by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Lauryn Bray, photos by Susan Fried
Thousands of people flocked to Seattle Center from Feb. 15 to Feb. 18, arriving as early as 5:30 a.m., to receive free vision, dental, and medical care at the annual Seattle/King County Clinic. The clinic, run by a team of about 3,000 volunteer medical professionals, interpreters, and support staff led by founder Julia Colson, has served over 27,000 patients over the last nine years.
“It’s really unbelievable,” said Chelsea Riddick-Most, director of programs and events at Seattle Center. “Patients start at Fisher Pavilion where they get a ticket. Our doors open at midnight but what we’ve seen is people start getting in line around 8 o’clock.”
Continue reading Annual Seattle/King County Clinic Returned to Seattle Center to Provide Free Medical Care to People From All Walks of Lifeby Alex Garland
In 2019, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made a slew of promises regarding the company’s Climate Pledge, which, according to its website, aims “to build a cross-sector community of companies, organizations, individuals, and partners working together to address the climate crisis and solve the challenges of decarbonizing our economy.”
Continue reading Youth Activists Deliver Climate Demands to Amazon HQby Victor Simoes
This May Day, the cabaret duo John Coons and Matt Aument are bringing BLEAK! Songs for the Not-Quite End of the World to Town Hall Seattle. The anti-capitalist satire that discusses humankind’s dystopian present will be a one-night-only event, with additional songs, instruments, guests, and new material specially crafted for a Seattle audience.
Continue reading ‘BLEAK!’, a Satirical, Anti-Capitalist Song Cycle, Arrives in Seattle on May Dayby Alex Garland
Seattle is a train town. Some might not hear the train’s horn or its rumble over the tracks, but it’s there, carrying our garbage, our food, and even the crude oil that still powers much of our lives. Walk out of Costco in SoDo, and you might see an oil train rumbling by; go to a Mariners or Seahawks game, and you might smell a hundred garbage cars on the rails. You might also cross the bridge over the tracks at Carkeek Park or wait as the crossing arms go down at Olympic Sculpture Park. With over 600 trains carrying hazardous materials running through our city every year, what keeps Seattle from experiencing a disaster like Lac Megantic, Quebec, or East Palestine, Ohio, or, most recently, on the Swinomish Reservation near Anacortes, Washington? So far, it’s been the work of rail safety experts and activists, safety-minded train crews, and a few federal safety regulations.
Continue reading Could It Happen Here? Train Safety Still a Risk Under Downtown Seattleby Troy Landrum Jr.
The exploration of generational wealth has brought a kaleidoscope of images and thoughts that have challenged the way I have viewed this topic in the past. The discovery of what it means through the voices of the community continues to reshape my sense of the urgency and importance it has on the present and the future. Through our first excavation of generational wealth, we were able to reimagine the topic as knowledge circulated in the community, the gift and importance of passing down knowledge of portions of American history often disregarded in our history books — more specifically, the history of African Americans’ place in the history of the United States. As we collect the tools along this journey, we move from the importance of passing down and sharing knowledge as generational wealth to its actualization in our community.
Continue reading OPINION | The Many Freedoms of Generational Wealthby Amanda Ong
On Dec. 10, 2021, the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) and then-Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the launch of Seattle Restored — a new program focused on activating vacant commercial storefronts in Downtown Seattle neighborhoods. The program has partnered with the Seattle Good Business Network and Shunpike, as well as other property owners, to provide spaces and support for local artists and entrepreneurs who can then use their designated space for 2 to 4 months, with hopes for eventual longer-term leases and expansion into different neighborhoods.
Continue reading OED’s ‘Seattle Restored’ Program Will Bring BIPOC Artists to Downtown Seattle Storefrontsby Carolyn Bick
The Emerald wanted to show the community taking care of each other the day after a peaceful demonstration against systemic racism in the nation’s police force was hijacked by, from many accounts of protestors on the ground, white people who attended with the aim of causing destruction. Mayor Jenny Durkan also acknowledged in a statement on Twitter that “much of the violence and destruction, both here and across the country, has been instigated and perpetuated by white men.”
Not all the people interviewed here were at the protests, but all came out specifically to help their community. The Emerald wanted to capture the range of thoughts and feelings among these people. They are couples with children and without; community organizers and everyday citizens trying to do their part; demonstrators who said they watched up close as police officers incited violence at the previous day’s protest; and people who did not attend the protest, but felt they had to come down, because doing something was better than sitting with their anxiety at home.
Continue reading “For A Greater Purpose”: Community Aids in Clean-Up, Pushes Back Against National Narratives About Previous Day’s Protests
