Meet Our Rainmakers: Derek Richards

Rainmaker Derek Richards says, "South Seattle voices reporting on South Seattle is very valuable."

by Amanda Sorell

Welcome to a new series: Meet Our Rainmakers!

Rainmakers are readers like you who make regular donations to the Emerald — their contributions help us amplify the authentic voices of the South End, and we couldn't do it without them.

Stay tuned for more Rainmaker mini-profiles, where you can learn more about the communities that support the Emerald.

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Derek Richards

Though he now lives in First Hill, Derek Richards lived in Skyway for a long time, and he learned about the Emerald through social media. He became a supporter about two years ago. "South Seattle voices reporting on South Seattle is very valuable. Seems like the vast majority of the time legacy media reports on South Seattle it's bad news. The Emerald does a much better job showing the full picture of an area that is much more wonderful than it is often given credit for," he said. In particular, he "highly recommends the work Carolyn Bick does on the 'Watchdragon' series."

An ideal South End excursion for Richards might include a trip to Jefferson Park Golf Course on a sunny day and then going out for tacos afterward. He also enjoys Kubota Garden: "It's a hidden gem, just like the South End."

Richards' hobbies include playing the piano, which he's done for 32 years. Before the pandemic, he would play at nonprofit fundraisers. "I also enjoy our local sports teams, especially the Sounders, and have been involved in local politics," he said. He was once the Chair of the King County Young Democrats (2019) and the President of the Young Democrats of Washington (2020). Now, in his own words, Richards is "just a regular person" who "loves his family, and believes in supporting the great journalism of the South Seattle Emerald and knows that means supporting it with a monthly donation. Independent journalism is incredibly important and needs to be financially supported to be sustainable."

Amanda Sorell is a storyteller who lives in Seattle. She's an editor for the Emerald. Read her newsletter at eClips.Substack.com.

Featured Image designed by the Emerald team; photo courtesy of Derek Richards.