The mothers’ choir sings at St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Easter. While at church, women cover their heads with long, handwoven scarves called natellas and small headscarves called shash. Metti Mulugeta, a volunteer with the Ethiopian Community Center, says the scarves are worn for the sake of modesty. Traditionally, they were styled in different ways depending on occasion and age of the woman.
Photographs Copyright: Erika Schultz/The Seattle Times
Earlier this year, a few colleagues and I started to explore the reasons why women in our community wear head coverings and veils.
Head coverings transcend the boundaries of religion and culture. They can be found in many religions, including the three Abrahamic faiths — Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Some women cover full-time. Others reach for their scarves or veils only when going to the temple or cultural gatherings, or to mark certain auspicious occasions. Modesty, faith, respect and identity are some of the reasons for covering.
Muslim women were the most common group we saw dressing modestly and wearing headscarves, or hijabs. However, we soon learned that women cover their heads with scarves or hats in certain Russian Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic churches in our area. East Indian women dance with colorful dupattas at some cultural gatherings. And Jewish women bring their wigs to be styled at a hair salon in Maple Leaf.
In a time when so many things divide Americans, I hope that the photos, captions and video can help increase some cross-cultural understanding. The photos and video span from brides in boutiques to Sikhs in processions. First communions to Sabbath preparations. Somali shopping malls to pastoral homes to Eastside mosques.
The photos and video are not fully representative of all religions and cultures. Instead, this is a collection of some local women’s perspectives.
I want to thank all the women who agreed to participate in the project. It’s not easy to put yourself in the public eye, especially for those who deeply value modesty and humility. I appreciate your willingness to share your beliefs and time with me and with others.
Choclit’ Angel Handley, a 27-year-old convert to Islam, struggled with a positive self-image before covering. Before, people could say her hair wasn’t straight enough or her waist not small enough, she says. But the covering “allows me to build self-confidence from within.”
Thousands walk in Renton’s Khalsa Day parade. Sikh men, and some women, wear turbans as one of five external articles of faith called the five Kakars. Women also wear long headscarves called dupattas at religious ceremonies to show respect.
Marian Ali, wearing red, cheers with family and friends during last year’s Seattle Somali Youth Soccer Finals at Chief Sealth High School. Most of the Somali women at the event wore the hijab, or head scarf.
Avjeet Bajwa, 10, prepares to dance with the Rhythms of India dance school in SeaTac, Wash. Bajwa wears a dupatta at cultural celebrations, weddings and at the Gurudwara.
During Pentecost, members of Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral decorate the church, including Mary. “She is revered higher than the angels in the Russian Orthodox Church,” says Natalie Kotar, a member of the congregation.
Amani Elaameir, 11, from left, Dana Elaameir, 18, and Randa Mustafa, 17, read the Quran during Ramadan at Redmond’s Muslim Association of Puget Sound. The hijab is not only a headscarf and a modest style of dress, but also reflects a woman’s conduct and actions, says Dana Elaameir. “It’s my responsibility to accurately represent my religion and how proud I am of it,” she says.
First communicants wear veils at North American Martyrs Parish in Seattle. Many of the girls and women at the Catholic church regularly wear the mantilla, a symbol of sacredness. Rev. Gerard Saguto says he sees more women gravitating towards the veil and dressing conservatively as a response to the moral climate in society.
Charlene Smucker and her husband John Smucker milk the cow at their home near Arlington, Wash. Charlene, a follower of the Anabaptist faith, wears a head covering as a sign of modesty as well as a symbol of submission to her husband and obedience to God.
During her riding lessons at Brackenhollow Stables, Heba Bakhach, 25, wears a loose-fitting shirt, riding pants and hijab instead of her regular jilbab, or long dress. To preserve her modesty, she works with a female instructor in a private setting.
Arielle Tant fixes her daughter Taelyn Massey’s princess veil at Camlann Medieval Village near Carnation, Wash. Tant says the princess veil is rich with symbolism. She thinks her daughter, 3, gravitates toward the garment because it is a symbol of beauty, glamour, fantasy and dreaming big.
