Washington State’s Black History: Jonathan Moore
All month long we'll be partnering with The Black Heritage Society of Washington State to bring you artifacts, photos and stories from our community’s history.
Jonathan Moore (1969-2017) hip-hop pioneer, musician, brilliant lyricist, educator, collaborator, youth advocate, and mentor was “Wordsayer”. He was a founding member of the Source of Labor crew that was a unique voice to arrive on the hip-hop scene in early 1990s Seattle.
Moore was held in high regard and was respected for his ability to navigate on various levels to where he was instrumental in organizing events in venues where hip-hop had not been welcome due to the perception that wherever it went, trouble followed. Moore’s reputation as an “ambassador” garnered him the name Seattle Mayor of Hip-Hop and was evident in his response and action at a time when Seattle had a restrictive teen dance ordinance that basically prevented clubs and promoters from hosting under-age events. Moore began producing successful all-age events that afforded young people opportunities to hear and perform hip-hop.
Jonathan Moore leaves a legacy that is tremendously significant to Seattle music and hip-hop history. All who knew him will say that his love for family and community were at the forefront of what pushed him creatively and musically.
At the BHS archive we preserve the Jonathan Moore Legacy Collection that was graciously donated by his mother, Gwendolyn Jones. The collection includes numerous photos, personal artifacts such as his grade school spelling bee award, 20+ lyric and personal journals, Source of Labor event flyers and CD’s, and more.
