NW African American Museum’s African American Cultural Experience Choir
The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) is possibly the only museum in the country to house a choir. NAAM was closed for renovation until January, 2023. During the pandemic, the African American Cultural Experience choir became the mobile arm of the museum. The choral group shares Black/US history with the community through music that expresses the Black experience.
Listen in on this excerpt of a KBCS interview with NAAM President and CEO, LaNesha DeBardelaben about the significance of this choir.
Producer: Yuko Kodama Special thanks to Jalisa Bass for contributing to editing
Photo: NAAM
Music Clips: NAAM ACE Choir and KNKX
KBCS Turns 50!
With abounding gratitude for 50 years we say thank you.
Thank you to the Bellevue College Students who gathered, organized and rallied for a 10 watt community radio station that went on the air today in 1973.
Thank you to KING FM who donated the first equipment to make that happen.
Thank you to Bellevue College who have held our license for 50 years, given us a place on campus, and quietly championed us when it was far from the easiest choice to make.
Thank you to our community volunteers, past and present, who have wildly given us your time, talent, passion and joy. You are the many that make the one.
Thank you to the student news journalists and local independent journalists for continuing the craft of informing and honoring community
Thank you to the community members who share their voices and brave stories for all of us to learn from and connect with.
Thank you to the progressive media partners who bring us the critical news and discussion on topics from around the country and the world.
And, we thank you, our beautiful listeners who, we humbly claim, have the best ears. You have powered this community radio station far beyond what should have been possible. We celebrate 50 with you, for you, and because of you.
Happy 50th KBCS, you sweet old radio station.
We sure do like the way you sound.
KBCS Reflections on the First Day of Broadcast 50 Years Ago
Chinese New Year 2023
Chinese New Year is January 22nd. The season is marked with celebrations involving food, feasts with loved ones, firecrackers and lion and dragon dances. We bring you an interview with Dr. Connie So, a Teaching Professor at the American Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Washington, Seattle and President of OCA Asian Pacific Advocates of Greater Seattle.
Here is a link to the Seattle Times list of Lunar New Year events for this year
Linda Sarsour: Intersectional Activism and Organizing
Linda Sarsour is an activist most known for her work in organizing the 2017 Women’s March, involving an estimated four million participants nationwide.
Today, she leads the organizations, MPower Change and Until Freedom. Sarsour discusses what intersectional organizing looks like, as well as what she has experienced as a Muslim activist in these times.
Sarsour penned, We Are Not Here to be Bystanders and a young readers book, We’re In This Together.
Valley and Mountain Fellowship will be hosting Linda Sarsour to speak at the event, Against Islamophobia & White Supremacy on Sunday, January 22nd at 3:30 pm at Seattle’s Rainier Arts Center. This is a part of Valley and Mountain Fellowship’s Set Us Free From Fear series.
A New York Times article referred to in the interview is here.
Producers: Laura Florez and Yuko Kodama
Organization for Prostitution Survivors
KBCS’s Kevin Henry interviews, Rebekah Fonden, Board President of the Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS).Fonden, a survivor herself, talks about how to support survivors of the sex trade and discusses available resources. She also shares her personal story.
Nature: Trumpeter Swans
KBCS’s Yuko Kodama and Seward Park Audubon Center Lead Naturalist, Ed Dominguez were at Seattle’s Union Bay Natural Area in the University District, and came across the Trumpeter Swans in the winter of 2019.
Producer: Yuko Kodama and Ed Dominguez
Photo: Ken Schneider
Open Studio Cambodia Exhibit
How are Cambodian artists approaching contemporary art today? Lauren Iida is an Artist and Founder of Open Studio Cambodia, an artist collective based in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Iida founded this organization in 2018. It mentors, represents, and provides supplies and communal studio and gallery space to a small group of local Cambodian contemporary artists.
KBCS spoke with Iida at The Vestibule in Ballard, where Open Studio Cambodia artists’ work is featured through December 17th in the exhibit, Starting to Work Again: Contemporary Cambodian Art. She describes the contemporary art scene in Cambodia today and introduces some of the artists featured in this exhibit.
Producer: Yuko Kodama
Photo: Lauren Iida
Lauren Lida
Stand-up Comedian and Writer, Julie Kim
Julie Kim
Teaching Lushootseed to Toddlers
Lushootseed is the language spoken by Coast Salish tribes in the greater Seattle area and north to Skagit River Valley near Bellingham and Whidbey Island, and south to Olympia and Shelton. In 1819, Congress passed the Civilization Fund Act to assimilate indigenous youth to western culture. The policy authorized forcible separation of indigenous children from their families to be sent to boarding schools far away, where they were to be stripped of their language, culture and religious practices. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that this practice was outlawed. This caused a severe disruption in likelihood for traditional practices and lifestyles to continue.
Today, members of these communities are reawakening their native tongue through education to everyone from 6 month olds, elementary and high school students and adults.
Jasmyne Diaz is an enrolled Tulalip member and shares a peek into her work of teaching Lushootseed language as a Teacher Assistant to six-month to two-year old children in Tulalip, Washington through the Tulalip Lushootseed Language Program
Producers: Laura Florez and Yuko Kodama