Pam Thind, left, adjusts her son Arvin Singh’s turban during the Khalsa Day parade in Renton. Sikh men, and some women, wear turbans as one of five external articles of faith called the five Kakars. Women wear long headscarves called dupattas at religious ceremonies to show respect.
Michelle Mehin, 20, tries on wedding veils at Pearls and Lace bridal boutique in Burien. For Mehin, the bridal veil has special meaning. “When your husband takes it off to kiss you, that means I’m fully his. I’m giving my whole self to him,” she says.
Tziviah Goldberg, an Hasidic Jew, wears a wig over her natural hair while out in public and a snood at home, as she does here. “Covering my hair allows me to follow our sacred Jewish traditions, which respect the modesty of married women,” she says. “Modesty isn’t just covering your hair or what you wear. It’s a mindset. The hair covering is just part of the whole picture of faith.”
Inderpal Kaur, 21, wears a turban as one of five external articles of the Sikh faith called the five Kakars. They are physical reminders to do good deeds and to be identified as Sikh. Kaur can put on her turban in about 5 minutes, she says, “Unless I am having a bad turban day.”
Avani Desai dresses before dancing at the Vaisakhi Mela Festival at Pabla Punjabi Palace in SeaTac, Wash. Desai wears a dupatta, or long scarf, during East Indian cultural dances and also during religious ceremonies at the Hindu temple.
Nawal Abdirazak, 2, wears a hijab outside of the Bakaro Mall, a Somali shopping mall in SeaTac, Wash. Abdirazak, who has worn the head scarf since the age of one, visited her grandmother with mom Hamdi Ali.
Rajbir Kaur, 16, left, and mom Harwinder Kaur attend prayers at Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington. Harwinder wears the dupatta full-time, while Rajbir wears it during Sikh religious ceremonies and Punjabi cultural events.
A woman bows to an icon of the Holy Trinity during Pentecost at Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Capitol Hill. Women wear headscarves or hats while attending services, but not in everyday life. Members of the congregation do not worship the actual icon, but what it represents.
Choclit’ Angel Handley, 27, picks up dinner in South Seattle. Handley believes her circle of friends–who are educated, single and wear the niqab full-time–are often misjudged or misunderstood. “None of us are married, we don’t have husbands to beat us up and force us to cover,” she says. “My family is non-Muslim. So there is no one forcing me to do this. It’s the opposite. I’m fighting to wear it.”
Women wear long scarves, called natellas, and small headscarves called shash when attending Easter services at St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Metti Mulugeta, a volunteer with the Ethiopian Community Center, says the scarves are worn at church services for the sake of modesty.
Nadia Nagatkin attends Pentecost at Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Women wear headscarves or hats while attending services, but not in everyday life. For this holiday, women often wear green, a color that symbolizes life.
Mariam Velez, 11, walks with her cousin Hermione Silva, 5, after her first communion at Holy Family Parish in White Center. Deacon Abel Magana says the veil is still very important to the Catholic community. Girls wear veils for First Communion but women also wear them for weddings and funerals, like Jacqueline Kennedy did when President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest.
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers watch a practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012.
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers practice for “Carmina Burana” at McCaw Hall in Seattle Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Carmina Burana, a theatrical event with dancers, solo singers, a choir and largest PNB orchestra of the 2012 season, will debut with the George Balanchine’s classic masterpiece ballet “Apollo.”
Since this spring, journalists from within the community— and from The Seattle Times— have been working to produce stories about family homelessness as part of a fellowship through Seattle University, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The foundation said it sponsored the fellowship to focus attention on homeless families. It did not stipulate how fellows should pursue their work, nor did it review what they produced. Each fellow was granted a $15,000 stipend. The Times used its stipend in part to enable a staff member to serve as project manager of contributions from the paper’s online news partners.
