Past Programs & Resources
CATCH UP WITH US!
Take action and be inspired by Discovery Center’s programs! Join us, our guests, and partner community organizations in this selection of past events featuring event videos, resources, performances, and discussions.
The Race Epidemic: A Discussion on Hate Crimes Against Asians & AAPIs
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | Can naming a virus after an innocent ethnic group cause the outbreak of an epidemic of hate? The Discovery Center hosted a discussion with Tony Shyu, director and producer of The Race Epidemic, a new documentary that highlights the rise in Asian hate crimes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tony, together with Ron Chew, principal of Chew Communications, and Sarah Baker, Security Awareness Manager at Microsoft discussed xenophobia and racism against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Jill Nishi, Chief Executive Officer, Philanthropy Northwest served as moderator. Learn more about the speakers and watch the event video.
Deconstructing Karen Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Thursday, May 4, 2023 | The Seattle friends of Race2Dinner, The Discovery Center, the Women Connect, Women of Color Connect, and Allies for Racial Justice employee resource groups from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a documentary screening of the 2022 film “Deconstructing Karen,” followed by a conversation with Saira Rao & Regina Jackson, founders of Race2Dinner, facilitated by Rozella Kennedy of Brave Sis Project. Learn more about the documentary and speakers.
The Importance of Care: Parenthood, Caregiving & Community
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | The Importance of Care was an engaging discussion on how we can better care for families and communities during pregnancy and parenting. The event is connected to our current exhibition, "Designing Motherhood: Things that Make and Break Our Births," and it will delve into such issues as family planning, prenatal care, support for BIPOC families, and what it means to practice self-care.
Teen Action Fair: Those Who Made Us
Saturday, March 25, 2023 | Teen Action Fair is an event for teens by teens to connect with over a dozen organizations that are creating opportunities for youth to make a difference locally and globally. This year’s theme was “Those Who Made Us” and explored intersections between family life, mental health, and racial equity.
International Women’s Day: Stories of Redefining Motherhood
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | The Moth and the Gates Foundation Discovery Center hosted an unforgettable event on International Women's Day full of powerful personal stories highlighting diverse experiences and perspectives on motherhood and the power of speaking up and speaking out. Hosted by Kenyan media personality and equality activist Adelle Onyango, the evening will include stories told by Hannah Brennan, Ryann Morales, and Roseline Orwa, graduates of The Moth – a global arts organization dedicated to building empathy and compassion through personal narrative. Their stories will be followed by a panel discussion including the storytellers and Hema Magge, MD, MS, Senior Program Officer, Newborn Health, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Team. Watch the event video and learn more about our Storytellers.
Giving Marketplace
Friday & Saturday, December 2 - 3, 2022 | At the Discovery Center’s annual Giving Marketplace, visitors supported great causes and organizations while shopping for everyone on their list. Unique gifts from dozens of vendors were on hand with the proceeds supporting immigrants and refugees, women and girls, global health, education, the environment, and much more. This family-friendly event included holiday activities, performances, and ways to take action on issues you care about.
Gather Film Screening & Discussion Panel
Thursday, September 29, 2022 | Native food rights are human rights. The First Nations Development Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Indigenous Communities Employee Resource Group, and the Gates Foundation Discovery Center hosted a screening of the First Nations Development Institute’s film, and recent James Beard awardee, Gather; followed by a rich discussion about the breadth of the food sovereignty movement and its impact on indigenous wellness.
Facing Forward: Essential Workers, Essential Stories
Thursday, June 2, 2022 | The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and Civic Commons continued “Facing Forward,” a virtual series that highlights our exhibit Enduring COVID-19: Stories from our Transforming World. This event featured essential workers, as they shared stories and insights about how they are helping to meet the needs of their communities during the pandemic. Watch the event video and learn more.
TEEN ACTION FAIR 2022: RE-IMAGINE
Saturday, May 14, 2022 | We celebrated change at this year’s Virtual Teen Action Fair ! The Teen Action Fair is a space to convene and collaborate with organizations to make a difference on a local and global scale. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in fun activities, participate in Q & A sessions with changemakers, and experience performances from today's youth leaders. This year’s theme was “Re-imagine” and topics focused on youth mental health, racial equality, and climate change. Watch the event video and learn more.
