Highlights

   Rainier Beach Back2School Bash – 16th year, 400/900 Youth/Attendees, 49 Organizations with resource tables
o   Town Halls –  2 held, topics: Open Space, Developmeant in the Community, 230 attendees
o   Farm Stand – 18 events held, ___ attendees
o   Corner Greeters – 24 events held, ____ attendees
o   271 people surveyed for their views on public safety and transportation issues in Rainier Beach
o   704 headlines posted to RB News Wire via Twitter  (Goal 400)

Approach

 All work efforts, programs and services listed above provides jobs, health and well-being
to the fine people of Rainier Beach.
o   RBAC is focusing on neighborhood engagement and empowerment.
o   All work efforts, programs and services serve as outreach mechanisms to the residents of RB, these outreach efforts are in turn pathways for Rainier Beach residents to contribute to the well-being of their own neighborhood.
 

Action Area: Growing Food to develop Healthy Industry

Work Area:  Food Justice, Health, Environmental Justice. Programs RBAC leads in this action area are:

Rainier Beach Food Innovation District promotes the geographic concentration of food-production businesses, services and community activities representative of the cultures present in Rainier Beach. Properties are being identified as sites for community benefit amenities on the ground floor as opposed to typical development models of retail. Currently 5 food producing locations and 4 neighborhood kitchens have been identified that can be used to cook healthy food for the Rainier Beach residents.
Rainier Beach Food Innovation Center is a catalytic venue with a vision for vocational training, food processing and community assets e.g., gathering hall, community kitchen and child-care. A Food Innovation Center Director has been hired (Amanda Lopez Castanon). RBAC property acquisition is underway.
Rainier Beach Farm Stand is an RBAC/Ethiopian Community in Seattle collaboration that brings fresh affordable culturally relevant produce to the neighborhood from nearby farmers of color in order to help support residents practice healthy eating habits. 5 young adult leaders are serving as RB Farm Stand Fellows. 18 Farm Stand event held, a record amount of produce has been sold from 10 people of color farmers.

Beach Fresh is a learning opportunity for young adults participating in RBAC program. Intending to equip young adults transitioning into adulthood with basic life skills in harvesting, preparing, eating in a health and self-sufficient way.

 

Waste Free Communities engages young adults in Rainier Beach in designing, implementing and mapping waste reduction action with a focus on Food Waste/Food Justice. Actions will result in measurably less solid waste going to the landfill.

Growing Healthy Food to Develop Healthy Industry Hosts Annual Youth Food Justice Townhall

On April 26, the Seeds of Change Network held its second annual Youth Food Justice Town Hall, marking the first event hosted at the Rainier Beach Food Innovation Center! We had a fantastic time in the community, giving people their flowers and gathering community...

What Do We Take from Those Who Give?

by Cly Intalan Samson Another season ends, and another begins. I like to think that life is a spiral — where all of us are circling the same old challenges and narratives. Every cycle we have the opportunity to deepen our lessons and hopefully create new timelines. In...

Sign Up for Your 2025 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Box!

by Abby Endalew We’re so excited to bring back our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program for the 2025 season! From July 11 to November 21, you can get fresh, locally-grown produce delivered straight from BIPOC farmers to your table while supporting local food...

CSA is Back!

We are thrilled to announce our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program for the upcoming season! From July 11 to November 21, 2025, we will offer fresh, locally grown produce boxes delivered directly from local BIPOC farms to your table! By joining our CSA...

Seeds of Change Updates

Grab your snacks and popcorn because the Seeds of Change Documentary is coming to a screen near you! A Little Background on Seeds of Change The Seeds of Change Network is built on a holistic approach to farmer wellness, emphasizing healing through the power of...

Food Justice 2024 Recap

The food justice work in 2024 remained steadfast yet resilient through unprecedented times. Kudos to everyone who joined us this year, whether new staff, volunteers, fellows, council members, donors, funders, or virtual supporters! Kudos to our team for all of the...

Meet the Director of Food Justice and Innovation: Kerry White, A Journey Towards Food Justice

by Jarquita Brown “The five things I live by in life: honesty, integrity, leading with curiosity, compassion, and that I’m intentional about the way I move through the world.”   Kerry White’s story reflects the power of aligning professional skills with personal...

