Pastor Pat Wright can't read music, but she made a hit single as a solo R&B singer, performed for three U.S. presidents including Barack Obama, and sang at Jimi Hendrix's funeral. Wright began and continues to direct Seattle's renowned Total Experience Choir. Founded in 1973, the choir has performed for presidents, and toured in 28 countries and 33 states. She attributes its success to the type of music they perform. "You can't make old folks out of young people ... your music director has

This week on Sound Effect , we've teamed up with the women behind the " Hella Black Hella Seattle " podcast to tell stories of black history in the Northwest. Black History Month We meet the women behind the "Hella Black Hella Seattle" podcast and talk about what black history means to them. Seattle's 'Queen of Gospel' Pastor Pat Wright has been a radio disc jockey, an R&B singer, and an educator but she is easily best known as the founder and director of Seattle’s renowned Total Experience

Natasha Marin would like white people to know that because of the color of their skin, they have an inherent advantage, or privilege. “Privilege is complicated," says Marin. "A lot of people hear the word 'privilege' and they think about luxury. Privilege is not about luxury. Especially in terms of white privilege, it’s about benefits and boosts that society affords to you because of your appearance.” Marin is an African-American woman. She lives in Seattle. She’s a writer and a visual artist.

At hospice centers throughout the Northwest, there’s a simple message written on posters and plaques and displayed throughout the halls. It says “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you” It’s the four things you’re supposed to express at the end of your life to find peace of mind before you die. Rose Bosacker has the quote on a little card on her fridge. She’s a hospice nurse in Olympia and she deals intimately with people at the end of their life. However, it was her

Almost every night in the winter, there are hundreds of farmers at work along the Washington coast. The lights of their head lamps are just barely visible on the shoreline. They are shellfish farmers out harvesting clams, oysters, and geoducks. T hey are up at such late hours because of the tide. That’s when it’s lowest during the winter months.

The two little boys in the photo on state Rep. Matt Manweller’s window sill are wearing capes as they play on the sidewalk outside the John L. O’Brien Building on Olympia’s Capitol campus. “My two little superheroes,” the Ellensburg Republican says of his young sons. “They used to be a fixture here in Olympia. They would be clamoring out on the House floor, wanting to push my voting button. But now they have school.” They’re 6 and 7 now, and back in Ellensburg. Being away from family for a few

Natasha Marin would like white people to know that because of the color of their skin, they have an inherent advantage, or privilege. “Privilege is complicated," says Marin. "A lot of people hear the word 'privilege' and they think about luxury. Privilege is not about luxury. Especially in terms of white privilege, it’s about benefits and boosts that society affords to you because of your appearance.” Marin is an African-American woman. She lives in Seattle. She’s a writer and a visual artist.

Sometimes it can take a long time to come around to an apology or to even realize you did something wrong in the first place. In this next story, it took years. It began on one fateful night in Seattle in the fall of 1999. As protesters squared off against the police during the controversial WTO conference, law enforcement chose to deploy tear gas and aggressive policing tactics. Norm Stamper, Seattle police chief at the time of the WTO riots, initially defended his policing decisions. Even

Anthony Curcio and his wife Emily met in sixth grade in Monroe, Washington. Emily remembers a young Anthony as good and kind. But in college, after a sports injury, Anthony became addicted to opiates and everything changed. As Anthony’s addiction intensified, so did his criminal ambitions. He did shady realty deals, stole from foreclosed homes, anything to make an easy buck. All the time, Anthony was living a double life with Emily. For nearly a decade, he lied to her. Meanwhile, they got

At hospice centers throughout the Northwest, there’s a simple message written on posters and plaques and displayed throughout the halls. It says “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you” It’s the four things you’re supposed to express at the end of your life to find peace of mind before you die. Rose Bosacker has the quote on a little card on her fridge. She’s a hospice nurse in Olympia and she deals intimately with people at the end of their life. However, it was her