So excited to share I’ve been awarded a $5,000 freelancer grant by the Facebook COVID-19 Journalism Project to support my coronavirus coverage of marginalized peoples and communities in South Seattle and beyond!!! 5k might be small stuff to some, but it’s HUGE for me. I’m not a staff writer or photographer and I lost almost all other contracts when the US outbreak began. So my income dropped dramatically. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to generate much media during this time which deeply saddened me. With this award, I’ll be able to continue my work not only through the pandemic but also, importantly, during its fallout. Many funders won’t take risks on an independent WOC storyteller with a radical lens (can’t even tell you how many grants I’ve been turned down for). MUCH gratitude to the Facebook Journalism Project, Local Media Association, and Lenfest Institute for Journalism for this award and for investing in local WOC freelancers. And big thanks to Marcus Green and the South Seattle Emerald for encouraging me to apply when I didn’t think I stood a chance.