Four Branches, Four Colors Series: Highlighting Our Growing Food for a Healthy Industry Branch

The time has come to honor and celebrate our Food Justice branch—Growing Food for a Healthy Industry! The Food Justice branch is a force in increasing food access and fostering sustainability in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. This branch is cultivating healthier...

Farm Stand Season Recap! Harvest Fest Recap, Mural Highlight!

We did it!  We wrapped up another incredible farm stand season, serving our neighborhood from June 15th to October 12th. This season was unique in many ways, from new farm stand fellows and a tremendous amount of volunteers to some fantastic highlights that show how...

Fellows Summer Recap

Happy back-to-school season! Although we are sad we will be getting less time with our Farm Fellows, we are so fulfilled to reflect on a jam-packed summer with them! We are so proud of our Food Justice Fellows Omar, M’Bouilee, Elizabeth, Cardin, and Gayatri.   ...

Action Area: A Beautiful Safe Place

Work areas: Public Safety through youth and neighborhood engagement and Art.  Programs RBAC leads in this action are are:

Corner Greeters activate spaces to reduce incidents that contribute to youth crime. Corner Greeters is the only autonomous neighborhood led public safety alternative to policing in the city of Seattle. Since its start in 2015 incidents have decreased 30% (no more than one incident a day among a population of 10,000 people). 40 youth/young adult workers, 18 neighborhood scouting walks, 18 neighborhood corner greeting events, 271 public safety surveys taken. Partnerships exists with DIRT (Duwamish Intervention Restorative Team), Ethiopian Community in Seattle, Seattle Department of Transportation. Seattle Public Utilities, Office of Housing and Sound Transit has had audience with Corner Greeters.
Rainier Beach Clean Crew is trying to “solve the litter problem” in Rainier Beach. A team is dispatched Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday to pick up litter in designated areas and identify “hot spots” for targeting. 5 of 8 sectors served.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support is a universal, community wide prevention program that aims to establish a social culture with the Rainier Beach neighborhood in which residents expect and support appropriate behavior from one another – and thereby create neighborhood environments that are socially predictable, consistent, safe and positive. The primary goals of “community wide positive behavioral supports” are to reduce problems behaviors within community that lead to interaction with law enforcement authorities, and to change perceptions of community safety. Rainier Beach’s neighborhood values are Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be Responsible.
Southeast Seattle FreedomNet uses social media to document and chronicle Rainier Beach activity and uses it to change the Rainier Beach narrative to one of a vibrant, connected, healthy, safe neighborhood. Quantitative Results: 704 online posts of positive activity occurring in Rainier Beach. Online assets include a youth centered web site and general public web site, Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Instagram.

What Have the ABSP Team Been Up To? The Three-Stage CPTED Approach

The Youth and Neighborhood Engagement team has been working hard to make our neighborhood a beautiful, safe place. Our youth are kicking into high spirits because of the wonderful weather changes. Now, one might ask—what have we been doing?  During April and May, the...

Reflecting on the Work of Jerrell Davis: “We Have to be the Leaders We Are Looking For”

by Messiah Fagerholm, Jeremiah Conyers, and Gregory Davis Jerrell Davis was honored with a send-off on February 4, 2025, by the RBAC staff, family, and friends as he left his position at RBAC. Jerrell was a pioneering employee who played a key role in establishing the...

Reflection from our YNE Bootcamp

Our annual boot camp for the Youth Neighborhood Engagement team was organized by A Beautiful Safe Place in February. The majority of our team is made up of Black youth, ages 15 to 18, who attend high schools in the South End of Seattle, located in Rainier Beach. We...

ABSP updates, activations schedule for 2025

Hello Neighbors and Neighborhood Friends!   This year we are building out a playbook for our Youth and Neighborhood Engagement Workers.  The specific approaches we take to keep our neighborhood safe and vibrant are expansive, and we want to keep it all on record....

RBAC 2024 Recap

                                                       From left to right: Khadijah Abdullah, Aviva Stamp                        From left to right: Robin Ginnis, Scott Hinckley, Alex Gonzales, Andre Cantyfer From left to right: Lakeya Afolalu, Nadia Despenza, Ilays...

