How does one resist gentrification and displacement of Black spaces in Seattle? And how does one honor and continue the work and accomplishments of one’s ancestors?

STORY PORCH is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Monument Lab fellow Free Egunfemi Bangura, Wa Na Wari, and the Goethe Institute (Goethe Pop Up Seattle). The installation mixes diasporic African ancestral veneration, space-keeping, and neighborhood reinvestment. Wa Na Wari is reactivating its front of house--a mediating structure between home and street, private and public--as a memory space, diving into the history of porch culture and nation building, and preserving the cultural tradition of generational storytelling.

This installation is outdoors and open to the public seven days a week. As long as we remain closed for COVID safety, there are no bathroom facilities available on site. 

Seattle Times article about the Story Porch...

Free Bangura's story porch

Story Porch Outdoor Installation.
Open Oct 31, 2020 - Dec 31, 2020

Free Egunfemi Bangura is an independent historical strategist and social entrepreneur from Richmond, VA, and has been credited as the originator of the international Commemorative Justice movement. Her work focuses on ancestral remembrance and reclaiming memory culture by preserving memories of historically Black neighborhoods. In 2013, she founded Untold RVA and Untold Tours to inspire non-traditional audiences with bold typography, audio enhanced street art, and urban exploration.