Kiesha Garrison Talks Building Connections and Opportunities with Hey, Black Seattle!
Photos By Susan Fried
Kiesha Garrison, the CEO and founder of Hey, Black Seattle!, stopped by The Day with Trae for a conversation about her site with host Trae Holiday. Originally from Louisiana, Garrison brings 15 years of experience in media publishing and technology to her platform. Having previously worked as the Microsoft AI platform engineering team's Director of Culture and Communications, she witnessed firsthand how large companies utilize technology to create innovative solutions to address challenges across various sectors. Using her skills and expertise, she transitioned her expertise into Hey, Black Seattle! and developed a medium focused on forging relationships throughout Seattle's Black community.
"I've taken all of that, and I've combined it with my love and passion for the arts, and have committed to using the things that I know about technology and my passion for how culture and community really help people in the world to build things for my people," Garrison said.
Hey, Black Seattle! serves as a community hub, a database showcasing opportunities for connections and community engagement around Seattle. Acting as a platform for Black Seattlities to find meaningful interactions, it spotlights regional events. Moreover, it highlights various organizations and individuals across the city, serving as a resource for those looking for venues focused on art, music, fitness, spirituality, and healthcare. The site also operates as a job board, connecting users with professional and career development opportunities and multiple services.
"You have the question of "Where did Black people send their kids to school? Where are the Black spiritual centers that I can tap into? Where are Black people that hike?" That might be in a Facebook group; that might not be a business we can post in the directory," Garrison said. "It's like business, but there's also community. So, all these community organizations that are doing programs and hosting events, how do we find the work that they're doing? And that is a big part of the work that I wanted to highlight."
Garrison's platform, illustrated with Pan-African colors, has been in the works since she moved to Seattle a decade ago. While she felt integrated into the local community upon arrival, she noticed it lacking in her professional life. It wasn't until the pandemic, when Garrison saw her daughter impacted by isolation, that Hey, Black Seattle! really came to fruition.
"I saw the impact that kind of racial isolation was having on my daughter. The way that she was feeling as a little Black child out here and feeling separated from her people, I could see that it was having a really, really negative impact on her," Garrison said. "During that time was also when I was deciding to leave Microsoft, and a lot of my Black network also was leaving because they wanted to find support with their families and other cities. So my network was turning over personally because of that, professionally because of the career change to go be an independent emcee and host, and then I'm seeing my daughter suffering as well."
Since its inception, the site has tapped into all facets of Seattle's Black community, an intentional move by Garrison fueled by a passion for the arts.
"If I get to design a whole new life for myself, I want it to be Black every day. Some people might know that I've been a comedian, and I've been doing stand-up in Seattle, and so I have a whole world of comedian friends," Garrison said. "Once you start doing your thing, you'll find all the people that are around that world. So I was like, "I want it all back. I want my poetry back. I want my painting back. I want all my artistry back, and I want it back with my people."
To get involved with Hey, Black Seattle!, sign up here.
"All you have to do is create a profile on the website heyblackseattle.com and then become searchable to the community, and there's a level to the accounts where if you do it, you can also post your events on this shared community calendar, and you can post jobs to this shared community job board," Garrison said. "All of these things being right here in one place, I hope that it shortens people's time to community and helps them get to the people they need to get to faster. I want you to find the Black folks who are hiking; I want you to find them yesterday, not two years from now."
To hear more conversations like this, join Trae live every weekday at 11 am on Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
