August is National Black Business Month, and we're excited to announce the first round of winners for the Back2Besa Black Business Uplift! Congratulations to Luam, Davis, and Kay! We can’t wait to share your stories soon on Back2Besa.

Do you know of a Black-owned business in the Pacific Northwest that deserves recognition? We want to hear from you! Nominate your favorite business today and tell us why you think they should be featured. August is National Black Business Month, a time dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the invaluable contributions of Black-owned businesses across the United States. This annual observance, established in 2004, serves as a reminder of the resilience, innovation, and economic impact of Black entrepreneurs.

Have you heard of Beau Legs Fish and Chips in Lacey, Washington? The family-owned restaurant has been serving the community for the last 15 years and is going strong. Serving staples like jambalaya, grits, gumbo and more, Beau Legs uses family recipes to bring soul food to Lacey.

On Saturday, Seattle welcomed another Black-owned business to the city. Intentions Juice and Smoothie Cafe opened their brand new location in South Lake Union with an outpouring of community support.

The weather is getting colder, and that means it’s candle season. Besa Gordon took a trip over to Noir Lux  Candle Co. to tap in with Owner and CEO Colina Bruce, who founded the company in her kitchen during the pandemic.

It’s Halloween and businesses across Seattle are getting in the spirit of the Holiday. Couture Cocktails 206 and owner Ashaunti Martin hosted a Halloween Cocktail making class at Made Space earlier this month, and Back2Besa Host Besa Gordon was there to tap in and #SupportBlackBusiness.

October 24th marks a special occasion for food enthusiasts across the nation - National Food Day. Below is are some of our favorite Black-owned restaurants to support today and all year-round. Make sure to comment what your favorite Black-owned restaurant is.

Seattle innovators and business owners gathered at Imperia in Lake Union for the eighth annual Impact Pitch Competition. Hosted by Business Impact NW, the event allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and companies to a panel of experts and ultimately compete for grants.

#WalkTheBlock - Our Community Queen of Converge, Trae Holiday, tapped in at Wa Na Wari’s Walk The Block on last Saturday. The annual event brings artists together with the community to showcase their work and spread creative energy while celebrating the joy and beauty that is present within the Central District and beyond.

Converge Queens connected at Takiyah “TDUB” Ward’s soft opening of her brand new Re-Sole retail shop on E Union street as Trae Holiday joined her to speak about the milestone. The shop specializes in custom sneaker painting, dry-cleaning, and more and has become known as one of the top sneaker care shops in Seattle.

September 29th was national coffee day, and to celebrate Besa Gordon headed to Boon Boona Coffee in Renton to learn all about the coffee-making process and taste different brews.

Back2Besa host Besa Gordon stopped by SpoonFed Training in Renton to tap in with Fitness Coach Adaeze Medani and showcase some ways you can stay in shape as well as the natural methods she uses. Medani and Gordon went through a workout which can be done in the fitness studio or at home, and you can follow along and try out some of the exercises they did.

Last week, Besa Gordon headed to the Metier Brewing Taproom in the Central District for their newly-launched Sunday fried chicken and beignet brunch.

Our Community Queen Trae Holiday was part of the first ever Het Heru Healing Conference in Seattle, which brought spiritual leaders and healers to Langston Hughes to lead sessions and discuss their work.

Last week, Besa Gordon checked in from the Creative Justice Back To School Giveback at Washington Hall. The event featured donations of clothing, school supplies, shoes and more as kids got ready to head back to school for the 2023-24 school year.

Seattle’s The Poetry Experience celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier this month, marking a quarter-century of sharing, creating, and community building. Founded by Rajnii Gibson-Eddins, The Poetry Experience consists of workshops and held space for people to come together and explore the power of the written word. The celebration took place at Blue Cone Studios, bringing together poets like Monique Franklin, Ebo, Roberto Ascalon and more.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Anthony and Marlie Love of Traveling While Black have you covered. In their segment on Back2Besa, they told us about four great fall activities you can do around Washington State and beyond.

Besa Gordon sat down with world-renowned chef Kristi Brown to talk about her journey into starting her own restaurant and the advice she has for entrepreneurs.

Our Community Queen @traeholiday was out at Tacoma’s Hilltop Street Fair, which features art, vendors, music and more. While there, she caught up with Black-owned businesses like Intentions Juice Bar (@intentionsjuicebar), Chain of Seasonings (@chainofseasonings) and more.

What’s former NBA Champion Channing Frye up to now? We headed down to Portland to find out. Besa Gordon caught up with the hooper-turned-winemaker to hear about Chosen Family Wines and the way he’s turned his passion for wine into a business.