(NPR) Black in Seattle (Bellevue, Rainier: fit in, sales, credit)

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by victorianpunk

What I'm saying is this: I talk to black people back home on the East Coast about Seattle, and they say they wouldn't want to live here. Why? Not enough black people.

It's a catch 22: black people don't want to move to Seattle because there aren't as many black people as in other cities, there aren't as many black people in Seattle because they don't want to move here.

.

I've gotten into arguments with other black people over that. I sometimes get asked why I want to live in Seattle with so few black people. I tell them that if more people like me move there, that wouldn't be an issue any longer. However, I think this is a good thing in a way. Seattle, and places like it seem to attract like minded black people. Looking at that first map, I will say that where I lived in CA compared to western WA seems pretty accurate. There's seems to be much less racial tension. having fewer black people doesn't necessarily equate to a place being hostile toward blacks. This fact doesn't seem to occur to many.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by JL1585

I feel like people are afraid of me, could just be my own interpretation, but thats how I feel. It's just a not so friendly city, and black culture couldn't be more far the opposite of that, that's one reason it's not the best place for black people. I don't need to see other black people, as much as I need to meet some really cool, genuine people, doesn't matter what race, or culture. I just need to meet them, and something floating above this city makes it very difficult. This is coming from someone who won most friendly in middle school, high school, pretty popular in college, and I'm just known broadly as a very interactive person. But in Seattle, a shell is growing on me that I've never seen here in my life.

We the same sister. But if you had a penis, Seattle would be 10x scared of you. I was homecoming and prom king at a 95% white school in small town Indiana. My brothers would playfully say "Man, how did you get all those white kids to like you?" I was a member of Asian-American Student Association and Spectrum (LGBT) at my alma mater. So naturally, Seattle seemed like the perfect city for me but it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.

[JL1585]

Originally Posted by dicecobb

We the same sister. But if you had a penis, Seattle would be 10x scared of you. I was homecoming and prom king at a 95% white school in small town Indiana. My brothers would playfully say "Man, how did you get all those white kids to like you?" I was a member of Asian-American Student Association and Spectrum (LGBT) at my alma mater. So naturally, Seattle seemed like the perfect city for me but it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.

LoL... I do have a penis. In fact, I was a linebacker in college. 6'0 240lbs. So trust me. People are afraid of me. loll

But I got to say, doesn't it feel good to have friends from those different cultures/experiences. They make you better.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by JL1585

LoL... I do have a penis. In fact, I was a linebacker in college. 6'0 240lbs. So trust me. People are afraid of me. loll

But I got to say, doesn't it feel good to have friends from those different cultures/experiences. They make you better.

Sorry for gender mix-up. YES, my friendships from college have lasted and are very dear to me. It's special to have a lot in common with someone from another country. I wonder if black students at UW feel as isolated as the adults. I read UW is now making a diversity course mandatory for all incoming freshmen - this says there's a race problem because embracing diversity should be natural and organic on a Seattle campus. Maybe it's another liberal stunt. I appreciate leadership's effort to make Seattle more inclusive but the hearts of the majority aren't warm.

[JL1585]

Anyone else listen in on this?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

I've gotten into arguments with other black people over that. I sometimes get asked why I want to live in Seattle with so few black people. I tell them that if more people like me move there, that wouldn't be an issue any longer. However, I think this is a good thing in a way. Seattle, and places like it seem to attract like minded black people. Looking at that first map, I will say that where I lived in CA compared to western WA seems pretty accurate. There's seems to be much less racial tension. having fewer black people doesn't necessarily equate to a place being hostile toward blacks. This fact doesn't seem to occur to many.

Gentoo, I remember you said you moved to Tacoma.. Actually, Tacoma has more black people than many cities in the USA.. I think the population is about 20%, almost as much as Oakland. Unlike many Californian cities, I have found Tacoma to be very integrated and mixed up. There is probably more mixed black-white couples in Tacoma than anywhere in this country..

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Gentoo, I remember you said you moved to Tacoma.. Actually, Tacoma has more black people than many cities in the USA.. I think the population is about 20%, almost as much as Oakland. Unlike many Californian cities, I have found Tacoma to be very integrated and mixed up. There is probably more mixed black-white couples in Tacoma than anywhere in this country..

Actually, Blacks make up 10.2% of Tacoma's population. Hispanics make up the largest non-White ethnicity in Tacoma, at 12.2%, and Asians make up 10.4% of the population. People of 2 or more races make up 6.7% of the population, so there is a sizable population of mixed persons. Also, many Hispanics are of mixed racial heritage, so that is to be considered as well.

