For many people, community ties come from keeping up to date with the goings-on of your neighbors — someone’s graduation, a new restaurant opening up, or a long-time resident passing away. These days we mostly turn to Facebook for that sort of information.
However, for a certain generation of black Seattleites, a weekly newspaper called The Factshas been an important community news source. It’s a free paper, just a couple of pages, distributed around Seattle’s Central District. For over 50 years, it’s been a mainstay in black homes.
Sound Effect producer Allie Ferguson talked with two Central District natives, Eula Scott Bynoe and her mom, Beverly Sims, about The Facts and the role it plays in Seattle's black community. They also discuss how Bynoe is building on the paper's legacy with her new podcast, Hella Black Hella Seattle, and the importance of black media.
