Voices

Sharing stories and experiences that highlight diverse narratives across community groups.

Community Voices

Category: BIPOC Source BIPOC Author

Through the Fire: Who Are Our Descendants?

From Rafu Shimpo (by Sharon Yamato) – Reflections on July’s Minidoka Pilgrimage to the historical site of the Minidoka incarceration camp.

Traditional Canoes Return to the Waters of the Pacific Northwest

From Underscore (by Richard Arlin Walker) – This month, we welcome the return of the Intertribal Canoe Journey after a three-year pandemic hiatus.

When is Eid al-Fitr 2023?

From Al Jazeera (by Alia Chughtai & Marium Ali) – With Ramadan coming to an end, see how Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Eid Mubarak!
A group posing for a photo wearing shirts that say "Muslim Day at the Capitol 2023".

WA state recognizing Ramadan will help connect Muslims and non-Muslims

From Northwest Asian Weekly (by Kai Curry) – Proponents hope a new Washington State resolution recognizing the holiday of Ramadan will bring more acceptance and understanding for our state’s Muslim communities. Ramadan Mubarak!
A child holds a paper "passport" for Tet with a cat on it.

Year of the Rabbit or Cat? — It depends on who you ask

From Northwest Asian Weekly (by Indunil Usgoda Arachchi) – The Lunar New Year kickoff celebrations were spectacular everywhere this year. But curiously, the animal of 2023 is not the same for every celebration.
A group of Cham refugees gather on a picnic blanket. Many are wearing headscarves.

Cham Refugee Community: A Photo and Video Portrait of Generational Wealth-Building

From South Seattle Emerald (by Ronnie Estoque) – The Cham are an ethnic group in Cambodia and Vietnam, tracing their ancestry back to the historic Kingdom of Champa, dating back to the second century CE. Many Cham people became refugees during the time of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge and the Vietnam War.
Exterior of a brown brick building with signs in the windows that say "ʔálʔal Café: Indigenous Foods, Decolonized Space".

Local Indigenous Food Sovereignty Efforts Uplift the Importance of Traditional Foods

From South Seattle Emerald (by Vee Hua 華婷婷) – Open now in Pioneer Square, ʔálʔal Café is one of the Native organizations, along with The Way of the Buffalo and Friends of FEED, that are using Seattle’s Food Equity Fund to promote Indigenous food sovereignty.

Five Reasons Why: Spring 2022 Fellow Reflects on her Experiences with EchoX

Spring 2022 Social Media Fellow and Summer 2021 “How to Look Cool Online” participant Hidaya Abdinur reflects on her experience during the workshop.
An elderly woman speaks in front of a classroom. On the whiteboard are words in an Indigenous language.

Oregon language institute celebrates 25 years

From Indian Country Today (by McKayla Lee) – 2022 marks the 25th year of the Northwest Indian Language Institute and its work to revitalize the Pacific Northwest’s endangered Native Languages.
A woman in black stands with a narwhal balloon on a sidewalk next to a sign that says 'Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee'

Jan Johnson of Japantown’s Panama Hotel: “Saving History Saves the Future”

From The North American Post (by Elaine Ikoma Ko) – An interview with Jan Johnson, owner and operator of the historic Panama Hotel and Tea House.