February is Black History Month, a time to reflect on and honor the generations of Black leaders, artists, community builders, inventors, and activists who have shaped our nation’s past and present.  

Learning from history is one of Solid Ground’s guiding racial equity principles, and the lessons of the past remain deeply relevant in a present that too often risks repeating old harms.

“Black history is not abstract or distant. It lives in the neighborhoods we move through, the institutions we rely on, the art and music that shape our culture, and the community care systems that sustain us.”

~Tiffany Lamoreaux, Solid Ground’s Anti-Racism Initiative Manager 

In this blog post, we invite everyone to learn from and reflect on the wisdom, leadership, and lived experiences found within our own Seattle history, centering some of the lesser-known voices that helped – and continue to help – shape it. 

Black history is not abstract or distant. It lives in the neighborhoods we move through, the institutions we rely on, the art and music that shape our culture, and the community care systems that sustain us.

The Seattle leaders and artists highlighted here remind us that progress has always been built through creativity, courage, organizing, and collective responsibility, often in the face of exclusion and erasure. Honoring these stories deepens our understanding of how past wisdom continues to shape the present and calls us to support and uplift the leaders whose work moves us toward a more just and equitable future. 

Historic trailblazers in Seattle’s story

Emanuel (Manuel) Lopes (1812–1895) was Seattle’s first known Black resident, arriving in the Washington Territory in 1858 when the city was still a small frontier town. Born in the Cape Verde Islands, Lopes came to Seattle after years as a sailor and quickly established himself as an independent businessman, opening a combined restaurant and barbershop. Known for his generosity, he fed customers whether they could pay or not, and famously announced mealtimes by marching through town with a snare drum – a sound early settlers never forgot. A respected figure in early Seattle life, Lopes helped lay the foundations for Black entrepreneurship in the region and remained a beloved pioneer until his death in 1895.

Emanuel Lopes, summarized from a BlackPast entry by Judy Bentley 

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William Grose (1835–1898) was an early Black pioneer whose life reflected resilience, global experience, and community leadership. After leaving Washington, D.C. as a teenager to serve in the U.S. Navy, he traveled widely before settling on the West Coast, where he worked in the California gold fields and helped enslaved African Americans escape bondage. In 1860, Grose became Seattle’s second Black settler, quickly building success as a cook and later as a business owner. By the 1880s, he owned a thriving restaurant, a three-story hotel, and significant land in what is now Madison Valley, making him one of the city’s wealthiest residents. Known for his generosity, Grose was a founder of Seattle’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church and a respected community leader whose legacy helped shape early Black life in the city.

William Grose, summarized from a BlackPast entry by George Tamblyn

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Horace Roscoe Cayton, Jr. (1903–1970) was a pioneering sociologist and writer whose work profoundly shaped the study of Black urban life in the United States. Born in Seattle and the grandson of the first Black U.S. Senator, Hiram R. Revels, Cayton pursued his education at Franklin High School, the University of Washington, and the University of Chicago, and later taught at Tuskegee and Fisk Universities. His research focused on understanding the social structures of Black communities, most notably through the landmark 1945 book Black Metropolis, co-authored with Clair St. Drake, which remains a foundational study of race relations and won the Anisfield-Wolf Award. Over his career, Cayton also worked as a journalist, community leader, and researcher, leaving a lasting legacy in sociology before his death in 1970.

Horace Roscoe Cayton, Jr., summarized from a BlackPast entry by Ed Diaz

Activism & everyday leadership

Carolyn Downs (1953–1978) was a dedicated community organizer with the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, whose work helped transform access to health care for Seattle’s Black community. Joining the Party at age 19, she played a key role in its survival programs, including free breakfasts, prison visitations, and the Sydney Miller Free Medical Clinic, which provided vital medical services in the Central District. Through her organizing and data-gathering efforts, Downs helped secure federal funding that allowed the clinic to reopen as a freestanding community health center. Although she died at just 25, her legacy lives on through the Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center, which continues to serve the Central District as a lasting testament to her commitment to health equity and community care.

Carolyn Downs, summarized from a BlackPast entry by Diane Pien

Creative voices & culture makers

DeCharlene Williams (1943–2018) was a Seattle-based business owner, community organizer, author, and political activist whose work left a lasting mark on the city’s Central District. After overcoming significant barriers to financing as a Black woman, she built a successful beauty salon and boutique, became a major employer, and championed Black economic empowerment by founding the Central Area Chamber of Commerce. Williams was a fierce advocate for Black-owned businesses, community education, and civic engagement, publishing local histories, organizing cultural events, and serving on numerous city committees. She also ran for Seattle Mayor and City Council, centering issues like housing affordability, job creation, and neighborhood preservation. Until her death, her salon stood as a powerful symbol of resilience and Black ownership amid gentrification, and her legacy continues through her family and the institutions she helped build.

DeCharlene Williams, summarized from Wikipedia

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Dr. Dawn Mason (b. 1945) is a longtime Seattle-based educator, legislator, and community leader whose work spans public policy, education equity, and global cultural reconnection. A former Washington State Representative for the 37th District, she served two terms in the legislature, where she was Assistant Minority Whip, chaired higher education efforts, and received Legislator of the Year honors for advancing access to education. Mason has cofounded and led multiple education and equity initiatives, including Parents for Student Success and First Place Scholars, Washington’s first charter school. Her leadership also extends internationally through cultural and educational work in Africa, particularly in Kenya, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate. Through decades of civic service, advocacy, and teaching, Dr. Mason has played a significant role in shaping education, equity, and community development in Seattle and beyond.

Dawn Mason, summarized from a BlackPast entry by Secret Charles-Ford

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Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) and Gwendolyn Knight (1913–2005) were influential American artists whose partnership helped shape 20th-century Black art and Seattle’s cultural landscape. They met in 1930s Harlem at the Harlem Community Art Center, where mentors like Augusta Savage supported their early careers through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Lawrence’s Migration of the Negro Series, completed with Knight’s collaboration, became a landmark in American art history. After decades in New York, the couple moved to Seattle in 1971 when Lawrence joined the University of Washington faculty. In Seattle, Knight played a central role in preserving Black artistic and cultural history and was a key founder of the Northwest African American Museum, helping ensure that Black history, art, and community stories would be permanently centered and celebrated in the region. 

Jacob Lawrence & Gwendolyn Knight, summarized from a BlackPast entry by Barbara Earl Thomas

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Tina Marie Bell (1957–2012) was a Seattle-born singer, songwriter, and frontwoman of the band Bam Bam, widely recognized as one of the originators of the grunge music scene. Formed in 1983, Bam Bam recorded some of the earliest grunge tracks – predating many better-known Seattle bands – and Bell’s powerful, smoky voice and commanding stage presence earned her the posthumous titles “Godmother of Grunge” and “Queen of Grunge.” Despite her influence on artists like Kurt Cobain and bands such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Bell’s contributions were often overlooked due to racism and sexism within the music industry. After leaving music in the early 1990s, she lived a private life and died in 2012, but renewed interest in her work has sparked a reassessment of her legacy as a foundational figure in Seattle’s music history and a trailblazing Black woman in rock.

Tina Bell, summarized from Wikipedia

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Inye Wokoma (b. 1969) is a Seattle-born artist, filmmaker, and journalist whose work centers on Black history, place, and the impacts of gentrification in Seattle’s Central District. A graduate of Garfield High School, Wokoma has presented solo museum exhibitions at the Frye Art Museum and the Northwest African American Museum, drawing deeply on his family’s history and community memory. He’s also the cofounder of Wa Na Wari, a Black-centered arts organization and community space located in his great-aunt’s former home, created to reclaim space and support Black artists amid ongoing displacement in Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood.

Inye Wokoma, summarized from Wikipedia

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• Image at top: A mural depicting DeCharlene Williams by artist Myron Curry in Seattle’s Central District (photo by Neal Simpson).

• Images not credited in captions are all fair use.