Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas

On August 28, 2024, Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas will be joining #Give828, a national day of giving focused specifically on supporting Black-led and Black-benefitting organizations. 

#Give828 isn't like other fundraising campaigns. Give 8/28 takes place during Black Philanthropy Month and commemorates multiple critical historical landmarks in Black Americans march toward freedom. Learn about all of the historical August 28 moments here. 

Here are just a few: 

1. August 28, 1945: Major League Baseball President Branch Rickey met with Jackie Robinson to tell him he would be integrating the Majors.
2. August 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. The storm, which devastated New Orleans, inordinately impacted many of the city’s Black residents.
3. August 28, 2020: Our beloved Chadwick Boseman, aka T’Challa died.
4. And...on August 28, 2024: YOU joined #Give828 in support of Black self-empowerment through philanthropy! 

In 2024, we're at a critical juncture. The disproportionate impacts of economic disparities and social injustice on Black communities underscore the vital need for resources to support Black-led nonprofits.   

1. CD Forum is on the ground every day, ensuring our communities:
2. Can have access to space for teaching.
3. Rehearsing and congregating at the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.
4. Can have space for collective discourse and resource sharing.
5. Can be confident they can continue to cultivate their artistic and community practices.
6. Can stay informed on the issues important in Black community. 

Support CD Forum this #Give28 and help us so that we can collaborate with more artists by providing space for FREE. So that we can ensure that programs like our weekly West African dance class with Yusef Seevers, our monthly KiKi sessions “Hold That Pose for Me” with SWACE Health, and our monthly Community Feed with Dope Culture can benefit from our resources, knowledge, and expertise.  

Supporting our #Give828 campaign takes two steps:  1) Donate to us on August 28, and  2) Share your support on social media. Tag us in your posts with #CDFORUM #25thAnniversary #BlackPhilanthropyMonth and #Give828 to join the national Black giving community. 

Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas is a nonprofit organization solely dedicated to presenting emerging Black arts, artists, and ideas in the Seattle area. This year, our aim is to raise $25,000 to sustain our programs and initiatives. You will help us: 

● Uphold the 25-year legacy of CD Forum 

● Maintain predominantly free programming to ensure accessibility  

● Collaborate with the SeaTac Kiki Ballroom Scene for Kiki Sessions 

● Continue curating quarterly spaces for the Black community to engage in dialogue and share ideas 

● Provide event space to artists, community members, and educators so that it reduces barriers for creative professionals to work within the community  

A gift to CD Forum fosters creativity, facilitates dialogue, and also promotes economic empowerment through the arts. Will you assist us in nurturing healing, joy, and radical expression within the historic Central District Neighborhood and beyond? 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT CDFORUM.ORG

Mission: 

We enrich Seattle’s cultural Landscape by empowering Black artists and communities through equitable access, brave spaces, and collective discourse.

Vision:

We envision a world where Black lives, contributions, and expressions are cherished. By nurturing and platforming the works of Black artists, we cultivate community belonging that retains Black talent, enriches the diversity of Seattle’s Art Ecosystem, and opens doors for solidarity, understanding, and collective empowerment that transcends difference.

Core Approaches:

1. Non-Monolithic Black Expression
2. Nurturing Artists
3. Embodied Liberation
4. Community Placemaking