Bishop Emma Jones, left, and Rejoice Love sing during "Church Day," on Sunday, June 16, at the annual Juneteenth celebration at Pratt Park. The three-day event, which commemorates the end of slavery in America, featured a parade, music and food.

State Rep. Eric Pettigrew says Washington needs to do a better job reducing racial inequalities in the foster care system.
"We need to do a better job of protecting these kids," Pettigrew says.
The congressman recently helped pass House Bill 1472, which will form a state-level commission to answer two questions: Do racial inequities exist in the state welfare system? And, if so, what can we do about it?
The committee will include Washington senators, representatives, members of the state's Department of Social and Health Services as well as community members.
Paola Maranan, executive director of the Children's Alliance, says the state's foster system doesn't work for children of color.
"This state will not fix this child welfare system until it they fix it for kids of color," Maranan says. "Until it works for African American and Native American kids it's not going to work for anybody."
In King County, African American children make up 3 percent of the general population, but 11 percent of the children in the foster care system.

Gang-related violence in Seattle appears to be on the rise with a recent surge in drive-by shootings and assaults, authorities say. Such violence had been decreasing in recent years, with caseloads for gang investigators hitting 150 in 2003, then fewer than 100 in 2005. But caseloads began to climb again last year, with many reports of gang violence concentrated in Seattle's Central District....

Black-on-Black crime is a problem that "touches the very heart of the Black community, locally and nationally," says King County Council Chairman Larry Gossett.
"Justice Department statistics show that one-third of the Black men born this year can expect to spend some time behind bars and that the Black male homicide rate is seven times the White male rate," Gossett told a crowd of about 200 people at a Juneteenth community forum held Tuesday, June 19 at Rainier Beach High School. "I'm not going to surrender a whole generation of our community to the jail or grave."

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WASHINGTON -- The number of Blacks joining the military has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began, as other job prospects soar and relatives of potential recruits increasingly discourage them from signing up.
According to data obtained by The Associated Press, the decline covers all four military services for active duty recruits, and the drop is even more dramatic when National Guard and Reserve recruiting is included.
The findings reflect the growing unpopularity of the wars, particularly among family members and other adults who exert influence over high school and college students considering the military as a place to serve their country, further their education or build a career......

WASHINGTON -- Senators pushing a new immigration policy appealed Sunday to wavering supporters ahead of renewed debate on securing the borders and dealing with 12 million undocumented immigrants.
A fragile compromise was pulled from the Senate in early June, then resurrected after bipartisan negotiations with the White House. The bill awaits a crucial test vote this week. With several senators distancing themselves from the proposal, the outcome was too close to call.
"We'll see if between the two parties we have 60 votes" needed to keep the bill moving toward a final vote, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
The measure would tighten borders, require workplace verification and create a guest worker program. It also would lay out a way by which the estimated 12 million people illegally in the United States could gain legal status and work toward citizenship....

She's been an event planner and a hostess, but now Ivy Keller is adding business owner to her resume.
"I am a self motivated, driven and determined individual," Keller says.
The 24-year-old Portland native opened Ivy Keller Productions last year and now she's taking parties to the next level.
When asked how she got started she tells the story of her first party, "The Black and White Affair."

 The Seattle Skanner will host the National Newspaper Publishers Association convention in downtown Seattle, June 20-24 at the Fairmount Olympic Hotel, 411 University St.
This year's theme is "Building Coalitions for the Future."
The NNPA, also known as The Black Press, is a 65-year-old federation of more than 200 Black community newspapers from across the country.
Celebrating the 180th anniversary of The Black Press, the four-day convention welcomes publishers and editors from the Black press throughout the United States.

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