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Central District Forum
by Kevin P. Henry

In the early 1990s, Stephanie Ellis-Smith had resigned herself to the idea that she would not be relishing a career as a lab scientist. Having attended UCLA, she already had two bachelor’s degrees in English literature and biochemistry. So friends and colleagues were surprised when Ellis-Smth left Los Angeles for New York City, where she volunteered for various projects, including work as a visual resources coordinator for the Jacob Lawrence Project. She photographed and published for a catalog of work by the esteemed African American artist.

“I loved and still do love science, but it didn’t fulfill all of my interests and my passion for working with people,” Ellis-Smith says from her small, cozy office in Seattle’s Central District. The Central District has been home to Seattle’s African American community for over 100 years. It has spawned world-renowned artists, including sculptor James Washington, musicians Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix, and Seattle’s famous Jackson Street jazz scene, which was the musical stomping ground of famous musicians like Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. Since the 1920s, the Central District has been a hub for African American art and artists. In the 1960s and 70s, many African Americans were involved in the civil rights movement as well. Today, the neighborhood is still the spiritual and cultural core for a large portion of the black community.

In 1999, Ellis-Smith, 36, took some of her own savings and started the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas, a Seattle-based nonprofit agency that produces programs for adults and youth of all ages and ethnicities. Being new in town, the gregarious Ellis-Smith had no contacts and no experience running a business or a nonprofit organization. However, she says she did benefit from the fact that no one in the community had ever attempted this before - so no one told her it would not work.

Since 1999, though, Ellis-Smith has served on numerous boards and commissions including the Washington State Arts Commission. She was also a trustee for Artist Trust, City Club and the NuBlack Arts West Theater. In 2004 she received the Community Service Award from the Loren Miller Bar Association.

Black artists and scholars have traditionally been supported by African Americans in Seattle, in addition to other ethnic communities. Ellis-Smith says the idea to create the forum came from the need for ongoing, continuous programming in the Seattle area. In the past, unless it was black history month, there was only a smattering of African American-oriented programs or events throughout the year. In addition, local African American artists had to wait for opportunities and venues to open to allow them their chance at self expression.

”It’s important that people in the community know that we are always here, that we have a continual presence, “Ellis-Smith says. “We are a one-stop shop for the arts. We needed a space specifically dedicated to the contributions of African Americans throughout the region.”

The mobile forum, which travels to venues all over Seattle, is a virtual meeting place for those interested in African American culture in the Pacific Northwest. One part of the mission of the organization is to enhance the appreciation of contemporary black cultural achievements in the United States. Many critics say that historically, African American contributions to American culture have been ignored or minimized. So creating a series of seminars, performances, lectures and readings about the African American experience and influence on American culture has made a name for the Central District Forum.

A representative example of the organization’s mission was Black to the Future, An Exploration of Blacks in Sci-Fi, a series of seminars about the contributions of African Americans to the Science Fiction genre, presented last year. Another example was the Food as Art Gala, a successful fundraiser for the organization in April of this year that featured cuisine from outstanding African American chefs and restaurant owners. Other programs range from readings, lectures and discussions to performing arts, youth programs and special events--all helping to enhance appreciation of contemporary black cultural achievements. In addition to receiving grants and donations, sponsors for programs have included The Horizons Foundation, the Mayor’s Office for Arts and Cultural Affairs, The Nesholm Family Foundation, 4Culture, ArtsFund, WESTFAR, Poncho and KUOW 94.9 FM.

“Nothing could have happened – my ideas wouldn’t have come to anything – if I didn’t have the board that I have and the support of community members,” Ellis-Smith says. “We intend to challenge the assumptions about African American people.

“Generally, Seattle is liberal, but sometimes the conservative side comes out through its latent small-town provincialism,” Ellis-Smith says. “It’s a lack of exposure to diversity which makes folks here uneasy about differences. It means that people are going to be exposed to new ways of doing things.”

Nevertheless, audiences for programs continue to be racially mixed, representing a wide range of ages and ethnicities. Audiences are usually about 60 percent African American, 30 percent white, with the remainder composed of several other ethnic groups. The staff and volunteers are also multi-racial, as is the board of directors.

“The nature of the African American struggle is part of American history and relevant to everyone of all ages,” Ellis-Smith says. For all of its continuing success, though, Ellis-Smith does become frustrated with people who are not supportive. But, she says: “I just plow on through to get the job done. I just get tired at times of having to prove the importance of the organization.”

Another key player at the forum is program manager Denee McCloud, 32, who curates and directs a multidisciplinary season of lectures/discussions, performances, youth/family programs, and community collaborations. Prior to moving to Seattle, McCloud was the Cultural Participation Programs’ associate for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in Washington, DC, an organization dedicated to connecting performing artists and audiences in a variety of settings. She has also held creative positions with the Ohio Dance Festival and Experience Music Project in Seattle. McCloud has a Bachelor of Arts degree in management and a minor in accounting.

McCloud is largely responsible for igniting the process that takes an idea or program concept through the necessary steps to make it a reality. “The ideas for programs come from everywhere,” she says. “Many of them come from our community members, like the idea for the blacks in science fiction series.” Venues are rented by the forum throughout the city, such as at the Langston Hughes complex, or Ethnic Cultural Theatre in the University District. The organization keeps profits from the ticket sales.

“The major challenge I face is meeting the demand of our growing audiences for increased programming, McCloud says. The most satisfying thing about what I do is having the opportunity to support the work of amazing performing artists and authors locally and nationally. But then equally satisfying is presenting programs that offer new perspectives on African American history.”

For Ellis-Smith, many programs stand out in her mind. “One program of ours that I actually cried at was 'Harriet Goes to School,' the story of a student’s life after the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that ended segregation. It was about how the civil rights movement, particularly school integration, was borne on the backs of children. It was a beautiful, heart-wrenching story that really made the hundreds of kids in the audience think about the power they have to affect social change even though they cannot vote.”

When not at the office, Ellis-Smith can be found at home with her husband, author Douglas Smith, and their two children. In addition to playing squash, Ellis-Smith loves gardening.

Upcoming programs include Which Way Seattle, Inequality in the Public Schools, Oct. 12, at 7 pm at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre, University of Washington. This program will discuss the current inequality in Seattle public schools and its impact on African American students. A reading by Ngugi wa Thiong’o , author of Wizards of the Crow, is scheduled for Nov. 8, at 7 pm at Piggott Auditorium, Seattle University. Also slated is Fear of a Black Marker: Cartooning and Activism, a presentation by Keith Knight on Nov. 16, at 7 pm at Richard Hugo House in Seattle.

Kevin P. Henry is the cultural diversity coordinator for the City of Bellevue and the host of Voices of Diversity on KBCS-FM, 91.3.

©2006 Caliope Publishing Company