Washington
Amazing Washington: Young man leaves Afghanistan to start tutoring program in Washington
EDMONDS, Wash. — Ahmad Hilal Abid arrived in Seattle as a teenager, leaving Afghanistan with his family in search of opportunity and safety.
Looking back, he admits that adjusting to life in the United States was not easy.
I immigrated from Afghanistan to Seattle directly back in 2018 when I was just fifteen years old,” Abid said. “Life, in the beginning, was very challenging: coming as a teenager to America, navigating a new culture, a new place.
He said he struggled to learn English.
“I found myself as a guy who could not speak any English,” Abid continued. “A person who was bullied because of my English skills.”
An image of students participating in the non-profit called House of Wisdom in Seattle, Washington. (KOMO News)
Abid remembers multiple instances of his broken English being met with laughter and ridicule. Despite those challenges, Abid said he found freedom in his new home.
“I can practice my faith. I can freely express myself. I can stand by my word, you know?” Abid said. “I can do certain things that I could never do in my past country.”
While he was finding joy in his newfound freedom, Abid had some trouble finding his place. Rather than focus on fitting in, he decided to create opportunities for others who shared similar experiences.
A lot of youngsters around my age want to fit in. But me, I want to create a space for me and my community.” He added, “If we study our history, immigrants from all over the world have come here to call it home. I am an American, but with my own identity, with my own values, so I could never try to fit in.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abid launched a non-profit called House of Wisdom, which, according to its website, is a program that offers “free, inclusive academic support and culturally responsive mentorship to underserved youth.”
Abid started the non-profit with a small group of students inside his family’s garage. He says he borrowed three-hundred dollars from his dad to purchase tables and chairs. It didn’t take long for twenty students to turn to Abid’s new program for help with math and English homework. Abid says he connects deeply with the students.
An image of students participating in the non-profit called House of Wisdom in Seattle, Washington. (KOMO News)
“We share tutoring, math, English, and helping them with their homework, navigating a life in a new country,” Abid said, sharing that he sees himself in every student who comes into the program.
House of Wisdom has since expanded beyond its original location. It is now holding sessions in four different sites and serves more than 200 students.
“This is a non-profit with over 70 mentors coming and getting paid opportunities.”
In addition to tutoring, the program emphasizes mentorship and emotional support, with a focus on serving refugees, immigrants, and young women whose access to education may have been limited.
“So here, helping empower women and girls, empowering the underserved, empowering refugees and immigrants, means that we are empowering while others are suffering from a lack of education,” said Abid.
Abid said the mission is personal and rooted in his own values.
An image of students participating in the non-profit called House of Wisdom in Seattle, Washington. (KOMO News)
“Helping others is part of my identity, and that’s why I am living. That’s why I wake up in the morning.”
He encourages others to give their time to strengthen their communities.
“If you’re touching someone’s life by volunteering, this is what makes a difference in our community. Even one or two hours, having that will also inspire you to do more in your community.” Reflecting on his journey, he said, “My family was very worried about me. ‘What would he do in America?’ And now, I am an entrepreneur. I am creating opportunities for students who were born and raised in America. That’s where this immigrant came from. I want to say, immigrants: we don’t take jobs, we create jobs.”
Washington
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
Sign up for The Agenda, Them’s news and politics newsletter, delivered Thursdays.
This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.
Washington
How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington
On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
Washington
Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC
Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.
Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.
Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.
End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.
Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.
Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared
À La Carte Menu
Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup
Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce
Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette
Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16
Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus
Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables
New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts
Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake
-
Tennessee2 minutes agoNew Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet
-
Texas8 minutes agoTexas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data
-
Utah14 minutes agoTeens airlifted to Utah County hospitals after rollover of at least 50 yards | Gephardt Daily
-
Vermont20 minutes agoCommentary | Afonso-Rojas: Who pays when businesses ignore risks?
-
Virginia26 minutes agoVirginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum
-
Washington32 minutes ago
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
-
Wisconsin38 minutes agoSuspected human bones found in northern Wisconsin
-
West Virginia44 minutes agoWest Virginia delegate candidates in Wood County split on top issues, from manufacturing to health care rules