By Michelle Merriweather, Co-architect of the Black Future Co-op Fund and President and CEO of Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
“Where everybody knows your name”, is not just a saying for Cheers. It rang true at one of my most treasured gathering places, Marjorie. The restaurant had been a staple in the Seattle area for 20 years, first in Belltown in 2010 then in the Central Area for the last 13 years. At the end of March, we said farewell to the legendary Marjorie as owner Donna Moodie makes room in her life and the community for her next adventure. As a community, we send a thank you for the hospitality, connection, and memories that restaurateur, leader, and community advocate Donna Moodie, created space for. I must also honor her dedication to economic mobility for our community, especially for her fellow Black women restaurateurs throughout the years
Named after Donna’s mother, Marjorie, served up a nod to her Jamaican roots and the love that I imagine was stirring in her mother’s kitchen. It seemed that Donna handpicked her team to be an extension of that love, from the front of the house to those who cooked and plated the food. It also served as a place where like minded people gathered to conspire to put good out into the world through partnerships, relationships, and celebration. It was as if you could only walk through the doors if you came with a mind of making the world better.
I first experienced Marjorie in 2015, when I accepted the opportunity to call Seattle home. I learned that it was a Blackwoman-owned restaurant, and was immediately excited to support it. For so many of my colleagues and friends, it was a place for meetings, good food, and music that made you want to get up and dance! In 2020, when the rest of the world shut down, it became so much more than “just a great restaurant.” It became a second home. Those of us who gathered there on a regular basis became family, and Donna became a mentor, friend, and co-conspirator in creating a more equitable Seattle for those who choose to call Seattle home.
Donna’s advocacy work not only permeated through the restaurant but through her life outside of the restaurant as well. If leading a popular gathering place isn’t enough, Donna is the executive director of the Capitol Hill Eco-District and vice president of Community Roots Housing. Again, when the world shut down, Donna did not rest, she dove in to be a part of the solution. Through her role, she is creating a more equitable, resilient, and vibrant community not only in words but through action. But this is no surprise.
Black women have historically been at the center of economic mobility for our community and regularly demonstrate what love and care for the community look like. Donna is a shining example. She is one at the center of solutions, lifting her experiences as an example of what is possible and her voice for more equitable investment into the community.
Marjorie has fulfilled its role in the community. It gave us a home through some of the toughest times. It gave us nourishment, laughter, and family. I will forever be grateful and those of us who called Marjorie home are forever connected through that experience. While I was heartbroken to see Marjorie close, I took notice of Donna’s enthusiasm and excitement for the future and couldn’t help but share her joy.
Her next adventure, likely opening this summer, will be located at 23rd and Union, the corner where we celebrate the connection to the historic Central Area through place, art, people, and food. Donna is not only working to open a new concept restaurant/bar. Through her next adventure, Donna is working to support the neighboring businesses in the corridor and generating generational opportunities for Black-owned businesses in our community
We are excited for what is to come and join Donna on the next adventure.
