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.

Our Besa Gordon tapped in at the world-famous Communion Seattle during their annual fish fry. She spoke with Chef Kristi Brown about what makes the event so special and you know she had to try some of the food.

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.

Noir Lux Candle Co. CEO Colina Bruce was at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill to celebrate the launch of Starbucks new Seattle Community Capsule Collection, which will be on sale exclusively at the Roastery. The set of three candles has been in development for nearly a year, and complement the flavors of some of the roastery's newest coffees. The box includes blackberry, citrus, and cream inspired fragrances.

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.

Our Back2Besa crew was at the Empowering Youth and Families Outreach Summer Literacy Academy at Holly Park Community Church on Thursday, August 17th. The eight-week program focuses both on academic and social growth, providing students with an opportunity to fill in gaps, make up for academic loss, and get ahead for the upcoming school year.

Welcome to A 4 Apple Learning Center. Our Trae Holiday stopped by to chat with Co-Owner and Teacher Appollonia Washington (Miss Apple) for #NationalBlackBusinessMonth to hear about the work being done at the center as she seeks to inspire the next generation through early learning and literacy.

“My pieces of advice would be to come in with humility, enjoy your passion, and be ready to work,” NBA Champion Channing Frye said.

Our Besa Gordon traveled down to the Rose City to check in with some Black-owned businesses for #NationalBlackBusinessMonth. While there, she stopped by Trap Kitchen PDX ahead of Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s listening party at the Roseland Theater. 

“My advice for people coming into any space is to keep an eye out for the people that are doing the thing that you want to do.” - Tiquette Bramlett, Founder of Our Legacy Harvested.

All month long, Converge Media is uplifting Black businesses from across the Pacific Northwest. The Uplift is Real! We’ve been collecting nominations from the community and featuring businesses around the greater Seattle area.

Chef Trey Lamont put out a call requesting community support in his mission to re-open Jerk Shack, Downtown Seattle’s only 100% Black-owned Restaurant. Lamont says that the staffing shortages, supply chain issues, and residual effects of the pandemic has led them to reconsider the way they operate, and now inflation has begun to slow the flow of business.

QueenCare Owner Monika C. Mathews spoke with Besa Gordon about the importance of leading by example and the ways she’s using her business to influence the community to focus on self-care on multiple levels.

For National Black Business Month, we’re featuring some of Seattle’s favorite Black-owned businesses. Exclusive is a Black-women owned clothing boutique located on East Union Street in the heart of Seattle’s Central District. Their mission is to bring fashion to the community, making everyone feel free to express themselves through their clothing choices.

The Bite Of Seattle returned this year following a hiatus to the pandemic. Widely regarded as one of the top food festivals in the United States, the Bite featured over 100 vendors and 50 musical artists. We sent our Besa Gordon and her TV in search of Black businesses at the Bite and they found a handful including Jumping Jambalaya, Kenyan Kitchen, Boss of Sea Moss, Glory Bucha, Ma and Pops, and more.

The uplift is real! The Converge Media Support Black Business Production Team is heading back on the road this month to find and feature the best Black businesses around the Pacific Northwest. We’ll be in Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, Spokane and more to tell the stories of the people and businesses who make our community great.

We stopped at Mizzter Chuck's auto detail to hear from owner Marcus Windom. Windom said the name of the company came from his nickname ‘Mizzy’ as well as his legal first name of Charles. He’s been detailing cars for over two decades, and launched the mobile side of his service three years ago.