Maleeha Syed

Cynthia Brothers is the founder of Vanishing Seattle, a movement that documents and celebrates the disappearing institutions, businesses and cultures that “give the city its soul.” Launched on social media in 2016, the project has since blossomed into an award-winning body of work. Brothers discusses the places that have made her hometown what it is and once was – and why these places matter.    

Mindie Lind is a local writer, musician and director who’s working on an animated feature film about being a person born without legs who doesn’t want to be seen as “inspirational.” A longtime Seattle resident, she’s keenly aware of the disconnects between narrative and reality when it comes to accessibility and ableism here – including our music venues and the new, prized Waterfront Park.   

Kiesha B. Free is a speaker, comedian, former business and culture leader at Microsoft and the founder of Hey, Black Seattle!, an online resource and movement to help connect and nurture the Black community in the Seattle area. The effort grew, in part, out of a frustration with the (very wrong) notion that “there are no Black people in Seattle,” and aims to combat the very real strain of isolation. 

Lex Vaughn is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Needling, a satirical news site in the style of The Onion that dubs itself “Seattle’s only real fake news.” A Pulitzer Prize-winning former Seattle Times reporter, Vaughn is deeply familiar with the tropes of the news as well as enduring Seattle stereotypes. The site leverages both, providing much-needed comic relief in these trying times.