Several years ago, while Charmain Jackman was going through a rough patch in her marriage, she started looking for a Black, female therapist. At the time, she said, she was desperate to find someone who woul... read more
["Systemic racism" here meaning "racial inequities that persist without requiring widespread, ongoing, conscious discrimination by individuals, while also recognizing the progress that has bee... read more
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed one of the nation’s most ambitious packages of police accountability legislation, prompted by last year’s outcry for racial justi... read more
Tim Burgess is a former Seattle City Council member and interim mayor. In its reckless rush to slash the police budget, the Seattle City Council has forced out Chief Carmen Best — the city’s... read more
The president of Seattle’s rank and file police officers’ union is under fire from a state police group, the city’s mayor and other public figures for his comments on social media this week... read more
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Body camera footage released Wednesday shows Andre Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, emerging from a garage and holding up a cellphone in his left hand seconds before he is fatally s... read more
In America, relations between police and the communities they serve are strained to the breaking point. Everyone from police officers to community groups to government entities are all doing their best to co... read more
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A white former police officer has been charged with falsely reporting a gunfight with a group of Black youths at his lakeside camp in the Adirondacks while he was off duty last summ... read more
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — the family of a Black man killed by Philadelphia police officers in a shooting caught on video had called for an ambulance to get him help with a mental health crisis, not for polic... read more
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When an unarmed white woman who called 911 to report a crime was fatally shot by a black, Somali American police officer in Minneapolis, the racial dynamic seen in many police shooti... read more
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A family member said Friday she wasn’t satisfied with findings that led prosecutors not to charge Las Vegas police with a crime in the death of a 50-year-old Black man after he w... read more
Officer Shaun Lucas was arrested by the Texas Rangers, which said his actions were “not objectionably reasonable.” A white Texas police officer has been charged with murder in the fatal shoot... read more
A sheriff’s deputy in Georgia has been fired after video circulated on social media showing him pinning and beating a Black man after a traffic stop, the authorities said on Sunday. The sheriff&rsq... read more
KENOSHA, Wis. — Wisconsin’s governor on Monday called in the National Guard to help quell unrest after police shot an unarmed Black man in the latest incident this summer to stir cries of injusti... read more
Fatal shootings by police are the rare outcomes of the millions of encounters between police officers and the public. Despite the unpredictable events that lead to the shootings, in each of the past four yea... read more
A former Cleveland patrol officer who fatally shot Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy whose death in 2014 intensified national outrage over the killing of unarmed black men and boys, has been hired by a poli... read more
In the span of two months, he slammed a driver to the ground using an unsanctioned takedown, allegedly called a Black suspect a “monkey,” and pepper-sprayed a suspect who was strapped down to a h... read more
Records filed in federal court by attorneys for a man who was run down and seriously injured by an Auburn police officer in 2018 show the officer used force dozens of times during arrests in addition to kill... read more
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — When I entered the police force in Virginia in 1987, I was one of the few Black officers in my department. On my first day on patrol, I was paired with an experienced white officer.... read more
A Lakewood police officer who shot and killed a motorist during a traffic stop May 1 was also involved in the deadly shooting of a despondent Fife father in front of his 4-year-old son in 2013, resulting in... read more
After 16-year-old Fernando Esqueda was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in April 2005, then-Seattle police Officer Adrian Diaz was assigned to work with young people and help develop youth programs at the... read more
Attorneys for Black Lives Matter-Seattle King County have asked a federal judge to hold the Seattle Police Department in contempt of an injunction prohibiting the indiscriminate use of tear gas, pepper spray... read more
I can’t stop thinking about Manuel Ellis. I keep wondering if it weren’t for the global uprising for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, whether... read more
(We try to avoid political stuff, but this is the outcome of Black Lives Matter protests and deserves to be here.) President Trump's deployment of federal agents to Portland and, soon, Chicago and be... read more
Opinion: Then they came for the journalists. In Minneapolis. In Detroit. In Los Angeles. In Cincinnati. In Asbury Park. In Des Moines. In Albuquerque. In Indianapolis. In Louisville. In Seattle. In D... read more
Tacoma and Pierce County authorities have a lot to answer for regarding the in-custody death of Manuel Ellis. This extends even beyond the need for rigorous investigation of every officer at the scene where... read more
