Humanities Washington continues its fall series on difficult conversations regarding race with the next Think & Drink, called “Seattle Skin: Being Black in a Liberal City” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Naked City Brewery, 8564 Greenwood Ave. N.
It will be moderated by Phyllis Fletcher, managing editor of Northwest News Network. Speakers are: Megan Ming Francis, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington and author of “Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State”; Eric Davis, sociology faculty at Bellevue College and member of the UW Consulting Alliance; Eva Abram, public speaker and Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau member; and Charles Mudede, screenwriter, author and editor at The Stranger.
“I was going to tell Bernie how racist this city is, filled with its progressives, but you did it for me,” said a #BlackLivesMatter protestor while shutting down a speech in Seattle by Bernie Sanders. She then accused the audience of “white supremacist liberalism.”
Seattle is often touted as a liberal city with progressive attitudes toward race. But how much of this talk actually translates to action? Is the protestor’s experience a common one among minorities in Seattle? Seattle is the fifth whitest city in America, with a minority population of just 33%, and this relative homogeneity often keeps differing views hidden. “Seattle Skin” will reveal the experience of being black in Seattle, and explore what the city and its culture are doing right—and what needs to be changed.
This is Humanities Washington’s fifth year of Think & Drink events, which include a moderated panel discussion with audience questions and comments. Events are free but participants buy their own drinks and food.
