Dear friends,
Over the weekend, I was sitting at Town Hall with a friend, a former journalist turned author. At one point she said, very matter-of-factly, “This isn’t unprecedented. History moves in cycles. It’s happened all over the world, over and over again. People live through moments like this, and they keep going.” I’ve been thinking about that ever since.
Last week, I stood in the back of The Great Hall as hundreds of people stood and applauded Representative Pramila Jayapal. She talked about civic engagement — about showing up for what you believe in and making sure people hear you. You could feel the energy in the room shift. Not in a dramatic way, just… people feeling something together.
A few days later, I was in the Wyncote NW Forum for Speaking of Seattle, listening to a conversation about the news economy. One of the speakers said something that stuck with me: we have to be thoughtful about the information we take in. And providing reliable, trustworthy information is part of how communities stay grounded — especially when things feel unstable.
None of these moments were exactly the same. But together, they reminded me of something I see here all the time: people trying to make sense of things together. People trying to stay connected to each other, even when the world feels complicated, overwhelming, or uncertain.
If you’re feeling any of that right now, you’re not alone. You don’t have to have everything figured out to show up. Sometimes showing up looks like taking action. Sometimes it looks like listening. Sometimes it looks like resting. Sometimes it just looks like sitting in a room with other people who are also trying to understand what’s going on.
Across our community, people are finding different ways to support their neighbors and this city. If you’re looking for places to start, you might consider learning more about organizations doing direct work in our region, including the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW), the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), or the ACLU’s action and education resources. You might consider signing up for Representative Jayapal’s Resistance Lab. And you might support neighbors in Minnesota, who are organizing and protecting their communities.
And maybe you’ll join us at Town Hall for an event. Maybe to find joy in music or listen to a book talk. Maybe to think about power, freedom, and what democracy looks like. Or maybe just to sit next to someone you don’t already know.
That’s part of why Town Hall exists — to help people show up for conversation, for curiosity, and for each other.
I hope you’re taking care of yourself.
With gratitude,
Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo, Executive Director
