Community news! August 2023
PHOTO ESSAY | Scenes From the Rainier Beach Back2School Bash 2023
“Imagine a neighborhood full of youth that are happy, healthy, full of hope, and prepared for their future; youth who have equitable access to the educational opportunities and local resources that would improve quality of life for themselves and their families,” the Back2School Bash website states. “That’s the vision we set our sights on every year while planning the Rainier Beach Back2School Bash.”
Read the full South Seattle Emerald article here.
Community Resilience: Safe Passage Returns to Rainier Beach Safeway After Shooting
“So, we got to reclaim this space,” said SE Network SafetyNet Executive Director Marty Jackson. The network, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, oversees Safe Passage and other youth and violence-prevention programs. “This is a sacred space, the only space in our neighborhood that we could come and cry, and nobody judges you for it. Right? Get something to eat if you’re hungry. Sit, be quiet, and not talk to nobody, and nobody will judge you for that. And we also want our families to have somewhere to come and grieve.”
Read on here.
SE Network SafetyNet Responds to the Recent Shooting at Rainier Beach Safeway
"And that’s what she hopes to see from the community — love. “We don’t have to be from the same background,” Jackson said. “You don’t have to grow up here. Love is universal. So show some love whatever that looks like, show some love and don’t make assumptions out of fears that would cause unintended consequences in this space.”"
Read the full story at the South Seattle Emerald here.
Seattle’s sweetened beverage tax is funding food sovereignty work
"Five years ago, the City of Seattle began collecting a tax on sweetened beverages. The tax funds children’s health and learning – and food equity programs for the city. This year, Seattle is investing $2 million in 21 community-led food equity projects. Many of them are focused on Indigenous food sovereignty.
Among those is yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective, which received $100,000 for food sovereignty work. Last year, yəhaw̓ bought an untamed acre and a half of land, near Kubota Garden in South Seattle. Now they’re slowly uncovering and restoring the property, to create a place where community can thrive."
Read/listen to the full story here.
Beyond Land Acknowledgement: Indigenous Advisory Council Hopes to Create Tangible Change in Seattle
"During the Governance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee meeting in July, Jeremy Takala, tribal councilman for Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and IAC councilmember said that the council sees their work falling into two main categories: relationship-building and advisor support. Through relationship-building, the council met with many City and community partners to explore new opportunities for collaboration in the past year. These partners include the Generational Wealth Initiative, the Rising Tides Indigenous Planning Group, the Green New Deal oversight board, and other groups that are currently planning to work with Native communities."
Read more about the IAC here.
The Intersection Episode 2: Black Land Development & Ownership
"The Intersection" is the podcast companion to the Richmond Racial Equity Essays 2.0 project. Ebony Walden invites guests to delve into the challenges at the intersection of systemic racism and place. In each episode, Ebony and her guests explore the pressing questions of "what now?" and "what next?" in our collective journey to advance racial equity.
In episode 2, Ebony talks with Africatown Community Land Trust’s CEO K. Wyking Garrett about their community development model formed to acquire, steward, and develop land assets that are necessary for the Black community to grow and thrive in the Central District of Seattle, Washington. They discuss the importance of supporting individuals and community organizations in the retention and development of land in gentrifying areas. Listen here!
Seattle’s Restaurant 2 Garden shows circular economy strengths
"Morrigan argues that community composting initiatives like Restaurant 2 Garden can help local businesses in culturally responsive ways, and support the circular economy—where materials are used as efficiently as possible and waste is recaptured..." Read the article here.