​​WHO WE ARE TODAY
 
We are the host tribe for Seattle, our area’s only indigenous tribe. Many of our enrolled members still live on Duwamish aboriginal territory, which includes Seattle, Burien, Tukwila, Renton, and Redmond. 

​Our tribe is governed by a 1925 constitution and its bylaws.  The six-members* tribal council, headed by Cecile Hansen since 1975, meets monthly, and tribal gatherings are held at least annually. Tribal leadership has been very stable with fewer than six changes in leadership in the last 85 years.

Duwamish Tribal Services, is a 501[c]3 organization established in 1983 by the Duwamish Tribal Council to promote the social, cultural, and economic survival of the Duwamish Tribe.  We brought suit against the government in 1925 and received a positive judgement for our claims in 1934, each of our members receiving payment from the government in 1964. We filed our first petition for recognition in 1978 and have been working for that acknowledgment ever since in the face of great odds.

We regularly provide Duwamish representatives and speakers for public engagements in the community, schools, universities, and heritage and service organizations. Consistent with native protocol, the Duwamish routinely greet visiting foreign and tribal leaders when they visit our area.  Our tribal board members sit on the boards of key community and governmental organizations concerning environmental, heritage, tourism, and neighborhood issues.

Since the 1980s, DTS has administered the Emergency Food Assistance Program funded by the Washington State’s Office of Community, Trade, and Economic Development.  The program provides on average 72 native people and their families with monthly food vouchers and other support services.
 
We are the host tribe for Seattle.

. . . as I walked into the Main Ceremony Hall of Duwamish Longhouse, I was warmed with the golden Cedars, elevated by the lofty whole cedar logs – lifting my gaze and awareness upward.  I felt the welcome and goodness in my heart – to return to a place and People whose purpose is to live life “in a good and right way.”
​

• The direct descendants of Chief Sealth – the Duwamish People. 
  
  
• Chief Sealth’s mother --- a Duwamish.
  
  
• The Duwamish River and the 54,000 acres spreading out from her that Chief Sealth offered to share with us – the place where Chief Seattle spent his days and life . . . .
  
  
• The Chief Seattle Oratory he gave - so much a part of the Spiritual Guidance of the People of Seattle and the People of this Earth . . . is in the soil under our feet . . . is in the molecules of air that derived from his living time and live now in the 12 Great Tides of the Air – and give us life.

Surely THIS is the Original Beloved Community of Seattle.
Nominate you?
That would be a blind omission.  We Proclaim You!

We ACKNOWLEDGE YOU!  WE SUPPORT YOU! 
WE CARE FOR YOU IN SACRED FRIENDSHIP.
WE LOVE YOU!

You ARE . . . The Original - and the enduring Community. We stand with you at this moment, who offered to share your land, your food, your ways.
​
May we continue to acknowledge and listen to you - learn from you – move forward in a “good and right way” - receiving your land, your cultural food, and your ways - with Gratitude and Reciprocity – WITH YOU!

THANK YOU . . . Community of the Duwamish People!
You are indeed Beloved!

Norma Jean Young,
Grandmother-Healer

Y-WE provides transformative empowerment and mentorship programs for diverse teen and adult women in the greater Seattle region.

By Kate Thompson

Y-WE is Beloved Community! When you get involved with Y-WE in any way, you join a passionate intergenerational and multicultural group of women, ages 13 and up, wholeheartedly committed to advancing their communities and the world through education, creativity, and leadership training. This work is groundbreaking, vital and a true pride for Seattle and the world. When I hear these vibrant young women tell their breathtaking stories of vision and transformation, it is inspiring and gives me great hope for the future of women and the world.

Jamie-Rose Edwards co-founded Young Women Empowered in 2010, after her daughter Amirra was born. Jamie-Rose knew she needed to do something groundbreaking for Amirra and for all young women for generations to come. she helped to build Y-WE, and it is thriving. Here Amirra will grow up with a wide range of role models and mentors. She can be the woman of her own dreams while at her side she has a lot of courageous and inspiring sisters and allies of all genders.

