Seattle’s black community — and everyone else who understands why that matters — has its own hyperlocal podcast. Hella black hella seattle began in june of 2016 with an inexpensive microphone, a Google doc, and a long list of errors by the mainstream media concerning the Central District — where i was born and raised along with my two co-founders eula, Alaina, and jazz.
Our original summer series became bi-weekly episodes, later a stage at MoPOP, then features in the stranger, seattlemet, and KUOW. However, our mission never changed: create a space for people of color in seattle to be heard as the city continues to forget that they built most of what exists today.
Explore the heart of Seattle with us.
A paper trail for a disappearing neighborhood.
Over twenty years the Central District went from being One of the largest historically black communities on the West Coast to One of the fastest gentrifying zip codes in America. The corner store closed. The barbershop closed. And the auntie who used to sit on that porch got priced out to Kent.
As a result of the disappearance of the Central District neighborhood; somebody had to write down what happened. Each episode is a receipt — worth traveling to eat at; events not found on mainstream calendars; & the people moving this city forward. Made in the cd. Honestly made. Last longer than the block we all grew up on.
From an experiment during the summer to a seattle institution. Since 2016 we have created over 60 episodes; were featured in “Podcasting While Black” by the stranger; named to “30 More Women Who Run This City” by seattlemet; interviewed on KUOW by Bill Radke; and featured on the maker spotlight stage at MoPOP. Although we paused production in 2019, our archive remained open — and our listeners continued to find us.
We are currently rebuilding our foundation — new episodes; new formats; and a home base which reflects what this project always has been. If you were with us before thank you. If you are finding us now welcome to the block.
Dive into the sounds of Seattle with us.