Homelessness and poverty are complex topics. While working on the project, reporter Lornet Turnbull and I talked to dozens and dozens of organizations, caseworkers and families. We were only able to report some of the issues surrounding family homelessness, so please check out our multimedia project page for a list of resources and contacts for more information.
It’s important for photographers to be active in the reporting and researching process. You can’t expect a stories to be dropped in your lap. You have to find them. And, in our case, it took months.
There is a reason why our series is called, “Invisible Families.” Parents with kids are the fastest growing yet least-visible sector of the homeless population. Families stay hidden away— doubling up with friends or staying in emergency shelters— versus sleeping on the street.
And, finding a family who feels comfortable sharing their story can be a challenge.
Some parents feel fine discussing their struggles, but their child may not want their friends to know at school.
Caseworkers are sometimes protective of their clients, because they may be stressed or dealing with trauma. They may want to refer you to family who was previously homeless, versus a family who is currently homeless.
Other families may not want to be labeled as homeless. They see their situation as only temporary.
So, when I met a family who felt comfortable sharing their story and opened up lives to us— it felt very precious.
Kim Ahern, 47, moved her two sons – including Jack, 9 – from Chicago to Seattle in April after months of looking for work. While in the Midwest, she read online that jobs would open up in Seattle at the end of the recession. Without lining up a job, she moved to Seattle hoping to find secretarial work and a fresh start.
The hotel vouchers Kim Ahern was counting on weren’t available when she arrived in Seattle, so she reluctantly moved with Jack and Tom, 19, into Nickelsville, one of Seattle’s tent cities. It was a backup plan. They stayed at Nickelsville’s Central District location for two weeks. Then, they traveled with the encampment when it moved to Skyway.
Kim and Jack allowed me to be with them on good days and bad, during all hours of the day and night. They were generous with their time and always returned my calls. When big moments happened in their lives— like moving into their first apartment in Seattle— they let me know. And, I tried to be there during those important occasions as often as I could.
It takes a lot of courage to share your story with the public— especially during difficult times.
I really appreciate Kim, Tom and Jack for their help and generosity. I truely hope it only gets better for them as they settle into their new lives in Seattle.
Jack and Kim brought Chinese takeout to their favorite lakeside park in Seattle. Jack’s fortune reads, “Your life will be happy and peaceful.”
Jack marches through Nickelsville with a bamboo stick given to him by a fellow resident. Jack left third grade in Chicago in mid-April. Since then, his mother, who is enrolling Jack in school, has kept him busy reading “Goosebumps” books and magazines. “My mom is a supporting woman,” Jack said. “She cares about everyone and everything.”
Jack looks for worms next to a small creek at Nickelsville in Skyway. Imaginative, gregarious and active, Jack would sometimes enlist other residents to help him look for worms. On other days, he’d play with a pogo stick, in mud puddles or with the camp’s resident kittens and dogs.
Kim makes calls to the 2-1-1 Washington Information Network and other service providers while searching for help for her family. “It’s so hit and miss,” she said. Her son Jack, 9, and cockapoo Gracie are at her side.
Jack examines the American flag that hangs at Nickelsville’s entrance. The tent city is run on “direct democracy,” where homeless residents are elected from within the camp to run the facility, said Peggy Hotes, liaison for Veterans for Peace Chapter 92 and Nickelsville. Hotes said a citizen review panel in Seattle is working to secure a long-term spot for homeless camps before adverse weather sets in. “There is not enough affordable housing and shelter space,” she said. “When people stay together in groups it is safer…it’s more supportive because they can help each other.”
The hotel vouchers Kim Ahern was counting on weren’t available when she arrived in Seattle, so she reluctantly moved with Jack, above, and Tom, 19, into Nickelsville, one of Seattle’s tent cities. It was a backup plan. They stayed at Nickelsville’s Central District location for two weeks. Then, they traveled with the encampment when it moved to Skyway. “It was so far away from Seattle, I had no idea how we could get back and forth,” Kim said, about the move to Skyway. “I was a sobbing freaking mess. Where are the schools? Where are the stores? I didn’t know where anything was. That was just a horrible feeling.”
