Where and When We Find Ourselves: Celebrating Black Histories and Stories

An interactive day of art, stories, and performance brought to you by local Black history keepers and artists, including Wa Na Wari’s Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute, The Black Heritage Society of Washington State, The Black Genealogy Research Group of Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library's Seattle Room. 

Listen to oral histories recorded by the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute, get help with your Black genealogy research, learn about the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, and...

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.: RevereXR: Immersive Experiences Using Extended Reality (XR) technology, visitors can explore immersive historical experiences at walk-up stations with VR/AR headsets provided by Revere XR. The experience will also provide AR elements that come to life using tablets or smartphones and a demonstration of AI-Jimi Hendrix.

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 2 - 3:30 pm: Dust Off Those Memories and Share Those Stories
Two 90 minute workshops. Seating is limited to 30 participants per workshop. Transforming your memories into art is a powerful way to preserve and share your personal experiences. Debra Harris-Branham and Brenetta Ward lead an interactive workshop where you can create a unique collage tag that represents a special person, memory or event - and keeps that story alive. Please bring a small photo image and/or an object to add to your memory tag.

3:30 p.m.: Closing Tap Performance by Cipher Goings. Seattle’s preeminent ambassador for rhythmic tap, Cipher Goings, will celebrate tap’s long historical and Afrocentric roots while honoring his own personal history within the collective memory of Seattle’s Black Community.

All ages welcome. Come for the whole day or drop in for a little while. Event takes place at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch, 1000 4th Ave, on Level 4, Rooms 1 & 2. Light snacks and drinks provided.