by Lauryn Bray, photos by Susan Fried
On Sept. 4, the ROOTS Family Celebration held its 50th annual event at Jimi Hendrix Park. A day full of music, performances, and food, Black people of all ages gathered together on a Sunday to celebrate heritage and family.
Continue reading 50th Annual ROOTS: A Multigenerational Celebration of Seattle Family Legaciesby Susan Fried
Content Warning: This article contains discussion of gun violence.
Editor’s Note: It seems incomprehensible that while still reeling from the Buffalo, New York, killings on May 14, another tragedy took place yesterday when 19 elementary school children and two teachers were slain in Texas. The epidemic of gun violence and the targeting of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color is one of the most devastating and horrific elements in our country. The Emerald recognizes these harrowing events and acknowledges the difficulty in reporting on what feels like a constant cycle of tragedy.
After recently wrapping up our partnership with the Beloved campaign, which examines gun violence as a public health crisis, we will remain committed to covering this issue of critical importance to our local communities and beyond.
A week after an 18-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist shot 13, killing 10 Black, mostly elderly people in Buffalo, New York, Seattle held two vigils on Saturday, May 21, to honor those whose lives were taken.
Continue reading Seattle Stands in Solidarity With BuffaloThe Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.
We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.
The East Precinct — Mutiny Inside the SPD? | The Jerk Shack Bets on All Black Wines | Black Star Farmers at Jimi Hendrix Park | Garfield Super Block Project | Waterfront Block Party Recap
Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 7/12/21by Chloe Collyer
Despite a historic heatwave and serious security concerns, this year’s Taking B(l)ack Pride event continued on with huge success. On one of Seattle’s hottest days ever, hundreds gathered at Jimmy Hendrix Park to celebrate Pride Month, and specifically the contributions of BIPOC people in the LGBTQ rights movement, hence the name Taking B(l)ack Pride.
The event has become a nationally trending topic after disputes around a request for a reparation-based entrance fee system. But nothing could have stopped the second annual Taking B(l)ack Pride event. Black performers showed no sign of heat exhaustion while on stage and continued well after the sun set.
“I felt like I was at Brooklyn again at AfroPunk,” says one performer.
Event organizers plan on returning next year.
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY: Taking B(l)ack Prideby Ronnie Estoque and Susan Fried
Africatown-Central District hosted the Malcolm X Hip Hop Soul Rally at Jimi Hendrix Park on the afternoon of Saturday, May 22, to honor the life and legacy of the late Black activist. The event was open to the public and featured live performances from local Black artists as well as vendor opportunities for Black business owners all gathered in community. Throughout the event, emcees emphasized the importance of investing in local Black businesses and celebrating local youth and their passions.
Organizations involved with putting the event together included King County Equity Now, Africatown community organizers, Black Dot, The African American Heritage Museum & Cultural Center, Black Action Coalition, and many others.
by M. Anthony Davis
On Tuesday, February 9, Anais N. Valencia was murdered. She was 23 years old. Valencia, along with her best friend, sat in her car in the parking lot of the Urban League Village waiting for another friend who lived there when Gregory Taylor fired multiple gunshots into her vehicle. Valencia’s best friend, who can be heard in a chilling 911 call begging police to come to the scene where both young women had been shot multiple times, was left in critical condition. The friend they were waiting for came out of his apartment to find his friends in the car had been shot. Gregory Taylor, who worked for Coast Property Management, the private property management company hired by the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle to manage the apartments in the Urban League Village, was then shot and killed by officers from the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
There is no way to view this other than tragedy, a senseless act of violence that will forever impact three young people and their families and the whole community caught in its wake.
Originally, I thought I was going to write about community healing. After an event like this, how does the community move forward? How do we take care of the youth that were impacted? How do we address the tactics of Seattle police, who shot dozens of bullets into a park that sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood? There are so many layers to this story. It was hard for me to piece together where to begin. But early posts on Twitter answered that question for me.
Continue reading OPINION: In the Aftermath of the Shootings at Urban League Village, How Do We Navigate the Complex Layers of Accountability?by Susan Fried (words and photos)
Family and friends gathered at Jimi Hendrix Park on Thursday, July 2 to celebrate the life of Horace Lorenzo Anderson. Many of those gathered wore t-shirts with favorite photos of the young man who was killed on the edge of Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone on June 20. While there were no speeches, the event was a chance for friends and family to enjoy a delicious repast and remember the 19-year-old who had recently graduated from the Youth Education Program (YEP) alternative high school, and had a bright future in front of him. As a DJ played music in the background, some people danced and talked about their memories of the young man whose life was taken too soon. Continue reading Family and Friends Remember Horace Lorenzo Anderson at Memorial Gathering in Jimi Hendrix Park
