READYING TO RISE
MARCUS HARRISON GREEN (essayist); SONYA GREEN AYEARS (introduction)
� 2021 VertVolta Press
$15.99
191 pages
Available for preorder Sept. 21

Have you ever wondered what it is like to grow up in South Seattle as a person of color? Could you imagine your 13-year-old self having a terrifying run-in with a police officer, and leaving the situation knowing nothing more than that your life is disposable?

For my white self, that is not only something I frequently question but also something I felt that I needed to learn more about. Most importantly, I needed to further understand the impact of lived experiences that differ from my own. That's why I read Readying to Rise, an upcoming book by Black Seattle journalist Marcus Harrison Green.

Readying to Rise is an essay collection that includes remembrances of firsthand encounters, articles from the Seattle Weekly and Crosscut (among other sources), and adaptations from speeches. Green's collection stems from the desire to tell varied stories of South Seattle: living with mental illness, lessons from family members, tales of equity and loss, and how racism still plagues our society.

And indeed, whether or not we want to accept it, racism is still very much present in our community. As Green introduces the topic: "No, racism is not dead. What it is now is sophisticated. What it is now is systemic." Some things have certainly improved over the last several decades, yet the situation remains far from great.

Throughout the essays, the author explains how people of color in Washington are disproportionately affected — as a result of racism — when it comes to housing opportunities, life expectancy, police brutality, birth rates, and overall well-being. Green also delves into what it is like being a Black reporter in a white male—dominated industry.

Reading this compilation of essays will not only help you comprehend the challenges that arise from being a person of color in a liberal city — and the staggering statistics that come with it — but they will also pull at your heartstrings every step of the way. I felt my eyes water up when I read the chapter titled, "It Took Me Years to Believe That Black Lives Matter, Let Alone My Own."

Green does an excellent job at creating imagery within each piece, making the reader feel like they are in the scene. One essay that stood out for me was about a Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle's Central District back in 2014. As Green put it, "the overwhelming whiteness of the march "inspired in me a deep cynicism that poisoned the well of communal warmth."

Do you recall the Black Lives Matter protests that have taken place over the past several years, and the swarm of white individuals in attendance? I certainly do, and sometimes, it appeared as though there were more white people than Black people marching.

Showing support for what one believes in is fantastic, but what if some white people in attendance were merely doing so for personal gain: to update pictures on their social media pages, to grow a bigger audience by appearing to care for a movement? I could name a few who stand up and attend Black Lives Matter protests yet sit down quietly for the remainder of the year.

Green recognizes this, too, and brings up how it led him to cease marching in and reporting on Black Lives Matter protests, although he does share the benefits of having white people in attendance.

Raw power and emotion flood through each essay in Readying to Rise, which has assisted me with gaining a better understanding of where Seattle is truly at with inequality and racism. What is so breathtaking about these pieces is that no matter how difficult some of them are to read, and no matter how imperfect our city is, Green consistently leaves the reader with an everlasting sense of hope. We can always leave the world a better place than when we found it.

So please, white reader to white reader: when Readying to Rise hits the bookstores in September, pick-up a copy — the least we can do is educate ourselves in order to grow as individuals, and to grow as a society.