Besa Gordon joined Good Day Seattle this morning to showcase her recent trip to Vashon Island, made possible by King County Metro water taxi’s additional schedule running on Saturdays. On the island, Gravy Executive Chef and owner Chef Dre picked her up and gave her a tour of his favorite spots, including Vashon Island Baking Company and his own Southern restaurant, Gravy. 

Are you looking for something to do tonight in Seattle? Here’s what Erik Kalligraphy captured at the Pioneer Square Art Walk last month. This community event, which occurs every first Thursday of each month, brings together creatives and business owners across the Emerald City, from musicians, painters, and clothing designers, to share their work and shed light on one of Seattle’s most historic neighborhoods.

SpoonFed Training recently passed a monumental milestone, celebrating its 10-year anniversary with the grand opening of a new gym in Tukwila. This event signified a new chapter for the fitness center after outgrowing its previous location, and brought together SpoonFed’s dedicated community, who shared their love and appreciation for the organization's profound impact on the Black community.

In a rapidly changing Central District, Wa Na Wari strives to bridge the gaps between artistic expression, residential permanence, and physical activity with its annual art festival Walk the Block. Last month, the festival took over Seattle’s Central District with the strength of Black creativity on full display in the historic Seattle neighborhood that has marked the grounds of the city’s Black community for generations.  

Scope Screenings hosted Queen of the Screen, the September edition of the underground film festival, and a dynamic event celebrating women in film. The fourth episode of the fourth season took place at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in the Central District, a venue packed with historical and cultural significance for Seattle’s Black community. 

Back2Besa is back with a week of good eats, grand openings, and immense creativity from both sides of Washington State. Artists from across the inland Northwest gathered in Spokane for Terrain’s 16th Annual Flagship Event, while Deaunte Damper set the vibes right at Inside’s recent open mic night uplifting underrepresented voices. In addition, Chef Trey Lamont kicked off his new series Food With Melanin at Fat’s Chicken and Waffles, putting the history and passion behind the kitchen on full display. 

In 2023, Besa Gordon joined Ashaunti Martin for her Couture Cocktails Halloween-themed cocktail class, an event that blended Martin’s expertise in bartending and mixology with Halloween spirit. As a seasonal class in Martin’s cocktail series, where she taught participants how to create an exciting array of delicious drinks, the event brought together community members looking to acquire a new skill and get in the Halloween season.  

Besa Gordon joined Good Day Seattle this morning to preview the first episode of Chef Trey Lamont’s new series Food With Melanin, launching in early 2026. Uplifting the history behind local kitchens, the Jerk Shack Kitchen chef is all about giving Black chefs their flowers and bringing their stories to the forefront.

Northwest Credible Messenger (NWCM) recently hosted a transformative three-day training program to enhance their youth service initiatives rooted in a model called Healing to Hope. This model guided community leaders, known as Credible Messengers, through a reflective process, helping them understand their own attributes, barriers, and how their wellness impacts their work in the community.

Nothing screams your favorite auntie’s house like Fat's Chicken and Waffles, a New Orleans-inspired chicken joint in the heart of Seattle’s Central District. Opened in August 2015 by owner Erika White, the restaurant is nearing its ninth year of serving dishes that speak to the soul, paying homage to the rich culinary traditions of Louisiana.

Five years after its initial creation, the Black Lives Matter mural in Seattle's Capitol Hill stands as a powerful symbol of community, art, and ongoing commitment to social justice. Days before the mural was found vandalized on October 9, 2025, a recent repaint brought together many of the original artists, who reflected on the mural's impact, the city's evolution, and the enduring power of collective action.

Back2Besa is back with another week of highlighting incredible community gathering spaces up and down the greater Puget Sound region. The power of unity was on full display in the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute for Scope Screenings, to the Tukwila Community Center for the Free Community Play Day, all the way to the Central District for Walk The Block. 

The WOW Gallery, a vibrant cultural destination in downtown Seattle, recently hosted their Closing Celebration Sankofa, marking four and a half years of fostering healing, connection, and empowerment in the Pacific Place Mall. While the physical space is left behind, the spirit and vision of Wonder of Women International, the organization behind the gallery, continue to evolve into its next chapter. 

Besa Gordon joined Good Day Seattle this morning to uplift WeRise Wines and the recent one-year anniversary celebration of their wine club. Operating in downtown Seattle, WeRise Wines is Black, LGBTQ+-owned wine bar that specializes in highlighting underrepresented wineries and winemakers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. 

With an immense sense of love and unity, WOW Gallery’s 2024 Juneteenth Celebration in downtown Seattle brought together a myriad of talented Black women to celebrate liberation, freedom, and knowledge that compel the gallery and Juneteenth itself. 

The WOW Gallery in Seattle hosted a high tea party last March to celebrate sisterhood and the incredible bonds between women of color in the Emerald City and beyond. This gathering brought together illustrious groups in Seattle that have contributed to social justice, community organization, and to the power and the wonder of women. 

Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack, a beloved family-owned Caribbean soul food restaurant known for their signature oxtail stew and rich gumbo, is fighting to keep their doors open in Seattle’s Columbia City. 

Early this morning, Back2Besa host Besa Gordon joined FOX 13 Seattle’s Chief Meteorologist Brian MacMillan live from the field at T-Mobile Park to talk about the energy surrounding the Mariners’ ALCS games and her long-standing relationship with the team.

Seattle recently celebrated a monumental achievement with the Waterfront Park Grand Opening on September 6, 2025. This event marked the culmination of two decades of visioning, community advocacy, and public investment, transforming the city's central shoreline from a highway into a vibrant, 20-acre cultural destination. Stretching from Pioneer Square to Belltown, the park represents Seattle’s most ambitious investment in public space since the 1962 World’s Fair.

Back2Besa is back with another week of culturally relevant stories that exemplify the potent community, historical legacy, and enduring spirit of the Pacific Northwest. From the grand stands of T-Mobile Stadium to some of the Pacific Northwest’s best chicken and waffles joints to the heart of Black culture and resilience on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, this week’s episode reminds us of the collective power of community.