Belonging in Unincorporated King County
Skyway team members
What does it mean to live in an “unincorporated” place? Historically in the United States, unincorporated areas within major cities are officially not part of them but remain reliant on their services (things like access to clean drinking water, building sidewalks & street lights, firefighter responses, etc.).
This in-between existence, set apart from nearby communities, can create huge divides between residents in an unincorporated area and their neighbors.
In our region, Bryn Mawr-Skyway is one of these unincorporated islands of land. The community that locals affectionately call Skyway sits on a high ridge overlooking Lake Washington and relies on King County for city services, which has meant historically that Skyway has remained underserved.
Today, Skyway’s neighbors in Seattle, Renton and Tukwila often only hear their name when a tragic event occurs within the area’s borders. But the Skyway community is so much more than an upsetting story on the nightly news can share – as a group from WTIA’s Ion Collaborators discovered this summer.
What they found inspired them to share Skyway’s everyday stories in the hopes of building a greater sense of belonging between this unincorporated place and neighbors living nearby.
Supported by Civic Commons, WTIA’s Ion Collaborators Skyway neighborhood team consisted of a diverse group of people working in the private sector, government and community-based organizations. The team set out to learn more about the Skyway community and collaborate on addressing a local challenge over six months. They were hoping to learn how a community that is defined by being unincorporated thinks about and exhibits the idea of belonging.
The group began by interviewing 10 community leaders, took a tour of the community, and met with business leaders at Nevzat’s Espresso Coffee Shop and Roman Casino. For team members that did not come from Skyway, these conversations were eye-opening. Because it is unincorporated, Skyway lacks many of the services available in nearby neighborhoods, such as a rec center and a robust offering of bus routes.
Stories of Skyway interviewees
The team decided that they wanted to share the stories of Skyway they encountered and encourage other Skyway residents to capture their own stories. They began a social media video project, modeled off the Humans of New York storytelling series. Setting up a booth at the Skyway Outdoor Cinema, they announced the project to the public and began collecting stories on camera.
They continued their efforts to capture the stories of Skyway in the days after the festival as well. In a short time, they had captured 20 interviews, including a local fire chief, immigrants to the area who started a food truck business, Boeing employees, retirees, and parents raising young families in Skyway.
In one particularly affecting interview, the group spoke to a Skyway mother who had lost her child to gun violence. She spoke about how she relied on her neighbors to help her through the devastating loss. Even in these difficult moments, Skyway team members found a lot to lift up about the resilience of Skyway residents. Team member and co-founder of non-profit Urban Family Paul Patu put it this way, “If you hold your gaze and focus long enough, even negative stories can be a conduit to better understand what makes a community special.”
Now the project is being taken on by the West Hill Community Association who will release the interviews throughout the year and continue to collect and amplify the stories of Skyway.
Team member Jose Perez
Even though the video project will be continued by a new organization, the Skyway neighborhood team members plan to stay involved in the unincorporated area. Paul Patu continues to run his non-profit, Urban Family to provide mentorship and opportunities to young people. “It’s about building meaningful relationships with kids who feel they don’t deserve them,” said Patu when explaining the mission of his organization to Seattle's Child. “We exist for that underdog kid." Team member Chenelle Tyack grew up in Skyway and is always working to change perceptions about the place where she was raised.
Additionally, the relationships formed by team members throughout the course of the project will continue to be a part of their lives. Team member Jose Perez joined the project because he had previously felt disconnected from Seattle. He realized that even though his job was to set up cross-country moves for companies relocating their employees to the city, he did not know the people in his own apartment building. After taking part in the Skyway project he felt inspired by the people he spoke to and won’t hesitate to reach out to his team members when he has major life questions. “I found mentor figures that I would not have found otherwise,” Jose said of his experience.
Ion Cohort at the Skyway library