Hilary Northcraft

The Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party legacy lives on and continues to flourish around the greater Seattle area.

Wayfare to the Seattle Public Library. Press a button, watch it glow. Step inside the pewter doors. Float on cables up to Level 8. Flitter to the Poetry Section. Run fingers along slender spines. You reach the one. Pluck it from the shelf. Lower your body to the floor. Open the book. First page, middle section, closing rhyme. It does not matter. Read the poem. Journey into the soul. A soul, your soul, the collective soul. It does not matter. Close your eyes. Open them. Read the poem again....

In the heart of Seattle, where "For Lease" signs once signaled economic stagnation back in 2008, a vibrant transformation has been unfolding for the past 15 years. Shunpike's Storefronts & Artist Residencies program transforms empty commercial spaces into hubs for creativity and community engagement. In the latest cycles, the program has made a deliberate push to amplify BIPOC artists by providing them with high-visibility platforms to explore themes of identity, memory, and community...