Community Stories Seattle is mosaic of cultures and diverse communities, with an endless supply of inspiring tales to share. Community Stories presents this rich tapestry -- the people, the neighborhoods, the communities, relevant issues, cultural traditions and rich histories that make each of us unique. Learn more about your neighbors on Community Stories. The Seattle Channel 3171803 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Grindline Skateparks ]]> Driven by a love for skateboarding, Grindline started with the goal of building outdoor skate parks in the Seattle area. Over thirty years later, they've shared their passion by creating not only world-class skate parks but also fostering community and helping skateboarding evolve. Video by Chris Barnes. Additional photos courtesy Chris “Wez” Lundry.

]]> 10/28/2024 community/ComS_skate_3171803.mp4 18:52 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2024/Q4/CommunityStories_Grindline-02web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2024/Q4/CommunityStories_Grindline-02web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172101 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists ]]> Adapted from the award-winning graphic novel "We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration," this motion-comic style animated film takes an excerpt from the story of the Akutsu Family. Brothers Jim and Gene and parents Kiyonosuke and Nao lived in Seattle and ran a shoe repair shop in the city's Seattle’s Chinatown-International District neighborhood. After Pearl Harbor marked the United States entry into World War II, the Akutsus found themselves and their community swept up into the fervor of anti-Japanese sentiment that led to Executive Order 9066 which imprisoned the West Coast Japanese community in American concentration camps. Faced with violations of their rights as America citizens, Jim and Gene embarked on a journey of political resistance. “The Akutsu Family Resists” illustrates the conditions the family faced, the political deals that paved the way to incarceration, and the beginnings of Jim and Gene’s fight to resist.

"We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resist"
Written by Frank Abe
Artwork by Ross Ishikawa
Published by Wing Luke Museum and Chin Music Press

]]> 12/18/2023 community/ComS_resist_3172101V.mp4 14:30 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2023/Q4/Comms_Resisters2.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2023/Q4/Comms_Resisters2.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172301 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Path with Art ]]> Experiencing trauma of any form can severely disrupt one’s life in many ways. One organization is helping people find a way back to a sense of self by teaching and building community through a Path with Art.
More information: https://www.pathwithart.org/
]]> 3/13/2023 community/ComS_path_3172301V.mp4 11:08 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2023/Q1/CommS-PathwitArt.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2023/Q1/CommS-PathwitArt.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172203 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Spirit of the Waters ]]> For over 20 years, Lummi Nation carvers have created totem poles that crisscross the nation to heal places of great suffering. Now, a powerful orca pole visits the Salmon People of four states to unite the fight to remove the lower Snake River Dams and save the salmon.

]]> 12/19/2022 community/ComS_orca_3172203V.mp4 16:29 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/ComS_orca_31722023-06web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/ComS_orca_31722023-06web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172201 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Those Who Helped Us ]]>

Basketball-loving Sumiko Tanaka, then 11, narrates this graphic novel about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. Through her eyes, we watch as her family is forced from their home and subjected to indiscriminate racism as they are shipped off to the concentration camp called Minidoka in Idaho. But Sumiko and her 17-year-old sister Yuri also see acts of charity and solidarity from their non-Japanese neighbors and friends in the Seattle area that make them hopeful for the future. As the young girls struggle with the horrors of being imprisoned in the dusty desert, they also find solace in the fact that some people chose to help. This story highlights the actual actions and experiences of those neighbors and friends.

]]> 12/12/2022 community/ComS_allies_3172201V.mp4 18:34 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2024/Q2/ThoseWhoHelpedUs2024web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2024/Q2/ThoseWhoHelpedUs2024web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172106 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Running with the Paint: Rosalie Fish ]]> In May 2019, Rosalie Fish went from being a high school athlete to a nationally known activist. She tells the story of the day she decided to wear red paint and run for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Video by Phillip Townsend 

]]> 11/14/2022 community/ComS_rosalie_3171906V.mp4 21:17 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/CommunityStories_RunningWithPaint_02web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/CommunityStories_RunningWithPaint_02web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172104 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: And We Rise: Climbers of Color ]]> From seasoned professionals to beginners, these rock climbers and mountaineers share their perspectives on how the organization Climbers of Color has helped them bond, explore and rise to new heights.

]]> 10/14/2022 community/ComS_climbers_3172104V.mp4 27:38 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/ClimbersOfColor_web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2022/Q4/ClimbersOfColor_web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3172102 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: Wa Na Wari ]]> Wa Na Wari, a Kalabari term meaning "Our Home," is the name of this community beacon in Seattle's Central District. Co-founders Inye Wokoma, Elisheba Johnson, Rachel Kessler, and Jill Freidberg established this gathering place for Black artists and neighbors. Through a cultural strategy of expression and performance, Wa Na Wari is preserving this neighborhood's legacy, history, and community.

Directed by Devon de Leña and CHIMAERA.

]]> 2/22/2021 community/ComS_wanawari_3172102V.mp4 20:54 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2021/Q1/CommStories_WaNaWari-web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2021/Q1/CommStories_WaNaWari-web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3171903 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: A Healing Act: Improv for People with Memory Loss ]]> Seattle's Taproot Theatre Company offers improvisational classes for people experiencing early stage memory loss or dementia. Improv allows them to keep the brain active and live in the moment, while having fun.

]]> 12/2/2019 community/ComS_memory_3171903V.mp4 13:56 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2019/Q4/ImprovMemory3-Still016web.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2019/Q4/ImprovMemory3-Still016web.jpg The Seattle Channel 3171907 <![CDATA[ Community Stories: The Breakfast Group ]]> The Breakfast Group has been inspiring, empowering, and tapping into the potential of  Seattle area youth of color for more than four decades. The all-volunteer non-profit organization mentors young men to help them achieve their goals of education, employment, leadership, and community connection. Through programs like Project M.I.S.T.E.R.TM, where participants learn life skills and college prep, and the rite-of-passage "Tie-One-On" networking luncheon, the Breakfast Group is changing lives and inspiring the entire community.

]]> 9/15/2019 community/ComS_bfast_3171907V.mp4 18:13 http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2019/Q3/CommS_BreakfastGroup9.jpg http://www.seattlechannel.org/images//images/seattlechannel/videos/2019/Q3/CommS_BreakfastGroup9.jpg