Good morning. It's Tuesday, August 4, and for today's message we turn to Orlando Morales, who in addition to his work at the 5th Avenue Theatre is also a musician and urban gardener.
As he says in his message, he's a proud son of Skyway. "If you're new to the city, maybe you're a little unfamiliar with my neighborhood. You may not have heard of it. We're not officially a part of Seattle, but we have Seattle addresses. We're often skipped over and unincorporated in multiple senses of the word."
He adds that while Seattle may be the fifth-whitest city in America: "That was not my experience growing up. Skyway is home to over 70 percent people of color, and the highest proportion of Black lives in Washington State. So if you've been marching through the streets saying 'Black Lives Matter,' Skyway should probably matter to you."
At the 5th Avenue Theatre, Orlando runs youth education programs like F@T5, a musical-theater workshop for teens, which connects aspiring theater artists with professional stage actors.
"Because of COVID-19, the theatre started making it a free virtual experience," King 5 News wrote back in March, "and to their surprise, it drew a much bigger crowd than usual."
You can find recordings of those workshops—and plenty of other stuff—on the 5th Avenue's YouTube page.
Thank you for the work you do in the community, Orlando!
And thank you for your message. Thanks especially for the spotlight you're shining on Skyway.
Have a good Tuesday, everyone.
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Previously in this series:
