Tag Archives: Kent

Community

FareStart’s Mobile Community Markets Promise Post-COVID Recovery Food Access for South King County Communities

by Amanda Ong

In an effort to double down on its hunger relief programs since the pandemic began, FareStart, a local nonprofit organization, launched its mobile community market in 2021 as a pilot program that would use “new ways to provide equitable access to fresh, healthy food to communities who are underserved, including those who have been impacted by systemic racism in food systems.” The mobile community market makes weekly appearances rotating between the Kent YMCA, Firwood Circle, Living Well Kent, and Family of Grace. All food at the mobile markets is free.

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News

Mapu Maia Clinic Opens in Kent to Serve QTPI and QTBIPOC in Need of Health Care Service

by Ronnie Estoque

On May 3, UTOPIA Washington held the grand opening of their new Mapu Maia Clinic in Kent. The clinic provides free services for the QTPI (Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders) and QTBIPOC (Queer and Transgender Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community and does not require health insurance. Currently, the Mapu Maia Clinic provides wellness care, gender-affirming care, harm reduction, vaccine access, and COVID-19 PPE and test kits.

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Community

‘Reconciliation Tour’ Documentary Connects Black Baseball History-Makers to Young Athletes Today

by Victor Simoes

Baseball Beyond Borders (BBB), a Kent-based organization that uses baseball as a tool to increase opportunity and support academic excellence for student-athletes of color, released its first documentary, Reconciliation Tour, in September. The film centers on baseball’s healing power through community building and the athletes’ shared experiences while paying homage to the sport’s historic role in the fight for civil rights and its place in Black American culture. Made in partnership with local Black media production company Converge, the documentary follows 21 BBB members on a trip to the South. 

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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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News

Pay Is Peripheral as Kent Educators Strike, Demand a Quality Experience for Students

by Ari Robin McKenna

While last Thursday, Aug. 25, was supposed to be the first day of school, three dozen educators from Meeker Middle School were outside of the building in the 90-degree midday heat. Passing cars on Southeast 192nd Street honked every 10–20 seconds in support of the striking educators; many of the educators wore red and held signs reading “KENT Education Assoc. ON STRIKE!”

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Voices

OPINION: Mayors’ Coalition for Community Safety Should Examine Own Police Departments

by Ali Cohen

At the close of 2021, the mayors of Auburn, Renton, and Kent met privately to discuss community safety and violence affecting south King County. Unfortunately, of all the initiatives and meetings that have since come from this coalition, none has publicly addressed the personal and systemic violence coming from their very own police departments.

A quick Google search will provide details on Auburn police officer Jeffrey Nelson killing Jesse Sarey while Jesse was unarmed and experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as a paper trail of Nelson’s escalating misconduct without meaningful intervention. Instead, he won a “medal of valor” for a fatal encounter with Isaiah Obet in 2017. Obet’s family challenged the City of Auburn through a lawsuit; the city settled for $1.25 million in response. 

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Voices

OPINION: From Somalia to Afghanistan, We Stand With Our Newest Neighbors

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by Shukri Olow

Fresh fruits and seafood. White sandy beaches and miles of coastland that rival states like Hawai‘i. Markets that are lively until midnight and youth enjoying the freedom to roam unafraid. These are all experiences that my mother talks about when she recalls life before the civil war in Somalia.

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News

Will Local Governments Reflect the Changing Demographics of South King County?

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by Phil Manzano

When talking about his run for Renton City Council, Joseph Todd’s voice breaks slightly and wavers. “I’m sorry, I get a little emotional here.”

He recalls George Floyd’s death a year ago, which sparked a worldwide racial reckoning.

“When we saw a man get murdered in daylight, it begins to bring home, for real, for real, that these systems are trying to kill you,” Todd said. “So that’s why when we created the Renton Residents for Change, it was really all about, ‘We have to get ahead of this.’”

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News

Metro Reveals Plans for RapidRide I-Line Stations in South King County

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by Stephen Fesler

(This article was previously published at The Urbanist and has been reprinted with permission.)

A new Metro RapidRide line is coming to Auburn, Kent, and Renton in 2023 to provide more than just more frequent and faster bus service. King County Metro also is planning new station standards at stops and making lasting improvements to streets. In the latest project update, Metro unveiled four types of station standards depending upon expected ridership and station access needs, which will dictate which improvements will be rolled out.

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News

Dawn Bennett Announces Run for Kent Mayor

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by M. Anthony Davis

The city of Kent has the largest population of Black residents in King County. Many Black residents in Kent moved there after being pushed out of Seattle due to gentrification and rising housing costs. This year, Dawn Bennett, a Black woman who has lived in Kent for the last 23 years, is running for mayor. 

Bennett has a long career in community advocacy and activism. She has worked for the Seattle Parks department for over 25 years and has also worked for Seattle Public Schools and multiple nonprofits, one of which she founded, that focus on advocating for youth in communities throughout Washington. 

The Emerald had the opportunity to speak with Bennett about her plans for the city of Kent and how she plans to use her expertise to support the city and the 15,000 Black residents who live there. 

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