THE NECESSITY OF WRITING OUR OWN STORIES

This month marks three remarkable years for ARTE NOIR in Seattle’s Central District. While it’s not 5, 10, or 20 years yet, this anniversary is a milestone — and a stepping stone toward the next ones.

Last month, I shared our new strategic plan, a three-year roadmap grounded in a solid vision for our future. Vision matters, but planning makes progress real. We’re taking the SMART route — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — to continue strengthening and fulfilling our mission: celebrating and sustaining Black art, artists, and culture through inclusive spaces, opportunities, and community.

This journey has never been ours alone. It’s been built with the support and collaboration of individuals and organizations across the arts and community ecosystems. Having emerged as an online editorial, there is one group of partners I want to lift up. Today, I celebrate especially the writers who have lent their talent to our editorial pages.

"There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal." Toni Morrison

Over the past three years, twenty-nine Black writers, artists, and photographers — emerging and established — have enriched our pages with their insights and creativity. We value and pay these contributors because we know how hard it can be for Black thinkers to see their work published and recognized. Their contributions, from exhibit analyses to visually stunning photography and thought-provoking essays, profiles, and reviews, have set a new standard for authentic, non-Euro-normative perspectives on Black creativity. They transform our vision with language.

With gratitude, I want to acknowledge them.

Akoiya Harris

Amber Flame

Angela Poe Russell

Atlanta Brown

Bené Bicaba

Beverly Aarons

Brihana Juá

Daudi Abe

Donald Byrd

Eli Branch

Ethelene Whitmire

Georgia McDade

Gregory Maqoma

Isha Hassan

Jas Kemig

Jodi-Ann Burey

Justin Leggett

Kathya Alexander

Leilani Lewis

Marcus Harrison Green

Marjorie Clarke

Myah Paden

Nia Amina Minor

Nifemi Madarikan

Perri Rhoden

Rubin Quarcoopome Sharon Williams

Soulma Ayers

Valerie Curtis-Newton

Rubin Quarcoopome, “forwards always forwards” (2024)

These contributors illustrate through their craft the ways that we share the vision of partners like the Black Future Co-Op Fund. This Black-led philanthropy uplifts truthful Black narratives as a path to collective well-being. ARTE NOIR echoes that mission by providing a dedicated platform for Black storytellers, honoring them, compensating them, and making space for their voices to feed our well-being.

Three years in, we’re proud of the foundation we’ve built — and even more excited about the milestones ahead. We're growing, we're glowing, our family and our footprint are expanding, our voices are audible, and our culture is nurtured.

Thank You + Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!