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Feb. 2, 2024

"The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the knowledge and ability of its people. The productivity of that capital depends on how effectively people share their competence with those who can use it."

- Andrew Carnegie -

Join us Feb. 29 for a report on the state of your city!

I'm excited to announce the date and time for our 2024 State of the City address! Join me at the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Convention Center Feb. 29 for a progress report on Auburn -- what's happened, what's happening, why we're excited and why it matters to you!

This year's talk will share updates on the Auburn Avenue Theater project, a check in on businesses in the area, a look into our anti-homelessness efforts, and some infrastructure improvements in the immediate and near future, and much more!

📅 Thursday, Feb. 29

🕐 6 p.m.

📍 Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Convention Center, 2402 Auburn Way S.

🎟️ Register (Free)

Auburn residents (and employees) embraced their inner super hero with Vishavjit Singh!

City of Auburn employees and residents welcomed cartoonist, speaker and activist Vishavjit (Vish-va-Jeet) Singh with open arms Wednesday when he delivered a pair of keynote addresses that touched on themes of labels, self, and how to find meaning and take power over unwanted classifications.

Vishavjit spoke to us about the superhero within us all! He talked about our shared humanity and how we all possess the power to see each other’s true authentic selves.  He also facilitated an incredible workshop in which we learned more about the  strengths and vulnerabilities we all possess. It was a great opportunity for us as city employees to learn more about each other and the community we serve. 

We also got to learn about our community members who are Sikh and their beautiful culture. Our evening session was open to the whole community and was attended not only by our own residents but by folks from all over our region including, Olympia, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, Renton and Seattle.

Don's Place in Auburn is officially open and I know 'Old Man Don' would be proud

The lobby was standing room only Monday morning as dozens of providers, non-profits, elected officials and their staff, and City of Auburn employees celebrated the grand opening of Don's Place, an emergency housing solution in Auburn made possible by the Health Through Housing Initiative, a regional approach to addressing chronic homelessness.

(From left) Michael Bailey, Jay Inslee, Nancy Backus, Dow Constantine, Warren King George, Simon Foster and Teena Elison

Attendees got to hear from Muckleshoot Housing Authority Board Chairman Warren King George, Gov. Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Compass Housing Alliance President Michael Bailey and Director of Housing Services Teena Ellison, and myself about the years-long effort to get Don's Place up and running. It all began back in 2021, when King County purchased the Clarion Inn in Auburn, a building that can safely house over 100 people experiencing chronic homelessness.

This milestone was only made possible thanks to a truly collaborative approach by local, county and state leadership to find emergency housing solutions that work for our region's residents. Don's Place is a realization of a promise that Auburn never forgets the people in shelters waiting for that extra little bit of help.

And like like all other HTH residences, Don’s Place will have:

• 24/7 onsite support staff
• Food security and daily meals
• Enrichment programming focused on educational attainment, job readiness, and housing counseling
• Case management support tailored to individual needs
• Connection to behavioral health services on site
• Mobility support like pre-loaded Orca cards and transportation navigators
• Mobile Response Teams (MRT) comprised of interdisciplinary specialists consisting of certified peer counselors, behavioral health case managers, substance use disorder professionals, and mental health professionals
• Dedicated mobile clinic van from We Care Clinics offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and behavioral health counseling

The City of Auburn celebrates Black History Month

The 2024 theme for Black History Month is African Americans and the Arts. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.

Learn more about the origins of Black History Month from The Association for the Study of African American Life and History

The Everly Set - Everly Brothers Tribute In 1957, teens Phil and Don Everly supercharged the vocal sound of Rock’n’Roll with “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie”, unleashing the sparkling vocal harmonies that would influence bands for decades, including The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, and countless others. Now, six decades later, two acclaimed singer-songwriters with a mind-bending three-decade age difference combine millennial pluck with baby-boomer sass to present The Everly Set: Sean Altman & Jack Skuller Celebrate The Everly Brothers, featuring “Bye Bye Love”, “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Cathy’s Clown”, “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, and so much more!   📅 Sunday, Feb. 4 🕐 2 p.m. 📍 Auburn Performing Arts Center, 702 4th Street NE. Driving Directions 🎟️ Buy Tickets (Regular: $30 Student/Senior: $25)

Poetry at the Postmark Poetry nights are returning to Auburn! The City of Auburn is hosting a poetry reading series on the first Wednesday of each month at Auburn's new Postmark Center for the Arts on Auburn Avenue. We hope you can join us at the Postmark - bring a poem for the open mic! Featured Reader Mateo Acuña: Our 2024 - 2026 Poet Laureate Mateo Acuña (he/him) is a gay, transgender Peruvian-American poet, activist, and visual artist. Born and raised in Auburn, he went to Auburn public schools from K-12 and is currently an undergraduate majoring in Visual Arts and English with a Creative Writing concentration. He writes about intersectional identity, and his love for nature, and advocates for social and environmental justice in his works. In addition to poetry, he also writes fiction and creative nonfiction and hopes to write a memoir in the future.   📅 Wednesday, Feb. 7 🕐 6:30 p.m. 📍 Postmark Center for the Arts, 20 Auburn Ave.

Block Print Valentines at Postmark Are you looking for an evening of creativity with one of our expert crafters? Perfect for mother-child bonding, a girls night out, troop outing, or family/friend time. You'll work on a fun creative valentine card making project! Learn how to carve, ink, and print from soft linoleum blocks and create beautiful one-of-a-kind valentines to give to those you love! Great for beginners as well as seasoned crafters. Ages: 12+ Fee: $20/25 Resident/Non-Res Instructor: Allison Hyde   📅 Thursday, Feb. 8 🕐 5 p.m. 📍 Postmark Center for the Arts, 20 Auburn Ave. 🎟️ Register ($20/$25 Resident/Non-Res)

Drop-In Painting with Amy Sie at Postmark Amy Sie is offering Drop-In Gongbi Painting sessions at the Postmark! A free, no-pressure environment for you to start a new painting, or work on an old one. Please bring your own tools and materials for watercolor painting. On-site help for critique/questions/advice. All are welcome.  Ages: 18+ Fee: Free Instructor: Amy Sie   📅 Friday, Feb. 9 🕐 10 a.m. 📍 Postmark Center for the Arts, 20 Auburn Ave.

One thing Gov. Jay Inslee does that I love is that he designates someone (each day if possible) the "Washingtonian of the Day" with a pin and gratitude.

Auburn is rich with history—from historical Main Street to the artifacts preserved throughout White River Valley Museum — I am excited to share these stories with all of you each week. 

Following Brown V. Board of Education, Myrtle Law was Auburn High School's first black teacher

Photo courtesy of White River Valley Museum

In 1956, just two years after the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision was passed, Myrtle Law and her husband Fred moved to Auburn where Myrtle took a job as an English teacher. She was the first Black teacher at Auburn High School and would continue to be the only Black faculty member at the high school until the 1990s. Read more about local Black history in the Black in the Valley online exhibit from the White River Valley Museum.