Telling Better Stories the Converge Media Way
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• 5/7/24
Relive Bubblin Brown Sugar 2024
For decades, Bubbling Brown Sugar has been giving our community goosebumps with the epic moves that happen on the floor, while creating nostalgic vibes from seeing different friends and family members that we haven’t seen for a while, due to a lot of us now not living in the central district anymore.
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• 5/2/24
Seattle Storm Gets a New Center for Basketball Performance
The Seattle Storm unveiled their Center for Basketball Performance, a home for our Storm players so they no longer have to occupy the SPU courts for practice. The Center provides the Storm two brand new courts and a strength training room for training, but also options for recovery in a health and wellness suite and aquatics center. A great way for the Storm to begin training camp for their 25th season!
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• 4/28/24
National Poetry Month Spotlight: Insights from Acacia Salisbury on Back2Besa
In honor of National Poetry Month, Besa Gordon engaged in a captivating conversation with Acacia Salisbury, a producer at Converge Media and a talented poet. Acacia's journey with poetry began at the tender age of 7 when her grandmother introduced her to the renowned poet and author Maya Angelou. Together, they delved into the origins of National Poetry Month, Acacia's personal journey with poetry, the vibrant poetry community in Seattle, and strategies for crafting a poem each day.
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• 4/29/24
Reah Melina Performs “Pulling Down God Is Easy” on Back2Besa
For National Poetry Month, Besa Gordon highlighted talented poets around the greater Seattle area on Back2Besa over the weekend. One of those poets was Rhea Melina, who performed her poem “Pulling Down God Is Easy” at the Black Media Matters Studio.
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• 4/26/24
Ebo Barton Performs “Freedom Cut Me Loose” on Back2Besa
In honor of National Poetry Month, Besa Gordon highlighted some incredible poets here in the greater Seattle area on Back2Besa over the weekend. One of the featured poets was Ebo Barton, who performed his poem "Freedom Cut Me Loose" at the Black Media Matters Studio.
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• 4/26/24
Beyond the Floorboards: Besa Gordon's Red Bull Lords Of The Floor Experience
Red Bull Lords Of The Floor made its long-awaited return to the Emerald City after over two decades, and our cameras and Besa Gordon was there to witness it all as breaking took over the city of Seattle.
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• 4/26/24
Unity in Motion: Red Bull's Lords of the Floor Welcome Mixer Experience
Red Bull's Lords of the Floor week kicked off with a bang last at Darkalino's and Hometown in Pioneer Square. The welcome mixer set the stage for an electrifying week ahead, encapsulating the essence of hip-hop culture and camaraderie.
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• 4/10/24
The Grand Closing: N The Kutt Dance Studio Takes a Final Bow
March 30th marked a poignant moment as N The Kutt Dance Studio in Des Moines, WA, closed its doors for the final time. The studio, along with its founder Koach "Giggz" Crosby (who is also the founder of Kutt’ N’ Up dance team), has been an integral part of the greater Puget Sound community for years, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of countless young dancers, including our own Besa Gordon.
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• 4/10/24
Trailer: Facing The Reign - The Story of Jessa Thomas, Miss Teen Redo Washington State
Facing The Reign is the story of Jessa Thomas, the inspiring 17-year-old cowgirl from Kittitas County, Washington, who is the reigning Miss Teen Rodeo Washington 2024 and the first African-American state title holder.
Jessa's passion for caring for animals extends beyond the rodeo arena. At home on Windswept Farms, she raises miniature Herefords and looks after the farm's livestock. Her natural ability to care for animals has driven her to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
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• 4/2/24
Rainier Playfield - A Promise Made, The Gift That Remains
Last July, during All-Star Week, a promise was made to the youth of South Seattle by MLB Commissioner Manfred, Mayor Harrell, and the Mariners. They dedicated Rainier Playfield as an MLB Legacy project and vowed to transform it into a state-of-the-art facility, ensuring children could enjoy baseball year-round. This commitment was intended to be the lasting legacy of the All-Star festivities in Seattle.
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Sankofa Boutique is Bringing Big Crystal Energy to Broadway!
Speaking of Black Women-owned businesses, some of you know that I love crystals, and I’ve been into them and the positive vibes that they bring to my personal life since I was about 19 years old. Well, a few weeks ago, I found out about a Black-owned crystal shop in Cap Hill owned by Charika Wilson, and earlier this week, I finally had the opportunity to stop by and check it out.
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• 4/10/24
Deaunte Damper and Lavender Rights Project Honored by Seattle Kraken
#ICYMI - Last weekend on Back2Besa on we covered Seattle Kraken Pride Night where Deaunte Damper and the Lavender Rights Project were honored for their advocacy work in the LGBTQ community in Seattle. We also spotlighted artist Nikita Ares who designed the pride night themed jersey.
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Keys to Success: Spokane's You Oughta Know Media Etiquette Discussion
Earlier this month, Besa Gordon, host of Back2Besa, jumped on a plane and flew to the heart of Spokane for the You Oughta Know Panel held at the Washington Cracker Building for an enlightening discussion on media etiquette and professionalism. The event was curated by Ryker and aimed to provide local artists with essential tools for navigating the media landscape.
