by Brett Hamil
DOOM LOOP is a serialized fictional cartoon from South End author and comic Brett Hamil.
Check in every Sunday for a new installment!
Follow Hamil on Instagram at @bretthamilcomix and order collections of his comics at BrettHamil.BigCartel.com.
by Reagan Jackson
Growing up in my household, MLK Day was a day on, not a day off. It was a time to honor the legacy of a great leader and get inspired for the year of activism to come. In addition to founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, some of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s achievements included organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, helping to get segregation laws changed in Birmingham, and standing strong in his commitment to nonviolence in the face of virulent racism.
Continue reading OPINION | No Mud, No Lotus: A Tribute to the Imperfection of MLKby Lenna Liu
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s portrait hung in the entryway of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic’s (OBCC) Central District location where I spent most of my 30-year pediatric career. Birthed during the Civil Rights era for Seattle’s Black community, this beloved clinic was where I had my education in Black history. It was here where we celebrated Juneteenth, singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” decades before Juneteenth became a federal holiday. It was here, where our motto has been “quality care with dignity,” that I practiced seeing the dignity inherent in every person, no matter their circumstances. It was here where I grew to understand how much of the “dis-ease” we see in medicine is the impact of social determinants of health, such as poverty, oppression, and trauma. It was here where I learned in real day-to-day tangible ways how the history of Black Americans has continued to play out as lingering inequities in housing, schooling, and even access to healthy foods, decades after our country has been trying to right these wrongs.
Continue reading OPINION | A Reflection on the Meeting of Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhất Hạnhby Brett Hamil
DOOM LOOP is a serialized fictional cartoon from South End author and comic Brett Hamil.
Check in every Sunday for a new installment!
Follow Hamil on Instagram at @bretthamilcomix and order collections of his comics at BrettHamil.BigCartel.com.
by Larry Gossett, Velma Veloria, and Michael Woo
As residents of the Central District and South Seattle, we enthusiastically support and endorse Mari Sugiyama for Seattle City Council Position 8.
The current Seattle City Council vacancy presents a rare opportunity for the council to pick a qualified and exceptional leader ready to hit the ground running who can meet the demands of governing a diverse and prosperous city that also faces a multitude of complex issues. Mari has demonstrated her lifelong commitment as a volunteer and mentor in civic life and effectiveness as a public servant in the City of Seattle Human Services Department, charged with overseeing millions of dollars in investments for community-based organizations that are addressing public safety.
Continue reading OPINION | Why We Support Mari Sugiyama for Seattle City Council Position 8by Ginger Kwan
As a parent of an adult son with autism, I’m constantly asking myself a question that haunts all parents in my situation: Where will my son live after I’ve passed away?
A recent report by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services found a huge lack of affordable housing that meets the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Over 37,000 Washingtonians with intellectual disabilities face housing insecurity, while the state has only 1,382 Housing Trust Fund units that serve this community.
Continue reading OPINION | Multicultural Village Offers Real Help for People With Disabilitiesby Hailey Karcher
In October 2023, Dunlap Elementary School in South Seattle learned that they would have to let go of two of their classroom teachers due to less-than-predicted student enrollment. This had an outsized cascading effect on many students in the school, with split grade classes created, teachers shuffled to different classrooms, and students rearranged to account for this staff reduction. These disruptions happened, of course, after the tone-setting, norm-creating month of September had already passed; students, teachers, and administrators would have to reboot, altering everyone’s expectations for that year.
Continue reading OPINION | Not All Student Enrollment Is Created Equalby Brett Hamil
DOOM LOOP is a serialized fictional cartoon from South End author and comic Brett Hamil.
Check in every Sunday for a new installment!
Follow Hamil on Instagram at @bretthamilcomix and order collections of his comics at BrettHamil.BigCartel.com.
by Dr. Tracy Castro-Gill
I have earned four college degrees, including a Ph.D. I have been a teacher and district administrator. I founded and operate a nonprofit organization. I teach at a major university. I have been called upon to lead workshops and keynote speeches. My work has been used as exemplars by state institutions, yet I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been accused of being “unprofessional” simply because I’m neurodivergent, Brown, too feminine, or [insert any non-white, non-cis, non-heteropatriarchal identity here]. The reason? The concept of “professionalism” is often weaponized.
Continue reading OPINION | The Problem With Professionalismby Sharon Maeda
Once in a while, a Seattle City Councilmember resigns before their term is up. When Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council in November, it triggered a vacancy. What is different today is that her replacement will be appointed by eight council members, five of whom will have been in office 20 days or less!
We can only hope that they have the wisdom and ethics to find someone with Mosqueda’s kind of commitment and leadership. On the City Council, Mosqueda was an honest, thoughtful problem solver who deftly navigated conflicting council priorities. Despite differences, she and then-Mayor Jenny Durkan quickly worked out a successful COVID-19 strategy. More recently, Mosqueda consulted with many community organizations and crafted an amendment to make a solidarity resolution balanced in advocating for a long-term cease-fire in Gaza, while also condemning rising antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/Arab bigotry.
Continue reading OPINION | Seattle’s Crucial Choice: Appointing the Most Important City Councilmember
