What the Emerald Means To Me: Illumination
Support the emerald with me! I’m the mother of the publisher and a founding member of Emerald. I’ve lived in Seattle all my life. For most of those 76 years, the brilliance, diversity, and beauty of our community have lacked a constant spotlight. That was until the emerald came. I’ve seen my son and the Emerald team sacrifice sleep, health care, self-care, and better salaries elsewhere in order for the Emerald to shed light on our community. I would never ask anyone to make this kind of sacrifice, but I ask you to do whatever you can to support the Emerald during our fundraiser. Help us celebrate authentic community stories during the 7th Anniversary of the Emerald Campaign from April 26th to May 5th. Donate here. ? ?
– Cynthia “Mama” Green
by Jasmine J. Mahmoud
((To support the 7th Anniversary of the Emerald fundraiser, we asked community members to share what the Emerald means to them.)
What the emerald means to me: lighting. Earlier this year, I was intrigued by a series of digital illustrations in the South Seattle Emerald. Bright yellow, green, pinks, blues, and purples lighted portraits of Colleen Echohawk of the Chief Seattle Club, writer Ijeoma Oluo, community educator and politician Kirsten Harris-Talley, cook Kristi Brown, organizer and activist Nikkita Oliver, and Judge Raquel- Montoya Lewis. These illustrations, which are part of Larissa McCartney’s “Rad Pacific Northwest Women and Femmes” series, filled me with joy as I pondered the work and impact of these dynamic women and femmes, as well as the care, artistry, and imagination of McCartney’s depictions.
What the emerald means to me: tell our stories. This publication pulsates with the necessary coverage of our communities, often so misrepresented in other press sources. Last summer, the Emerald’s coverage of protests in Seattle was second to none. As I read the news coverage, I dealt with voices from people on the front lines and harsh reports of ongoing police abuse. I was relieved and grateful for the way the demonstrators – and their causes for racial justice – were framed with humanity and care.
What the emerald means to me: centering the vital pulse of the arts. Here I was viewing Susan Fried’s amazing photo essays on our area, including one on the Artists of the Black Lives Matter mural and Franklin High School’s Art of Resistance & Resilience Club. It was here that I read Vivian Hua’s interview with the painter Barry Johnson for the first time. Here I keep reading amazing reviews of BIPOC art from writers like Beverly Arons, Chamidae Ford and Rayna Mathis who do the necessary work to archive exhibitions and artwork in our area. Here I lose myself in Brett Hamil’s “Sunday Comix”.
What the emerald means to me: promoting writers. This publication has benefited me deeply as a writer focusing on BIPOC artists such as Monyee Chau, Aramis Hamer, Elisheba Johnson, Hanako O’Leary, Shin Yu Pai, Tariqa Waters, and Matika Wilbur. I love reading writers in The Emerald, including Maggie Mertens, Lola Peters, and Jasmine M. Pulido.
What the emerald means to me: Marcus Harrison Green. This brilliant, kind, visionary black founder of the South Seattle Emerald brought us all together to read, write, tell, listen and introduce ourselves. I am grateful for his guidance and journalism.
Enlightening, narrative, vital, nurturing, resonant, imaginative, lively, grounded and communal – that is what the emerald of South Seattle means to me.
Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud is an art writer, curator, and assistant professor of Performing Arts & Arts Leadership at Seattle University. She lives on the border between Westwood, South Delridge and White Center in (South) West Seattle.
Selected illustration by Jiéyì 杰 意 Ludden.
Before you move on to the next story …
Please note that the article you have just read was made possible by the generous financial support of donors and sponsors. The Emerald is a nonprofit news agency run by BIPOC with the aim of providing a broader perspective on the most diverse, least affluent and sadly underreported communities in our region. Please consider giving a one-time gift or, better yet, joining our Rainmaker family by making a monthly donation. Your support will help our journalists get paid fairly and continue to write important stories that contain relevant news, information and analysis.
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