The Future of Policing: As protesters across the country demand sweeping changes to law enforcement, The Seattle Times begins an examination of what that future could look like and the hurdles ahead. Today,... read more
Change policy culture “How police unions became such powerful opponents of change” [June 6, Nation), misses options to change police culture before officer contact with a union. The polic... read more
ATLANTA (AP) — One minute, Rayshard Brooks was chatting cooperatively with Atlanta police, saying he’d had a couple of drinks to celebrate his daughter’s birthday and agreeing to a breath t... read more
The fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia has stoked a national uproar over race relations. No arrests were made for two months until video of the shooting surfaced. 3 men indicted on murder charges... read more
The police chief of Tucson, Arizona, abruptly offered to resign on Wednesday while releasing a video in which a 27-year-old Latino man, Carlos Ingram Lopez, died in police custody two months ago. The vid... read more
Fox News published digitally altered and misleading photos on stories about Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in what photojournalism experts called a clear violation of ethical standards f... read more
The Future of Policing: As protesters across the country demand sweeping changes to law enforcement, The Seattle Times begins an examination of what that future could look like and the hurdles ahead. Today,... read more
Last January, Gabe and Liz Rutan-Ram were about to start a new, much-anticipated chapter in their lives: The Knoxville, Tenn., couple was seeking to foster-to-adopt a 3-year-old boy from Florida named Lorenz... read more
Most Seattle residents probably know that the name of their city was borrowed — or taken — from the Native American leader Chief Seattle (Si’ahl, in the language of his people). Fewer proba... read more
HOUSTON — The highest criminal court in Texas on Monday ordered a halt to the execution of a Hispanic mother of 14 convicted of killing her 2-year-old child more than a decade ago in a case that has dr... read more
Opinion When I think of people in prominent positions of authority or success, I default to white. Most of us do. I don’t mean to. I’m a strong believer in the importance of diversity and... read more
WASHINGTON — Congress gave final approval Monday to legislation that for the first time would make lynching a federal hate crime in the U.S., sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into l... read more
Last Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina added himself to the long list of Republicans who have denied the existence of systemic racism in this country. Graham said on “Fox News Sunday&rdq... read more
Two Tacoma police officers entered pleas of not guilty Friday in Pierce County Superior Court, a day after they were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the March 2020 death... read more
When Wisconsin Republicans opened an office earlier this year in the historical Bronzeville neighborhood, it was meant to be a physical symbol of President Trump's commitment to urban voters. Signs on th... read more
Before Manuel Ellis was killed by Tacoma police on March 3, he had gifted his sister Monet Carter-Mixon the pit bull puppy that has now become part of her family. She guards over the dog born from a stig... read more
OLYMPIA — Conservatives in Washington spent much of 2020 fuming that Gov. Jay Inslee used the broad powers given him by the Legislature to enact restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. And unl... read more
Opinion “If people were given the choice between democracy and whiteness, how many would choose whiteness?” Taylor Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the civil rights movemen... read more
The widow of a Tulalip tribal member who died while struggling with police in 2015 has won a new trial over allegations that officers used excessive force on Cecil Lacy Jr. when they held him down even as he... read more
Forty-two years ago, Congress enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act to address a centuries-long practice: Removal of Native American children from their families and tribes by government actors and private ag... read more
Historian Henry Adams one defined politics as the “systematic organization of hatreds.” Is was true in the Civil War era, and just as true today. In 2020, who you hate, is who you are.&... read more
You may not have consciously considered this before, but to me, “Law and Order” means, people will know the law and obey it so we are safe as possible from conflict with our fellow human beings a... read more
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville agreed to pay $12 million to the family of Breonna Taylor and reform police practices as part of a settlement announced Tuesday, months after Taylor’s sla... read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The (US) Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT righ... read more
In recent days, TraeAnna Holiday, among others, has been busier than ever, organizing a Juneteenth rally and march in Seattle in just two weeks. Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U... read more
In the weeks following the killing of George Floyd, communities across Washington and throughout the country have stood up and powerfully spoken out — protesting, demanding accountability and fighting... read more
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to a... read more
Systemic Racial Bias in the Criminal Justice System Is Not a Myth
"...See systemic racial bias as a matter of degrees—as something that can improve or worsen over time. Indeed, research suggests that racial disparities have been declining over time, though there is no guarantee of inevitable progress, and our present situation makes it clear that we still have a long way to go.
