NAAM's Juneteenth Celebration: 16 Years of Cultivating Community and Culture
Photos by Jordan Somers
Recently, on The Day with Trae, Kizha Davidson joined guest host Deaunte Damper to talk about NAAM, the Northwest African American Museum. Davidson has been a NAAM Board Member for two and a half years, yet even before that she always had the museum on her mind, as this is NAAM’s 16th anniversary year.
“I've got to the exhibits, I've hosted events, they're just having it where it sits right in the center of the community, and you can see it is really important,” Davidson said.
Davidson came on the show to talk about NAAM’s celebration for Juneteenth. The festivities kick off with a lively skate party at Judkins Park on Saturday, June 15, featuring food, music, vendors, and appearances from local sports teams. On Sunday, June 16, admission to the museum will be free, offering attendees the opportunity to explore exhibits and learn more about African American history and culture. Additionally, NAAM will be debuting an Emmett Till exhibit in June, with more details to come. The celebration extends beyond Juneteenth, with year-round programming including book author talks, interactive storytime for kids, and diverse offerings for all ages and interests.
“NAAM is a space for resilience,” Davidson said. “It uses Black heritage to cultivate just a sense of community and healing and hope for everyone.”
The way NAAM achieves this is by spreading knowledge and understanding of Black histories, Black arts, and Black culture here in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. They work with others to create exhibits, events, and rich programming that help elevate and amplify the Black experience.
“When we understand our shared history and our shared heritage, that really will help us move into the future stronger together,” Davidson said.
NAAM is experiencing a moment of change at present, the museum is looking for a new CEO. Questions surrounding how to move forward into the future are dependent on finding the right leader.
“Someone who can really help guide the organization and break folks together and build community and just really take them to the next level,” Davidson said. “We have a hiring committee, that includes folks from the board, it includes staff and includes community members, to really make sure that we are going into that process thoughtfully. And that we can find the right candidate for the job.”
In the past two years the board has grown, up to 21 members now. They are still actively recruiting and expanding so that the board represents the community. Davidson said that they are trying to support the organization and be that connection to the community in the best way that they can.
For those who want to learn more about NAAM and to discover new exhibits visit naamnw.org
For more updates on organizations uplifting the community in Seattle, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. and with Deaunte on We Live In Color every Thursday at 8 pm. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
