Radio producer Jenny Asarnow and documentary photographer Inye Wokoma, who previously produced The Corner, received an $8500 grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs to explore the significance of blacks spreading out from the Central District to other parts of Puget Sound.  

Here is Inye’s description of the project:

Over the past twenty years African Americans in Seattle have spread out from our roots in the Central District. Now we live all over King County. How does this decentralization affect our ability to create and maintain black community?

We are creating a series of short documentary videos and will screen them at a community forum this spring. Your contribution will help make the videos and the community forum richer.

This site has been set up as a space for you to share you stories and opinions while the project is in progress. MAKE SURE TO CALL THE COMMUNITY STORY LINE AT (253) 642-7672 BEFORE MARCH 17and your contribution may be shared here on the site.

So… how are you experiencing the black community now that African Americans are so spread out around the Puget Sound?

 

A sample conversation from the project’s Facebook page:

206 Black-The Diaspora Conversation Starter #4: How important do you think it is that black people live and work close to one another to maintain a sense of community? How are you maintaining your community ties when black people are so spread out around here?

David Daniels: I believe what the Black Community lacks is “a vision” for what the community could be. “Without a vision the people perish”. A “think tank” to lay out a plan for what the community might look like in the future would a place to start. Without this vision of the future, there is nothing for the community to work towards and it devolves into simply reacting to the today that someone esle designed yesterday. Community is not what it used to be. This forum is an example of how it has changed.

If we did not have other plans, you would find me at the Reel Grrls 2nd Annual Oscar Party at CD News sponsor Central Cinema.  Reel Grrls is a CD-based charity that believes in “empowering young women from diverse communities to realize their power, talent, and influence through media production.  Options for tickets are between $25 and $79 depending on the type of meal that you choose (note that $25 of each ticket benefits Reel Grrls and is tax deductible).  This year, they will be cheering on Best Director nominee Kathryn Bigelow to become the first woman to win Best Director – should she win for her film, The Hurt Locker.  Festivities begin at 4 pm.

Bottleneck Lounge announces that they will be serving up drinks inspired by Best Actorn nominees.  Join them for Oscar-viewing beginning at 5.

If you seek to avoid Oscar hype altogether, Hotel Sorrento’s Drinking Lessons may be for you.  Tomorrow, get acquainted with the green fairy at “Drinking Lessons: An Absinth Soiree” (note that the cost is only $20 – most in the Drinking Lessons series have averaged $55), hosted by Robert Hess.

 Corey Louviere, a Fine Arts teacher and Janet Woodward, a Librarian, both at Garfield High School, have won a $10,000 grant from Qwest to curate an exhibit on the history of the Central Area in Seattle.  Here is a summary of their winning grant proposal:

An ambitious photo exhibit project will engage Louviere and Woodward’s classes in an exploration of the history and culture of Seattle’s Central Area. Garfield High School, built in 1922, is one of many historical landmarks whose providence depicts a long, community narrative they plan to research. Students will document the multi‐cultural topography of the area, where six bus lines converge, and the rich diversity of its neighborhoods, commercial and community centers speak to the unique character of the area’s people and urban lifestyle.

In a series of field trips, students will photograph specific scenes, take notes and interview residents. Each student will select his or her best image for the exhibit and prepare statements that interpret the photograph and its context. Designed for peer review, project activities will have students develop rubrics that evaluate the quality of the images and the accompanying text, uploading their work and comments to a communal Web site. The best 20 photographs will be curated for public exhibit inmuseums, libraries and community centers and shown with an accompanying catalogue.

Louviere and Woodward have integrated academic standards from language arts, CTE subjects, the arts and media literacy. They feel strongly about the value of an inquiry‐based learning project. In their application, the teachers wrote: “The goal of this unit is to examine, identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation, and to plan strategies that guide inquiry, construct meaning and communicate information … [The project] incorporates instructional skill modalities that use oral, verbal, written and tactile methods for our diverse participants. Students…will engage in eachmodality individually — collaborating and producing a final piece by working at their own pace, learning from others and meeting deadlines.”

Annie Galarosa, an Emeritus Faculty member at Seattle Central Community College, will “speak on the development of the Filipina psyche and identitiy from pre-colonial to post colonial times. Annie was born in the Philippines and raised in Seattle’s Central District, then know as the “CD”. Her experiences growing up in a predominantly Black and multicultural neighborhood, and the civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s was what inspired and motivated her toward her lifelong career interests in social justice, community involvement, and advocacy through mulitcultural counseling and teaching.”  The event takes place on 3/9/10 at 11:00 am in Room MAC 210.  The event is free, but you must rsvp to Tracy ([email protected]) or Jeb ([email protected]).

King County prosecutors have charged Samuel Pietro Evans, an Everett resident with the murder of Jackson Schley and the rape of his wife, Daisy Schley on January 9, 1972.  Here is the account of what happened from the probable cause charging document (attached to this post at left):

In the late evening of January 9, 1972, Jackson Schley (dob 10/12/13) was found shot to death in his home at 975 20th Avenue, Seattle WA.  At the same time, Jackson’s wife, Daisy Schley, was found in the woods a few miles away, bleeding and disoriented.  Daisy Schley reported she had been abducted and raped by the man who had shot her husband.

