STILL TRUE

For the author, there’s nothing contradictory about being a journalist and an activist. “Authentic journalism is a quest to tell the truth,” Jackson writes in her preface. “The conflation of what is viewed as objective and white cultural bias has become a liability that has limited the scope of our media and stunted our capacity as Americans to see each other clearly enough to tell complete, nuanced and true stories.” This collection features many pieces that center her perspective as a Black woman in America (and specifically in Seattle—many of the essays revolve around Jackson’s experiences as a Black homeowner in the swiftly gentrifying neighborhood of Rainier Beach). Taking on such diverse topics as Black History Month, reparations, the movie Get Out , and the experiences of Black people in study abroad programs, the author analyzes the current state of racism in America. This is not her only theme: Other essays touch on subjects as disparate as fatphobia in yoga, death doulas, the American cultural influence in Honduras, and the work of Indigenous comedian Howie Echo-Hawk. Jackson’s prose is incisive and humorous, drawing on her personal story to illustrate her larger critiques: “When I went to meet the cohort I would be traveling with, it felt like I was pledging a white sorority,” she writes of her junior year studying in Cadiz. “I went to Spain with 30 white women, 5 men, and 2 other women of color and it was an amazing experience, but one that was clearly not designed with me in mind.” Many of these pieces originally appeared in publications like the Seattle Globalist and the South Seattle Emerald , and most are no more than a few pages in length. Taken together, they constitute an argument for the necessity of marginalized voices in journalism that will resonate with many readers.