The King County Library System (KCLS) and the South Seattle Emerald are teaming up to bring you the “South End Scoop.” Dig into this community-centered column each month for great book, music, movie, and event recommendations from your local librarians.
Continue reading South End Scoop: Books & More From KCLS — April 2024PONGO POETRY | How I Feel
Pongo Poetry Project’s mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. In the spring of 2022, Pongo began mentoring poetry with young people at the Echo Glen Children’s Center, a juvenile institution for youth serving criminal sentences. Studies of incarcerated youth indicate that up to 70% suffer from a mental health disorder and that many have experienced childhood trauma. The isolation, economic upheaval, and turmoil of the last two years have only exacerbated this issue. Youth at Echo Glen have endured significant mental and emotional challenges in the last two years, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, sleep issues, and behavioral challenges.
Pongo believes there is power in creative expression, and articulating one’s pain to an empathetic audience. Through this special monthly 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 partner with Pongo in inspiring healing and relief in youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil, join its GiveBig campaign today.
My Dad’s Words Meant Something
by a young person at the Echo Glen Children’s Center
Preparing for it
Making sure your grades are right
Making sure you keep your body trained
And Never giving up even when it’s hard
DOOM LOOP: Crime Report
Journalist Jonathan uncovers violence at an encampment.
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.
Meet Our Rainmakers: Jini Palmer
Rainmaker Jini Palmer says, “[The Emerald] is a beacon for equity, uplifting communities and stories that are typically underrepresented in our media.”
by Amanda Sorell
Welcome to a new series: Meet Our Rainmakers!
Rainmakers are readers like you who make regular donations to the Emerald — their contributions help us amplify the authentic voices of the South End, and we couldn’t do it without them.
Continue reading Meet Our Rainmakers: Jini PalmerWeekend Reads | Why Is Building a House So Expensive?
by Kevin Schofield
This weekend’s read is an essay by Brian Potter titled “What Makes Housing So Expensive?” In particular, it dives deeply into the costs of constructing a new single-family home and looks at where there might be opportunities to reduce costs.
Continue reading Weekend Reads | Why Is Building a House So Expensive?OPINION | Addressing Disparities in Health Care Careers Affecting Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
by Minal Gowda and Belen Sime
In light of Minority Health Month in April, it is important to reflect on some of the major challenges for underrepresented communities in the health care field. Not only is there a lack of proper support for minority groups to access health care, but there is also a lack of representation for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) among providers and leaders in health care careers. The discrimination that causes this doesn’t just start with the health care employment process; it begins well before. Disparities in the education system limit opportunities for minority groups, such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NH/PI), to succeed in the health care field.
Continue reading OPINION | Addressing Disparities in Health Care Careers Affecting Native Hawaiians and Pacific IslandersAnti-Graffiti Enforcement Returns to Seattle Streets (and Walls)
The SPD will decide whose public art is or is not a crime.
by Carolyn Bick
Last June, a U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction barring the City of Seattle from enforcing its anti-graffiti ordinance. The case came before the courts as part of an ongoing suit involving protests against police violence in early 2021. The case specifically regards the messages written in chalk and charcoal on the East Precinct during the protests.
Continue reading Anti-Graffiti Enforcement Returns to Seattle Streets (and Walls)Report: Youths Held Longer and Spend More Time in Cells at Juvenile Detention Facility Designed for Short-Term Stay
by Lauryn Bray
A county audit has found that staff shortages at King County’s juvenile detention center are causing youths in secure detention to be held in their cells for 14 hours a day, and that youths are staying longer in a facility meant to hold them for less than a month.
Continue reading Report: Youths Held Longer and Spend More Time in Cells at Juvenile Detention Facility Designed for Short-Term StayNew Community Garden in Columbia City to Be Used for STEM Education
by Paige Stanley
On April 20, iUrban Teen hosted an Earth Day event to celebrate its new community garden project at the Rainier Community Center, focused on environmental education for adolescents.
Continue reading New Community Garden in Columbia City to Be Used for STEM EducationNEWS GLEAMS | Pro-Palestine Demonstrations Spread to Colleges Nationwide; Light Rail Expands to Lynnwood in August
A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Pro-Palestine Demonstrations Spread to Colleges Nationwide; Light Rail Expands to Lynnwood in August