“We must open our minds to the needs of others and understand how to live and work together.”

by Amanda Sorell

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Welcome to a new series: Meet Our Rainmakers!

Rainmakers are readers like you who make regular donations to the Emerald — their contributions help us amplify the authentic voices of the South End, and we couldn’t do it without them. 

Stay tuned for more Rainmaker mini-profiles, where you can learn more about the communities that support the Emerald. 

Want to be a Rainmaker? Head to our official Kindful website to support BIPOC-led media in South Seattle with a monthly contribution of any amount. 

Already a Rainmaker? Thank you! 💚 

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Lori Matsukawa

Lori Matsukawa has been a Rainmaker for two years. As a retired journalist who worked as an award-winning news broadcaster for more than 40 years — 36 of them at KING-TV — she’s “passionate about diversity in society and especially in journalism,” and she values “hearing the voices of and learning about our communities.”

Although Matsukawa lives in Bellevue, she enjoys spending time in Columbia City shopping and eating, and she likes to bring visitors to the Northwest African American Museum and Jimi Hendrix Park. For her, a sight that represents the South End is “the amazing diversity of folks participating in cricket matches” — a sport that’s growing in popularity locally — at the park near Van Asselt Elementary.

She says people should support the Emerald because, put simply, “It’s a great read!” But she also believes in the publication because it uplifts truth and understanding. “Readers need to understand what’s important to our neighbors and work together to promote harmony and solutions. A free and diverse press is important to sustain our democracy. We must open our minds to the needs of others and understand how to live and work together.”

Since retiring, Matsukawa has written a children’s book called Brave Mrs. Sato, based on her grandmother, who was a “picture bride.” She enjoys telling the history of picture brides and encouraging all readers to find the “Mrs. Sato” characters in their families. “Everyone has someone who was brave, who made a choice, who took a giant step that influenced their family forever,” she said.

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Amanda Sorell is a storyteller who lives in Seattle. She’s an editor for the Emerald. Read her newsletter at eClips.Substack.com.

📸 Featured image designed by the Emerald team; photo by Alabastro Photography.

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