Kayla Blau

Real Change News

In the wake of countless murders of Black and brown folks at the hands of the police, protests are erupting across the nation and the world. It’s long overdue for myself and fellow White folks to take on our role in systemic change and accountability for police brutality and anti-Black racism. Below is a non-exhaustive list of ways to start, keeping in mind there is no guide to undo racism.

A seven-year-old Black student was put in a chokehold by a white school security guard at Stevens Elementary in March, right before schools closed due to COVID-19. The incident further exposed Seattle Public School’s commitment to punitive policing of students, a dangerous practice that fuels the school-to-prison pipeline.

KUOW reported that the student was screaming “I can’t breathe!” while the security guard, David Raybern, held her in an illegal restrictive hold with his “rig...

by Kayla Blau
A groundbreaking report was released from the Urban Indian Health Institute revealed that Seattle has the highest number of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) in the country, and Washington state holds the second highest rates of missing and murdered indigenous women. Native women have been leading the way in responses to the crisis of MMIW through legislative advocacy and community organizing work. In Washington state, two bills were recently passed thanks to the work...

By now, you’ve probably seen or at least heard about KOMO 4’s “Seattle Is Dying” documentary — it gained more than 4 million views online alone. The hour-long documentary is plagued with sensationalized claims, like “We don’t have homeless crisis, we have a drug crisis” (in one of the most expensive rental markets in America), and a menacing soundtrack that rivals Law & Order: SVU.

In remembrance of local activist, Beverly Sims.

This piece is adapted from a spoken word poem about my experience as a Jewish-American visiting Palestine with Taglit-Birthright tour, a program that grants people with Jewish heritage a free trip to Israel to “rediscover their Jewish identity.” After the trip, I had the privilege of staying with my childhood friend, Aseel, and her family in their homeland of Palestine.

by Kayla Blau
If your child has ever been disproportionately disciplined, the South King County Discipline Coalition (SKCDC) is here for you. The coalition is comprised of community members and organizations that believe discipline disproportionality and the school-to-prison pipeline are unacceptable.
In Seattle Public Schools, African-American middle school students are three-and-a-half times as likely to be disciplined as other students. The rates are even higher if your student is in Speci...

by Kayla Blau
Willard Jimerson described his cousin Emijah Smith as, “Selfless, caring, altruistic, a shining example of what it really means to support community…superwoman!” If you’ve been in organizing spaces in Seattle, you’ve likely witnessed Smith’s strength and wisdom in action, or at least heard her name.
“Emijah is the definition of taking care of others,” he said. “I was in prison from the time I was 13 to 33, and she was my number one supporter during that time.”
Jimerson said Smit...

by Kayla Blau
In honor of Women’s History Month, we will present essays throughout the month by local authors documenting, honoring and celebrating powerful women who inspire us in South Seattle and beyond.
A proud South Seattle native, Adriana Jackson is a growing force for change in the higher education system. She grew up in Columbia City for the first six years of her life, before her growing family moved to Skyway in afford to afford a bigger house. She is born to a black father and a wh...

Poetry