Y-WE is proud to now be co-directed by Jamie-Rose and Victoria Santos. Victoria Santos has a passion for inclusive, sustainable community and creative approaches to learning and growth. Born in the Dominican Republic, Victoria immigrated to the U.S. at age 11. Victoria's commitment to social justice and service has expressed itself in many forms over the past 20 years, including school-based counseling and community-based enrichment programs for underserved youth, as well as community development in the U.S. and internationally. Together, Victoria and Jamie-Rose embody the organizational values of collaborative leadership between women of different backgrounds, generations, and cultures.

Mission: Y-WE empowers young women from diverse backgrounds to step up as leaders in their schools, communities, and the world. We do this through intergenerational mentorship, intercultural collaboration, and creative programs that equip girls with the confidence, resiliency, and leadership skills needed to achieve their goals and improve their communities.

Who Y-WE serves: Y-WE's mentorship and empowerment programs serve diverse girls, ages 13-18, young adult women, and adult women mentors, ages 19-70+, in the greater Seattle area, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Island counties. Each year, Y-WE directly serves more than 650 girls and women and benefits over 2000 community members. Of current Y-WE youth, 60% are first or second-generation immigrants, 80% are of color, and 90% are from low-income backgrounds.

Why Y-WE exists: Underserved girls in the Seattle area suffer a lack of access and face cultural barriers to empowerment. Studies show that over 90% of adolescent girls experience a significant drop in self­esteem and feel they have "lost their voice." Within a vibrant, multicultural community of girls and women, Y-WE seeks to empower young women in all its programs to become leaders who effect positive change in their communities. Y-WE wants diverse girls to find their voices, gain knowledge and skills, develop self-confidence, express themselves creatively, explore academic and career pathways, and forge strong bonds within a supportive community. Y­WE's young women leaders are committed to creating a compassionate and just world.

Programs include:

Y-WE Lead (core eight-month leadership and empowerment program includes workshops, retreats, service, Health Day, Career Day, creative arts, movement (dance, yoga), and more. In 2016-17, will serve 65+ girls, 35 mentors/facilitators, and engage 200+ additional women and girls.)

Y-WE Create (Weeklong creative arts and design camp delivered with foundry10.)

Y-WE Write (Weeklong summer creative writing camp delivered with Hedgebrook and Whidbey Institute.)

Y-WE Nature Connections (Year-round environmental learning, stewardship and outdoor explorations.)

Youth Leadership Council (Young women represent Y-WE at board meetings, workshops and conferences.)

Academic and Career Explorations (Eight-month program provides after-school academic support, tutoring, internships and college/career readiness activities.)

Y-WE is unique because it:

• Provides equal access to programs for women and girls from all walks of life.
  
  
• Provides transportation, scholarships, & nutritious food at every event.
  
  
• Provides consistent group mentorship from diverse adult role models who share their professional expertise, personal advice, and networks.
  
  
• Builds long-lasting friendships and "positive girl-culture" between participants from different neighborhoods, religions, cultures, economic backgrounds, and generations.
  
  
• Listens to the youth it serves, includes young women in organizational leadership, and reshapes program content based upon their feedback.
  
  
• Partners with other organizations like UW Bothell, Seattle Repertory Theater and Hedgebrook (where women author change) to offer young women access to education and the arts.
  
  
• Incorporates PYE Global's (Partners for Youth Empowerment) proven "creative community model" to build self-confidence, encourage collaboration, and promote social justice through artistic expression.
  

By: Anne Stadler

The images on their Facebook page speak for themselves. Faces and voices of homeless people speaking directly to those who would listen and help.

We are a community for ending suffering on our streets. We do this by choosing to see the beauty of person in front of us, rather than the issue that overwhelms us.

Their online community extends to over 45 countries. It is raising awareness for those living without shelter and other basic needs by sharing photos and personal stories that highlight the beauty of persons.