A Beautiful Safe Place 2024 Recap

2024 was a year of highs and lows for ABSPY—ending on a high note! This year the Youth and Neighborhood Engagement Team expanded our team, activated new pearl locations, and connected with some new community members in the neighborhood.  Some highlights from this past...

Meet RBAC’s Transformation Strategist Jerrell Davis: A Life of Music, Education, and Community Building

By Jarquita Brown Seattle’s Southend has always been more than just a place for Jerrell Davis, it’s a cornerstone of his identity. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Jerrell’s life is a testament to the power of staying rooted while pushing boundaries. This...

Park CommUNITY Fund Report Out

We’re pleased to announce that the neighborhood is getting 4 community-initiated park improvement projects! On October 22nd, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) published a press release announcing this year’s selection of CommUNITY Fund projects. South Seattle will be...

New Yard Signs for the 2024-2025 Season

Keep an eye out for new yard signs. Shout out to local artists Ari Glass, Rome Esmaili, and Willie McIntyre, who created the artwork for these.   These “Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible” yard signs are part of a yearly campaign to promote positive social...

RBAC Operations Update

It’s officially Fall! For some, this is a time to enjoy fall colors, warm drinks, and festivities. It can also be a challenging adjustment as the weather changes, the days become shorter, and we find ourselves indoors more. As we prepare for the end of the year, this...

Action Area: Life Long Learning

Work Area: Education (Advocacy, support), Family Life via local community based organizations. Programs RBAC leads in this action area are:

 

Rainier Beach Back2School Bash is an annual education-centered event where free backpacks, resource tables and community building takes place in order to inspire our youth about education. Quantitative Results: 700 backpacks, 55 resource tables for 500 children. 400 families present
Beach 5 is a leadership development pathway for 18-24-year-old Rainier Beach neighborhood talent. Quantitative Results: 6 young adults transitioning to adulthood, over 100 youth touched by the work of the five program participants through their provision of circle keeping, FreedomNet coaching, nutrition

Backpacks, Smiles, and Service: RBAC Celebrates Volunteer Month by Hosting Volunteer Event

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in making RBAC’s first volunteer recruitment event a success! April was National Volunteer Month, and thanks to the generous support of United Way King County, we hosted our first Volunteer Recruitment Event at...

Celebrating Our Impact: Introducing RBAC’s 2024 Annual Report

Hi there, friends! As we close the chapter on another impactful year, Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) is excited to share our 2024 Annual Report. This report is a reflection of our collective work, resilience, and progress in building a stronger neighborhood. As...

Facilities Update

Thank you to our employees at RBAC, as March 7th is Employee Appreciation Day!    As we begin kicking off our planning sessions for Spring and Summer activities, we recognize our staff's impact and leadership, making RBAC a wonderful organization. We work hard...

Ramadan Mubarak

Happy Women’s History Month and Ramadan Mubarak!  Ramadan is a month-long fast observed by Muslims. It is also my favorite time of the year. It means family, patience, intentionality, and community. When I think of Ramadan, I imagine the neighborhood coming together...

Four Branches Four Colors: We Did It – and Then Some!

We are overwhelmed with gratitude as we close this chapter of our Four Branches, Four Colors: An RBAC Series. Thanks to you, our incredible neighborhood and neighborhood friends, we reached our $20,000 year-end fundraising goal and more than doubled it, raising over...

Life Long Learning 2024 Recap

If you have received communication from RBAC through our Four Branches Four Colors fundraising campaign, you would know that our administrative work is a part of the Life Long Learning branch. If you don't, click this link to learn more about it. We have included a...

Life Long Learning for Four Branches, Four Colors

Our Four Branches, Four Colors year-end giving campaign has taken us on an incredible journey. Our Lifelong Learning branch not only focuses on our fundraising and administration efforts but also serves as the backbone that sustains our entire organization!  ...

The Gift of Giving

The season of giving is upon us. As we move into December, we are reminded of the immense joy that comes from giving. Giving is more than just an action; it is a statement of strength used to build community and create change. When we give, whether it is our time,...

