Homer Harris Park is on a tract of land once owned by William Grose, a Black pioneer who bought the tract from Henry Yesler in 1882 for $1,000 in gold. Dr. Homer Harris (1916-2007), for whom the park is named, was one of Seattle’s most beloved and respected athletes and physicians. He opened his own dermatology practice in 1955, the largest of its kind west of the Rockies. Harris received...

Mile: 0.2

After being deeded by the Coleman family in 1936, the building and property grounds became the new branch of the Seattle YMCA. During World War II, the branch largely catered to Black servicemen—until the 1940s, when it began providing youth programs. In 1965, a new building was constructed, designed by Black architect Leon Bridges. This branch is named after Meredith Mathews, who served as its director from 1957 to 1965.

Mile: 0.28

Founded by business owner De Charlene Williams, the mission of the Central Area Chamber of Commerce is to guide, inspire, and enhance economic, cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities within the Central Area community. Williams’ beauty and boutique hair salon served as a longtime core for Seattle’s Black community until her passing in 2018. The area is also home to the Washington Educational and Social Club and Birdland, a music and...

Mile: 0.48

Organized on February 18, 1894, Mount Zion Baptist Church is home to the largest African American congregation in Washington State. Under Reverend Samuel Berry McKinney’s leadership in the 1960s, the church was a major force in the local civil rights movement. On July 1, 1963, Reverend McKinney led 400 marchers from Mount Zion to City Hall in a push for an open housing ordinance in Seattle.

Mile: 0.78

Temple De Hirsch was founded in 1899. Due to restrictive housing practices that discriminated against Jews in Seattle, the Temple De Hirsch joined other local Jewish American communities in the civil rights movement and advocated for open housing among other issues. Notably, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at Temple De Hirsch on November 9, 1961, during his sole visit to Seattle.

Mile: 1.48

The Africatown Community Land Trust works with members of the African diaspora to support community land ownership in the Central District for cultural and economic development. The redevelopment of Midtown Center envisions a cultural destination for business incubation and community connection. The rounded design and earthen tones of one of its residential buildings recalls traditional African architecture.

Mile: 1.98

Formerly the home of Frank and Goldyne Green, Wa Na Wari now incubates Black art and belonging, organizing, and movement building. The house was home to multiple generations of the extended Green family and their friends from the early 1960s to 2013. Four artists—Inye Wokoma (Frank and Goldyne Green’s grandson), Elisheba Johnson, Rachel Kessler, and Jill Freidberg—co-founded Wa Na Wari in 2019, with a vision to reclaim Black cultural space...

Mile: 2.18

Liberty Bank opened in 1968 as the first Black-owned bank west of the Mississippi in response to redlining and divestment among communities of color in Seattle. The Snack Bar—a late-night food and social gathering hub operated by the Filipino-American Laigo family—was also once located here. The site was redeveloped in 2019 as affordable housing with retail and community space.

Mile: 2.38

Lloyd and May Lee bought Joe’s Food Center and owned it from the 1950s to the 1990s. Joe’s Food Center became a special place for the community, and the pair knew everyone in the neighborhood by name. They provided items you couldn’t get anywhere else: lard (rendered from pork scraps), crunchy rendered pork bits, and Chinese sweets. No one was ever turned away, and they gave people store credit when...

Mile: 2.98

Founded by Douglas Q. Barnett in 1969, Black Arts/West was Seattle’s first Black theater. It evolved out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and eventually became nationally recognized for its three-component program: theatre, dance, and an art gallery displaying the work of local and national artists. As a division of the Central Area Motivation Program, an anti-poverty agency, it was charged with getting young people involved and learning...

Mile: 3.02

Headquartered in the Central District, The Facts newspaper was founded on September 7, 1961, by Fitzgerald Redd Beaver. His children, Marla and LaVonne Beaver, are the current publishers and editors, with his wife Mrs. Elizabeth Beaver as the current leader after Beaver’s death in 1992. The Facts is a member of the West Coast Black Publishers Association and bills itself as "the voice of the Northwest African American community." It...

Mile: 3.09

The Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party was established in spring 1968 and was the party’s first chapter outside of California. Aaron Lloyd Dixon—then 19 years old—was appointed captain of the Seattle chapter by party co-founder Bobby Seale. Party membership reflected the diverse communities it served with programs that included military training, political education classes, providing free breakfasts for children, free transportation to visit family members in prison, and...

Mile: 3.16