🌻 Seattle, My Home

Today, as I sit in the quiet of my tower, I find myself reflecting on Seattle — my true home.

The years I spent living in Las Vegas gave me a new appreciation for this place. I always spoke about Seattle’s beauty: the green trees, the water that surrounds us, the way the city feels alive. Even with new developments rising all over, I still find my city beautiful.

🌿 The Downfalls of Home

Like any place, Seattle has its struggles. The cost of living has become outrageous. With the Pacific Northwest evolving into a technology hub, it’s financially challenging for many of us to remain here.

The homelessness crisis weighs heavily on me. When I left for Las Vegas in 2017, it was already a problem, but when I returned in 2023, it had grown devastatingly worse. It’s heartbreaking to witness.

And then there’s gentrification. I was raised in Seattle’s Black community, surrounded by churches, schools, mom-and-pop shops, and neighbors who felt like family. That community is gone now. When my godmother passed and her home was sold, it was the last Black-owned house on her block. Today, every home there is white-owned, remodeled, and unrecognizable. The feel, the culture, the life I once knew and embraced — it no longer exists. My Peace drove me through our old neighborhood, and while I could see the physical changes, what struck me most was the absence of the vibe, the energy. Progress, growth, change — they sound positive, but why does progress so often feel like it wipes out a culture?

🌙 Lessons from Las Vegas

Las Vegas was never home for me. It never welcomed me with open arms. I learned to survive there, like so many others. It was a place of darkness and endurance, never of belonging. I never attached myself to it.

When I finally decided to return to Seattle, I hopped into Poopsie and never looked back.

🔊 A New Reality at Home

What I didn’t expect was that, for the first time in my life, I would live in a place where gun violence is a regular reality. Before returning, I had been warned about the homelessness and gun violence running rampant in Seattle. Now, it’s right outside my own door.

I regularly hear gunshots in my neighborhood. Each morning, when I get into my car to head to work, I drive past a homeless encampment just around the corner. The sadness of it all is that this has become a way of life — and I am no longer startled by it.

🌻 Holding On to Roots

Despite the challenges, Seattle remains my home. My roots are here. Even if the neighborhoods I grew up in no longer look or feel the same, I can close my eyes and remember what it was like to be raised on 20th and Roy. Those memories live in me.

Seattle is my home. Always has been, always will be. And for that, I am grateful.