by Chetanya Robinson
Nevzat Cankaya’s green drive-through espresso stand in a Skyway parking lot has been the community’s only coffee shop for years and a staple for commuters.
With luck, Cankaya will be able to fulfill a longtime dream of opening a sit-down cafe this summer. While construction has been delayed by the pandemic, the eventual space will be a game-changer for Skyway.
Continue reading Slowed by COVID, Nevzat’s Espresso Plans Sit-Down Cafe Expansion in Skywayby Maile Anderson
For the second time this month, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their allies gathered at Hing Hay Park in Chinatown-International District (CID) to protest the rise in anti-Asian hate in Seattle and across the U.S. This time, protesters came together in response to the Atlanta shootings on Tuesday which took the lives of eight people, six of whom were Asian women: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. Delaina Ashley Yaun and Paul Andre Michels were also killed in the shooting. Saturday’s midday rally at Hing Hay Park, “Kids vs. Racism,” was organized by 10-year-old Seneca Nguyễn (Tia Nguyen), a fifth grader at Louisa Boren STEM K-8. Nguyen wanted to take a stand by organizing and amplifying a youth message against hate. He felt it was important to hold the protest in the CID. Dozens of children, youth, and young people were in attendance.
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY: Hing Hay Protest in Wake of Atlanta Shootingby Alexis Mburu
Whenever we speak of women in history or of the present and their impact, it is impossible to provide an exhaustive list. However, something that we always sense, whatever the list, is the power that women carry and embody. That power includes the energy and life that women can bring to a room, a movement, or enterprise. Women are the backbone of society and shape us all in ways we’re aware of and otherwise. Today, I bring you five women who inspire me, as a young woman, for a multitude of reasons. Hopefully, these stories can help you reflect on the power that women bring to your life, not just for Women’s History Month, but for every day of every month.
Continue reading Five Powerful Women Who Inspire Me as a Young Womanby Ronnie Estoque
The KD Hall Foundation is currently seeking applicants for their “Girls on the Rise” (GOTR) program, which aims to develop leadership skills for 20–30 freshmen in the Greater Seattle area who will be chosen for the cohort. Applications for the program are currently open and will be closing March 23, with interviews starting on March 26 for applicants.
Kela D. Hall is the CEO and cofounder of the KD Hall Foundation and was inspired to create a program specifically for high school girls after finishing her inaugural 2015 programming called “Women on the Rise.” She realized that there was a need to serve and provide opportunities for BIPOC high school girls as they continue their development through high school.
Continue reading ‘Girls on the Rise’ Is Seeking Freshman Applicants for Leadership Developmentby Alexa Peters
To say that Black Coffee Northwest, a new Shoreline-based Black-owned coffee shop, has had a tumultuous first six months would be an understatement.
Last October, right before their grand opening in the middle of a pandemic, Black Coffee Northwest was the victim of a racially motivated Molotov cocktail attack. Only a month ago, their property was defaced with swastikas. At the same time, the line for their drive-thru consistently wraps around the block, and concerned community members are actively donating money, supplies, and even volunteering to keep watch in the shop’s parking lot to prevent future attacks.
“We have people that are supporting us, people that are showing up. It’s also showing that there are people that … want this community to be better,” said Black Coffee Northwest co-owner Darnesha Weary. “And that pisses [our opponents] off even more.”
Continue reading Black Coffee Launches Youth Internship Programs for Resume Development and Social Justiceby Chamidae Ford
March 19 marks the one-year anniversary of the Morning Update Show, a live weekday broadcast from Converge Media that delves into news and current issues impacting Seattle’s Black community. When Omari Salisbury and Trae Holiday first launched the program, they thought it would only last a few months. Initially, it began as a “pop-up show” with the goal of getting COVID-19 information out to the Black community.
“The news was overwhelming for everybody,” Salisbury said. “I like to tell people at the time, COVID information was like taking a drink out of a fire hydrant. There was just so much information out there — a lot of disinformation too — but I knew one thing for sure is none of that information was tailored towards the people in our community and especially our elders and those most marginalized.”
Continue reading The Morning Update Show Celebrates Its One-Year Anniversaryby Maile Anderson
Hundreds showed up for a community organized rally and march “We Are Not Silent” in Hing Hay Park this weekend, on Saturday, March 13. Protestors gathered to condemn the recent spike in anti-Asian violence nationwide, including the assault of Noriko Nasu, a Japanese language high school teacher, last month in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). The crowd listened to heartfelt words from youth speakers, community leaders and elders, former and currently elected officials, before marching through the CID to Little Saigon and back to Hing Hay Park.
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY: Hundreds Gather to Protest Recent Rise in Anti-Asian Violenceby Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network
She/her pronouns
Jaelynn Scott, M.Div., is the executive director of Lavender Rights Project. Jaelynn has worked as a director of HR, operations, and education for nonprofits and religious organizations. She is an ordained minister and regularly preaches and facilitates workshops on justice and mindfulness. Jaelynn is passionate about trans liberation, sacred practices for self-care, decolonized labor practices, and mindfulness in the workplace. Jaelynn, we love you and celebrate you! Thank you for your loving leadership and cosmic commitment to Black trans liberation and healing for generations to come!
Continue reading Honoring the Legacy and Love of Our Black Trans Women and Trans Women of Colorby Kristina Rivera
Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters
March 14 is Pi Day, and at Intentionalist, we firmly believe the world would be a better place if all math were accompanied by dessert.
The first Pi Day (also Einstein’s birthday) was celebrated by physicist Larry Shaw in 1988 because the date, 3/14, represents the first three digits of the famous number pi π, a mathematical constant whose decimal form never ends or becomes repetitive. Shaw rang in the first holiday at the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum in San Francisco, where festivities included a circular parade and the enjoyment of fruit pies.
In 2009, the House of Representatives passed legislation for Pi Day to officially become a holiday, and local restaurants and bakeries alike have been ins-pie-red to celebrate it ever since.
Continue reading INTENTIONALIST: Where to Grab a Slice in Seattle on Pi Dayby Jack Russillo
Rose Davis doesn’t get offended when people have misconceptions about her people, the Muckleshoot Tribe, as just the owners of a casino. Instead, she views those instances as opportunities to set the record straight.
“I think that it serves as the perfect way to educate more about who we are and where we come from,” said Davis. “And that way we’re people behind the casino and hopefully people in the U.S. know us as a people more than just as a casino.”
Davis was asked by a student whether she got offended when people asked about her people’s relation to the casino while speaking during her virtual presentation on January 11 as a part of the ongoing Highline Black and Native Speakers Series. She spoke virtually in front of Highline High School students to share her experiences as a mixed heritage Native and Black woman and also as a language teacher and cultural preservationist. Davis currently educates teachers and students about the Muckleshoot dialect Lushootseed at Highline’s Native Education Program.
Continue reading Highline Black and Native Speaker Series Provides Opportunities for ‘Rewriting History’
