Featured recent win
Family Empowerment Center $1 million ~5600 direct actions
Juneteenth 2024, King County Equity Now celebrated four years of steadfast advocacy and significant victories for the Black community. We extend heartfelt thanks to YOU, our incredible equity champions, for your support in driving an impressive 315,000 actions towards advancing equity over the past four years! Despite persistent attempts to undermine KCEN’s Juneteenth celebration, the event once again triumphed as a resounding success. Featuring electrifying by Dead Prez, performances J. Holiday, and a multitude of Seattle-based talents, alongside over 100 vendors, it was a vibrant intergenerational gathering that provided space for Black joy and jubilation amidst our ongoing fight for justice and equity.
KCEN Wins: Moving the Dial for Black Equity
Our success is measured by tangible improvements in the lives of Black people. Through nearly 315,000 direct actions, KCEN has mobilized efforts that have secured:
200 million for the Community Reinvestment Program, safeguarded from redirection by opportunistic politicians.- 150 million in increased community development for affordable housing from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, supporting projects like Africatown Plaza, Ethiopian Community Center, Elizabeth Thomas Homes, Beacon Pacific Village North Lot, and NP Eastern Hotel.
- 14 million allocated for the Keiro project, preventing predatory development and creating opportunities for Black community equity in the Central District.
- The transformation of Fire Station 6 into the William Grose Center, opened in 2022.
- Land transfers for the development of the Youth Achievement Center, led by Community Passageways & Creative Justice.
- 27 million for Africatown Plaza, promoting Black community-centered spaces and scalable models to counter gentrification impacts.
- Secured state funding for the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom, establishing two community-owned health and healing sites in South Seattle, with plans for a 40,000 square-foot center by 2027, serving up to 12,000 patients annually.
- $1 million towards Black land ownership in Othello for an East African-centered Family Empower Center and Community Housing.
- $400,000 to bring accessible and high-quality early education to Petah Village in South Seattle through outdoor preschool education.
Challenges Ahead
Despite these accomplishments, significant obstacles persist. Nationally and locally, there are ongoing efforts to dismantle racial equity initiatives. Nationally, attacks on funding initiatives like the Fearless Fund and reparations efforts in Evanston, IL, along with the denial of reparations to Tulsa Race Massacre survivors are alarming.
Locally, attempts to divert funds from the Community Reinvestment Program, Participatory Budgeting, and the Equitable Development Initiative are concerning. Additionally, recent city planning lacks equitable strategies to protect vulnerable communities from displacement.
Call to Action
We urge non-Black-led organizations to refrain from competing for resources intended for Black communities. This perpetuates inequity and undermines our efforts towards justice and equality.
The Nonprofit Industrial Complex has grown into a billion-dollar industry over 50 years, disproportionately benefitting white organizations while Black communities have faced ongoing decline. This disparity must end immediately.
We also call for an end to the use of Black organizations as tokens by non-Black entities. Black communities are fully capable of directing and managing resources through our own channels.
With Juneteenth now a national holiday, we call upon our supporters to honor its significance by recommitting to supporting our critical work. Together, we can dismantle systemic inequities and establish a new norm rooted in equity for Seattle and Martin Luther King Jr. County.