Our June theme, SHINE ON, means lots of things; it’s as all-encompassing as the sun, really, but as we kick things off we’re thinking directly about Pride Month and Juneteenth, and we want to highlight two organizations in our home city of Seattle.
LAMBERT HOUSE is a center for queer and questioning youth to find their own truth and develop community. Their programming spans art, politics, and the deeply personal and most of all it’s a place where people 10 to 22 years old can connect, share, and shine. There are lots of ways you can contribute to the beauty they create; here are some of their suggestions. The future is non-binary!
AFRICATOWN was formed to develop Black land ownership in Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood, the Central District (which happens to also be where Cura lives). While Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved people across America, we know that deeply rooted racism continued and continues to create unjust conditions for Black people.
In thinking about the post-slavery Great Migration that brought so many Black people to a Seattle that did not always rightly welcome them, we look to leaders at Africatown to understand their vision for a better future. As their site outlines, “Africatown Community Land Trust was formed to acquire, steward and develop land assets that are necessary for the Black/African diaspora community to grow and thrive in place in the Central District as well as support other individuals and organizations in retention and development of land.”
If this year is like the last few, Africatown will join other Black-led organizations in a celebration of Black joy for Juneteenth. You might consider volunteering for those events, and/or contributing materially to their work. If following them on social media and staying up to date with their news, events, and developments is what you are able to do at this time, please do that instead.
And may we ALL shine on.
Painting by Michelle Robinson titled Foundation Rising follow her beautiful and transformative artwork journey here.