuesday, April 27

Joe Nguyen running for County Executive | Criminalization of Drug Possession | Alaska Air’s “Commitment Plane” takes flight | The Soul Pole Update | The lack of empathy in local leadership

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The Morning Update Show — 4/15/21

The Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.

We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.

Morning Update Show — Thursday, April 15

LIVE — Jazmyn Scott | Derrick Chauvin Trail Update | Seattle Black Film Festival | The Soul Pole | #TBT​ — KYAC Radio

Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 4/15/21