Tag Archives: central district

Central District Juneteenth 2026 celebrations: Marsha Ambrosius at Juneteenth Freedom Fest

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Seattle’s 2026 Juneteenth will have greater poignancy in the face of the Trump administration’s inflation of the country’s 250th anniversary this summer. They will also have more support and funding thanks to community grants around Seattle’s effort to host World Cup matches. Get out and enjoy the bigger celebration.

Here are the 2026 highlights of Juneteenth 2026 around the Central District:

  • Marsha Ambrosius Live at Juneteenth Freedom Fest: Africatown has grown its Juneteenth celebration in Jimi Hendrix Park into the city’s biggest. This year R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marsha Ambrosius headlines the festival honoring “Black legacy, resilience, and joy in Seattle.” The annual event is free but donations are encouraged. Friday, June 19th • 12 PM – 8 PM — Jimi Hendrix Park 2400 S Massachusetts
  • The Northwest African American Museum Juneteenth Celebration — The Sound of Connection: Next to Jimi Hendrix Park, NAAM will continue its historical legacy of Juneteenth events with a 2026 edition — “From the return of our famous Skate to Freedom Party to vendors, workshops, local artists, community conversations, an arts and crafts family room, a FIFA World Cup watch party, live performances from Living Voices, and more, there will be something for everyone to enjoy across Judkins Park and the Museum.” Friday, June 19th • 10 AM – 5 PM — Jimi Hendrix Park 2300 S Massachusetts
  • Black Planet: Capitol Hill’s The Wash hosts this night of dance and Black excellence from Seattle nightlife producer [HOME]. Friday, June 19th • 6 PM – 2 AM — The Wash 1801 E Olive Way
  • 5th Annual REVIVAL Juneteenth Pop-Up Market: The Juneteenth tradition at 23rd and Union’s Midtown Square marks its fifth anniversary. “Join us to celebrate Blackness in all its forms as our city’s premier creatives, culinary greats, and esteemed entrepreneurs unite to showcase their talents! REVIVAL Juneteenth pulls down the curtains & addresses a very often hidden truth: supporting our own people was *MADE* to be difficult. Black-Owned Business are often dispersed throughout cities and are less likely to receive external funding to promote or develop their companies.” Saturday, June 20th • 12 PM – 5 PM — Midtown Square 2301 E Union
 
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The Black Panthers, Malcolm X, and Charlie Parker: How a 38.5-foot-long Central District retaining wall and mural became a Seattle landmark

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From The People’s Wall landmark nomination (PDF)

Figure 18. The People’s Wall detail of Charlie “Bird” Parker. (Photo: Carlos Imani, Elite Collective, 2014)

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Landmarks Preservation Board has voted unanimously to approve the designation of The People’s Wall as an official Seattle landmark.

Located at 1919 E Spruce in the Central District, the street-level concrete retaining wall and its 1970 mural have long stood as a community monument.

The People’s Wall sits on the eastern border of a site that once housed a two-story duplex serving as the second headquarters of the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party from 1969 to 1971.

The nomination was pursued by a community group organized as the Black Heritage Society of Washington State. Continue reading →

SDOT restores Central District’s red, black, and green Pan-African crosswalks

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The Seattle Department of Transportation is restoring the Central District’s Pan-African flag crosswalks in time for Juneteenth.

The work at 11 crossings at seven locations across the neighborhood is part of the city’s periodic retouches under its community crosswalk program and includes pavement repairs, repainting, and preservation.

The origination of the CD’s red, black, and green crosswalks was driven by the community, not City Hall. Continue reading →

Seattle City Council holds public hearing on mayor’s plan to speed zoning changes including Central District YMCA and church proposal

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A day after legislative victory with the City Council’s approval of her plan to speed up creation of new shelters by allowing larger Tiny House Villages in the city, City Hall on Wednesday will host a public forum on the mayor’s plan to use a set of surgical upzones to speed up “taller and denser” development changes in Seattle.

Opening the way for mixed-use development that emphasizes commercial space along with new apartments on a block just off the growing 23rd Ave corridor is part of the plans.

