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Get real about race, drink wine, celebrate orcas, and 12 other things to do this week in Seattle

Before we get to our events picks this week: Local hip-hop artist Draze recently released a song that’s getting a lot of love. It’s called “Ain’t Nobody Talking About No Real S**t” and it calls all of us out for avoiding tough conversations, specifically about race.

There are two opportunities for you this week to really dig in on race issues. Plus, lots of good ways to eat, drink, listen to jazz, and celebrate.

Here are 15 events to start planning your week:

TUESDAY
Get tix to an art exhibit everyone’s buzzing about. Tickets to ‘Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors’ at the SAM go on sale at 10 a.m. The exhibit opens June 30th and features artist Yayoi Kusama’s famous “Infinity Mirror Rooms,” “Kaleidoscopic environments where the viewer is endlessly reflected within fantastic landscapes.” This show is such a big deal that The Seattle Times ran a whole story on how to get tickets. (Downtown)

Drink sparkling wine. Zachary Geballe, who owns the Queen Anne pop-up wine bar Disgorged Wine, is getting married. Disgorged Wine is hosting a sparkling wine party to toast the happy couple with champagne and food for all. Thanks for inviting us, Zach. Cheers! (Queen Anne)

WEDNESDAY
Get jazzed. The Bellevue Jazz & Blues Festival jams with nationally known and budding musicians from all over the country. (Downtown Bellevue)

Get real about race. Princeton professor Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is going to talk about black liberation, police violence, progress, and “the death of our collective illusion of a post-racial America.” (Town Hall Seattle on First Hill)

THURSDAY
See the viaduct from a new angle. Artist Paul Komada created a “soft sculptural interpretation” of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The project had him taking photos and recording audio there for the last 18 months. His final product is the newest exhibit at Gallery4Culture, which is free and open to the public. (Pioneer Square)

Hear intense talks about whiteness. The Seattle Public Library and KUOW are putting together a PechaKucha (speakers are allowed 20 images, shown for 20 seconds each) of white speakers who are going to dive into some really difficult race questions. One that caught our eye: “How can Seattle, as a majority white city, confront the legacy of racism in the Pacific Northwest?” (Downtown)

FRIDAY
Take to the streets. HONK! Fest West begins, which is going to fill our parks and neighborhoods with street band music. The festival is free and family friendly, and brings together local bands that “are typically acoustic and mobile, often politically aware and articulate, and always high spirited.” (All over)

It’s pronounced ‘YEE-roh.’ That knowledge might come in handy at the Bite of Greece event this weekend. Expect lots of lamb, feta, yummy desserts, a market of authentic imported goods, and live Greek music. Opa! (Capitol Hill)

SATURDAY
Indulge in art, pancakes, and booze. This mashup of a party promises live body painting, DJs, artwork, drinks, and a free pancake bar. (Capitol Hill)

Celebrate Filipino culture. The Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival started in 1987 and celebrates the Philippines’ independence and traditions with music, dancing, art, films, games, and lots of other fun stuff. (Queen Anne)

Enjoy our green spaces. Kick your summer off to the sound of local DJs at Volunteer Park Amphitheatre with Parke Diem, a free event that has art, games, dancing, vendors, and food trucks. (Capitol Hill) Bonus: It’s National Trails Day, so state parks are free to the public. Check out this list of Washington’s state parks to plan your trip.

SUNDAY
Prep for Pride. Grab some friends and help make Capitol Hill nice and shiny for the Pride parade and festival coming up at the end of the month. Go solo or a make a team — either way, you get free food, music, and a t-shirt for your time and cleaning skills. (Capitol Hill)

Ride your bike for wine. Go on a 21-mile bike tour of Woodinville’s many wineries, stopping off for tastings and snacks, and finish off with a grand finale of wine, food trucks, and live music. (Woodinville)

Celebrate our native whales. It’s Orca Awareness Month in Washington, and this celebration of all things orca begins with a kick-off ceremony at Golden Gardens. There’ll be music, face painting, and storytellers; but, to be honest, we’re most intrigued by the promised 25-foot inflatable whale. [whale emoji] (Ballard)

Going to one of these events? We’d love to hear about it. Send your thoughts and photos to [email protected].