February is Black History Month and with Metro you can visit Seattle’s African American history in the heart of the community where it was made.

African Americans were redlined into limited neighborhoods in Seattle during the last century, which they made their own. One of those neighborhoods was the Central District, and Metro celebrates the history of this community with seven special locations.

In a collaborative project, community activists, the Black Heritage Society of Washington State and King County Metro created 40 photo murals installed in seven bus shelters in the Central District recognizing the living legacy of African Americans in this community—shelters you of course can reach by bus.

We invite you to learn more about Seattle’s African American history at stops celebrating:

  • A historic high school where Jimi Hendrix, Ernestine Anderson, and Quincy Jones once roamed its halls.
  • A corner where Quincy Jones once played, that commemorates the history of Seattle’s Jazz scene,
  • The home of the Northwest African American Museum—which is also the location of the longest act of civil disobedience on record in U.S. history.
  • The continuing legacy of Seattle’s Black press.
  • One of the West Coast largest collections of information and stories by and about African Americans.
  • The location of the organization responsible for the creation of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.
  • And a celebration of Seattle’s rich labor history.

This month, you can celebrate Black History Month by riding Metro to visit:

  • Routes 48, 3, and 4 will take you a short distance from Garfield High School (23rd & E. Jefferson St), which is also the home of the Medgar Evers Pool and the Quincy Jones Performance Art Center,
    Routed in history map
  • Route 48 will also take you to the corner of 23rd and Jackson, once the heart of the Seattle jazz scene,
  • The Colman School (Martin Luther King, Jr Way S. & S. Irving St) — which you can reach on Routes 4 and 8,
  • Visit the recognition of Black-owned newspapers ( Jackson St & Martin Luther King, Jr Way S.) with a ride on Metro Routes 14 or 8,
  • Take the Route 27 and stop at the Douglass-Truth Library (Yesler Way & 23rd Ave S.), which was named in honor of two abolitionists,
  • Route 2 stops in the neighborhood where the headquarters of Seattle’s BlackRouted in History shelter descriptions Panther Party and Seattle’s Black Arts/West Theater were located (34th Avenue & E. Union Street).
  • And ride the Route 48 to visit Seattle Central College’s Wood Technology Center (23rd Ave S. & S. Lane St).

We are proud to be a part of remembering and recognizing Seattle’s African American history with these special locations. Join us in visiting, learning, and celebrating the neighborhood that still holds a special place for the African American community, then, now, and into the future.