CHS reported in April on the proposals from Mayor Katie Wilson’s office outlining a set of areas proposed for block by block upzoning including a block of the Central District. Continue reading →

Sheriff helicopter helps track down Central District shoplifting suspect after reported gun threat

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One person was arrested after a helicopter-aided search following a reported armed robbery Monday afternoon at the PCC at 23rd and Union.

According to emergency radio updates, police were called to the Central District grocery store around 3:45 PM to a report of a female shoplifting suspect making threats and armed with a handgun outside the store. Continue reading →

With hopes of completion this fall, $11M Super Block adds plan for new Garfield softball field

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Work underway around the old softball field setup (Image: Seattle Parks)

It has been a rough year for athletics at Garfield High School but the now $11 million Garfield Super Block construction project currently underway around the 23rd Ave campus is getting a sporting addition that will create a bright new home for one of the Bulldogs’ teams and provide an improved space to play for the area’s youth softballers.

Permits filed in recent weeks will set construction in motion for a $1.5 million overhaul of the team’s softball field set to join the swirl of Super Block development currently underway on the Garfield block. Continue reading →

Building a creative heart in the Central District, Seattle Black Film Festival returns to Langston Hughes

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Scenes from Dark and Tender: The Big Island, a follow-up to the award-winning documentary about the transformative power of touch (Image: The Chronically UnderTouched Project)

The 23rd annual Seattle Black Film Festival takes place April 30 – May 3 at the Langston Hughes Center, showcasing 55 films and four workshops throughout the event. 

Seattle has its own bustling film scene, with the Langston Hughes Center at the heart of it.

The 23rd annual Seattle Black Film Festival kicks off next week with an opening night party on Thursday, April 30th. A steadily growing event, this year’s festival will screen 55 independent films from all across the world, centering and celebrating the community.

This year’s theme is ‘The Sound of Us,’ highlighting the voices and creativity of the Black diaspora, with a nod to its setting in the Puget Sound region. Continue reading →

Arté Noir plans expansion at 23rd and Union

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(Image: Arté Noir)

Black cultural and arts center Arté Noir is planning an expansion in the Central District.

After debuting four years ago as the heart of the Midtown Center mixed-use development at 23rd and Union, the gallery and shop is making plans for a new event space and cafe across the walkway at the building’s northern courtyard entrance. Continue reading →

The floral legacy of Mary Wesley

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(Image: CHS)

Acer House is rising on the corner Flowers Just 4 U once called home at 23rd and Cherry (Image: @benmaritz)

Mere weeks after her 96th birthday, Mary Wesley has passed.

Affectionately known to her customers as “Miss Mary,” Wesley owned and operated a flower shop for 40 years in the Central District.

Wesley opened her first shop in 1984 on the corner of 23rd and Jackson after retiring from a successful career at Boeing. The first Black-owned floral shop in the Central District, Flowers Just 4 U was a shop that fostered community alongside its arrangements.

Providing arrangements for everyone from celebrities, local sports teams, and the day-to-day occasions here in Seattle, Wesley’s artistry and generosity left a lasting impact on all she did.

An active churchgoer and well loved member of the community, Wesley saw that community rally around her with a fundraiser early last year after closing Flowers Just 4 U for her second try at retirement.

Even through this, Wesley had hopes that a new owner would come in for the space and continue her floral legacy in the Central Area. Continue reading →

Amid budget woes, Seattle Central’s Wood Technology Center is on the chopping block

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More than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling on Seattle Colleges not to put the 23rd Ave Wood Technology Center on the chopping block as the board of trustees wrestles an ongoing budget deficit.

The board is scheduled to meet in a private “executive session” Monday afternoon.

Seattle Colleges officials are considering a plan to close the center and put the property up for sale, the South Seattle Emerald reports.

The city’s community college system including North Seattle College, South Seattle College, and Capitol Hill’s Seattle Central College has been scrambling to overcome a deficit once feared to reach depths of $30 million as costs have risen and enrollment and revenues have not kept pace. Continue reading →