curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
In national news, we offer updates on the murder cases of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, over two years after the racial justice uprisings of 2020.
Locally, Nurturing Roots invites you to get your hands dirty in the farm and take home some "Zoo Doo" — exotic compost from Woodland Park Zoo. Grant opportunities for small businesses and arts organizations are available through Scandiuzzi Krebs as well as the Washington State Department of Commerce and ArtsWA.
—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald
Four officers now face federal charges in the murder of Breonna Taylor, following a year of investigation from the Justice Department into the Louisville, Kentucky, police department. Taylor, a Black medical worker, was shot and killed by police officers in March 2020, during a botched raid on her apartment.
"No officer has ever been charged with shooting Ms. Taylor, but on Thursday the Justice Department charged four current and former police officers with federal civil rights violations, including lying to obtain a search warrant for her apartment," writes The New York Times. "One of the four, Brett Hankison, was the only officer to face state charges in the raid. He was indicted on a charge of wanton endangerment of neighbors whose apartment was hit when he fired without a clear line of sight into Ms. Taylor's apartment. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted."
Taylor's family has also settled a $12 million wrongful-death lawsuit, but criminal indictments have not been forthcoming. The New York Times offers a thorough overview of her case up until now.
On Monday, the killers of Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison for the second time, this time for a federal hate crime. They chased and shot the 25-year-old Black man in February 2020, on the false claim that he was a burglar.
"Travis McMichael, 36, and Greg McMichael, 66, received their sentences from U.S. district court judge Lisa Godbey Wood in the port city of Brunswick. The punishment is largely symbolic — the McMichaels were sentenced earlier this year to life without parole in a Georgia state court for 25-year-old Arbery's murder," writes The Guardian.
Officials in the City of Brunswick, where Arbery grew up, have designated 2.7 miles of Albany Street as Honorary Ahmaud Arbery Street. His family is in support of the gesture.
Woodland Park Zoo's Empathy Collaborative initiative engages communities from southeast Seattle to cocreate programming that is culturally responsive and sustainable for the community and the zoo. They have partnered with Nurturing Roots, a Black-owned urban farm in Beacon Hill, to support their sustainability efforts.
On Aug. 11, about 15 Nurturing Roots junior high and high school kids will visit the zoo. They'll have an up-close encounter with an animal and then visit the Zoo Doo compost yard to scoop a souvenir to take home and use in their own gardens.
Then on Aug. 14, Nurturing Roots will host a volunteer day, where youth and adults can get their hands dirty at the farm and bring home Zoo Doo for free!
Zoo Doo is a fully composted blend of select animal manures mixed with bedding materials such as straw and wood chips from around the grounds of the zoo. It is one example of the zoo's sustainability efforts.
The Washington State Legislature has allocated a new round of grant funding for small businesses affected by the pandemic. The legislature appropriated $70 million for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5. In this round of Working Washington grants, available funds are set aside for specific targeted groups or sectors:
For-profit and nonprofit businesses, including those that are tribally owned and operating on a reservation, are eligible.
Information and links to the application portals on the ArtsWA website. The grant portal will be open for 24 days, from Aug. 17 to Sept. 9.
All recipients are now required to have a Unique Entity Identifier and are encouraged to sign up prior to applying; more information on that process can be found on their FAQ.
Local consulting firm Scandiuzzi Krebs is offering grants for general operating support to small culture and community-building organizations that are committed to racial justice organizations. Nonprofits and fiscally sponsored organizations that are based in Washington State, with an annual operating budget under $500,000, are eligible to apply.
All applications are encouraged, but funding decisions will prioritize organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Grants will range from $2,500 to $5,000.
The open application period will close Aug. 21. Apply or learn more at ScandiuzziKrebs.com.
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