What keeps each of us in Seattle? For some of you, it’s about roots. The people you love most have built a strong place here, and by extension, so have you — both now, and (👋 Isabella!) into the future.

Here are three striking perspectives readers Ranny Nguyen, Amanda Clark, and Tramale Turner, shared with us, paired with the (beautiful) pics above. 

“My ancestors emigrated here from Norway at the turn of the 20th century. They were indigenous Sami people who brought reindeer husbandry to the Inuit people of Alaska, stopping along the way at Woodland Park Zoo. They came back and settled in Poulsbo. Our history is here. We’ve fought to be here, leaving cultural oppression and poverty in Norway. Four generations of my family live in Seattle or the surrounding area. Our history is here; I couldn’t imagine leaving that.”
— Amanda Clark

“My parents were sponsored from Vietnam as teenagers and relocated to Seattle, where Vietnamese culture continues to be embraced through the growth of Little Saigon and Columbia City. Simply put, if we moved anywhere else we wouldn’t be able to have our regular groceries, medicines, sweet treats or social capital network of diverse peoples with an active or former refugee status.”
— Ranny Nguyen

“We are a reflection of our experiences. I have had a number of great experiences in and around the city. Still, Seattle is problematic for a number of reasons. Start with our income disparity, our housing crisis, people experiencing homelessness, and our challenged public school system. I stay because I want to live in a place that reflects me as much as I reflect it. It is the place where my daughter was born, and where she will be raised.”
— Tramale Turner

Thanks to everyone who’s been sharing what keeps them in Seattle! Do you have strong family ties that make this place home? Share them out with each other here, and stay tuned for more of your stories tomorrow.

Royal cello. So maaaaybe you heard something about a prince getting married last Saturday? Well. The cellist who stole the show at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle (here’s the clip) is coming to Seattle this fall. His name’s Sheku Kanneh-Mason, he’s 19, and the trip’s kind of a big deal. His Seattle Symphony performances October 18-20 will mark Sheku’s U.S. debut. (KING 5)

That’s National Nordic Museum to you. Our new Nordic Museum’s been open a whole two weeks, and it’s already getting ambitious. One of our senators, Maria Cantwell, is working on putting the word “national” in its title, given that it’s the only museum in the country “dedicated to Nordic history, culture, and art,” and no other city in the country can really compete with the Scandinavian vibes we got going on around here. On a related note, the museum café serves dill-infused cocktails and a mean smoked salmon smørrebrød. (Curbed Seattle, Eater Seattle)

None of that. If someone is being a creep on the bus, there’s something you can do about it. “Sexual misconduct is off-limits on Metro,” goes a new ad campaign you’ll see around the bus and light rail. If someone harasses you, you can tell your driver — they’re all trained to help handle it — call King County Metro Transit Police at 206-296-3311 or just dial 9-1-1. (KUOW)

‘I thank God that I was raised in the CD.’ There’s a new podcast in town, and it’s shouting out the stories of people who live in one of the fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods in the city — the Central District. The CD was 70 percent black in the ‘70s, and that population’s dwindled down to just 20 percent today. Jill Freidberg started recording people’s stories back in the summer of 2016, and the first episode takes a look at the CD’s music scene — with all that funk, soul, and jazz. “We hope that neighborhood stories can inform the way we think about community,” goes the promo, “what it means to have it, and what it means to lose it.” Want to hear it on the radio? Tune in to 104.9 FM today at 5 p.m. Thanks for the heads-up, Jen Calleja! (Shelf Life podcast)

Thank you, DeCharlene. Speaking of the CD, Seattle is honoring a neighborhood legend this week. DeCharlene Williams, who died on Sunday, ran a beauty salon, started the neighborhood’s chamber of commerce and the Central Area Youth Association, wrote a two-volume history of the place, served on 13 committees as recently as 2016, and just meant the world to her neighbors. ❤ Thanks for sharing DeCharlene’s story with us, Cynthia Brothers. (The Seattle Times, The Seattle Globalist)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY 🙌

We’ll see ya tomorrow. — The Evergrey