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

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

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To get more information to you, our readers, News Gleams are now moving to twice a week, on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons! To start off this week, we recap the seventh Jan. 6 hearing, which focused on white nationalist groups; the next session takes place on July 19 with a primetime evening slot. Don’t forget: we want to hear what you think about the Jan. 6 hearings and how it affects South End communities.

July is also BIPOC Mental Health Month. Find out how it came about and why it’s important, then consider listening to a new episode of KUOW’s Seattle Now episode, which is guest-hosted by South Seattle Emerald’s own Marcus Harrison Green!

Please also vote in the Aug. 2 Primary Elections; ballots are out now. We offer some resources to help you decode how to vote and who to vote for.

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor of the South Seattle Emerald

✨Gleaming This Week✨

• Jan. 6 Hearings Returned With Focus on White Nationalist Groups; Eighth Hearing Tuesday During Prime Time
• July Is BIPOC Mental Health Month
• South Seattle Emerald’s Marcus Harrison Green Is a Guest Host on KUOW!
• Primaries Are Up and It’s Time to VOTE!

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Jan. 6 Hearings Returned With Focus on White Nationalist Groups; Eighth Hearing Tuesday During Prime Time

The seventh of the Jan. 6 hearings, which took place on Tuesday, July 12, focused on testimony from former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. It zeroed in on a Dec. 19, 2020, meeting when former President Trump convened a meeting with his associates Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, and Sidney Powell to discuss more extreme ideas such as seizing voting machines or appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

It also featured regretful testimony from Trump supporters who went to the Capitol at Jan. 6, 2021, for the “Stop the Steal Rally,” which was predicated on lies that the election was stolen. Connections were also made between those close to Trump and white nationalist groups, who used online social media platforms, such as Twitter, to call for armed protest and violence at the Capitol. The rally forged collaborations among white nationalist groups such as the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters.

Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers, left the group in 2017. He testified, “We need to quit mincing words and just talk about truths, and what it was going to be was an armed revolution. People died that day. Law enforcement officers died that day. There was a gallows set up in front of the Capitol. This could have been the spark that started a new civil war.”

At the end of the hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming also mentioned that Trump “tried to call a witness in our investigation” following the committee’s last hearing, which was on June 28. “That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump’s call, and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice …” Cheney said. “Let me say one more time. We will take any efforts to influence witnesses’ testimony very seriously.”

The eighth Jan. 6 hearing will take place during prime time, on the evening of Tuesday, July 19, with a focus on Trump’s hourslong failure to stop the Capitol riot. It can be watched via PBS Livestream.

We want to hear what you think about the Jan. 6 hearings and how it affects South End communities.

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July Is BIPOC Mental Health Month

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month. Formally recognized in June 2008, BIPOC Mental Health Month was created to bring awareness to the unique struggles that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face in regard to mental illness in the U.S. Bebe Moore Campbell was an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who worked to shed light on the mental health needs within Black communities and other impacted populations. 

Last year, King County Library System started a program called Peers in Libraries to further help meet community members’ needs. Their Peer Services Specialists, or “Peers,” work through a trauma-informed lens to connect people to the community resources and services they need, including shelter and housing, education, food, and mental health referrals. They provide emotional support in a compassionate space, while sharing stories without judgment to help people to rebuild their lives.

This program is offered in partnership with Peer Kent. Contact them via Ask KCLS to learn more about Peers in Libraries or find local mental health resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

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South Seattle Emerald’s Marcus Harrison Green Is a Guest Host on KUOW!

For a limited period of time, South Seattle Emerald Publisher and board member Marcus Harrison Green will be guest-hosting Seattle Now, KUOW’s locally focused podcast.

Recent episodes dovetail nicely with this News Gleams’ topics. They include “The Supreme Court’s New M.O.,” which speaks to the recent overturning of decades of precedent and features comment from James Romoser, the editor of SCOTUSblog, and “How to Find a Therapist that Gets You,” which features tips from Danie Eagleton, a professor of psychology at Seattle University and a health equity advocate, on the importance of therapy and how one can find the right therapist if they belong to a marginalized or BIPOC community.

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Primaries Are Up and It’s Time to VOTE!

Important Dates and Information

Ballots were mailed out on July 15 for the Aug. 2 Primary! Voting in them will help whittle down the candidate pool for the November election.

The Aug. 2 Primary includes candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington Secretary of State (2-year unexpired term due to a vacancy), State Legislature, the Washington Supreme Court and other judicial offices. View the list of Candidates Who Filed from May 16 to 20.

July 25 is the deadline to register or change your address online. You may also register and vote in person through election day. Confirm your voter registration now at VoteWA.gov.

Stay tuned this Wednesday for South Seattle Emerald’s coverage of the 37th District candidates, Andrew Ashiofu, Nimco Bulale, Emijah Smith, and Chipalo Street.

Need In-Person Support? Try a Future Voter Hub in King County

For those who want a more in-person touch, King County Library Systems and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) have partnered to provide support services to empower voters. Drop in to a Future Voter Hub near you — including the Burien, Skyway, Tukwila, and White Center Libraries — to learn about voter eligibility, register to vote, or print your personalized ballot and voter guide. 

If you already have your ballot, bring it along! Get helpful resources to learn about candidates and elected offices so you can feel confident in your vote. These events, open to all community members and are intended to be safe spaces for voters to learn about voting.

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