In Community We Flourish - Gates Discovery Center

In Community We Flourish is a series of virtual lunchtime events presented by the Discovery Center and Civic Commons in partnership with our community organizations creating change every day.

PAST EVENTS

October 28 | In Community We Flourish: Art & Creativity Now

We hosted a discussion discuss the power of art to heal, create change, and take action at this moment in time. The event included the “You’ll Heal Tacoma” video of the public art project by Jessica Spring of the Public Art Reaching Community (PARC) program in Tacoma and a performance by classically trained violinist, Rachel Joshua. Then we heard from our panelists, as they shared what is inspiring them now and the challenges and opportunities for creating and presenting art during COVID-19. Panelists included:

• Cleo Barnett – Amplifier Executive Director
• Elisheba Johnson – Co-Founder of Wa Na Wari Art Center
• Tori Kirihara – Artist and inclusion advocate

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September 30 | In Community We Flourish: Education & Equity

As we embark on the start of a very different school year, we focused this program on education and equity, an issue amplified by the pandemic. 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. Speakers included Azure Savage, Activist & Author of You Failed Us: Students of Color Talk Seattle Schools, Alejandra Perez, Community Organizer with the Washington Dream Coalition, Yubi Mamiya, Discovery Center Youth Ambassador, and Daniel Harada, elementary school educator and board member of Equal Rights Washington. We also hosted an inspiring musical performance by Thunderbirds Raised Her.

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August 26 | We All Count: 2020 Census

Explore how communities and organizations are coming together around the 2020 census and voter registration and outreach. Hear from Susan Balbas, co-founder and executive director of The Na’ah Illahee Fund (NIF) in conversation with Kamau Chege, director of the Washington Census Alliance, as well as a musical performance from the Tacoma Refugee Choir and local leaders, like and Community Organizer Nura Abdi, working on voter registration and outreach.

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July 29 | In Community We Flourish: Resilience

Our July event featured stories of impact and resilience during COVID-19 from local changemakers including Evana Enabulele, a core member of Queer the Land, and Mariama Suwaneh, Learning & Development Coordinator at the University of Washington and the founder of the blog, young|audacious|&free. This episode also featured the 2020/2021 Seattle Youth Poet Laureate, Bitaniya Giday, the Seattle Together project.