Despite an ongoing pandemic, a nationwide recession and the unpredictable chaos of living right now, you all continue to engage with and support Real Change.
Thank you for believing in and funding our work. We raised $22,155.94 in the past four weeks, working to bridge the gap in our funding as we close out our fiscal year. Your gifts power the critical programs that bring this people-first paper straight to your hands and offer low-barrier work to all who need it.
Bryant Carlin started as a Real Change vendor in 2004 and has been featured in our pages five separate times. His passion is wilderness photography, and selling our newspaper fuels his vision as he manages chronic off-and-on homelessness. He is proud to sell Real Change.
“As a media organization, we remain true to our mission statement of giving voice to people and issues that are often neglected. We work towards breaking stereotypes of what it means to be homeless,” Carlin said.
We are a paper for the forgotten. You can read first-hand accounts from people living in encampments and those subjected to violent sweeps only in our paper. In the past year, you heard from neighbors like Caitlin, a North Seattle resident who was swept on Valentine’s Day.
“I just don’t understand why we’re treated so horribly,” she said. “They laugh through every single sweep I’ve been through. Every single police officer I hear, they look at us, and they laugh.”
You heard from Andy, another North Seattle resident who’s experienced repeated sweeps.
“Then they swept out the Bitter Lake people because it’s next to the school. Everybody’s having a fit, [saying], ‘The poor children!’ [Looking at us as] monsters. We all have children ourselves. We’re just people down on our luck, that’s all,” Andy said.
In our pages, you find detailed, ongoing coverage on education, policy and unionization efforts across Seattle. In February, you heard from Penelope Lilley, a University of Washington undergraduate student, when the university administration proposed privatization of four residential properties.
“When I finally got here to UW, I felt like I finally found home and a place where I can grow, and I can become the person who I’ve always wanted to. And then I found out that I am going to face, possibly, homelessness, because UW is going to privatize,” Lilley said.
The members of our Real Change Editorial department stood out this year as they reported on evolving news stories impacting our communities. Our journalism educates and challenges us to think critically about the world around us. Our unique perspective — centered on providing voice to people with lived experiences of homelessness and poverty — shines in every article you read.
Real Change will continue to be a voice for all our neighbors, thanks to your generous support.
Your gifts could fund our journalists building relationships with our unhoused neighbors or a reporter sitting in on a City Council meeting. It could support the Equity Fund, which offers compensation to journalists of color or underrepresented voices in the media.
“I’m glad that these are stories being told. Once stories are told, where’s the solution? Journalism makes people consider what are the potential options,” Carlin said.
This past year, our dedicated team introduced new columns, hosted two panels and broke countless stories in Seattle. They proved that journalism is not dying and that local news continues to be a powerful conduit for change.
Real Change is more than your typical newspaper: It’s a call to action.
We know our journalism powers change — we have proven it time and time again. Whether it’s the catalyst for a conversation between neighbors or city-wide policy change, our reporting plays a critical role in Seattle.
Real Change leads public discourse and challenges mainstream narratives. We create a space to imagine what a better world would look like.
Thank you to each of the hundreds of donors who raised $22,155.94 for Real Change and to all the donors who made gifts in the past year. You are the reason our people-first journalism will continue to grow and shine.
Read more of the Apr. 5-11, 2023 issue.