Created by Jeffrey J. Ryan, Tim Olsen, Paul Michaels.

2023 report created by Momentum Professional Strategy Partners. This report was part of the Black Collective Economic Development Committee 2023 initiatives and was funded by a grant with the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County. It explores and documents dominant reasons why local Black owned businesses fail and compiles recommendations to inform city and county entities.

Dan Mandeville holds a sign reading, "Women's Rights Human Rights," with Melissa Ford standing beside him.

"I just feel like we’re in scary times right now where a lot of white men are controlling the narrative and, um, I’m happy to be here today to kind of speak up" - Melissa Ford
"And a lot of people, even, even with current restrictions being passed people don’t even know that they’ve happened in their state and they’re not finding out until they go to go for treatment and find out “Oh, you’re not eligible because of this law that’s been passed.” And people just, people just don’t know what’s been going on and I don’t know, I think the more – we just need to speak up and make sure that people know what’s happening." - Dan Mandeville

Kels Howerton holds a sign reading, "Safe, accessible abortions for all genders."

"I think it’s also important to remember that all genders can have abortions and while it does primarily affect women, um, to include trans people and non-binary people in that. I personally use they/them pronouns and I think it’s really important to remember how many people are affected. I love so many people who have gotten abortions, and it would have drastically changed their life if they were forced into pregnancy. So I think I’m here just because I want us to be a community that takes care of one another and um, fights for one another, so that we can all be freed."

Melody Hennigh holds a sign reading "Protect safe, legal abortions."

"As I explained to my five-year-old, we are sticking up to bullies."

Tacoma Community House Spring 2022 English Language student from Ukraine. Interviewed by dindria barrow on May 4, 2022.

Joe Bomar interviews local historian Erin Lasley about D.B. Cooper, the mysterious unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in 1971.

Joe Bomar interviews Fircrest resident Blake Surina about the history of Fircrest.

Joe Bomar interviews local historian Erin Lasley about the 62nd Air Lift Wing at McChord.

Ah, founder of Cannabis Basics and Paul Jackson talk about her career in the cannabis industry and how she helped write the CHABA law for Washington State, which allows for the sale of THC products without a cannabis license under certain conditions.

Kat Wood holding a sign reading, "Fundamental human rights should NOT depend on your zip code!" with an LGBTQ pride flag sticker and a map of the United States with x-marks over states that restrict or outlaw abortion access.

Interviewer: What brings you here today?
"Oh, so much anger and so much sadness. Um, Roe has been around my entire life and I can’t believe we’re fighting the fights of our grandmothers again and again and again… and trans people and non-binary people are especially gonna be hurt by these laws. I mean, really, all people who need abortion care and need health care deserve to be able to have that equitably and safely and with dignity and I can’t believe we’re having to fight this again."

Kat Moulton holds a sign reading "Expand abortion access."

Declined to comment.

Serena Jouers holds her small dog and a sign reading, "If I wanted the government in my uterus I'd fuck a politician."

"I feel like I need to do what I can to help spread the message and to help show that we will stand up for our rights and not let this get overturned and that there’s people out here, everywhere, that want – that feel passionately about it."

Autumn Fiore holds a sign reading, "If your activism isn't intersectional, then who is it for?"

"Overturning Roe v. Wade is much more than just taking away a person’s bodily autonomy, it could be a slippery slope into other landmark Supreme Court decisions that protect our rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and just, our choices to do what we would like. Uh, and so I wanna take a stand and make sure that doesn’t happen. Um, the government doesn’t have a right to dictate who we choose to marry, whether we choose to keep a pregnancy, none of it. Um, and I know that there worst fear is us standing up for our rights, but, that doesn’t mean that we just let them do whatever they want."

Joe Bomar visits the Foss Waterway Seaport and talks with Julia Berg, Director of Education, about the Seaport facility and the fascinating exhibits on display there.

Joe Bomar interviews John Buffelen Haley about the Buffelen Lumber Company and its role in building early Tacoma.

Joe Bomar interviews Trenton Quiocho, curator of the new exhibit at Tacoma Art Museum, GATHER: 27 Years of Hilltop Artists, which runs March 26 - September 4, 2022.

Joe Bomar interviews local historian Erin Lasley about the history of McChord Air Force Base (now part of JBLM).

Joe Bomar interviews Kathi Rennaker, Director of Marketing for Brown & Haley Candy Co., and self-appointed B&H historian.

Kip Howell holds a sign reading, "Forced birth in a country with the highest [maternal] mortality rate, no paid maternity, no universal subsidized childcare, no continued birth parent care, and frequently inaccessible mental health care. - Tocarra Mallard."

"I feel that because they have decided this is not, like, a right under the constitution, this gives way for a lot of other issues. Especially, since they say, like, this is not, like constitutionally worth it for privacy specifically. Um, it gives way for them to attack things like gay marriage rights and many other things. So, I feel that it’s my civic duty to come here and protest."

Paul Jackson interviews Kubi Thomas, owner of Cooking with Your Kids, whose mission is to provide activities and life skills to create bonds between generations of parents and children.

Carolyn Treleven holds a sign reading, "This doesn't stop abortions... it stops SAFE abortions."

Interviewer: What brings you here today?
"Outrage. Frustration. Exhaustion... this is for everybody that has a fundamental right to make decisions about their own medical care."

Jan Runbeck, RN and Mike Mowat hold sign, made by Planned Parenthood, together reading "Protect safe, legal abortion."

"My aunt was orphaned uh, at about six months of age when her mother, uh, had, and we don’t know if it was self-induced abortion or if she went to a, uh, alley abortionist, was found dead on the kitchen floor in a puddle of blood from the fact that she knew she had more children than the family could support. So, uh, that’s the personal story, but I’m also a public health nurse and demographically, when women have access to abortion, they have better long-term outcomes, society has better outcomes as far as literacy rate, poverty rates, health rates, and all that. So, from a public health long-term perspective, it’s better for society, and individually, um, my aunt would have had a much better life, had she had a mother." - Jan Runbeck, RN
"I’m just generally opposed to taking advantage of people or keeping people down, I mean there’s a huge movement all over the world and all through history of keeping uh people down, so we have low wages, people without rights, so even in our own constitution, which they use as a preface for-for overturning Roe vs. Wade, women had no rights at that time. So if they can take away those particular rights, they can take away all the rest of them." - Mike Mowat

Katt Merilo hold a sign reading "Pregnant, pro-choice, + pissed off." The back of her sign, unpictured, reads, "Here for my unborn's rights - to protect her body + plan her own future."

"I am here because of abortion rights affects all people, not just women, not just cis women, but women of color, trans women. And, abortion rights are very important for all of us to be able to plan our futures, and our families, and keep ourselves safe. I’m also nine months pregnant, I’m due on Monday... It's a girl."

Brian Schmidt, carrying a child on his back, holds a sign reading, "The majority draft opinion does not represent the majority of Americans!"

"It’s [laughs] it’s uh not fair that a small percentage of people can dictate the rights of a large, I mean, millions of people."