Seattle Globalist’s statement on Charleena Lyles

This week has been hard to say the least. A pregnant Charleena Lyles was shot and killed when she asked for help. This, and too many other lives taken in our city, nation and world, are a stark reminder to us about the realities of abject police violence rooted in deep racism. 

Our media needs to be responsible for not only how these realities are portrayed, but whose lives and stories are honored — and who gets to tell them. As The Seattle Globalist staff, we stand with Charleena Lyles’ family and those putting the onus on Seattle’s media outlets to do better. 

We want to honor Charleena Lyles and her family, who have invited community members to make financial contributions through their GoFundMe page.

As a media organization, there is so much we can’t do, and so much still that we can do. 

The Seattle Globalist is a media outlet that shines a light on underrepresented voices and stories, and centers the narratives of women, immigrants and people of color. We elevate diverse voices through media and break barriers to entry into an institution that dictates whose lives and stories are honored — and who gets to tell them. And we are working to build the next generation of journalists and media leaders of color. 

We cannot reverse the killing of Charleena Lyles, nor hundreds of years of trauma from American racism.

But we stand with you this week to say that we see this, we feel this, and we’re trying.

Clarification: the wording of this statement has been amended to reflect the current legal status of the case.