by Mahkyra Gaines and nikkita oliver
Today marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence. The tradition of honoring the lives of transgender loved ones murdered by anti-transgender violence was established by Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999. The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was in honor of Rita Hester — a Black transgender woman who was murdered in 1998.
Continue reading May We Remember All So That All Will Matterby Agueda Pacheco Flores
The first misunderstanding people have about Black Horror is that there is even such a thing as Black Horror, according to Tananarive Due, a professor of Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA.
“I think after Get Out, the [next] biggest misunderstanding was that Black Horror always had to be about racism as a monster,” Due said in an interview with the Emerald. “The biggest misunderstanding about Black Horror is that it’s one thing when in fact, Black Horror is as diverse as the experiences of the creators who write it and create it.”
Continue reading In Conversation With Black Horror Writer Tananarive Dueby Agueda Pacheco Flores
Even after Jim Crow laws were overturned following the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, neighborhood segregation persisted throughout the country thanks to intentional federal policies and restrictive local covenants. These discriminatory practices cost Black, Indigenous, and People of Color residents in King County between $12 billion and $34 billion in generational wealth due to redlining and restrictive neighborhood covenants.
Today, discrimination and residential segregation continues. On Nov. 2, two of the country’s leading housing policy experts, Richard and Leah Rothstein, will discuss how to fix a segregated housing system at Seattle University. Although the event is sold out, Just Action is available to order at the book’s website or from the Elliott Bay Book Company using the event’s promo code “HDC” for a 10% discount.
Continue reading ‘The Color of Law’: Housing Experts Talk New Book About Segregation Solution and Celebrate Fair Housing Lawby Agueda Pacheco Flores
Community members in Capitol Hill are staunchly objecting to the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s decision to demolish the 3-year-old garden that was planted in Cal Anderson Park following the George Floyd protests in 2020.
Continue reading Supporters of Cal Anderson BLM Garden Persist Beyond Deadlineby NEVE
Seattle was beautiful when I returned home from Los Angeles.
I had been on a dance tour with one of my besties, my housemate, my art wife, Saira Barbaric. During this summer tour, we built a kind of friend language unlike any I have ever experienced, as well as deepening what we had already been doing: centering our interactions around direct communication, access intimacy, truth-telling, Disability Justice, and being our sweetest, baddest, queerest, Blackest selves all over the West Coast.
Continue reading OPINION | Pink Slipped: How a Black, Queer, Disabled Writer Got Cut Out of Seeing ‘Barbie’by Lauryn Bray
On Saturday, Sept. 23, Hillman City’s Black & Tan Hall (B&TH) hosted its first public event with the celebration of the eighth anniversary of Dyme Designs, a jewelry line owned by Christina Chan. The event marks the beginning of the hall’s new existence as a shared space dedicated to preserving the arts, music, and culture of Seattle’s South End Communities of Color.
“This [building] is an incubator for all of us. We just want to be the place where folks can come bring their vision to life,” said Naudia Miller, general manager of B&TH.
Continue reading Black & Tan Hall Hosts First Public Event: Dyme Design’s 8th Anniversary Partyby Jas Keimig
If you’ve taken a walk around the Central District lately, perhaps you’ve noticed some things around the neighborhood that look a little different. On 23rd and East Spring Street, you might have spotted a banner with an image of a disembodied hand holding a brick of chicken bouillon billowing in the wind atop a tall lamp post. From the window of Arte Noir on East Union, maybe you’ve spied a cozy painting in banner form of two Black women and their dog gazing out at you.
Continue reading Public Art Project ‘Femme Noire’ Blossoms in the Central Districtby Patheresa Wells
Over Labor Day weekend, artists of all ages gathered at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute for the 3rd Annual Verbal Oasis Spoken Word Festival. The event combined performances by artists of color with an open mic and included two days of programming focused on developing children’s creativity.
Continue reading Verbal Oasis Spoken Word Festival Showcases Artists of Color With Muezz Infuezzionby Jenn Ngeth
Ernestine Anderson. Ray Charles. Quincy Jones. These are some of the legendary names of jazz that have hailed from Seattle’s Central District to the global audience. Honoring the CD’s rich history of jazz infused with a strong focus on community outreach, the Jackson Street Jazz Walk (JSJW), a Music For A Cause event, will continue to entertain, educate, and give back to underserved communities. The 10th Annual Jackson Street Jazz Walk will take place in Seattle’s Central District, with one event in Queen Anne, on Sept. 8–10.
Continue reading This Weekend: The 10th Annual Jackson Street Jazz Walk Celebrates Central District Jazz Legendsby Phil Manzano
Representatives from community organizations called for greater community involvement and solidarity in the wake of more than a dozen home invasions and attacks on elderly Asians in the South End.
Continue reading Community Leaders Rally for Unity in Response to South End Home Invasions Targeting Elderly Asians
