Hey, Black Seattle! Celebrates One Year of Connecting and Empowering the Community

VIDEO: Kiesha B. Free joined Trae Holiday on The Day With Trae earlier this week to discuss the one-year anniversary of Hey, Black Seattle!

Hey Black Seattle!, a vital online resource hub, recently marked its one-year anniversary of being live, sparking reflection and renewed focus for its founder, Kiesha B. Free. In a recent interview on “The Day with Trey” hosted by Trae Holliday, Free shared insights into the platform’s journey, achievements, and future plans.

Hey Black Seattle! was established with a clear mission: to be a comprehensive resource and connection point for the Black community in the Greater Seattle area. Free explained that the first year has been a period of “information gathering, a lot of building, a lot of trying to refine.” The goal, she emphasized, has been to create an accessible and user-friendly database where people can easily find the information and connections they need.

“When I first started out, I was just trying to not let perfection be the enemy of progress,” Free said, reflecting on the initial launch. Now, the focus is shifting towards ensuring “that the actual resource is a good experience for people and that they can find the things that they’re looking for and it makes sense to them.” This involves ongoing work on the database and how users access it.

One of the key aspects of Hey Black Seattle! is its directory membership. Free encourages individuals and businesses to join by filling out a short form on the website, www.heyblackseattle.com. This allows members to create profiles, share their information, and connect with the community. “We need people to put themselves on there,” Free stated. “If you go to heyblackseattle.com and you click join as a directory member, you get a prompt to fill out a very short form where you can put your information in and that you can let people know who you are.”

VIDEO: Hey’s Black Seattle! Let’s Pull Up Tour Stop at The Scene in Southpark. (Back2Besa)

The platform also features an opportunity board, a resource born directly from community feedback. This board includes job postings, grant deadlines, casting calls, and other opportunities. “In community, I found out that people really wanted a way to search for things like scholarships and grants,” Free explained. “So we turned the job board that’s on Hey Black Seattle to an opportunity board where you can not just post jobs but you can post all sorts of other things.”

Beyond being a resource directory, Hey Black Seattle! aims to foster a sense of connection and support within the community. Free stressed the importance of “circulating Black dollars” and addressing the unique needs of the Black community. “There can be a watering down of the needs of individual communities when we try to tackle everything as a mega collective,” she noted. “I love staying in the nooks and crannies of the Black experience.”

The platform serves as a bridge, connecting people to local businesses, artists, and organizations and creating opportunities for collaboration. Free highlighted the importance of building “true relationship,” stating, “We have the opportunity to truly get to know one another in a way that goes not only it goes past where our dollars end up because now we’re talking about those long-lasting relationships that matter so much in terms of building community.”

In addition to the online platform, Hey Black Seattle! has other initiatives, such as community tours and media production. The tours provide opportunities to learn about the history and current landscape of Black creativity and business ownership in Seattle. The media production, including the “We Are Here” segment, amplifies stories of Black-owned businesses and organizations, challenging existing narratives and promoting visibility.

As Hey Black Seattle! moves forward, Free remains committed to its mission of building a strong and connected community. “Join, register on the website, and then grab some merch. You represent,” she encouraged, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and support. With a year of growth and learning behind it, Hey Black Seattle! is poised to continue making a significant impact in the Greater Seattle area.