I’m white but what black friends have told me is that racism here is different. Less in your face than in other parts of the country. More passive aggressive, like a lot of things in Seattle. There are also just a lot fewer black people around, especially outside of areas like south King County.

Outside of urban areas, it is extremely white. Some parts of rural Washington can be like northern Idaho white supremacist racist.

Overt racists? Not many. White people incapable of acknowledging privilege, all to happy to just leave things the ways things have always been? Plenty.

I think it's more that people don't necessarily expect the West Coast or the PNW to have hicks, but they're here in abundance. As a racial minority person or LGBTQ, one just unfortunately needs to take some precautions, especially in particular areas. .

In general though, I'd say it's much less worse than other regions. I'd rather wander around WA than back country Alabama or even Ohio.

If your instincts are telling you that a white person is racist even though they haven't said anything overtly racist to your face, and that you're being discriminated against, you should trust your instincts. There's a lot of covert racists here.

I'm white and other white people often say super racist shit when there's only white people around that they never say in mixed company or to a non-white person's face. They just assume that because I'm white that I must agree with their white supremacist viewpoints, which makes me suspect that the majority of white people they've said that shit to in the past were indeed fine with it.

I call shit out when I can but sometimes I'm just stunned or it's a delicate situation like in the workplace with a client etc. Me getting mad at other white people's racist remarks has been enough of a recurring problem in my life that I'm now relieved whenever my direct supervisor at work isn't white because I don't have to worry about my boss casually making white supremacist remarks to me at work.

What I've noticed in my travels is that racism in the Seattle, Tacoma, Tri-Cities, and Spokane areas is that racism is shown less in the racial slurs and acts, and more so in just being divisive in how communities are. You'll know what neighborhood or area you're in simply by the predominant ethnicity of the population - and many times, if you are not visible of that same ethnicity, you will be treated differently.

I would say there is some racism towards the “west end”.

There are good people wherever you go, & with that some bad ones too. Doesn't matter what corner of the world we are.

It tends to be less overt

South of the cut in Seattle down along the I5 corridor to around Lakewood is the most diverse (and consequently least racist) part of washington, overt racism is an extremely rare occurrence. The further you get out into the country the more the odds of encountering racism increase.

I work in hvac with some of the whitest people I’ve met in greater Seattle area. More than one use the hard r when exclaiming frustration instead of just saying “shit” or something

You're not gonna get pickups with confederate flags chasing you down screaming the n-slur.... but Seattle is pretty self-segregated. Black areas, white areas, asian areas.... not even a racial thing either, they don't call Capitol Hill "gaytown" for no reason

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YUP. It's more passive like people are saying. In po-dunk areas, I've had baby powder thrown on me in high school and told to go home to Iraq (I'm Indian lol??), in the city it's low-key like a date asking me why I ordered meat when I'm Hindu (I'm not). Then there's the oblivious kind where all colors of people assume I'm Hispanic, and start asking me about tips on making Hispanic dishes, or how to say a certain Spanish word. So it's not just the white people that are oblivious and lack global awareness, it's literally everyone. You have to keep people in check about this crap but I've never been in danger due to it either. I was born in CA as well and there was bullying from black and Mexican people the most towards me, so overall, you just have to be aware idiots are everywhere. I don't think it's especially pronounced here though. I just think they're getting used to having mixed communities.

That being said, the high school(s) I went to now have a multitude of kids of all colors walking together, holding hands, etc. Times have been changing for the better.

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It's very isolated incidences.

Racism in Seattle? Lmfao that’s hilarious. Seattle and WA as a whole unless you’re in a tiny bodunk town (Sedro, Squim, Port Angeles, etc) then racism is basically nonexistent. Stop trying to divide the WC. We ain’t racist here.

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Idk about you guys but in all my time in Washington I've never come across someone racis

Not a thing that exists against POC. You'd have to go real deep to find someone who is actually racist.

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I am a white man over 60, so I am not in the demographic to experience racism.

Let's just say that I have been harassed for an Obama sticker in several different small towns that have a single gas station, and only a small store for shopping. Forks, Omak, Lynden. Some town on the way to Mt. rainier. Some town in the Palouse. Several of those used a racial slur, others called me a communist.

