News

NEWS GLEAMS: Virtual Black Santa, Seahawks Commit $500K for Youth Achievement Center, & More!

curated by Emerald Staff

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

✨Gleaming This Week✨

Hey Kids! Talk to Virtual Black Santa This Weekend Hosted by NAAM!

The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) is bringing back Virtual Black Santa for the second year in a row. This Saturday, Dec. 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 19, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., children can go online and meet virtually with Black Santa.

Parents can reserve a 5-minute online time slot for their children to meet with Black Santa and visit the virtual Santa photo booth.

From NAAM’s announcement: “Santa wants to hear about all of your wishes, hopes, and dreams and tell you what he’s been up to at the North Pole! After your individual Zoom session with Santa, you’ll be directed to a virtual photo booth where you will turn this precious holiday memory into a photo that can be used as a keepsake for years to come!”

Tickets are $20 per family on a first-come, first-served basis. But you can help a child visit Virtual Black Santa with a donation. Make your gift on NAAM’s website.

New Option for Removing Unlawful, Discriminatory Restrictive Covenants Starts Jan. 1

Starting Jan. 1, 2022, property owners who have an unlawful, discriminatory restrictive covenant on their property will be able to remove the covenant from their property’s chain of title. The University of Washington and Eastern Washington University will be identifying restrictive covenants on private property and informing property owners and the County. Additionally, real estate agents and property owners will be required to disclose these discriminatory restrictive covenants during property transactions, such as a sale.

If an owner with property in King County wants the covenant removed, they will need to go to King County Superior Court to make their case, and then file a replacement document with the King County’s Recorder’s Office. Although there is a nominal fee to file with Superior Court, there will be no fee to file the new document with the Recorder’s Office.

King County Archives will maintain the original documents for historical purposes, but the new process allows property owners to separate historic records from their future property transactions. However, the new law does not require property owners to have the covenant removed if they are informed they have one.

Get details on how to remove or modify a racially restrictive covenant at kingcounty.gov/covenants.

Rainier Beach Action Coalition End of Year Virtual Town Hall

The Rainier Beach Action Coalition is holding its year-end town hall Friday night. Here’s all the details from their Facebook page:

“The Rainier Beach Town Hall is scheduled for this Friday, Dec. 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We are featuring initiatives going on in the Rainier Beach neighborhood and acknowledging their contributions — featured work will be the

Visit the RBAC Facebook page to attend: https://www.facebook.com/RainierBeachActionCoalition

Seahawks Commit $500,000 to Build Youth Achievement Center in South Seattle

Last week, the Seattle Seahawks announced a commitment of $500,000 to the development of Seattle’s Youth Achievement Center (YAC), which will provide housing and resources for BIPOC youth in South Seattle, according to an announcement from the Seahawks football team.

The team has pledged to donate $100,000 per year for the next five years to the center, which will provide housing and support services to over 100 young people and serve as a community asset for generations. The YAC is currently in the capital fundraising phase of the project before building begins.

Once built, the YAC will be located adjacent to the Columbia City light rail station at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Angeline Street in Seattle. The 45,000-square-foot project is being developed by Africatown Community Land Trust and will ultimately be owned by Seattle’s Community Passageways with Creative Justice as the operational and service provider. Once complete, in addition to housing, the center will also provide resources such as health care, childcare, counseling, and technology and financial education. Commercial spaces on site will provide job training and skill building opportunities.

As part of the NFL’s “Inspire Change” social justice initiative, throughout the month of December, the Seahawks will be encouraging fans to donate to the Youth Achievement Center through in-game messaging and the team’s digital platforms. The team will also donate 12% of blanket sales at the Seahawks Pro Shop, as well as $0.25 from every water bottle purchased at the Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 home games to the Youth Achievement Center.

For more information, or to donate, visit www.seahawks.com/yac.

(Photo: Susan Fried)

Seattle Mayor-Elect Bruce Harrell Unveils Top Staff to Guide His Administration

The Emerald’s partners at PubliCola detailed the lineup of top aides and advisors Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell announced Monday, Dec. 13, which included family and a bench deep with experienced City Hall insiders. Here’s their post:

“Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell announced a list of top staff on Monday headlined by his campaign manager, niece, and now incoming senior deputy mayor Monisha Harrell.

“But the biggest throughline in Harrell’s list of appointees wasn’t family — Harrell, who was omnipresent during her uncle’s campaign, was widely expected to take on a key role in his administration — but the elevation of so many longtime insiders to top roles in the new administration.

“Of the 10 appointments announced yesterday (and an 11th, chief of staff Jennifer Samuels), all but one are current or recent City of Seattle staff, and half are current appointees or allies of outgoing Mayor Jenny Durkan.”

Read the complete post on PubliCola’s website.

Upcoming Opportunities and Deadlines

Here are some opportunities for a film internship, using vacant storefronts, grants for groups, to partner with the City and transit to develop key planning documents:

  • Filmmaker Internship – apply by Dec. 17
    All is Well Studios and Africatown Community Land Trust are hiring for a couple of Filmmaker Internships, and are hoping to hire young BIPOC creatives to start in January. $20/hr, three months in length, 20–40 hrs/week. Apply by Dec. 17.
  • Seattle Restored – rolling application deadline
    The Seattle Office of Economic Development is partnering with Seattle Good Business Network and Shunpike to match 25 vacant downtown Seattle storefronts with pop-up shops and art activations. Seattle Restored storefronts will be open from December 2021 through April 2022, providing flexible short-term activations that run for two to four months. There is no cost to participate, and the program will provide $2,500 in working capital to each participating small business and artist. Applications for Seattle Restored are open on a rolling basis until storefronts are filled. Learn more and apply on the Seattle Office of Economic Development’s website.
  • Partner on City Planning – deadline Dec. 20
    The City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) want to partner with community-based organizations and small businesses to develop the Seattle transportation plan and the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Major Update. There are two levels of compensation. Engagement and information gathering is compensated at $5,000, and larger efforts to develop partnerships and policy recommendations is compensated at up to $30,000. Proposals due by Dec. 20.

Keep Shining, Emeraldites! 💚

News Gleams is taking a break for the next two weeks and the beautiful gleamers here at the Emerald hope you have time to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family. Keep shining, Emeraldites, as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John sang way back when, and we’ll see you in the new year!

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