By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
A free community breakfast program inspired by one of the Seattle Black Panther Party’s most impactful initiatives is returning to Seattle’s Central District this summer.
ARTE NOIR and Jimaine Miller, affectionately known as “Def Chef,” have partnered to launch a Free Community Breakfast Program at the historic Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, located at 306 24th Ave. S. The program operates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. through Aug. 28.
The initiative comes as ARTE NOIR presents its Central District Legacy: Black. Power. Black Panthers. exhibition, which explores the history and impact of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party. Organizers say the breakfast program is intended to move beyond historical reflection and bring one of the party’s most enduring community programs back into practice.
“Given that the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party was the first chapter established outside of California, and that its Free Breakfast Program served more than 300,000 meals between 1969 and 1977, we believe it is important to honor and preserve that legacy,” said Jazmyn Scott, executive director of ARTE NOIR.
“In response to the exhibition, Def Chef and I wanted to find a way to not only reflect on that history, but also bring a piece of it back into practice through community action,” Scott continued. “The timing also aligns with the opening of the Seattle Black Panther Interpretive Center in Pioneer Square and the Black Panther Park in Skyway, making this an especially meaningful moment to highlight another vital aspect of the Seattle Chapter’s legacy: feeding, caring for and investing in community.”
Rather than simply commemorating the history of the Seattle Black Panther Party, organizers say the breakfast program seeks to continue one of its most enduring traditions of service, self-determination and community care.
For Leonard Dawson, an original member of the Seattle Black Panther Party who coordinated the organization’s breakfast program from 1971 to 1973, the revival represents a continuation of a mission that remains as relevant today as it was more than five decades ago.
“The program was built because there was a need,” said Dawson. “Children were going to school hungry. And of course, that affected learning, that affected their ability to concentrate. It affected their well-being, and it just affects virtually every aspect when you’re hungry, especially as a child.”
Dawson said the original breakfast program demonstrated both the need for community-based solutions and the shortcomings of existing public support systems.
“It was an example of what the government did not do and was lacking in providing,” said Dawson. “It left a legacy strong enough or powerful enough to have the government basically co-opt the program and begin its own National Federal Breakfast program. Children need a good, hot, nutritious meal to start their day. If that’s not happening … then maybe Mr. Miller’s example will multiply.”
For Miller, the program is about much more than serving breakfast.
“If you need it during the summer, you’re going to need it during the school year,” said Miller. “Between me and you, it’s a summer program that’s just never going to stop.”
Working alongside original Black Panthers Leonard Dawson, Elmer Dixon and Aaron Dixon, Miller sought community guidance and support before launching the initiative. For the first several weeks, he is funding the program largely out of pocket while working to establish the consistency families can depend on.
The menu will rotate based on seasonal availability and include items such as pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs, breakfast burritos and breakfast bowls. But Miller’s long-term vision extends beyond food service.
Miller says he envisions an ecosystem where local Black farmers help supply ingredients, young people participate in growing and harvesting food, and the breakfast program becomes an entry point for broader youth development and community engagement.
“Children are the priority because of course they’re the future,” said Miller. “This is child development, and we’re going to just start off with food. A lot of times we skip that step. We’re going to feed them first.”
Miller describes the initiative as a “blank canvas” and hopes educators, literacy advocates, health professionals, youth mentors and community leaders will help shape its future. While the immediate goal is to ensure children and families have access to a nutritious breakfast, organizers envision the program evolving into a broader community resource.
During the first hour of each breakfast service, the focus remains on children and families before opening to the broader community later in the morning.
Scott said the initiative aligns naturally with ARTE NOIR’s mission of uplifting Black culture, history and creative expression while investing directly in the community.
“By supporting Def Chef’s work, we are also supporting an artist whose medium happens to be food,” said Scott. “Def Chef has been a longtime collaborator with ARTE NOIR, often providing meals and culinary experiences as part of our programming, so revitalizing the Free Breakfast Program felt like a natural evolution of our partnership.”
Organizers say the program is designed to provide more than nutrition. They hope it will create opportunities for connection, trust-building and community support.
“Beyond the nutritional value, sharing a meal also creates opportunities for connection, conversation, and community,” said Scott. “The original Black Panther Party understood that hunger was a barrier to education and well-being. That understanding remains just as relevant today. By providing free meals in a welcoming environment, we hope to support not only physical nourishment, but also a sense of belonging and care.”
Jahvani Niko-Semo, who benefited from similar feeding programs as a youth and later worked in the Renton School District, said food often serves as the first step toward building relationships with young people.
“A lot of the kids won’t go to a place of trust unless there’s food being served,” said Niko-Semo. “When you feed a kid, boom, you open the door to make them feel vulnerable and help them trust you. When you feed them, they open up a little bit and that’s when you break the barriers.”
For Niko-Semo, the communal table remains one of the most powerful tools for building relationships and strengthening communities.
“That’s where business moves are made too, whether you’re a middle schooler, high schooler, or adult,” he said. “Food brings you together.”
As the program begins serving families this summer, organizers hope it will demonstrate that one of the Seattle Black Panther Party’s most important lessons remains true today: community care is most powerful when it moves beyond words and into action.
For Dawson, Scott, Miller and other community leaders involved in the effort, the goal is not simply to preserve history, but to ensure its lessons continue to serve future generations.
“Children are the priority because of course they’re the future,” said Miller. “This is child development, and we’re going to just start off with food.”
