by Mike Davis
The Emerald will be observing a team-wide wellness pause from Dec. 15 to Jan. 2, and most publishing will be on hiatus, with the exceptions of four pieces, of which this is one, wherein editors look back at 2022 and some of the work that made the Emerald shine.
I joined the Emerald in the summer of 2020. With everything in the world falling apart as we collectively experienced the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the racial awakening in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and having all of our lives abruptly halted as we transitioned into the work-from-home era — I wanted to use my voice to support my community.
My first article covered a Juneteenth Black Wealth marketplace, where people could join a virtual “market” and buy products from Black businesses. From there, my coveraged evolved to articles exploring my reaction to police violence, the complexities of community healing, and local politics.
I became Voices editor at the Emerald in May 2022. In this role, I have had the opportunity to amplify the opinions of community members and invite them to speak on topics that impact our lives. With the Emerald being one of the few publications in Seattle that still has an op-ed section, this role comes with great responsibility. It has been an honor to engage with so many people who have had so much to say about our society and while I am only highlighting three pieces here today, there have been so many powerful articles in this section, and I appreciate everyone who has contributed or read articles in this section.
If you appreciate the work that the Emerald does, please become a Rainmaker — and help us hit our goal of reaching 1,100 recurring contributors who help sustain us on a regular basis throughout each year!