The Deep South is not generally known for its labor agitation, which is why it might come as a surprise for some to learn that it is in Alabama where workers have mounted one of the largest and most agg... read more
Opinion piece. As the United States faces a reckoning over its enduring racial caste system, a critical new front for civil rights was opened against the original system of caste discrimination that bega... read more
For Seattle-area families who relied upon Dr. Ben Danielson, the medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, the grief over his resignation is twofold: They lost a trusted pediatrician and... read more
In a 10-part series, Michelle Singletary gets personal about misconceptions involving race. Here, she examines the notion that affirmative action gives unqualified Black people an unfair advantage.  ... read more
What happens if a white server and a person of color with the same qualifications apply for jobs at 100 different upscale Seattle restaurants? Using pairs of actors to conduct same-day tests, a new study by... read more
Vice President Kamala Harris announced a plan Wednesday intended to end racial and ethnic discrimination in the appraisal of home values, part of a broader federal effort to address a wealth gap that systemi... read more
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — JPMorgan Chase said Thursday it will extend billions in loans to Black and Latino homebuyers and small business owners in an expanded effort toward fixing what the bank calls &ld... read more
SEATTLE (AP) — Several fair housing organizations accused Redfin of systematic racial discrimination in a lawsuit Thursday, saying the online real estate broker offers fewer services to homebuyers and... read more
The companywide email from CEO Mike Grady struck a sour chord with many at Coldwell Banker Bain, the Bellevue-based residential real estate brokerage. Bain executives “fully support peaceful demons... read more
Abena and Alex Horton wanted to take advantage of low home-refinance rates brought on by the coronavirus crisis. So in June, they took the first step in that process, welcoming a home appraiser into the... read more
The Black Lives Matter marches in towns like Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Silverdale might seem small fry compared to the massive protests that have ignited in cities like Seattle.... read more
For Seattle, the 2010s were transformative, and not just in terms of population growth. As the cost of living skyrocketed and gentrification spread across the city, many neighborhoods were fundamentally chan... read more
“Between 1960 and 2019, immigrants from Italy represented the largest immigrant group in the United States in 1960. How did this population change over time? “The term "immigrants"... read more
A new study has proven what generations of immigrants have known, said Jeff Jacoby. Learning English is “the most valuable skill immigrants can acquire” after arriving in the U.S. The... read more
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to halt its practice of “expelling” underage migrants who enter the United States without a parent, a ruling that also cast doubt on... read more
The recent news of a whistleblower’s allegations that a for-profit ICE detention center forced sterilization procedures on immigrant women shocked many people and drew comparisons to Nazi steriliz... read more
For years, Black students and community activists have complained about having uniformed police officers in their schools, saying the result is that school staff members target Black children, getting cops i... read more
On the last night of the Democratic National Convention, Aisha Cozad watched on television as Joe Biden and his vice-presidential choice Kamala D. Harris held their clasped hands triumphantly aloft. But... read more
As I watch nominees and appointees announced by the Biden-Harris transition team get maligned in the press and on social media for their past work in the private sector, I’m reminded that often our big... read more
Several weeks ago, I found myself straddling the centerline of a rural highway, kneeling on hot asphalt, aiming a charged fire hose at the aftermath of a head-on collision. Neither car was yet burning, but f... read more
“I didn’t know.” Those were the first words my friend, a white guy named Dave, spoke to me the day after the first episode of “Roots,” which depicted the capture and enslave... read more
Aaron Dixon has seen a lot in his 71 years. The leader of Seattle’s Black Panther Party in the height of the turbulent 1960s, Dixon lived through the uprisings after the murder of the Rev. Dr. Martin L... read more
