In the days after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back national protections for abortion access in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health last year, I heard panicky speculation about what would come next: criminalizing people for their pregnancy outcomes. I have bad news, I thought grimly. That was already happening. It’s not going to be new. It’s going to be worse.
A beloved Beacon Hill mural and community space is at risk.
by Carolyn Bick
Over the course of the first uncertain year of the pandemic, Seattle’s diverse communities banded together to fill in the gaps where governmental programs fell short. Local chefs fed people. Visual artists gave the city hope. Mutual aid groups handed out masks and water. And all of it happened against the backdrop of monthslong protests and a national spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement, following a police officer’s murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. It was in this environment that Feed the People Plaza was born, transforming the corner of South Hanford Street and Beacon Avenue South into a community hangout. With an incoming development in the works, however, the plaza’s days might be numbered.
After my brother’s unexpected death, I’m regretting the words I left unspoken. Despite our present polarization and political turmoil, we must create space for gratitude.
by Marcus Harrison Green
(This op-ed has been copublished with The Seattle Times.)
Thanksgiving is the day I speak to the dead.
It’s a ritual that began last year, the first Thanksgiving Day without my brother D’Marcus. No, there is no seance with the supernatural, nor summoning of spirits, just a jangle of regrets.
Pongo Poetry Project’s mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. For over 20 years, Pongo has mentored poetry with youth at the Clark Children & Family Justice Center (CCFJC), King County’s juvenile detention facility.
Many CCFJC residents are Youth of Color who have endured traumatic experiences in the form of abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. These incidents have been caused and exacerbated by community disinvestment, systemic racism, and other forms of institutional oppression. In collaboration with CCFJC staff, Pongo poetry writing offers CCFJC youth a vehicle for self-discovery and creative expression that inspires recovery and healing.
Through this special bimonthly column in partnership with the South Seattle Emerald, Pongo invites readers to bear witness to the pain, resilience, and creative capacity of youth whose voices and perspectives are too often relegated to the periphery. To learn more about Pongo’s work of inspiring healing and relief among youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil, join the Pongo Poetry Circle today!
Dear Dad
by a young person at CCFJC
Dear Dad,
Hey, Dad, even though I didn’t meet you I love you with all my heart. Mom says I’m just like you. I walk like you, I talk like you, even act like you. Auntie called me your carbon copy. I met Elijah and Leroy Jr. I’m surprised that outta all your other kids, I’m the one who looks like you.
This weekend’s read is a report from three researchers at Seattle University’s Crime and Justice Research Center on the demographics of the people who serve on juries in Washington’s State courts.
2024 is practically breathing down our necks, and there’s no shortage of art to take in this December. From an all-new holiday musical at ArtsWest to the return and reimagining of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity at Intiman Theatre, this season is the perfect time to rejoice in traditions new and old with those you love most.
Think we missed something? Let us know at Arts@SeattleEmerald.org.
The Seattle Globalist was a daily online publication that covered the connections between local and global issues in Seattle. The Emerald is keeping alive its legacy of highlighting our city’s diverse voices by regularly publishing and re-publishing stories aligned with the Globalist’s mission.
On Sunday evening, Nov. 19, a very special multifaceted gathering unfolded at Washington Hall. “We See You: Da Village for Palestine” — a community-organized learning and healing space — came together in vibrant execution, weaving together art, culture, collective care, and political education.
With three hours to go before a $1 million offer expired, the Burien City Council voted 4-3 Monday, Nov. 27, to accept King County’s offer and build a hotly contested tiny home village (THV) for the homeless in the Boulevard Park neighborhood.