Earlier that night, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Jackson and Daisy Schley returned to their home after purchasing ice cream at a nearby store.  As they entered through the front door of their home, Daisy Schley heard a noise and suspected someone was in the apartment.  At that time, a black male, approximately 30 years old, emerged from the dining room.  The male pointed a gun at the Schleys and ordered them to their knees.  Daisy Schley reported hearing two gunshots.  The suspect then took a wallet from Jackson Schley’s back pocket.

The suspect then ordered Daisy Schley to go with hi and he pushed her out through the back door of the apartment and forced her to his car, parked a short distance away.  The suspect then drove Daisy to a wooded area where he parked. He ordered Daisy to remove her clothes and he then raped her.

Police were able to take a DNA sample from Daisy Schely’s underwear but the case remained unsolved at the time of her death in 2007.  In 2009, the DNA profile obtained from Daisy Schley’s underwear was run against profiles in the DNA database and “hit” upon the DNA profile of Samuel Evans (dob 5/18/38): “The chances of finding another profile matching that is 1 in 820 quadrillion“. Evans’ profile existed in the DNA database because of the current practice of collecting DNA from select incarcerated individuals.  Evans had served a 20 year sentence for a sexual assault conviction in Las Vegas and had been released in 2007.

Evans’ profile has also matched the DNA evidence (cigarette butts) taken from the 1968 murder of James Keuler at 3500 East Schubert Place.  Evans is being held in King County Jail on $1M bail.

Central District’s own Jessie Oleson (better known as Cakespy) has been nominated by Saveur Magazine for publishing the Best Baking and Desserts blog and Best Individual Post.  Jessie is an illustrator and writer.    Jessie and her husband Danny live in the neighborhood with their pug Porkchop and their two guinea pigs Falafael and Hot Pocket.  They read CD News regularly and have both commented on the blog.   Jessie is a big fan of our sponsor Immortal Dog Pet Supply & Bakery.   You can help Jessie win these awards by voting in the Saveur contests.  

Other Seattle-area Seattle nominees include Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious for Best Special Interest Blog.  You should vote for his great blog as well.  Vote between March 1st and April 2nd. Winners will be announced on April 5th.     

Update (3/2): looks like another Seattle-area nominee Small Potatoes (based somewhere in Kitsap) has also been nominated for Best Regional Cuisine blog

Sometimes we like to depart from eggs and toast for weekend brunch.  Other than cooking at home (we tend to make chilaquiles), there are only a few choices.  One delicious option we have is to go down to B&O Espresso for their Foul (can be served with/without egg).  Crosscut published a recent article praising the Foul at Ambassel.  Here is how they describe foul:

Foul (also spelled fuul or ful and pronounced fool) is the classic breakfast of the Red Sea region, eaten in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, parts of the Middle East, and Ethiopia. Preparation and garnish varies by region, but the basic idea is the same. Foul is mashed up fava beans, topped with egg, occasionally with meat, and served with bread, commonly pita, but here in Seattle with French bread — lots of it.

فول
Originally uploaded by *Noema*

We attempted to try the foul at Ambassel this morning at 10:40 am but found them to be closed. According to Crosscut, they were to open at 10 am, and you may be able to see the open sign in the window in the photo at left.  They appear to have taken over the space formerly occupied by Addis.

Crosscut and some others recommend the foul at Cafe Selam.  What say you guys?  Have you tried either Ambassal or Cafe Selam?  If you have, let us know what you would recommend there in the comments.

Feet First, a local pedestrian advocacy nonprofit, is hosting a multimedia challenge to gather stories from youth about their walking experiences in the Central District.  The goal is to make the Central District a safer place to walk and bike, and all entries must be submitted by 8/14/09.  The top three videos will be displayed at the Seattle Art Museum from October to December and an award celebration will take place September 22nd at the Central Cinema.  Eligible youth should be between 11 and 19.  A Canon Powershot ELPH will be given to the top 3 winners.  Participants should take photos and then use Yodio to narrate the photos.  Any questions, please contact Megan Jackson at [email protected].    For further challenge details, go to the CD Youth Pedestrian Project Blog.

Being vegetarian, Ethiopian is one of the friendliest ethnic cuisines for us to enjoy. We are longtime fans of Queen Sheba, but having heard good things about Adey Abeba, we decided to give this walkable restaurant a try yesterday.  Adey Abeba has nice curb appeal, and the inside has a cheery coat of light yellow paint.  Ethiopian art bedecks the walls and ivory cotton curtains with a subtle print drape windows left open to a gorgeous evening yesterday.  The restaurant gets its name from an Ethiopian flower, the Meskel Daisy.  Staples of a family-run ethnic restaurant abound at Adey Abeba: silk flowers, television tuned to Wheel of Fortune and occasional confusion during guest-host exchanges.  We each had a “Vegi Combination” ($10) served in the same platter which consisted of split peas sauce, red lentil hot sauce, shiro wot (ground peas spiced with berbere, seasoned with onions, garlic, and ginger), cabbage, salad and collard greens.  We did not spy alcohol on the menu, but when we inquired about beer and wine, we were told that St. George beer ($3 per bottle!) was available.  Unfortunately, they were out of Tej (honey wine).  Adey Abeba’s “Vegi” plate is as flavorful as Queen Sheba’s but has more variety in terms of the types of stews served.  We will definitely return – perhaps to try their breakfast offering.