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Guy Oron is the staff reporter for Real Change. Find them on Twitter, @GuyOron.

Articles by Guy Oron

People holding signs supporting librarians' solidarity stand outside Gothic-style Suzzallo Library on the UW campus.

UW librarians and administration reach tentative agreement

By Guy Oron | February 1, 2023

Early in the morning of Jan. 25, workers at University of Washington Libraries and UW Press reached a deal with the university administration, minutes before they planned to start a strike. After 16 months of tense negotiations and 38 rounds of bargaining — including a marathon 20-hour session that stretched into the wee hours of the morning of the deadline — the tentative agreement brought relief and joy to many librarians. ...

Screenshot of Zoom screen with four young and smiling attendees

Meet the candidates for the little-known King Conservation District board

By Guy Oron | February 1, 2023

King County voters have until 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 to vote for the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors position 3 election. Voters can access their ballot online at https://kingcd.org/about/board-of-supervisors/elections-and-appointments/ ...

Kshama Sawant stands at podium in front of group of people, mostly men of various ages, holding signs against caste discrimination

New legislation could make Seattle the first city in North America to ban caste-based discrimination

By Guy Oron | February 1, 2023

On Jan. 24, Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant announced at a press conference at City Hall new legislation to prohibit caste-based discrimination in the city of Seattle. If passed, the ordinance would add caste to the city’s list of protected classes, outlawing discrimination in employment, housing, public places and contracting. It would also empower the Seattle Office for Civil Rights to investigate complaints of caste discrimination and facilitate a settlement for monetary damages or other forms of recompense. ...

Archival photo of crowd of people at 1963 March on Washington

‘Stayed On Freedom’ chronicles more than six decades of Black Power activism

By Guy Oron | January 25, 2023

If you grew up in the United States, you’ve probably heard about the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr. There’s a good chance that in history class you also learned about the Black Power movement and Malcolm X, Huey Newton or Fred Hampton. But how much did you learn about the rank-and-file of famous organizations such as the Black Panther Party or the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)? About the grassroots organizers and activists who made those movements possible? ...

Antisemitism definition sparks response from progressive Jews

By Guy Oron | January 25, 2023

Progressive Jews, Palestinians and other community members mobilized opposition to the proposed adoption of a controversial definition of antisemitism that would stigmatize criticism of Israel ahead of a Jan. 24 King County Council meeting. ...

A map showing Kroger and Ablertsons stores in the Seattle area

Albertsons-Kroger merger could threaten workers and communities, says union

By Guy Oron | January 25, 2023

On Jan. 17, the Washington state Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson to block a $4 billion dividend payment by the supermarket corporation Albertsons to shareholders. The state sued the company in late October when it was announced that the Kroger company would acquire Albertsons in a proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement, which had been negotiated and agreed upon by both parties. ...

Screenshot from an online meeting; inset photo at top right shows Shelley Bolser, white woman with shoulder-length dark hair. Main screen shows, on left, a handout titled "Racial Equity Toolkit," and, on right, a page headlined, "Quick Recap."

Seattle review of design review program gets messy

By Guy Oron | January 18, 2023

A city department entrusted with evaluating Seattle’s design review system appears to have recreated the very dysfunction it was supposed to resolve.

In late 2021, the Seattle City Council tasked the Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to produce a report to analyze the city’s design review program, a system that allows community members and city officials to scrutinize the aesthetics of large new buildings. ...

A group of people in pink and white indigenous dress gathered on a street corner on a sunny day

Washington state taking action to address MMIWP crisis

By Guy Oron | January 18, 2023

After years of grassroots activism by Indigenous women and communities, Washington state has begun taking action to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people (MMIWP). Advocates say that the crisis is an extension of centuries of genocidal policies against Indigenous nations and people. ...

An electricity generating facility owned by Puget Sound Energy.

Environmental groups win key concessions from PSE rate increases

By Guy Oron | January 11, 2023

Environmental justice organizations announced several victories in a Dec. 22 settlement with regulators and the for-profit utility company Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that limits the amount that the company can raise rates and locks in a commitment to move away from fossil fuels. ...