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Community

‘Reconciliation Tour’ Documentary Connects Black Baseball History-Makers to Young Athletes Today

by Victor Simoes

Baseball Beyond Borders (BBB), a Kent-based organization that uses baseball as a tool to increase opportunity and support academic excellence for student-athletes of color, released its first documentary, Reconciliation Tour, in September. The film centers on baseball’s healing power through community building and the athletes’ shared experiences while paying homage to the sport’s historic role in the fight for civil rights and its place in Black American culture. Made in partnership with local Black media production company Converge, the documentary follows 21 BBB members on a trip to the South. 

Continue reading ‘Reconciliation Tour’ Documentary Connects Black Baseball History-Makers to Young Athletes Today →
Features

Is It the Era of Ann? : A Retrospective of Ann Davison’s First Year in Office

Despite the shift in rhetoric, the City Attorney’s Office may not have changed as much under Ann Davison as you’d think.

by Guy Oron

(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

When Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison took office, she pledged to bring “quiet, behind-the-scenes” leadership and integrity to the law department. Her election was hotly contested, narrowly beating out abolitionist public defender Nicole Thomas-Kennedy in what many perceived to be a conservative “backlash” election. 

After the election, the one-time Republican lieutenant governor candidate became an early backer of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “Operation New Day” to tackle visible homelessness and poverty, meeting with business owners in Little Saigon and Westlake and pledging to increase prosecutions in order to “disrupt the cycle of addiction, theft, drug sales, and human suffering.”

Continue reading Is It the Era of Ann? : A Retrospective of Ann Davison’s First Year in Office →
Voices

Are You the Future of the Emerald? Seeking Our Next Managing Editor!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Founded in 2014, the South Seattle Emerald has grown enormously since the 2020 uprisings for racial justice. At that time, I believe the community-at-large saw the Emerald for the authentic narratives that it carries — often championing the voices of those from historically underrepresented communities. The Emerald also has an ability to hold and present the nuances of dynamic situations, where many publications may not take the time. We care deeply about the communities we are from, which are the communities we serve. 

Today, I am writing with the hope of finding the Emerald’s next full-time salaried position: a managing editor who will guide the future vision for our coverage. The managing editor oversees our newsroom by collaborating with our team of writers and contributors, as well as championing our commitment to equity, deep-seated sense of accountability, and dedication to restorative journalism. If that sounds like a role you or someone you know would thrive in, we want to hear from you.  

Continue reading Are You the Future of the Emerald? Seeking Our Next Managing Editor! →
Community

Remembering Francisca Garcia: A Pillar of the South End Latino Community

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

You can’t tell Francisca Garcia’s story without telling the story of her family and her community. 

“My mother was, in my view, a giant, a force to be reckoned with,” said her daughter Luna Garcia, between laughs as she recalled her mother. “If she decided something, no matter how outlandish, she made it happen.”

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News

NEWS GLEAMS | UN Offers Solutions on Climate Change; Free Strobe Smoke Alarms

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

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | UN Offers Solutions on Climate Change; Free Strobe Smoke Alarms →
Community

KD Hall Foundation to Hold Leadership Conference for Girls in Honor of Women’s History Month

by Lauryn Bray

On Saturday, March 25, the KD Hall Foundation, a nonprofit organization for women and girls, will be holding an all-girl conference, for girls ages 11 to 17, to celebrate Women’s History Month. Rising Together: Advancing Pay Equity and Leadership Opportunities for Women and Girls will be about educating members of the Girls on the Rise (GOTR) program about pay equity and opportunity gaps, as well as to get more girls involved with GOTR. The Foundation’s annual conferences are an integral part of its goal to educate, mentor, and support young girls to become leaders and change-makers in their communities. The girls will hear from several distinguished guests, like Seattle Storm Community Relations Director and retired WNBA player Crystal Langhorne, and will be invited to participate in workshops centered around leadership, confidence building, entrepreneurship, and networking.

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Arts & Culture

UN-[TITLED] Project Reflects on Gentrification in CID and Central District

by Amanda Ong

From March 23 to March 26, On the Boards will present the UN-[TITLED] Project, a multi-site project at Wa Na Wari and Inscape Arts to immersively engage with gentrification, displacement, community meaning, cultural memory, and healing in the Central District and the Chinatown-International District (CID). The project was conceived, created, and curated by Berette S Macaulay, with the partnership of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Vanishing Seattle, The Sankofa Theater, and Arte Noir. Although her background includes places as diverse as her birthplace of Sierra Leone, the U.K., Jamaica, and Manhattan, Macaulay knew she wanted to create a piece deeply rooted in local Seattle stories.

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Features

Weekend Reads | A Seattle Public Safety Survey

by Kevin Schofield

This weekend’s read is a document outlining the results from a recent poll commissioned by the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Both organizations are trade associations that count many downtown-based businesses as members, and both work to influence the City’s political outcomes on behalf of their members. This poll — and the fact that they are publishing the results — appears to be an attempt to nudge the complex topic of public safety in a certain direction during an important election year — evidenced by the fact that they chose to survey “likely voters.”

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Voices

OPINION | With His New Single, ‘Mazvita,’ Draze Builds Toward an Album and a Grassroots Movement

by Troy Landrum Jr.

Rapper, hip-hop artist, and Emmy Award-winning songwriter Draze released his highly anticipated single “Mazvita” on March 10, along with a sensational music video that showcases the depth and layers that have been permeating in his mind over the last four years. 

Continue reading OPINION | With His New Single, ‘Mazvita,’ Draze Builds Toward an Album and a Grassroots Movement →