[This story was originally the Valedictorian speech at The Center School’s 2018 graduation ceremony on June 20. It has been lightly edited for clarity.]
As the end of eighth grade grew closer, I was filled with trepidation for what the next four years might bring. I fantasized about failing all my classes on purpose so I’d have to stay at South Shore PreK-8. But that wouldn’t work because the rest of my class would be gone, and I’d have to make friends with the seventh graders.
(This article originally appeared in Real Change and has been republished with permission.)
Never is America’s hypocrisy and exclusionary nature more visible than on the Fourth of July. Since its inception, this country has largely disregarded the highly aspirational human rights decree, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Are these renowned words from the Declaration of Independence truths? Are they self-evident?
So much of the rhetoric surrounding those attempting to cross US Borders has sought to criminalize them rather than to contextualize what is happening in the countries from which they are seeking asylum. This isn’t an accident.Continue reading U.S. Building Blocks of the Border Crisis→
My days start with voicemails from grandmothers asking for resources to feed their grandbabies, school counselors lamenting another student’s family was evicted, pushed out, and could I find an apartment for them to rent for less than $1,000/month in this neighborhood? (They really want to stay in this neighborhood).Continue reading A Day In The Life of A Youth Worker→
I’ve been arrested two weeks in a row for practicing nonviolent civil disobedience as part of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival. The first arrest happened in the second week of the campaign. When the building closed at 5:30, the other protestors left peacefully and respectfully. The Washington State Patrol then gave the remaining 19 of us multiple warnings over a 3-hour time period. They then cuffed us, read us our Miranda rights and gently escorted us to the basement of the Legislative Building in Olympia, Washington, where they booked us and charged us with criminal trespassing (Misdemeanor 2). Continue reading Profiting Off The Poor→
We might already hold the key to decreasing gun violence
by Brian Bergen-Aurand
The killing of ten people and injuring of thirteen more in Santa Fe, Texas on May 18 marks another terrible and terrifying moment in this country’s ongoing struggle with gun violence. This most recent incident represents the 101st mass shooting to occur in the United States in 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). So far this year, the United States is averaging 1 mass shooting every 1.35 days. At that rate, we will see 270 mass shootings before the end of 2018. As shocking as that number is, though, it would be the lowest number of incidents per year since 2014, the first year GVA began archiving records.Continue reading Over 100 Mass Shootings→
Mother’s Day is a day that bestows celebration and praise to those who have done so much to earn it, the mothers of this world. That praise and celebration should have space in our mind and time more than once a year. That being said…What happens to those who had abusive, or deadbeat mothers? Is it a privilege to have a mother there that’s worth the praise? Continue reading Never Forget The Motherless→
What happened when MAGA supporters invaded a local Understanding Islam event
by Reagan Jackson
The third event of the Delridge Neighborhood and Development Association’s (DNDA) Let’s Talk Race series took place Saturday, April 28 at the High Point Community Center in West Seattle. Though the focus was supposed to be on understanding Islam, participants got an experiential pop quiz on tolerance and what it really means to be confronted with people who have different beliefs. Continue reading Getting Uncomfortable: Understanding Islam Event Turns Into Understanding Ourselves→
Amplifying the Authentic Narratives of South Seattle
