“Black History Month is not simply asking, “how can I remember and learn about black people?” It is all of us asking, “how can we LOVE black people by seeing them, hearing them, and creating a world where black people feel loved, inspired, and protected?”
In honor of Black History Month, we are gathering as a community at 10am on Sunday, February 27th and hosting an intimate panel discussion with Black artists and community leaders around the theme of "Black Impact.” The hope is that through this conversation, we can continue to learn and educate ourselves on what is happening in our communities and how we as a church can truly love our Black siblings and partner together to create meaningful change.
The gathering will take place both in-person at Wa Na Wari and virtually on our YouTube channel. The panel discussion will be moderated by Pastor Liana Sims and will feature our very own Simon Okelo, Founder & Executive Director of One Vibe Africa, in addition to other influential artists and community leaders in our region (see speaker bio’s below).
ABOUT OUR HOST VENUE:
For those who would like to attend in-person, the event will be hosted at Wa Na Wari — a cultural and arts center located in the heart of the Central District, Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood — which is committed to Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection. Learn more about Wa Na Wari here.
Space is limited on a first come first serve basis. Please RSVP by Friday, February 25th to secure your spot. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test result is required to attend in-person.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Sunday, February 27th
Time: 10am - 11:30am
Location: Wa Na Wari (911 24th Ave SE, Seattle)
Format: In-Person (RSVP required) & Online (YouTube livestream)
EVENT SCHEDULE:
10am // Doors open with coffee, pastries & mingling
10:15am // Welcome & Opening Remarks by Pastor Liana Sims
10:25am // Grounding Exercise by Naa Akua
10:30am // Panel Discussion featuring Simon Okelo, Naa Akua, Jonathan Cunningham and Elisheba Johnson
11:20am // Spoken Word by Naa Akua
11:30am // Closing remarks by Pastor Liana Sims
SPEAKER PANEL:
Simon Okelo is the Founder and Executive Director of One Vibe Africa. Raised in the slums of Manyatta in Kisumu, Simon discovered his own potential in art and music, organizing “Unite the People” Concerts in Kisumu in the wake of the 2007 post-election violence. Simon honed his skills in the non-profit business as director at Young Generation Center in Kisumu, Field Director for Africa for Solace International, and Associate Director for MED25 International.
Simon started One Vibe to establish a Music & Art Center in Kisumu as a platform to encourage its citizens to participate in critical engagement of culture, art, music, technology, and education to inspire youth to realize their full potential, avoid drugs and violence, and create a sustainable future.
Naa Akua is a New York born poet, actor, educator, and sound-word practitioner who is Ghanaian/Bajan and queer. Akua uses the vibratory energy of sound and the intent of word as a vehicle towards healing. Akua, former 2019 Citizen University Poet-in-Residence is a Writers in the Schools (Seattle Arts & Lectures) Writer-in-Residence at Franklin High School, Hugo House teacher, and Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) youth facilitator.
When Akua is not writing and performing they are facilitating Sound Healing sessions which focus on breathing, being in the body and multi-sensory meditation.
Jonathan Cunningham is a Senior Program Officer at Seattle Foundation. His work drives investment in historically under-resourced communities through funder collaboratives and innovative grantmaking initiatives that aim to increase racial and economic equity in the region. He’s also the principal architect of REPAIR (Racially Equitable Philanthropy Aimed at Initiating Reparations), the foundation’s five year, $25 million commitment to Black-led organizations in the Greater Seattle region.
Jonathan has a wealth of professional experience in developing, implementing and managing community initiatives for the last 15 years. He is a former Seattle Arts Commissioner with deep knowledge of navigating public, private and municipal partnerships. He was previously the Manager of Youth Programs and Community Outreach at Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). He’s currently serves as board president of The Residency.
Jonathan is also an award-winning music journalist and editor with content published in major outlets such as FADER, VIBE, Spin, Rollinstone.com, Village Voice Media, and Yes Magazine. Jonathan is a proud father, proud Detroiter, proud Bahamian and graduate of the University of Michigan.
Elisheba Johnson is an artist, curator and organizer based in Seattle and one of the co-founders of Wa Na Wari (www.wanawari.org), a Black arts center in Seattle’s Central District that uses art to fight displacement. She served as public art manager for Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture and founded and operated Faire Gallery and Café before becoming Wa Na Wari’s curator that brings equity, accessibility, relevance, and engagement to a community where every project begins with meaningful engagement with the people who occupy the place, whether through questionnaires, story-telling, historical research, or celebration.
Elisheba is currently a member of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Network advisory council and has won four Americans for the Arts Public Art Year in Review Awards for her work.