Tag Archives: Nikkita Oliver

News

‘Teaching the Truth’ Rally Defends Critical Race Theory in Washington State

by Maile Anderson

An enthusiastic crowd of teachers, parents, current Seattle Public Schools board members, and candidates for the school board gathered at Medgar Evers Pool at Garfield High School on Saturday, June 12, to show solidarity protesting the passage of bills in several states banning the teaching of critical race theory.

The debate over restricting teachers from including the history of white supremacy or incorporating ethnic studies in the curriculum is nothing new. Those who support banning it see critical race theory as racist, unconstitutional, and designed to make white people feel guilty. In fact, critical race theory examines how racism is intersected and maintained in public institutions. As many speakers at the rally made clear, the goal of critical race theory isn’t to pit individuals against one another, despite what so many politicians and media have twisted it to become.

Continue reading ‘Teaching the Truth’ Rally Defends Critical Race Theory in Washington State →
Community

PHOTO ESSAY: Black-Led Saturday Events Celebrate Culture and Demand Justice

by Ronnie Estoque and Susan Fried

Malcolm X Hip Hop Soul Rally

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.

Angela shows a customer handmade jewelry from the Maasai people of Kenya. (Photo: Ronnie Estoque)
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY: Black-Led Saturday Events Celebrate Culture and Demand Justice →
News

The Morning Update Show — 3/15/21

The 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.

Morning Update Show — Monday, March 15

LIVE — Nikkita Oliver | Breonna Taylor One Year Later | Civil settlement of $27M in George Floyd Case | Black Candidates eyeing ballot in Tacoma | Community Voices: The Vanishing Seattle Edition

Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 3/15/21 →
Voices

Dear Nikkita, Thank You for Helping Us Envision a Liberated Future

by Jenna Hanchard

https://southseattleemerald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Dear-Nikkita-Audio-SSE.mp3
Listen to the full audio recording of this interview.

From Fannie Lou Hamer to Stacey Abrams, Black womxn organizers have historically had one of the biggest impacts on transforming our communities and improving the social outcomes of our neighborhoods. In the last year in Seattle, there is no doubt Nikkita Oliver (they/them) has served as one of the community’s north stars as we look for solutions for eradicating police and State violence and building a community that we want to live in. In this pivotal moment in U.S. history, where more people have joined the fight for Black and Brown Liberation, Lola’s Ink journalist Jenna Hanchard was in conversation with Nikkita Oliver to talk about their leadership and imagining a future where someday they could just fade into the background.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

Jenna Hanchard: What does Black Liberation look like, smell like, taste like, feel like?

Continue reading Dear Nikkita, Thank You for Helping Us Envision a Liberated Future →
News

The Morning Update Show — 2/1/21

The 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, and whereweconverge.com.

We’ll 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.

Morning Update Show — Monday, Feb. 1

Black History Month Programming | LIVE — Nikkita Oliver | LIVE
— Tony B | LIVE — Eddie Rye | Olympia Legislation Update

Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 2/1/21 →
News

After Council Vote, Solidarity Budget Celebrates Victories but Battle Against SPD’s “Hugely Bloated Budget” Continues

by Jack Russillo

After Seattle City Council voted yesterday on the 2021 City budget, partners in the Solidarity Budget coalition hosted a live Facebook-streamed teach-in event to share perspectives and analyses of the close-to-official City budget. Mayor Jenny Durkan has said she will sign the budget into law next week.

Solidarity Budget is a platform endorsed by more than 200 community organizations who have been calling for a 2021 City budget that is anti-racist, pro-Black, and that works toward a healthy future for all. Among representatives from King County Equity Now (KCEN), Decriminalize Seattle, Transit Riders Union, Got Green, Puget Sound Sage, and other Solidarity-Budget-supporting organizations, political activist Nikkita Oliver helped facilitate the 77 minutes of virtual conversations. 

Continue reading After Council Vote, Solidarity Budget Celebrates Victories but Battle Against SPD’s “Hugely Bloated Budget” Continues →
Community

Shelter Fest: An Online Music Festival Celebrating Black Artists and Local Restaurants

by M. Anthony Davis

Fall is here. And with it comes rain, gloom, and days that turn to night in the blink of an eye, as well as a never-ending news cycle that circulates between Trump administration shenanigans (so glad he’s almost gone!) to constant reminders that not only is COVID still a problem, but numbers across the country — including King County —are higher than ever. You know what would be amazing right now? A free music festival!

And lucky for us, Bad Habit Media has announced Shelter Fest, a new online music festival created in response to the shelter-in-place mandate and how it has disproportionately impacted the arts and service industries, as well as communities of color. All day this weekend, Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15, Shelter Fest will provide direct support to local artists, businesses, and restaurants by fostering a creatively designed music festival that is both socially distant and surprisingly intimate. 

Continue reading Shelter Fest: An Online Music Festival Celebrating Black Artists and Local Restaurants →
Community

Rest, Healing, Celebration, Accountability — Repeat: Persistent Resistance

by Alex Garland

In these unprecedented times, change that once seemed improbable now appears inevitable to many in Seattle’s activist community who have spent years fighting for systemic and structural transformation. As protests and an expanding awareness of racial injustices endure across the nation, several of them find themselves hopeful of finally leaving behind a status quo that dehumanized and marginalized communities of color, LGBTQIA+ folx, and people with disabilities, to name but a few.

Continue reading Rest, Healing, Celebration, Accountability — Repeat: Persistent Resistance →
News

Veto-Proof Majority of Seattle City Council Pledges Support for #DefundSPD Effort

by JSeattle

(This article was originally published on The Capitol Hill Seattle Blog and has been reprinted under an agreement)

Seven of the nine Seattle City Council members say they will support the effort to reduce the Seattle Police budget by 50%, the key component of demands from activists and community groups after weeks of Black Lives Matter protests, marches, and rallies in the Pacific Northwest.

The important threshold would represent a veto-proof majority on any council action as the representatives shape major changes to the city’s budget in the face of predictions of a significant downturn in revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis — a rebalancing process planned to be finalized and voted on in the next two weeks. Continue reading Veto-Proof Majority of Seattle City Council Pledges Support for #DefundSPD Effort →

Voices

Protestors Won’t Stop Fighting King County’s New Multi-Million Dollar Youth Jail

1 Comment

by Sharon H Chang

When Seattle’s new $242 million youth jail opened Tuesday, the third week of Black History Month, there were already Black and Brown children locked inside. King Country authorities had transferred incarcerated youth from the old facility next door six days earlier. And though Tuesday was a beautiful winter day, the youth could not see the clear skies or enjoy the sunshine outside. The updated jail may be new, but the children’s cells are still small and sterile, windowless and lonely–and still cages. Continue reading Protestors Won’t Stop Fighting King County’s New Multi-Million Dollar Youth Jail →