The people of Seattle’s Central District, forced together by discriminatory housing practices, built a thriving community that felt limitless to those who grew up there. Racist and restrictive policies meant to keep Central District residents in their place instead fueled creativity and resistance. These oral histories recorded by the Shelf Life Community Story Project, and illustrated by Central District artists, reveal how one neighborhood’s innovation, art, and action shaped Seattle in ways that still resonate today.
 
This book includes original art by:
Inye Wokoma
Damon Brown
Bonnie Hopper
Erin Shigaki
Chi Moscou-Jackson
Jite Agbro
Romson Regarde Bustillo
 
Edited by Jill Freidberg. Assistant Story Editor, Ariel Paine. Interviews conducted by Mayowa Aina, Domonique Meeks, Jill Freidberg, Rachel Kessler, Luvetra Miles, Chieko Phillips, Leilani Lewis, Henry Luke, and Sara Post.