World Immunization Week: Global Vaccine Innovations
April 28, 2022 | The Discovery Center and PATH partnered in presenting a virtual program celebrating World Immunization Week. Attendees got the inside story about current and future innovations from vaccine experts. The PATH Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA) spans every stage of vaccine research, development, and introduction to make life-saving vaccines widely available to communities around the globe. Watch the event video and learn more.
International Women's Day: A New Generation
March 8, 2022 | The Generation Equality Forum in 2021 fueled a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality. It presented a vital moment for leaders, activists, feminists, youth, and allies from around the world to come together and build momentum towards achieving lasting, transformative change.
The Discovery Center wanted to keep the momentum going as we came together for a virtual conversation with women leaders in global health and gender equality from the Gates Foundation, WomenLift Health, and Women in Global Health. We discussed how an equal world begins with more inclusive policies and opportunities. We need more women in leadership and decision-making roles — in healthcare, government, public and private sectors. We also need people who raise children and care for sick relatives to have financial support and resources.
Watch the event and learn more.
Facing Forward
February 17, 2022 | The Gates Foundation Discovery Center and Civic Commons kicked off a new virtual series tied to the Discovery Center’s online exhibit Enduring COVID-19: Stories from our Transforming World. Facing Forward highlights stories of communities, individuals, and organizations coming together and moving forward to end the pandemic. This virtual conversation brought together health leaders and scientists to discuss the connection between local and global efforts and how research, strategies, and systems are working together to end the pandemic. Watch the event video and learn more.
Through Positive Eyes: The Story Behind the Stories
January 13, 2022 | The Discovery Center celebrated the closing of the Through Positive Eyes: My Photo. My HIV Story online exhibit with a virtual conversation featuring our Seattle-based Artivists. They reflected on the virtual storytelling experience of the last 18 months and shared their stories of living, coping, and thriving with HIV. Watch the event video and learn more.
Rock the Giving Season: Virtual Concert
December 9, 2021 | What better way to get into the giving spirit than with music? The Gates Foundation Discovery Center’s Youth Ambassadors and musicians from Totem Star hosted an inspiring virtual concert to celebrate the giving season. We shared ideas for giving back during the holidays and lift up some of our favorite organizations, including ROOTS, YouthSpeaks, Creative Justice, Duwamish Valley Youth Corps and Gay City. Watch the event video and learn more about the performers!
Indigenous Voices: Ending HIV Stigma through Storytelling & Drag
November 4, 2021 | The Urban Indian Health Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center hosted an hour of drag performance, storytelling, and discussions that amplify voices on Indigenous sexual health. Watch the event video and learn from artivist (artist + activist) Bill Hall (Tlingit) as he shares about his lived experiences with HIV with photos captured for the Discovery Center’s exhibition, Through Positive Eyes. Indigenous drag queens Eartha Quake (Navajo) and Landa Lakes (Chickasaw) present Urban Indian Health Institute's new short film, “Indigenizing Safe Sex with Glitz, Glam, and Honest Aunties," before joining Bill for an empowering conversation on gender, stigma, and the intersections of identity and wellness. Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), Director of Urban Indian Health Institute and Executive Vice President of Seattle Indian Health Board, moderates.
World Polio Day 2021: Delivering on a Promise – A Polio Free World is in Reach
OCTOBER 21, 2021 | Celebrate World Polio Day 2021 with Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center. This virtual event, held on October 21, 2021 was an opportunity to celebrate progress in the fight against polio, but also discuss the obstacles to overcome in order to achieve a polio-free world. Former Seattle Rotary President and King 5 Evening Anchor, Mark Wright, moderated an engaging panel discussion with prominent polio figures on progress in polio eradication and the new strategy launched in June, 2021. Speakers included Dr . Zeina Ali Siam, Associate Program Officer, and Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay, Deputy Director, at the Polio Team of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotarian and polio survivor, Denny Wilfrid, and Rotarian and former Secretary of State, Ralph Munro.
In Community We Nourish | Food Justice
June 24, 2021 | The Gates Foundation Discovery Center, South Seattle Emerald and Civic Commons brought together local leaders for a conversation moderated by Rosette Royale, Storyteller + Writer, to discuss food justice and community impact. The event featured a musical performance by Totem Star’s Sabyu! Learn how YOU can get involved and nourish our communities!
