The Central Area is home to historic arts organizations such as the Northwest African American Museum and Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Legendary artists, from Quincy Jones to Jimi Hendrix, have roots in the district.
At last, the neighborhood is getting official recognition for its artistic contributions. The Seattle City Council voted Dec. 14 to designate the neighborhood the Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District. Mayor Ed Murray signed the resolution Dec. 17.
“I think that it’s really important there be evidence of our existence — of African Americans in the Central Area — and all the contributions we have made to the city’s arts and culture vitality,” said Vivian Phillips, who serves as the chair for Seattle Arts Commission.
Phillips, the director of marketing and communications at Seattle Theatre Group, is one of the individuals behind the designation. The city committed $50,000 to promote and preserve arts in the Central District.
The district is historically black due to redlining practices. Banks would not loan credit to African Americans and other minorities from the 1910s through 1960s, pushing them into pockets of the city such as the Central District.
However, the demographics have shifted in recent years. Today, the majority of the neighborhood is white. African Americans may make up less than 10 percent of the Central District’s population in a decade, according to The Seattle Times.
It’s because of these shifts and gentrification that preserving the history is important, Phillips said.
“There’s a lot of concern that what this means is we will be creating a museum for black people, and there will be no black people in the Central District,” Phillips explained.
That’s not the goal of designating the Central District as an Arts and Cultural District.
Phillips emphasized the level of sensitivity that must be employed, as well as the importance of economic equity in the creation of programs, making it affordable for all.
The Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District follows the Capitol Hill Arts District that was designated November 2014.
Strategic planning to kickstart the initiative will begin in January 2016 with the search for a host organization.
“It’s a long list of things we have to address,” Phillips said. “In Capitol Hill, it was a response to a loss of space for arts to happen. In the Central Area, we’re facing an area of losing black people, so we want to balance those things and make it resonate.”