Opinion: June 12, 2020 “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were my heroes growing up in New York in the 1960s. My parents had taught me and my brother to embrace racial justice and tr... read more
Throughout my medical training, there were situations of patient’s refusing treatment based on the color of my skin, even in emergencies. One night, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the buzzing of the... read more
An Opinion piece By Floyd Else, MA, LMHC (ret.) NCC, MAC, Counseling Washington Webmaster. The massive "Black Lives Matter" protests are protests against systemic rac... read more
Valued reader, I really need you to ask yourself a question: Do you know what critical race theory is? Can you explain where and why it originated, and its core tenets? Moreover, do you really... read more
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — By the time vaccines for the coronavirus were introduced late last year, the pandemic had taken two of Lucenia Williams Dunn’s close friends. Still, Dunn, a former mayor of Tuske... read more
With the school year starting for many this week, educators and parents are not just debating masks or in-person classes. They’re also fighting over what students learn. The racial justice prot... read more
The public discussion in many locales has turned to critical race theory and the effects that learning about America’s racial and ethnic history may have on the still majority white population.... read more
Civil War was U.S. Army fighting a rebel force that would not accept the results of a democratic election of Abraham Lincoln and chose armed rebellion. History, the adage goes, is written by the victors.... read more
A century ago, racial hatred erupted in terrible, white-led rioting in more than two dozen U.S. communities. The assaults over a 10-month period in 1919 took the lives of more than 250 African American men,... read more
Last year, the HBO series ‘Watchmen’ depicted the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst outbreaks of racial violence in American history, in its series premiere. The Tulsa Race Massacre ... read more
It was probably inevitable that Kamala Harris becoming Joe Biden’s running mate would result in controversy over her heritage. Harris, whose mother emigrated from India and whose father emigrated fro... read more
Six decades after the state of Washington compounded her family’s tragedy with insult and indignity, Bernice Price can only shake her head and sigh. “Oh Lord,” Price, 90, says. “I... read more
In 1844, all black people were ordered to get out of Oregon Country, the expansive territory under American rule that stretched from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains. Those who refused to leave c... read more
Facebook is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust and will start directing people to authoritative sources if they search for information about the Nazi genocide. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg... read more
On Sept. 4, President Donald Trump pledged to identify and cancel all anti-racist training contracts for federal government agencies, calling them “divisive, un-American propaganda trainings,&rdqu... read more
Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to persistent challenges in public education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network and is fun... read more
Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to persistent challenges in public education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network and is funded b... read more
When Andrese Collins bumps into people he grew up with in the Central District, the conversation always starts the same way: “Where you’d go?” Most of his childhood acquaintances have m... read more
Education Lab: Seattle Times July 19, 2020 Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to persistent challenges in public education. It is produced in partnership with t... read more
Texas Democrats late Sunday headed off passage — at least for now — of one of the most restrictive voting bills in the country, a 67-page measure with a slew of provisions that would have made it... read more
Our Center for Family History is a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented research center with a special focus on African American genealogy. Our goal is to help individuals and their families gain a greater understanding o their families' history and the role their ancestors played in helping to shape American history. We contend that every African American can trace one relative to the site.
"Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state."
The Black Lives Matter Global Network--what we believe.
Washington Black Live Matter Alliance
Black Lives Matter -Seattle/King County