I lived in Seattle for about 9 years. I never heard racist comments toward any group while there. I have heard plenty of insensitive comments off the beaten path.

Comparatively Seattle is not that bad as you get more rural you will run into more vocal racist unfortunately this is true in much of the country.

Seattle is very socially liberal and cosmopolitan. It doesn’t have nearly the same degree of racial politics typical of cities in the South or the East Coast or Midwest. There are not that many African Americans overall, but biggest cluster is concentrated in South Seattle (alongside other “ethnic” enclaves - Vietnamese, Ethiopian, etc.). There has been tension due to recent gentrification of these communities as high paid tech professionals have gobbled up the Central District, and lower paid white collar workers (no longer able to afford the more expensive neighborhoods) have moved into other southern neighborhoods along the light rail route.

In professional class neighborhoods, and many others - including those recently gentrified, you will see plenty of BLM signs. This is (literally) the home of Robin D’Angelo and there are plenty of well-meaning liberals in that mold who feel strongly for the plight of African-Americans but who may have trouble getting past that lens and relating to African-Americans on an individual level.

I want to say this with full honesty: It really depends on how deep the person is into black culture as part of their core identity. If its just color differences, people will be fine. There will be plenty of friendship to be found in shared interests. If the person is acting like a Velma though, for example, and being actively hateful just because a person is white ( and assuming privilage, racism etc)... then people will not bother trying to bridge the gap.

Fellow Black Dude who has lived in King County for the past five years here.

Full disclosure --- I love WA State but I hate Seattle/King County.

Besides the population density, traffic, homeless crisis and progressively worse laws passing every year by inept quasi-do-gooder legislators --- they literally just passed a law decreasing penalties for drug dealers, gang-related violence and mass shooters RIGHT BEFORE an Assault Weapons Ban that the majority of the state does not want --- House Bills 1268 and 1240, respectively --- what I hate most about this area or WA is the daily racism I experience.

Yes, here in the ostensibly progressive-Liberal metropolis of Seattle I experience racism DAILY.

As many other commenters have stated, its a subtle racism --- but that doesn't make it any less insidious or soulcrushing.

People will cross to the other side of the street to avoid walking past me.

Folks will lock their doors as I walk past their vehicles.

Women will clutch their bags or shift their belongs to their opposite hands when I get on elevators with them.

I've been accused of trying to follow a white woman into a restroom at a gym because I had sweat in my eye and took more than a split second to read the signs of the two restrooms to determine which was 'Male'.

I could go on but I imagine you get my point.

Now here is the kicker --- If I go to more rural or at least less urbanized areas of WA --- Lynden, Kingston, Enumclaw, Chehalis, Monroe, etc. --- Folks there treat me just like another person.

After five years I have to have one conclusively racist encounter in any part of WA outside the Greater Seattle Metro area.

The only potential reason for this I can conclude is that population density has a positive correlation with paranoid and tribalistic behavior.

So my unwarranted advice --- Get out of King County as often as possible to remind yourself that real community and HUMANITY still exist beyond its purgatorial expanses.

You should be fine in Seattle or any city areas but the countryside is full of racist assholes. They probably won’t do anything but they say some fucked up shit.

seattle probably not, but farther out of the larger cities yes big yes. remember half of wa is flat and dry. and there are a lot of towns that have fallen into shit shape and have massive drug problems, this combo leads to white supremacy rising and becoming more prevalent. aberdeen is a good example of this problem, there has alwayse been a white supremacy movement there and has grown more active over the years. during the olympia blm protests in 2020 there was a large group of them who showed up downtown and freely screamed hate speech for the whole night while every police officer ignored them and watched over the peaceful blm protesters. also the shooting at the transit center (again in olympia) where a proud boy was shot while chasing and threatening a person (not sure if the shooter was blm or antifa not the important part) the group of proud boys had been chasing and threatening anyone they saw downtown that was bipoc during the daylight hours just before the shooting.

even in the early 2000's there was a case where a local musician curb stomped someone then fled to aberdeen and never got charged. fast forward to now and the same person is the lead singer of a band that tours around wa and was recently booked at a bar in oly till they were outed as white supremacists and public outcry caused the venue to cancel the show.

overall i think the racists are in a big minority in wa overall but they have places they try and concentrate their power as it were. just remember most of wa is nothing like seattle and the surrounding area.