The nearest showers to Nickelsville in Skyway were the Tukwila Community Center – a round trip of a couple of miles, up hills and through traffic. Kim and Jack approach a big hill that bridges Interstate 5. “I’ve discovered that’s the secret to every hill in Seattle. If we just take our time, and go really slow, we can get up eventually,” she said.
After losing one of his socks, Jack finds the pair and slips them on while in the Tukwila Community Center. Jack and his mother showered in the facility while staying in a tent at Nickelsville.
Kim gently combs Jack’s hair after showering at the Tukwila Community Center. Jack can be shy about his messy hair, and gently growled as she made it just so.
Jack watches Gracie while his mother, Kim, shops for dinner at a Skyway corner store. Jack pouted because Kim denied his request for chicken nuggets. She needed a meal she could cook over the campfire or on a grill.
Kim currently supports her family through unemployment checks and partial child support. She spent all her money relocating the family from Chicago, and putting their belongings in storage in Shoreline. When arriving in Nickelsville, Kim said, they didn’t have a dime. “It was the first time we moved across country that things didn’t go as planned,” Kim said. “Nothing went right.”
Kim makes calls to local agencies to get help for her family. At first, she borrowed the phone at Nickelsville. Then, a friend gave her a prepaid cellphone; she needed to be mindful using her minutes.
Kim and Jack share a moment to themselves in Nickelsville. Kim sometimes worried about the safety of Skyway outside the gates at Nickelsville. Balloons from a memorial, where a 12-year-old boy was shot a few weeks earlier, still bobbed across the street.
Kim looks at a Seattle bus map while en route to look for an apartment in Seattle’s University District. Their mild-mannered dog, Gracie, travels with the family most of the time.”She’s a big mama’s girl,” Kim said. “Gracie is our companionship, our toy, our friend, our comfort.”
Kim and Jack walk through downtown Seattle to pick up a check from the Compass Center. “I love Seattle,” Kim said. “I like the weather, I like that there is a lot of green. It’s like being in a tame jungle.”
Traveling on I-5, Jack and Kim ride the bus to downtown Seattle. “I think having a sense of humor has allowed me to keep my sanity through all of this,” Kim said. “I have to be able to laugh at myself too.”
Kim Ahern, 47, said the majority of her worry is for her son Jack. “I’m trying to do as much as I can to keep him having a normal childhood,” she said.
Trips from Skyway to Seattle’s Urban Rest Stop were often all-day affairs for Kim and Jack. They relied on friends for rides to the center, which provides free showers and laundry. “They were awesome down there,” Kim said. “They took an interest in us.”
Jack runs around wearing his Urban Rest Stop coveralls, with pants and sleeve cuffs rolled to fit his small size. Patrons dress in the coveralls to wash all of their clothes, including the ones they came in with. “The Urban Rest Stop is one of the only places families can take care of their needs as a unit,” said Ronni Gilboa, program manager at the Urban Rest Stop. Gilboa said other facilities usually segregate services by age and gender.
Kim and Jack page through National Geographic magazines at the Urban Rest Stop. Jack’s captivation with the magazines became evident to staff members during their visit. They asked Jack if he’d like to take some home in a paper bag. Delighted, Jack loaded up so many magazines that the bag broke being taken out the door.
Jack plays basketball with James R. Hill Jr. at Nickelsville. “I think Jack had a really good time out at Nickelsville,” Kim, his mother, said. “He had a lot of freedom out there. It was the outside situation that kind of made me crazy about Skyway, but for Jack, it was great.”
Jack is known for his curiosity and imagination. He talks about werewolves hiding in the tall grasses at camp and wonders if the Space Needle is as big as Godzilla. During his stay at Nickelsville, he gave himself the middle name “Bluewaters.”