//www.city-data.com/city/Tacoma-Washington.html

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Actually, Blacks make up 10.2% of Tacoma's population. Hispanics make up the largest non-White ethnicity in Tacoma, at 12.2%, and Asians make up 10.4% of the population. People of 2 or more races make up 6.7% of the population, so there is a sizable population of mixed persons. Also, many Hispanics are of mixed racial heritage, so that is to be considered as well.

//www.city-data.com/city/Tacoma-Washington.html

Thanks for the facts.. I thought Tacoma had a larger black population.. Some parts of Tacoma have more black people though than the 10% stats, yet are still diverse neighborhoods, like parts of South Tacoma around the mall. The North End of Tacoma is probably primarily white and is the most expensive and least diverse area in the city of Tacoma. I feel that the demographics may throw off Tacoma's statistics a bit. Whereas some cities are segregated, being either Black, Mexican, White, etc, Tacoma's areas can be mixed. The city does have a few segregated areas, like North Tacoma (all white) and Southeast Tacoma or parts of Lakewood (all black). However, most of the city seems mixed and diverse.

[goodlife36]

Originally Posted by victorianpunk

That makes no sense. First, they whine about racism...than say it's hard to find a black man or woman to date in Seattle and that is all they will date. Huh?
"She has a type: “Dark skinned, tall, lean, like athletic-build black men. That’s all I’m attracted to,” she said. Not easy to find that type in Seattle – or to find one that isn’t timid, she said."


There are plenty of white and Asian men who she could be dating, but no, they aren't good enough for her...but Seattle is the racist one, not her.
So is it Seattle, or is it them?

That is the bottom line for people who complain about racism in Seattle:is it really racism, or is it just them? I've never experienced racism here, although there are plenty of racist pricks everywhere on Earth. I just think there are less of them here than other places in America.

Oh, and I'm mixed race, and I am doing fine in Seattle. I've actually (gasp!) met other mixed race people here and I am not the only one. There are a ton of us here and this is one of the few places in America where we aren't looked at like freaks.

Why doesn't the Chicago tribune ever do an article on being mixed in Chicago?...or, for that matter, why doesn't a Detroit paper ever do an article on being white in Detroit?


Seattle is a great city as long as you aren't hung up on race. If you want to associate only with blacks and have black circles and black BBQs, black parties, black churches, black laptop repair and black roofing services and everything else in your life segregated, this is not the place for you. If you can be friends with people who share your interests if not your race and be a part of a community based on something besides melanin, Seattle is the place for you.

Point taken.

[branh0913]

People always wonder why "blacks" are a big point of debate, and a huge factor when people speak of diversity. I guess it's hard for people to wrap their head around the fact that people expect less from blacks in general. Most people applaud black men who take care of their kids and raise a family. Yet this is common practice of other races in the USA, yet when blacks do it, it's exceptional. The bottomline, people expect less of blacks, and the example inequality in America is ever present in the black population. So with that in mind, the lack of black people does become a bit of a concern, to make you wonder if people "really accept blacks" in any particular city.

I know people like to throw out asians, latinos and other groups as indicators of diversity. Yet many of them aren't coming to America with a scorned history either. Sure asians built out the rail roads in the 1800s, but majority of the asians in this country are middle class or upper middle class immigrants. Many of their first entry into America is via high end university attendance for example. Many don't even work from the bottom up. The work from a few notched from the top, so they really don't have the same type of struggles. It's no wonder why white America has no issues accepting them, because they are relatively harmless overall. The same with Latinos who can more easily assimilate in a few generations if their skin is white enough.

The real issue is that a lot of whites can comfortably ignore racial issues if it makes them the least bit uncomfortable. Many whites in Seattle have the same response towards the lack of blacks in Seattle. You can almost time the answer "oh there are blacks in Seattle". And if you convince them that they're aren't, then the response becomes "oh well, why does it even matter"? There is a huge class of whites that are more so about buzzwords and rhetoric, and they love the "appearance" of being "diverse" and tolerant. They will generally ignore the fact that there are lower income areas in Seattle, mainly populated by blacks and other non-white groups. It's not something people in Seattle like to talk about. They feel they create their own reality. The whole "Wall philsophy" of creating the reality by ignoring something, then somehow that will mean it doesn't exist. The "observer" reality. As long as they don't pay attention to the fact that blacks have zero economic mobility in Seattle, that means it's a non-issue with the city.


Great thing about the East Coast, people actually acknowledge that there are issues with race. They don't recite nonsense about being uber tolerant, while ignoring the underclass in their cities. The ones who don't care will bluntly state that they don't care. The ones that do are actually on the streets trying to solve the problem. People in Seattle are allegedly so "socially advance", yet their solution to social issues is simply ignoring them.