Tag Archives: Phil Manzano

News

Rising Voices in the Fight Over Roe v. Wade

by Phil Manzano with photography by Maile Anderson and Alex Garland

After news site Politico obtained and published a draft opinion last week showing the Supreme Court had voted to overturn a woman’s right to choose an abortion, opposition galvanized overnight.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at Westlake Park last Tuesday night, May 3, and earlier Gov. Jay Inslee called on politicians and advocates to rally at Kerry Park where he vowed Washington “was a pro-choice state, Washington State is a pro-choice state, and we are going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state.”

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News

PHOTO ESSAY: MLK60, Honoring the Legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

by Susan Fried and Phil Manzano

Seattle celebrated the 60th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Seattle over the weekend in song, recognition, and celebration. 

The three-day event, held by the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), hosted Dr. King’s oldest son, Martin Luther King III, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, where America’s civil rights leader of the 1960s stayed on his only visit to Seattle.

Saturday, Nov. 6, at Garfield High School where Dr. King spoked to packed audiences 60 years ago, NAAM announced the first group to be inducted into the Circle of Elders, “exceptional Black community leaders over the age of 75 who have led and won victories in the struggle for civil rights, social equity, and opportunity in Seattle’s Central District and greater Pacific Northwest.”

Other events included a prayer vigil at Mount Zion Baptist Church featuring local clergy and culminated in King III’s keynote address at the University of Washington. 

“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most inspirational affirmation was hope for a better tomorrow and a brighter future for everyone. It was that hope that mobilized the Civil Rights Movement, and it is that very same hope that continues to shape efforts today to create Dr. King’s vision for a more equitable society,” states NAAM’s MLK60 website.

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News

New Americans, New Right to Vote

by Phil Manzano

It’s easy for those born in the United States to take the vote for granted.

But for those Annie Dimitras works with at the Refugee Women’s Alliance, or ReWA, the right to vote is taken seriously — almost like a sacred right.

“A lot of the people we work with at my organization are voting for the very first time, their very first opportunity,” said Dimitras, senior immigration & civic engagement program coordinator at ReWA. “They may be 70 and this is the first chance they’ve ever had to vote.”

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News

Is the Vote Accurate and Secure? A Walk Through the King County Elections

by Phil Manzano

For the most part, the detailed inner workings of the King County Elections facility aren’t big news. But continuing challenges to the outcome of the Nov. 2020 presidential election begs the question: Is King County’s election ballot counting process accurate and secure?

I headed to King County Elections, a nondescript building off Southwest Grady Way near the I-405 and SR67 interchange to get a close look. I met with Jerelyn Hampton, ballot processing manager, essentially the point person for King County’s ballot integrity, and Halei Watkins, communications officer for King County elections.

“Interest in the security of our elections has definitely grown over the last year and a half,” Watkins said. “It has sustained itself well since the 2020 presidential election, and we continue to hear from folks who have questions about how our system works. But that also feels natural, it’s not a bad thing for people to ask questions about how it all works.”

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