In July 2023, King County awarded $25 million in grants to nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses to address Racism as a Public Health Crisis.
Envisioned jointly by community members and King County in August 2021 and launched in March 2022, The Gathering Collaborative is a group of trusted community members who uplift Black and Indigenous people and their communities – those most directly harmed by racism. By the vote of our peers, The Rhapsody Project received $82,000.
Here are 3 ways that The Rhapsody Project reacts to racism through public health.
- Sliding Scale Payment
We start by eliminating financial barriers to our programs with Sliding Scale payment. We are aware that the ever-increasing cost of living in Seattle places a burden on all families, but especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous families who are fighting against the systematic oppression that’s built into our hetero-patriarchal white supremacist society. By sewing Sliding Scale payment into the foundation of our organization, we can facilitate easing of financial burdens for all who face them. 90% of our programs are “pay-what-you-can”. If you’re a participant and have ample disposable income, we ask that you pay the suggested price. For those who can’t afford the full cost, we ask that you pay what’s feasible. If you can’t pay, that’s fine, just sign up anyway! We’ve noticed that folks who can’t pay often volunteer their time and energy to support our programming.
- Unbroken Circle
Unbroken Circle allows students to explore heritage through the personal, local, and cultural history of the people in the group. The phrase “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” is rooted in the African American tradition of tracing your roots and seeking the knowledge and methodologies for collective liberation. African Americans have one of the richest cultural histories. Still, because traditions were stripped away through the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Jim Crow practices, and the present-day school-to-prison pipeline, the historical and cultural teachings are rarely passed from generation to generation. Our “Unbroken Circle” program fights against the white supremacist power structure by bringing in Black, Brown, and Indigenous culture bearers to teach the histories and traditions to our participants.
Our circle is strengthened by local, national, and international musicians rooted in Yiddish, Black American, and Native culture and heritage. Sessions run twice a year starting in the fall and running into the summer. We seek to bring in local and Visiting artists who are invested in growing the traditions within King County.
For example, this year we brought in several musicians who have long histories and relationships with King County, including D’Vonne Lewis, Cellist Gretchen Yanover, and Haida musician Sondra Segundo. Each musician brought their style, attitude and traditions, allowing our students to build on those traditions, and we continue to highlight them in our practice. Our next round starts on October 7th, and we’d love to have you (sliding scale payment available!)
- Our partnership with Centrum Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival aka Blues Camp
For almost 10 years, tRp has had the pleasure of partnering with Centrum to bring our students to Port Townsend for the Acoustic Blues Festival. The festival allows our students to develop relationships with leaders in the Blues, Jazz, Folk, and Gospel worlds. As consumers of media and history, we know that so much is omitted from archives when traditions are passed down, but sitting with a cultural bearer and seeing how they’ve learned to tune their instrument or developing a ritual where you ask questions over lunch or sitting in on a jam with them can drastically impact the student and teacher’s life. The little nuggets of knowledge passed down in these moments shape future generations, allowing us to become agents of change and fight for a more loving future.
The Rhapsody Project is always looking to strengthen its commitment to an egalitarian society. If you see yourself as someone who’s looking to change the world through music, history and culture, come get involved!
