by Jasmine J. Mahmoud Stage left: A towering three-story glass window frames a humble apartment. With dark grille lines that form a grid within, the window slopes inward and lets in iridescent rays of orange, yellow, and blue from the outside. Inside, we are in the attic apartment of four roommates: visual artist Marcello, poet … Continue reading Seattle Opera Plans to Address Racial Inequity On and Off Stage With ‘RESI’ Proposal →
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud Boundless fascination, pride, and exuberance captured my mood while touring the “Kinsey African American Art & History Collection” at Tacoma Art Museum. In late August, I traveled to Tacoma by bus to visit the touring exhibition which opened on July 31. The exhibition centers art and artifacts (from as early as … Continue reading The Kinsey Collection: Art, Archive, and History of the Black American Experience →
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud I began playing violin at age three, and growing up I participated in orchestras from elementary through high school. These orchestras were highly diverse, with students from a variety of racial and economic backgrounds. And yet, the composers we performed — from Bach to Mozart to Beethoven to Debussy — were … Continue reading Debuting Juneteenth, ‘Unmute The Voices’ Highlights Composers and Musicians of Color →
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud There was no campfire at “The Campfire Festival.” Rather, warmth came from other sources: Rheanna Atendido’s energizing voice in duet with an amplified acoustic guitar, Dedra Woods’s staging of her and her mother’s memories, storytelling about ghosts and pandemic boredom and political change, and the enthusiastic incredulity of safely and finally … Continue reading Staging Black Memories, Singing With Ghosts: The Williams Project ‘Campfire Festival’ →
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud (In support of the Emerald’s 7th Anniversary fundraiser we asked community members to share about what the Emerald means to them.) What the Emerald means to me: illumination. Earlier this year, I grew mesmerized by a series of digital illustrations in the South Seattle Emerald. Bright yellows, greens, pinks, blues, and … Continue reading What the Emerald Means To Me: Illumination →
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud How do we sense at this time? With the onslaught of violence against Asian American and Asian Diasporic people, the horrifyingly regular state-sanctioned murders of Black and Brown people (including CHILDREN), and general harm towards those who our society minoritizes, I’ve been feeling numb and guilty in my inability to sense, … Continue reading Sensing Out of Numbness: A Conversation With Shin Yu Pai →
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by Jasmine J. Mahmoud Before the pandemic, my two favorite places to shop for holiday gifts were Kinokuniya Seattle and Pike Place Market. At Kinokuniya, the bright, densely-packed Japanese bookstore in Uwajimaya Village, I browsed children’s books, comics, magazines, and stationery for hours. At Pike Place Market, I beelined to the Herban Farm stand, founded … Continue reading ‘Black and Center’ Holiday Gift and Giving Guide! →
by Jasmine J Mahmoud Election anxiety marked my beginning of last month. Like many others, I grew fixated on the results trickling in state by state, county by county, block by block across the week. That first November week felt endless, for lack of sleep and newly emerging, quickly chronic, routines. At midnight, and 3 … Continue reading ‘Black and Center’ — Collaboration, Color, and Care →
by Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud On one street mural, a radiant yellow circle frames a feminine figure who holds her right palm outwards and left arm downwards. Adorned in a cedar hat, turquoise necklace, and multi-colored ribbon belt, the figure stands in front of outstretched butterfly wings rippling with red, orange, yellow, and purple colors. Most … Continue reading Black and Center: Archiving Indigenous and Black Futures →
