So What Does That Mean For Our Community?
Over the past twenty years African Americans in Seattle have spread out from our roots in the Central District. Now we live all over King County. How does this decentralization affect our ability to create and maintain black community?
We are creating a series of short documentary videos and will screen them at a community forum this spring. Your contribution will help make the videos and the community forum richer.
This site has been set up as a space for you to share you stories and opinions while the project is in progress. MAKE SURE TO CALL THE COMMUNITY STORY LINE AT (253) 642-7672 BEFORE MARCH 17 and your contribution may be shared here on the site.
So… how are you experiencing the black community now that African Americans are so spread out around the Puget Sound?
-Inye
We touched on this recent episode of gentrification in my Human Relations class. The questions posed by the instructor for us to ponder were, “How does this impact the ‘Black Community’? What must businesses such as Ezell’s and Catfish Corner do to survive when the current neighborhood makeup is 83% European American?”
After some consideration, my answer is the same for both questions – “Change.” With communities of African Americans existing in south Seattle, Federal Way, and Kent, activities and businesses with largely African American clientele must change to accommodate their original customer base, cater to a new customer base, or, ideally, do both. It also presents opportunities for those with an entrepreneurial spirit to launch businesses in those newly formed African American communities. With help from the various communication tools, staying connected as a community shouldn’t be an issue.
Meanwhile, the “CD” simply returns to its roots; a community comprised of mostly European American (I am reminded that the area was largely Jewish before the mid-60s).