by Ruba Ayub
March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on and unlearn our patriarchal and misogynist beliefs. It is also a time to take action to dismantle systems and ideas that perpetuate harm and violence against women, particularly Black and Brown women.
Continue reading OPINION | This Women’s History Month Let’s Stop the Abuse-to-Prison Pipelineby Nura Ahmed
Rahma Rashid started the Muslimahs Against Abuse Center (MAAC) because she knew how hard it was for women in her community to find what they needed when dealing with domestic violence.
Continue reading Rahma Rashid Wants to Change the Narrative Around Abuse in Muslim Communitiesby Carmen Rojas, Ph.D.
“There is nothing inevitable about the current ways in which wealth, power, and life chances are distributed. We could just as easily imagine a new way of doing things that gives more people a chance to survive and thrive.”
This powerful quote from University of Washington assistant law professor Angélica Cházaro serves as a reminder that building a just economy and a multiracial democracy is not a wild ambition. As the president and CEO of the Seattle-based Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF), one of the most rewarding parts of my job is supporting women like Cházaro. She is a 2021 Freedom Scholar and a person who has left an indelible mark in her field by working at the intersection of community organizing and legal scholarship.
Continue reading OPINION: The 2 Seattle Freedom Scholars You Need to Knowby Amanda Ong
When Chef Melissa Miranda was younger and working as a sous-chef at French and Italian restaurants, she never thought an upscale Filipino restaurant would be a possibility. Miranda studied sociology; attended culinary school in Florence, Italy; and worked in restaurants in New York City before coming back home to Seattle, where she had the opportunity she never imagined: She founded Musang, an upscale Filipino restaurant that began as a pop-up in 2016 before becoming a full-fledged restaurant in Beacon Hill in 2020. Today, Musang’s success has earned Miranda major notoriety: She’s a James Beard Award semifinalist for best chef, Northwest and Pacific.
Continue reading Chef Melissa Miranda of Musang Nourishes Community Stories Through Foodby Patheresa Wells
Princess Imoukhuede’s (pronounced I-muh-KWU-e-de) love for science is infectious. Her eyes light up each time she speaks about the field which she has pursued her whole life. It’s this passionate pursuit which led, last month, to Imoukhuede being named the new chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. The department is part of both the UW College of Engineering and the UW School of Medicine. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, Imoukhuede will hold the Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair and Professorship.
Continue reading UW’s Department of Bioengineering Names New Chairby Agueda Pacheco Flores
Silvia Giannattasio-Lugo remembers when the young girls would come into the office she works at to participate in leadership programs. She loved to see how they genuinely connected with each other. She especially loved open-mic nights, when young girls came together to celebrate with each other.
“I didn’t get to see a lot of that growing up,” she says. “It was lonely for me growing up not always having a community there to celebrate with me.”
Today, Giannattasio-Lugo is the director of development and communication at Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), a nonprofit based in Beacon Hill. Y-WE connects young women with leadership and skills programs, such as their community garden or summer camps. She’s a pillar in the organization’s fundraising operations, where she helps sustain relationships between sponsors and Y-WE.
“It’s hard for anyone to understand policy or big words and everything that’s being thrown at you, so I liked communications because it bridged that, it made things accessible,” she says in an interview with the Emerald.
Continue reading Beacon Hill Community Leader Brings Young Women the Opportunities She Didn’t Haveby Elizabeth Turnbull
The Muslimah’s Against Abuse Center (MAAC) opened in South Seattle in 2020 to help women who face gender-based violence. Organizers created the nonprofit specifically to help fellow Muslim Women of Color and to provide healing circles, support groups, and other resources to support women in various ways.
“There is so much stigma around abuse within East African communities,” said Rahma Rashid, the founder of MAAC. “Often, these young women are being shamed by their religious leaders, family, and community members … We are providing a resource that doesn’t exist within our communities and that no one on the outside is providing.”
Continue reading Center Offers Culturally Appropriate Support for Muslim Women Facing Violenceby Kamna Shastri
When Taffy Johnson moved to Seattle from San Francisco in 2006, she felt alone and isolated. As a Queer Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI), there were no community organizations or gathering spaces where she could share experiences and access support with other LGBTQ Pacific Islanders. In San Francisco, Johnson had been part of a flagship organization called United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance (UTOPIA). The space had given her a glimpse of the building blocks needed to create something similar elsewhere.
Continue reading UTOPIA Provides Resources, Cultural Empowerment for Queer & Trans Pacific Islandersby Elizabeth Turnbull
As of last week, the Port of Seattle is encouraging business owners, particularly women and entrepreneurs of color and business owners in South King County, to apply to the PortGen Accelerator, a business development program aimed at helping small businesses work toward future contracting opportunities.
Continue reading Port of Seattle Business Accelerator Centers Women- and Minority-Owned Businessesby Jasmine M. Pulido
There’s the phrase, “Together we can move mountains.” But in Filipino/a/x culture we start even smaller. There is a word for the long-held custom in which a village comes together to literally carry on their backs the home of a neighbor, to move it from where it was to where it needs to be. When I told my Filipino father-in-law what I was looking for in Seattle over dinner one day, he responded, “Ah, yes. Bayanihan.”
Bayanihan. It’s when you inherently trust a village with your sense of belonging. Your home.
Continue reading Yours in Community: A Year of Writing for the Emerald
