Happenings On Hilltop covered a variety of topics such as neighborhood events, other community organizations, housing, education, politics, and recipes. There were many contributors to the newsletter. Community leaders wrote editorials and letters submitted by residents who were incarcerated. It was also a venue for community members to share their art and creative writing. The newsletter also had an emphasis on keeping residents safe in Hilltop. They aimed to educate about and bring awareness to the effects of gang violence and teach residents how to prevent crime. Happenings On Hilltop also advocated for solidarity among the Black community and the fight against racial injustice. Many national events were covered in this newsletter including the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and the Million Man March, with focus on local issues such as the police involved death of Kenneth Boyd. Each month Happenings on Hilltop shared pictures of the people, events, and activities that made up the Hilltop community.

Originally titled Tidbits for Ten from December 1990 to May 1991, Happenings on Hilltop was started by two Hilltop residents and representatives from Hilltop Action Coalition (HAC), Larry Norman and Bill Charles. The newsletter was originally printed and circulated for residents who lived in “area Ten” of the Hilltop community. Within six months, Tidbits from Ten became Happenings On Hilltop. The newsletter began as an organizational journal affiliated with the Hilltop Action Coalition. It then became an independent paper published and distributed by creator Larry Norman.

Includes oral histories, digital images, and event flyers related to the development and creation of a Black Lives Matter mural produced in Tollefson Plaza in 2022. The mural was created by artists Dionne Bonner, Kenya Adams, Gwen Jones, Charles Taylor, and Breeze and was a collaboration between the Human Rights Commission's Racial Justice and Equity Committee, the Tacoma Arts Commission, and the Tacoma Art Museum.

Includes interviews conducted by Franklin Pierce High School students for an Ethnic Studies class with teacher Dan Call. Students interviewed family, friends, and other community members about race, racial identity, microaggressions, and discrimination. Interview transcripts created by students have been produced for some audio recordings.

Interview projects created by Lincoln High School students enrolled in English classes taught by Max Anders. Students chose a person to interview whose voice they felt needed to be heard, transcribed the interview, and added their own reflections.

In 1990, the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Program at the University of Washington Tacoma began offering oral history classes at the undergraduate and graduate level. Primarily led by Professor Michael K. Honey, students enrolled in these courses conducted oral histories that document local churches, labor unions, ethnic communities, neighborhoods, businesses, and civic leaders in Tacoma and the South Puget Sound.