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The Seattle Medium, in partnership with the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and Byrd Barr Place, is launching its “Pack the House” campaign Sept. 2, beginning a 10-week effort to rally community support for Black-owned restaurants throughout the greater Seattle area.

Together, Martin and Laing began shaping Island Soul’s culinary identity around a fusion of traditional Southern dishes and the Caribbean flavors Laing brought with him from Jamaica. The approach also reflected Martin’s upbringing as a Seventh-day Adventist, incorporating healthier, non-meat preparation methods into some traditional comfort foods.

Since Franke began creating golf opportunities for women of color in 2019, 186 women have registered with Soft Life. According to the organization's registration figures, about 97% entered as complete beginners who had never handled a golf club. For Franke, those numbers illustrate how many women remain outside of golf, not because they tried the sport and left, but because they never saw themselves as part of it in the first place.

After years of community advocacy and decades of concerns about aging facilities and underinvestment, Rainier Beach High School celebrated the completion of its new $275 million campus last week, marking a dramatic turnaround for a school that once faced the possibility of closure.

Last Friday, Seattle civil rights leaders marked the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom with calls for renewed action on voting rights, economic opportunity and racial justice, arguing that the unfinished work of the 1963 movement remains relevant more than six decades later.

Seattle Public Schools and the teachers union raced against a Tuesday midnight deadline to avoid a strike that could delay Wednesday's first day of school. Superintendent Ben Shuldiner detailed the district's contract offer, including raises, special education improvements, and workload changes, while citing financial constraints and outlining contingency plans if teachers walk out.

Seventeen-year-old Mari-Yona Shannon recently returned to her hometown of Seattle to compete in the Washington State Open, her first adult tennis tournament. Shannon, who moved with her family to Ohio in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and following the death of her mother, first picked up a tennis racket at age 4 and has been competing ever since.

Attorney Barbara Laners, Esq., was a respected civil rights and labor attorney, professor, community leader, radio personality and dedicated advocate for justice whose life was defined by strength, faith, compassion, service and an unwavering commitment to others.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson recently signed an executive order aimed at speeding up residential permitting and housing construction by creating an interdepartmental permitting team, proposing an affordable housing ombuds position and establishing a task force to recommend additional changes to the city's housing policies.

My cousin Sean Ousley was many things. He was a father. A son. A cousin. A protector. A DJ. The life of the party. A man with legendary dance moves, a sharp mind and a heart that was bigger than most people realized.