Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

Mimi Zekaryas

Stories

  • caption: Hosts Asemayet "Mimi" Zekaryas and Essey Paulos pose for a photo on Zoom. As many schools switch to online learning due to Covid-19, some students thrive while others fall behind. How does inequities in school funding play a part in these disparities, and which students are the most vulnerable?

    For students of color, Covid-19 reveals deep inequities in Seattle area schools

    High school looks different this year for most students: classes on Zoom, drive-through graduations, social distance birthday parties, skipped proms. But some students have more pressing worries as classes move online. How do you make the switch to online learning when you don’t have wifi at home? RadioActive’s Mimi Zekaryas and Essey Paulos look at the education gaps between white students and students of color, as well as schools in wealthy areas and those where most students come from low-income households.

  • caption: Akberet Asfaha (right) poses with her best friend and fellow soldier, Amna Mohammad. Akberet left home at age 16 without her parents' permission to fight in the Eritrean War of Independence.

    My aunt was 16 when she ran off to join the Eritrean Liberation Front

    The Eritrean War of Independence started in 1961 and lasted for 30 years, until the Eritrean People's Liberation Front defeated Ethiopian forces in 1991. Nearly one-third of all soldiers in the Eritrean People's Liberation Front were women, including my relative, Akberet Asfaha.

  • caption: Two teens smile for the camera in this stock photo.

    Dark-skinned girls and the struggle to feel beautiful

    Colorism isn’t just another term. It is an experience. In the black community, dark-skinned girls and women are often seen as less desirable than their light-skinned counterparts. After being constantly told that they are “too dark” or seeing only fair-skinned women be considered beautiful in their communities, dark-skinned girls often struggle to feel beautiful growing up.