Jack draws in a lawn chair one afternoon during May in Nickelsville. He enjoys drawing, writing and making comic books. His mother saves much of his artistic work.
Jack warms up by the Nickelsville campfire, waiting for his beans to cook. Keeping him fed and clean without consistent running water and electricity was difficult in Skyway, Kim, his mom, said.
With his flashlight and family dog close by, Jack plays with his toy plane before falling asleep in his tent at Nickelsville. He wears “Transformers” and “Star Wars” pajamas. His mom, Kim, made their sleeping area out of a feather bed, couch cushions and more than a dozen moving quilts.
Jack wheels his pogo stick, scooter and other items out of Nickelsville en route to his new home. Kim found an inexpensive a room to rent in the University District, after spending almost a month in Nickelsville. Residents at the tent city helped truck the family’s possessions to their new home.
Jack helps carry belongings up to his new room in the University District. “There are people that need it [Nickelsville] in a pinch,” Kim, his mom, said. “We didn’t take advantage of it. We stayed there. We left. That was it.”
After examining their new space, Kim asks Jack to scoot out of the room. Several Christian organizations helped Kim pay her deposit and offered $100 toward their first month’s rent.
One of the first things Jack finds at their University District apartment is a spider. Jack is seen through a small window next to the front door. “They [the bugs] are amazing,” Jack said.
Jack rests on a mattress while moving into a small room in the University District from Nickelsville, the only organized tent city in King County that allows children for extended periods. “It was just a huge sense of relief to just get the hell out of that tent,” Kim said.
Jack walks in the hallway in their new apartment in the University District. One other roommate lives on their floor. They share a bathroom and kitchen.
A handmade “Welcome” sign is pinned to Jack and Kim’s door in their University District apartment.
Kim spends time with Jack in their apartment. Although she’s been sending out resumes, she hasn’t heard much response. Kim said she worked fairly consistently as an administrative assistant and receptionist since the mid-1980s through temp and permanent positions. However, since 2001, it has been more difficult for her to find work. Kim thinks she can exceed an employer’s expectations. “Not only am I uber-dedicated to my employers and position, I have a sense of humor,” she said.
Jack plays in his room in the University District. He told his mom he would like to be a scientist. “He just loves observing things,” Kim said.
While staying at the new room, Jack and Kim discovered bed bugs. The bugs mainly avoided Kim, but often bit Jack. She spent $200 cleaning their bedding and clothes.
Kim’s eldest son, Tom, struck out on his own for a few months during summer, leaving Kim without options for child care while looking for work. “It’s almost like everything’s on hold,” she said. “When Jack gets in school, I hope it changes a little bit, it gets a little better.”
Jack rests on his bed inside his new apartment in the University District.
Jack snuggles with Gracie one evening before going to sleep at their room in the University District.
Jack plays video games while Kim searches the Internet in their room in the University District. Kim said she treasures the quality time they’ve spent over the past couple of months. “For as hard as it’s been, I would have never gotten the opportunity to spend this time with him,” she said.
Jack said he feels good living in a new place. “I get to finally get YouTube again,” he said. “And, I have a real stove and microwave.” Kim said she enjoys listening to her favorite music again: Queen, Rush and Peter Frampton.
After dipping his toes in Lake Union, Jack struggles to put on his socks and shoes. Kim and Jack found a lakeside park where Jack can play in the water, and Kim can watch the scenery. “I find it incredibly peaceful watching the boats go by,” Kim said.
Jack examines what can be found below the surface of the water in Lake Union. Jack and Kim would like to go fishing or whale watching once they get back on their feet.
Kim watches Jack as he cracks up during their picnic at their favorite park. “He’s just great to spend time with,” Kim said. “I will never get enough of him. He’s a huggy, lovey boy.”
Jack plays in the water at a lakeside park near their new apartment in Seattle. Jack has a hard time keeping his clothes dry during his adventures. During one visit, he used his shoe to scoop up interesting shells and rocks. Soon, Jack will be attending elementary school.
