By Chris B. Bennett, The Seattle Medium
For more than 56 years, The Seattle Medium has remained committed to one simple mission: serving our community and telling its stories. Guided by our motto, “A Message From the People… To The People,” we have always believed that some of the most important stories are those of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
That belief is what inspired the creation of The Seattle Medium’s inaugural Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards.
Today, it is my honor to congratulate the winners and runner ups recognized throughout this special edition. Just as importantly, I want to congratulate every single nominee.
Every person, business, nonprofit organization, educator, coach, entrepreneur, athlete, and community leader nominated during this campaign was recognized for a reason. They were nominated because someone believed in them. Someone took the time to acknowledge their dedication, their commitment, and the positive impact they have had on the lives of others. Being nominated is, in itself, an incredible honor because it reflects the appreciation, respect, and gratitude of the community they serve.
From the moment we announced that we were accepting nominations, we knew there would be excitement. What we did not anticipate was just how enthusiastically our community would embrace this opportunity to recognize excellence throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Once the nominees were announced, the campaign took on a life of its own.
Social media was filled with nominees proudly sharing their accomplishments and encouraging family, friends, customers, clients, teammates, alumni, church members, and supporters to cast their votes. Every day, we watched people celebrate one another, share inspiring stories, and express genuine pride in the businesses, organizations, and individuals making a difference in our communities.
The excitement was contagious.
The response also exceeded every expectation we had.
By the end of the first week alone, our Readers’ Choice Awards campaign had already surpassed the engagement and voting totals achieved by similar campaigns in several cities across the country with significantly larger African American populations. Those campaigns had been running for an entire month. Our community reached that milestone in just seven days.
That remarkable level of participation speaks volumes about the pride we have in one another and our desire to recognize those whose contributions often go unnoticed.
At The Seattle Medium, celebrating our community has never been limited to the stories that appear in our newspaper or on our digital platforms.
For more than five decades, we have stood alongside our community during both its celebrations and its greatest challenges. Whether advocating for issues that matter to our readers, shining a light on injustice, or organizing initiatives that directly impact families, our commitment has always extended far beyond publishing a newspaper.
Through our annual Fourth Quarter of Giving campaign, we have helped provide coats to families during the winter months, distributed food to those facing hunger, and delivered toys that helped brighten the holidays for thousands of children. When tragedy has struck, from the Oklahoma City bombing to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our readers and community partners have joined us in raising funds and providing assistance for those in need.
That spirit of service has always defined who we are.
It is also why we created the Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards.
Too often, the people, businesses, and organizations making the greatest difference in our community do not receive the recognition they deserve. Their impact is measured not by national headlines or corporate accolades, but by the lives they touch, the neighborhoods they strengthen, and the relationships they build every single day.
We wanted to create an awards program where those voices mattered most. Rather than allowing a panel of judges to decide who is worthy of recognition, we wanted the community itself to determine who best represents excellence across the Pacific Northwest. After all, no one knows the value of these businesses, organizations, and community leaders better than the people they serve.
That is what makes these awards so meaningful. They are truly “A Message From the People… To The People.”
The Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards are another expression of our longstanding commitment to celebrate excellence, elevate positive stories, and recognize those who invest their time, talents, and resources into making our communities stronger.
As you read through this special edition, I encourage you to do more than congratulate the winners and runner ups.
Support all of our nominees.
Visit their businesses. Attend their events. Utilize their services. Volunteer with their organizations. Recommend them to your family and friends. Continue celebrating them long after the voting has ended.
Recognition is meaningful, but sustained community support is what truly helps these businesses and organizations continue to thrive.
Finally, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this inaugural campaign such an overwhelming success.
Thank you to every person who submitted a nomination.
Thank you to every voter who took the time to participate.
Thank you to every nominee who embraced this campaign with enthusiasm and inspired others through your example.
Thank you to our sponsors and advertising partners whose support helped make these awards possible.
And thank you to our dedicated staff, whose countless hours of planning and hard work transformed an idea into what has become an extraordinary community celebration.
Because of you, our inaugural Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards exceeded every expectation.
More importantly, you helped establish what I believe will become one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier celebrations of Black excellence, entrepreneurship, leadership, and community service.
This is only the beginning.
We look forward to recognizing even more outstanding individuals, businesses, and organizations in the years to come as we continue our mission of being “A Message From the People… To The People.”
Congratulations once again to all of our winners, runner ups, and nominees.
Most importantly, thank you to our readers and the entire community for believing in this vision and helping us make history together. We cannot wait to celebrate with you again next year.
To see the full list of winners visit bestofthebestnw.com