Announcing the Website, the Media Piece for APE, and Announcing the Media Piece for LLL

Hello everyone! Jar here with some exciting updates!   First off, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who has supported RBAC’s “Four Branches, Four Colors” series! This campaign has been an incredible journey for me as the Development...

Election Day

Today is the day; today is election day!   As a Somali kid, first generation, I remember my mom being so excited for the first time she could vote. She became a naturalized citizen when I was 8, the year after Obama got elected. Her first ballot was a special...

Action Area: A Place for Everyone

Work Area: Transportation, Employment, Housing Open space/Land Use. Programs RBAC leads in this action area are:

Priority Hire is a construction industry service that specializes in outreach and assessment of African American males that creates pathway to living wage jobs and skill building.  74 Seattle residents (primarily African-American males) with aspirations for work in the construction trade are to be assessed, 54 will be referred to and 34 will be placed with pre-apprenticeship training programs.
Coalition participation (tables we are at) to address public safety, economic development, food justice issue occurring in Rainier Beach. Through leading and/or attending critical local and regional coalitions RBAC strives to move the needle on jobs, improved mobility and safe, affordable places to live.  10 tables we are at – Communities of Opportunity Steering Committee (COO SC), Communities of Opportunity Evaluation Advisory Group, South Communities Organizing for Regional and Racial Equity (South CORE), South CORE Land for Justice Subcommittee, RSET (Racial and Social Equity Taskforce), Rainier Beach Economic Development Round Table, RB A Beautiful Safe Place for Youth (RBABSPY), Graham Street Station Steering Committee, South Seattle Peace Coalition/206 Rising (Neighborhood House).

Celebrate Small Business Month with the Rainier Beach Business District

As the days get warmer, it's the perfect time to indulge in an afternoon sweet treat and, most importantly, to celebrate! May is Small Business Month, and in Rainier Beach, we have a lot to celebrate! Our local small businesses are the heart of our neighborhood,...

From Data to Action: Organizing a Construction Fair for Women

By Gregory Davis I was sitting in a Priority Hire Advisory Committee (PHAC) meeting this past winter, and the Financial Services Administration's (FSA) Purchasing and Contracting division presented a performance dashboard for the Priority Hire program.  You may recall...

“Walk the Block” with Us on Saturday, May 24

by Makayla Miles Celebrate Small Business Month at the Rainier Beach Walk The Block Party on May 24, 2025! Hosted by the Rainier Beach Business District @ RBAC, this event brings together Seattle residents, businesses, artists, and organizations for a day of fun,...

‘Street food’ and Community Vibrancy

Rainier Beach is a vibrant and diverse neighborhood in Seattle, making it an ideal spot for food trucks and carts. Bringing a mobile eatery to the area isn’t just about serving up great food—it requires careful planning, securing funding, and navigating permits and...

Black History Month

Have you heard of “The Gump?”  You probably have; here is a clue—the home of the Confederacy. Not helpful? How about the home of the civil rights movement? Not yet? How about where Martin and Coretta Scott King got their start in their Christian ministry work? Ok,...

APE 2024 Recap

2024 has been a busy and exciting year for the Economic Development Team. We kicked off the year strong with project management of the Recreating Henderson Project. We hosted six monthly committee meetings where community members could give their input on what they...

Re-Creating Henderson: Walk the Block Party

Hi everyone!  We are almost at the end of 2024, and that means we are looking back and reviewing a lot of our projects from the year. One that we have been talking about and updating a lot is the Re-Creating Henderson Street Project. We are thrilled to share that so...

November Recreating Henderson St Celebration

Throughout this year, RBAC has managed the Recreating Henderson Street project. You can read more about the project here.  Since January, we have heard fantastic feedback about the ideas, improvements, hopes, and dreams that the Rainier Beach Community has for...

Priority Hire Updates

Priority Hire is such a significant effort in the Puget Sound region the knowledge of its origins must be known and endured. So that you won't forget and strive in your own right to keep knowledge of this alive, Priority Hire was birthed in Rainier Beach in 2010 Hire...

Recreating Henderson St Public Meeting Announcement

Throughout this year RBAC had taken on project management for the Recreating Henderson Street. You can read more background on the project here.  Since January we have heard amazing feedback about the ideas, improvements, hopes and dreams that the Rainier Beach...