'King Day 2024' at the Northwest African American Museum

NAAM's MLK Day brought together speakers, activities, and a variety of exhibits.

by Jenn Ngeth

On Jan. 15, 2024, the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) held an event, King Day 2024, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With free entry, visitors were able to enjoy this activity-packed day with their family and friends while discussing race, the importance of social justice for all, and how to continue the work of King and other civil rights leaders.

On this crisp, chilly day, I walked into NAAM to experience the "Interrupting Privilege" exhibit thinking it'd be a mellow, informative time. To my delight, I was immediately greeted by the staff with an overview of their "Unarmed Truth & Unconditional Love" activities and the bustling of children and adults immersed in exhibits such as "Freedom of Expressions Series II," "Oregon Black Pioneers," "Positive Frequencies," and a one-day exhibit in partnership with University of Washington, "Interrupting Privilege."

Interactive storytelling by the Seattle Children's Theatre had the community room packed! With books like How We Can Live: Principles of Black Lives Matters by Lalea Garcia and African Proverbs for All Ages collected by Johnetta Cole and Nelda LaTeef being brought to life by the storyteller, the audience was captivated. Expressionist artworks by local Black artists decorated one side of the room, while a face-painting booth took up the front portion, where children's faces were adorned with their painted image of choice, like a spider or butterflies doused in glitter.

A stream of people flowed into the "Positive Frequencies" exhibit where the artworks of C. Bennett, Eric Salisbury, Myron Curry, and Samuel Blackwell are displayed. The colorful and lively textures of the pieces awed the onlookers. Portraits of Black musical figures like Sade, Etta James, and many more were transformed by the artists in exciting colors like seafoam green, teal, and bubblegum pink streaks on a lace background —— an unexpected combination that shows how music genres blend, creating a harmonious fusion. As I pondered Curry's piece, Queen of Sorrow, I reflected on how these artists influenced the public through their craft and how music is a space for us to heal on a collective level based on the human experience.

In Liberty Hall, a keynote program was being held which featured many guest speakers such as poet (and Emerald contributor) Patheresa Wells, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, Boeing's senior director Patrick Cazeau, Seattle-based professor Daudi Abe, and the acclaimed Dr. Clayborne Carson, a professor of history at Stanford University and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute.

NAAM's African American Cultural Ensemble kicked off the program, followed by a poetry reading from Wells. As each speaker shared their perceptions of the importance of MLK Day and continuing his legacy through action, Carson further discussed the need to learn from the past in order to create a better future.

"It's a two-part lesson," Carson said. "One of them is you look to the past to learn how to make a better future. There's a purpose to looking into the past. That's why people study slavery. That's why people study colonialism. That's why people look at the roots of racism."

"You look into the past to develop an idea of 'How did we get here?'" he continued. "Because that is the essential knowledge necessary to answer, 'How do we get to a better world?'"

After the wisdom that Carson shared, I wanted to hear how exhibits like these make an impact on Black communities and individuals.

Issa Kenyatta, a recent Washington resident originally from Georgia, said, "This idea of home and creating a place where people can come and congregate, feel accepted and welcomed … Having spaces like this, 'Interrupting Privilege,' in a way interrupts the normal flow of how society might go."

"Interrupting Privilege" at NAAM was a one-day exhibit that allowed for a safe place to have an open dialogue on the Black experience and how through a collective, continued effort towards equal human rights, society can make a better future.

"Sometimes the biggest protests, the biggest way of practicing social justice is justice in your existence and taking up space," Kenyatta said. "Being able to have places like this, to take up space and allow People of Color, Black people, to feel comfortable and at home in a place that doesn't always feel like that, is really special."

The message I took away from King Day 2024? We must continue to learn from past human rights leaders and history's atrocities. The trick is not to live in the past.

Head over to NAAM to enjoy their current exhibits "Freedom of Expression Series II," "Oregon Black Pioneers," and "Positive Frequencies."

📸 Featured Image: Entrance of the Northwest African American Museum during the "Interrupting Privilege" exhibit. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)