You reach their small office by knocking on their window and entering the service entrance of the University Methodist Church, off the alley. The place is crammed with sleeping bags, bags of clothes and other assistance for people in need. Beloved community is their mission.

We all face homelessness if we don't wake up to the beauty in front of us. These folks are the canary in our planet's coal mine.

By: Anne Stadler

"For over 40 years, El Centro de la Raza has been building Beloved Community for all Races. Started by a circle of Latinos/Latinas who occupied an unused school building on Beacon Hill so that the population of Mexican Americans living in Seattle could have a home base, El Centro has become a literal beacon of beloved community for all races, in the whole region and beyond.

The picture shows some key allies in that evolution: (from left) Bob Santos, founder of Interimidca; Enrique Cerna, cochair of the effort to build Plaza Roberto Maestas who broke new ground in local television; and Larry Gossett, an African- American firebrand in the 60s who is now a fixture on the King County Council.

El Centro models a culture of beloved community as it serves people from preschoolers to seniors, by providing the assistance they need to thrive." The walls are decorated with colorful murals and paintings. Today they have over 40 programs serving a very diverse community from pre-school children to seniors.

Due south of the original building, they've recently broken ground for Plaza Roberto Maestas, three mixed housing and commercial buildings clustered around a central plaza, named in honor of Founder, Roberto Maestas.

El Centro de la Raza
​2524 16th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144

By: Anne Stadler

From the street, you see a brick front, built into the hillside, with a colorful mask, a few half built objects and art supplies strewn around. The sign announces: Fremont Powerhouse—and powerhouse it is!

There’s no other place quite like it in the city. The Fremont Arts Council (FAC) runs it and people from all over the city use it. It was the “Powerhouse” for the BF Day Elementary School, from the days when the school was heated with coal and oil boilers. It became an art making space in the early 90’s, completely in keeping with the prevailing ethos of Fremont—the freest neighborhood in the city!
 
According to Denise, an artist who’s been around since the early days of the Powerhouse: “The Arts Council came into this space in 1992 or 93. We needed a permanent space. The school (behind it) had this empty building that hadn’t been used in decades. It was ¾ full of boilers. So with support from the school’s principal, FAC members wrote a grant, and helped dismantle the boilers and move them out.”
 
Now it’s used both inside and outside. Today, people are busy putting finishing touches on their Solstice Parade floats, puppets, and masks.
 
Denise: “Several times a year we have parades and festivals that honor the changing season. Right now it’s the summer solstice happening tomorrow, so this is a busy place.”
In addition to preparing for the summer Solstice Parade, there’s a winter solstice feast. People make hundreds of candles for the feasting tables, and headdresses for all the guests. Then they build installations. Much of that happens at the Power House as well as at the feasting space. And groups can reserve the Powerhouse to make their own stuff for celebrations.
 
Whatever you need for making things is here…or one of the volunteer helpers knows where you can get it. All art materials are donated.

Denise: “The Fremont Arts Council tries to promote the idea that everyone is an artist; some people just haven’t discovered that yet. One of FAC’s mottos is “Here, hold this.” Because when you hand a person a paintbrush or glue gun and encourage her, she often creates something she never dreamed of. People have met each other here, and gotten married, and had children. Barb Luecke, one of the Founders, says a sign of a successful parade is when someone falls in love.”
 
“The place is hugely forgiving. It’s not intimidating. It’s not like we’re making “ART” for a gallery walk! We’re making art because it’s a fun thing to do together. This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with what people put together— obviously some gorgeous stuff gets made by people who are professional artists but a lot of the pieces are slapped together from paint and cardboard and are really charming!” Even the Fremont troll was made here. Now it’s a hulking tourist attraction up under the Aurora Bridge. People can contribute money up there to help keep the Powerhouse going. Money matters, but the real power of the Powerhouse is LOVE!
 
www.freemontartscouncil.org
Contact: LeslieZ@fremontartscouncil.org

Freemont Powerhouse
3940 Fremont Ave North
Seattle, WA 98103