Tag Archives: Generational Wealth

Voices

OPINION | The Many Freedoms of Generational Wealth

by 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. 

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Community

Ethiopian Community: A Video Portrait of Generational Wealth-Building Through Affordable Housing Development

by Ronnie Estoque

In 1980, the Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS) was formed to create a community of support for immigrants in the local area. Language and cultural differences create barriers for new community members seeking to access services, and the ECS has made it a priority to provide job, housing, health care, and legal assistance to those seeking support. At its core, the ECS has heavily relied on volunteerism within its community of over 5,000 members across King County to continue to help new immigrants coming to the U.S. nearly four decades later.

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News

Black Future Co-op Fund’s Black Well-Being Report Outlines Solutions to Promote Black Generational Prosperity

by Lauryn Bray

At the end of Nov 2022, Black Future Co-op Fund announced the release of Black Well-being: Moving Toward Solutions Together, a report identifying solutions to inequities harming Washington’s Black communities. Written by Black Washingtonians for Black Washingtonians, the report somewhat acts as an updated extension of the 2015 report, Creating an Equitable Future in Washington State: Black Well-being & Beyond, by Byrd Barr Place. The Black Well-being report is intended to function as a tool for advocacy and policy change for the investment in community solutions that support Black well-being.

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Voices

OPINION | Generational Knowledge Is Just as Important as Wealth

by Troy Landrum Jr.

As a Black male in the United States, the concept of generational wealth has been as foreign to me as knowing the original language of my ancestors. The forethought to look beyond present circumstances and financially plan for the generation of family that will come after you is a privilege. One typically reserved for those who don’t share the same skin complexion as me and those among us who the American dream was actually meant for. The concept of generational wealth reveals a universal truth among millions of Black people in the United States — a devastating history full of violence, purposefully lost history, white supremacy, and unfulfilled promises. A history that has prevented Black people from looking to the future with the hope that their next generation of family would be financially taken care of. 

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News

Living Well Kent Collaborative’s 70-Acre Commitment to Food Access and Affordable Housing

by Lauryn Bray

Living Well Kent Collaborative (LWKC), a community-driven coalition of residents, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government leaders united to achieve health equity through policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change, was recently allotted 70 acres of land from the City of Auburn and Auburn School District. Plans for the 70 acres include community and technology centers, affordable housing, a botanical garden, more land for farming, a food hub, and more. The organization is now tasked with raising enough funds to begin developing the land. 

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Community

Beloved Coffee Shop The Station Expands to Columbia City Location

by Alex Garland

In 2010, Jose Luis Rodriguez and Leona Moore-Rodriguez opened The Station, the couple’s first business venture, in a small storefront in Beacon Hill. After seven years of serving coffee and offering community space in that tiny location, they were able to relocate across the street to a retail space at El Centro de la Raza that was nearly double the size of their original spot and right by the Beacon Hill light rail station. Now, they’re again doubling their size by opening a second location near the Columbia City light rail station.

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Community

Cham Refugee Community: A Photo and Video Portrait of Generational Wealth-Building

by Ronnie Estoque

The Cham are an ethnic group in Cambodia and Vietnam, tracing their ancestry back to the historic Kingdom of Champa, dating back to the second century CE. Many Cham people became refugees during the time of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge and the Vietnam War.

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Voices

2022 Retrospective | Vee Hua 華婷婷

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

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 South Seattle Emerald as its interim managing editor in May 2022. As I reflect on the importance of this publication as one that is rooted in community — for community, and led by community — I think of how the Emerald was the first publication to cover my first short film in 2018 and generously followed my career in the arts. It became an honor to be involved as a contributing arts writer in 2020 — writing about the live-action educational TV show, Look, Listen and Learn (LL+L), and LANGSTON’s Seattle Black Film Festival for two years running, among other topics.

The Emerald is a publication of reciprocity and relationship: of mutual exchange between the Emerald and its writers, and between the Emerald and the community it serves. 

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Community

A Generational Wealth Trailblazer: Monika Matthews

by Ronnie Estoque

“When I think about generational wealth, I think about legacy. And that’s something that’s always been important to me. I started my nonprofit organization to actually fulfill my life’s purpose,” said Monika Matthews, founder and CEO of nonprofit Life Enrichment Group (LEG).

Matthews started the LEG 22 years ago to provide academic and positive mentorship opportunities for African American and other Youth of Color in the community. A big goal of hers was to close the achievement gap, which she believes is directly connected to economic inequality.

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Voices

OPINION | How My Black and Indigenous Ancestry Guides My Perception of Generational Wealth

by Lauryn Bray

When I was 18, my grandfather told me that in 1936, the U.S. government cut a check to my great-grandmother for $2,000 and took her land in Oklahoma. She had inherited a farmhouse that sat on several acres. This property had been in my family for decades, and from what I understand, it did not go willingly. $2,000 in 1936 — when my great-grandmother would have had custody of this property — is worth about $42,879 now. Needless to say, she was ripped off.

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