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• 3/11/24
Building Dignity, One Woman at a Time: The Story of Dignity for Divas
In 2012, inspired by her own experience with homelessness, Nikki Gane-Butler took a bold step to address the unmet needs of women in transition by founding Dignity for Divas. This organization has since become a beacon of hope for countless women across Western Washington.
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From the CD to Mexico City Art Week
On the latest episode Back2Besa, we followed the journey of Soulma Ayers and Perry Rhoden as they embarked on a captivating adventure from Seattle to Mexico City Art Week.
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• 3/5/24
From Lagos With Love: The Art of Olumide Oresegun
We have talked about Taswira, a cultural art gallery and event space in Pioneer Square owned by Avery Barnes, a few times on the show. But did you know, they recently put in a new exhibit by Nigerian artist Olumide Oresegun?
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Black Equity Ball 2024
On Friday, February 23, Young Black Homeowners (YBH), partnering with the African American Leadership Forum (AALFWA), hosted the second Black Equity Ball. This red-carpet affair was created to honor the journey of current and future black homeowners as they embark on the experience of gaining first-time homeownership. The event showcased DJing, musical performances, vendors, a champagne toast, and a dinner catered by That Brown Girl Cooks! that set the tone for the evening.
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• 3/1/24
Portland's SEI hosts the Prairie View A&M Marching Storm Band at Junction Ave.
Besa Gordon hopped on the Amtrak Train and headed back to Portland, Oregon, after learning about the 5th annual Junction Ave, a Black History Month Event that brings black businesses and services together put on by Self Enhancement Inc, also known SEI -- and believe it or not, over the years, it has become the biggest annual event of its kind in the Portland area.
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• 2/29/24
The Happiest Place On Earth
Back2Besa headed to the ‘Happiest Place On Earth’ for a special holiday preview. Host Besa Gordon was at Disney Land’s Holiday Preview event in Anaheim, where she hosted a live radio broadcast on HITS 106.1 and learned all about what they have in store for the holiday season.
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• 2/29/24
Art Brothers Unleashed - Back2Besa
Seattle-based artists Moses Sun, and barry johnson, recently wrapped up their two-month tandem residency at The Understory. The public exhibit space, situated at the base of the Amazon Spheres, invited Moses and Barry to hold studio hours as part of Amazon's latest efforts to uplift the local arts community. Vivid Matter Collective Co-founder and Queen of Converge Takiyah Ward caught up with the duo to discuss their experience at Understory, their collaborative process, and the reception of their art.
"A lot of artists throughout history kind of work in caves. And a lot of people think about, particularly painting is like magic, because they're always wanting to get so close to it and say, like, 'how did you do that?' And to be able to be in this space daily, and get a couple 100 people that walk through Spheres, it's more than any show I've ever held in my life." He continued to say, "So it's great to be able to have work that I'm making [in] real time and to be able to have people from everywhere that kind of stumble into this place that are able to walk up and say, 'What are you doing?' 'Why are you doing it?' 'And can you tell me about like you?' " Said johnson
When asked what it's been like working together, Moses Sun said, "This time here with Barry has been very cool because barry and I, are we're the art brothers." He continued to say, "We all came together [in] 2020 for the Black Lives Matter protests mural. And then we've just taken off ever since being within here in the Understory right below the Amazon spheres, where there's this living, breathing plants and people populating going in and out. Some people wander in here thinking they're going to the Amazon Spheres. And then they're delighted to see there's something going on here."
To learn more about Moses Sun and barry johnson, you can headover to mosessun.studio to learn more about Moses, visit barryjohnson.com to learn more about barry, and head over to VividMatterCollective.com to learn more about VMC.
Tune into #Back2Besa on FOX 13 Seattle for more interviews like this every Saturday at 10:30 pm, with a replay on Sundays at 10 am on FOX 13+
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• 2/29/24
Terrain Art Festival 2023 - Spokane
Have you heard about Terrain? The annual one-night-only event in Spokane is one of the regions largest gatherings of artists from all over the world. Featuring nearly 400 artists, Terrain has firmly established its name as one of the top destinations for art lovers in the Pacific Northwest. Back2Besa host Besa Gordon headed across the state to check it out for herself.
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• 2/29/24
Spoken-Word Magic: The Griot Party Experience
The Griot Party Experience recognizes the legacy of Black Copper Brown and indigenous people in the Central District of Seattle and honors their contributions through hip-hop, spoken-word storytelling theater.
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• 2/29/24
Juneteenth Is
#JuneteenthSEA - Uplifting Our Traditions: Black people in Seattle celebrated Juneteenth in different ways but for a common cause. From popup tents at Communion Seattle on Union to Roller Skating at Judkins Park, and from musical stars of tomorrow at Jimi Hendrix Park to hip-hop icons of yesteryear at the Museum of Pop Culture. Take a look at Juneteenth in Seattle through the eyes of community members across the city.