Byrd Barr Place Encourages Black Washingtonians to Respond to Community Survey by Year’s End

This past summer, Byrd Barr Place launched "For The Record," a statewide community needs assessment (CNA) campaign to address gaps in historical data and to amplify Black voices in decisions that directly affect their communities. Survey data, which will be collected through December, will inform Washington State's reparation efforts and provide more than 30 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) with locally relevant data they can use to advocate for resources for the communities they serve. 

"As a community action organization, we are required — but also look forward to — conducting a community needs assessment at least every three years," said Byrd Barr CEO Dr. Angela Griffin. "We go out to the community, and we ask [what the needs are] and use that information to understand and inform how we offer our services."

The survey launched in mid-August and closes in December. It is accessible both online and in person. Following the survey, Byrd Barr will conduct focus groups from November 2025 to January 2026 prior to releasing the full report in summer 2026. 

Available in seven different languages, the survey takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete and is anonymous and confidential. Following completion of the survey, participants have the option of entering to win a $100 Visa gift card. 

"We know that the Black community in our state is on any given day 11% to 14%, and so we want a significant number of people across our state to take this survey," Dr. Griffin said. 

For the first time, Byrd Barr will be marketing its survey to youth as well, in hopes of broadening its data set. "One thing that we are doing a little differently with capturing the data to amplify the voices of Black folks is we're also asking our youth and families very intentionally. Many times, the people who will complete the surveys and answer the questions aren't a complete representation of the communities that we're serving, so we're being as broad as we can in our outreach," said Dr. Griffin.

In light of the Washington State Legislature allocating $300,000 to fund the state's first reparations study, the survey will inquire if a participant is descended from enslaved persons, or if they or their parents are an immigrant or refugee. According to Dr. Griffin, this is because "both [groups of people] have a different experience in our community and our state, so we want to understand the needs from both communities."

Byrd Barr Place, formerly the Central Area Motivation Program, was founded in 1964 by the Central District's Black community. According to its website, the organization was created to "help people help themselves," and it is part of the first generation of community-inspired organizations funded by the U.S. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. In 2018, the organization changed its name to honor Seattle civil rights activist, educator, and journalist Roberta Byrd Barr.

Byrd Barr Place started more than 60 years ago under President Gerald Ford's administration as part of an initiative to create housing, food services, and other programs to address community inequities and reduce poverty. Byrd Barr and other community-action organizations (CAOs) are funded by the federal government through a Community Services Block Grant.

"We are one of the first organizations in Washington to receive that funding," said Griffin. "There are five central organizations in Seattle. We are the only one that was set up for the Black community in the Central District. … As a community-based organization, our mission has been set up to serve the essential needs of the community in the Central District of Seattle and the greater Seattle area. Our research is statewide because our Black community is statewide, so we are intentional about making sure that we are understanding where and how our Black community is surviving and hopefully thriving."

Griffin says the data collected in the survey will be put to use. "This information is not going to sell on a shelf somewhere, or be in a pretty little pamphlet. It really is for accountability," Griffin said. "There shouldn't be an excuse going forward for not having the data that is needed to inform policies and decisions that are being made at the local, state, and federal levels."

The survey, called "For The Record," a statewide community needs assessment by Byrd Barr Place, can be found on the organization's website.