In Community We Flourish | Enduring COVID-19
May 5, 2021 | COVID-19’s health and economic impacts have exacerbated and shined a light on existing structural racism and inequities. It has also brought communities together in new ways to meet needs, spread joy, and heal from a world transformed by COVID-19. See some of these inspiring stories.
2021 Virtual Teen Action Fair: YOUnity
May 20 & 21, 2021 | Presented by the Gates Foundation Discovery Center Youth Ambassadors. Celebrate youth-driven change and watch the 2021 Virtual Teen Action Fair! Streamed live over two evenings, we embraced individuality, developed community, and found ways to take action.
International Women's Day: Womxn Breaking Barriers
March 11, 2021 | Local womxn leaders who will discussed how we can all #ChoosetoChallenge gender bias, stereotypes and discrimination in our communities. The panel explored the intersectionality of gender and race—especially in light of how the pandemic has impacted womxn and BIPOC communities.
Panelists included Blessing Omakwu, Deputy Director of Goalkeepers at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Leslie Feinzaig, Female Founders Alliance CEO and Founder, and Tracy Rector, arts advocate and Managing Director of Storytelling at Nia Tero. The panel was moderated by Mika Yamamoto, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at F5. The event also featured a poem by Mari Jones, a spoken word artist from Powerful Voices radio program.
This event was brought to you in partnership with the Gates Foundation Discovery Center, YP Impact, and United Way of King County.
Watch the event video now.
BANISHING STIGMA: BLACK VOICES ON HIV
February 24, 2021 | In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) and Black History Month, the Discovery Center hosted a virtual program featuring voices from the Black community exploring the power of storytelling, the impact of HIV, and thoughtful ways to take action to end stigma.
World AIDS Day Event 2020
December 1, 2020 | The event "Stories of the Past, Stories of the Present: Honoring World AIDS Day" was held virtually and hosted in partnership with The AIDS Memorial Pathway (The AMP) and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center to reflect on the impact of AIDS.
In Community We Flourish: Art & Creativity Now
October 28, 2020 | We discussed the power of art to heal, create change, and take action at this moment in time. We featured the “You’ll Heal Tacoma” video of the public art project by Jessica Spring of the Public Art Reaching Community (PARC) program in Tacoma. Then heard from panelists, as they shared what is inspiring them, and the challenges and opportunities for creating and presenting art during COVID-19.
In Community We Flourish: Education & Equity
September 30, 2020 | We focused our program on education and equity, an issue amplified by the pandemic of COVID-19. We discussed your hopes for this school year, heard from amazing young leaders, and explored actions we can all take to build more equity in education.
In Community We Flourish: We All Count | Census 2020
August 26, 2020 | The Census and the impact of its findings was front-and-center during our event. We explored how communities and organizations are coming together around the 2020 census and voter registration and outreach.
In Community We Flourish: Resilience
July 29, 2020 | How can we take action to strengthen community resilience? This inspiring half-hour event brought together stories of impact and resilience during COVID-19 from performers and local changemakers.
Womxn Entrepreneurs Giving Back During COVID-19
June 24, 2020 | An interactive conversation with powerhouse womxn entrepreneurs who are doing incredible work to give back to our community. The spreakers discuss their career journey, what philanthropy means to them, and how COVID-19 has impacted their work.
We’ve been reflecting on the violence, pain, and racism that has been present not only in the last couple weeks, but historically, systemically, and institutionally. Our conversation at this event will evolve based on current issues and the intersectionality of the panelists’ work.
Speakers included Laura Clise (Founder, Intentionalist), Sage Ke'Alohilani Quiamno (Co-founder, Future for Us) and Nourah Yonous (Founder, African Women Business Alliance). This panel was moderated by Rebekah Bastian (Founder, Own Trail).
This event is brought to you in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and YP Impact.
Watch the Event Now:
Teen Action Fair LIVE 2020
Episodes ran April 29, May 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2020 | Discovery Center Youth Ambassadors present ed a series of virtual episodes filmed live in the spring of 2020 featuring performances, local organization spotlights, fun activities, a collective art project, and Q&As with local youth activists, organizers, and artists.
