NAAM’s JUNETEENTH WEEK

Interactive Storytime & Art Session

We kicked off Juneteenth Week in partnership with the Seattle Sounders FC and RAVE Foundation. Former Seattle Sounders FC player & Broadcast Analyst Steve Zakuani and Black Lives Matter artist Teddy 'Stat' Phillips led an interactive story time and art session for children and families based on the book Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons.

On Juneteenth with Author Annette Gordon Reed

In partnership with Town Hall Seattle, Harvard University professor Annette Gordon Reed joined us for a discussion about her new book On Juneteenth moderated by South Seattle Emerald publisher Marcus Harrison Green

National Juneteenth Commemoration with 10 Black Museums

NAAM is the first museum in the country to organize and host its own gospel choir. NAAM’s African American Cultural Ensemble (ACE) debuted during Juneteenth week with a performance of "O-o-h Child” as part of a collaborative virtual program with the Blk Freedom Collective, a coalition of nine other Black museums across the country, which has garnered 130,000 views with Amazon as a streaming partner. Additionally, T-Mobile Foundation generously sponsored the distribution of 8,000 books at these African American museums as part of NAAM's Knowledge is Power Book Giveaway Program.

Author Carol Anderson

Historian and public intellectual Carol Anderson, author of White Rage, discussed her new book called The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America with University of Washington's political science professor Christopher Sebastian Parker. It was a dynamic and deeply informative talk about gun rights and African American history. This program was presented in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company.

Juneteenth Youth Night

NAAM gave center stage to the power of education to transform young people’s lives, honoring all Black graduates during our Juneteenth Youth Night. Presented in partnership with Comcast's Black Employee Network and with words of encouragement to graduates from Seattle Storm and Seattle Kraken, this program also celebrated the culmination of the work of NAAM’s 2020 Dr. Carver Gayton Youth Curators. Comcast's Phillip Eppright was the virtual keynote speaker and Seattle's Teen Summer Musical Director Isiah Anderson was emcee, and including a dance performance by Kutt'nUp Dance Crew and ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop. Several families also received books as part of the Knowledge is Power Book Giveaway hosted by T-Mobile Foundation.

Juneteenth Artists Collective

Emerging Black artists of the Pacific Northwest were showcased during the Juneteenth Artists Collective, a virtual program that was presented in partnership with the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, One Vibe Africa, and WaNaWari.

Juneteenth Jamboree

NAAM hosted its first Juneteenth Jamboree, a major festival that gave space to celebration, commemoration, and education around Juneteenth. Drawing 1,000 people of all ages from the greater Seattle area, the event was held at Judkins Park, and featured 24 vendors, all five of Seattle's professional sports teams—Storm, Seahawks, Mariners, Kraken, and Sounders—all-day stage performances, ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop, and a DJ, a children's zone, Seattle Parks Rec'N The Streets, vaccinations by Seattle Fire Department and health screenings by One Medical, a Knowledge is Power Book Giveaway hosted by T-Mobile Foundation, and more. We extend special thanks to Jamboree Sponsors Amazon, T-Mobile Foundation, Seattle Sounders FC and RAVE Foundation, and Seattle Mariners.

Juneteenth Praises in the Park, Spokane

NAAM traveled to Eastern Washington to partake in Spokane's Juneteenth Praises in the Park event hosted by the Carl Maxey Center. With support from Comcast and with books donated by T-Mobile Foundation, we distributed Knowledge is Power Books and made lasting connections with the African American community in Spokane.

Juneteenth Encore + Black Music Month Monday

We produced an encore program that served as the finale of the Juneteenth Week. In partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company, WaNaWari, and poet Jacquelyn Ware, we hosted a conversation with author Paul Porter about his career in the Black music industry.