Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Performers and Speakers

Josephine Howell – Singer – Performing the Black National Anthem

Josephine Howell was born in Chicago, IL. She has always been fascinated with music and the arts, Captivating family and friends at an early age with her amazing gifts. Josie is always exploring new avenues of expression. Her range of talent extends from singing, dancing and acting to the very production and direction of the arts. The experiences of her performances reflect the spirituality, love, struggles and victories of one who tells a story of triumph where there was no hope.

Deaunte Damper – Emcee

Deaunte Damper, born and raised in Seattle, is a community organizer dedicated to HIV awareness and LGBTQ-affirming education. In 2019, he made history as the NAACP’s first LGBTQIA Chair in the organization’s 110-year history and founded B.R.O.T.H.A., a support group for young men of color. He is the host of We Live in Color on Converge Media and currently serves as Vice President of the WA Therapy Fund, a leader with BUILD206, and Community Engagement Specialist for King County Public Health’s Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Rena Priest – Poet - Land Acknowledgement Reflections

Rena Priest is a citizen of the Lhaq’temish [Lummi] Nation. In a historic appointment, Priest was named Washington State’s sixth Poet Laureate (2021-2023), becoming the first Indigenous person to hold the position. In this role, she championed poetry that celebrated the ecological gifts of her ancestral homelands, the bioregion. She is an Academy of American Poets Fellow, a Maxine Cushing Gray Distinguished Writer, and a winner of a Washington State Book Award for poetry. Her new essay collection, Positively Uncivilized, was published as the winner of the 2025 Keepers of the Fire Award from Raven Chronicles Press. She is also honored to be a Seattle City of Literature grantee, selected to participate in an international literary exchange co-sponsored by the Melbourne City of Literature and the UNESCO City of Literature Network. Learn more at renapriest.com

King County Council Chair Sarah Perry - – Remarks and reading the Proclamation

Council Chair Perry has been a champion of behavioral health and has 30+ years of experience working in the non-profit and small business sectors. As a coalition builder, she is known for her expertise in creating strong foundations of civic collaboration and engagement to build progress in communities. She is a community leader who embraces inclusion and economic opportunity for all, increasing access to affordable housing and transit, and tackling climate change with the urgency required to protect all our communities.

King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis – Remarks and Introducing Executive Zahilay

In December 2025, Rhonda Lewis was appointed to the King County Council. She brings extensive local government knowledge and deep expertise in public service. Her career spans multiple leadership roles across city and county government, with a consistent focus on equity, community engagement, and operational excellence.

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay – Remarks and Larry Gossett Service Award Presenter

Girmay Zahilay is the seventh elected King County Executive. He oversees one of the largest local governments in the country, leading more than 18,000 employees who provide services to 2.3 million residents. As the first immigrant, first refugee, and first millennial to hold the role of King County Executive, he is working to make county government more responsive to the people it serves.

Blackpast.org – Larry Gossett Service Award Recipient

BlackPast.org is dedicated to providing the inquisitive public with comprehensive, reliable, and accurate information concerning the history of African Americans in the United States and people of African ancestry in other regions of the world. It is the aim of the founders and sponsors to foster understanding through knowledge in order to generate constructive change in our society.

Representative Jamila Taylor– Founding Board Member of Blackpast.org - Receiving the Larry Gosset Service Award on behalf of Blackpast.org

Jamila (“jah-mee-lah”) is an attorney, youth advocate and small business owner with a passion for community service and a commitment to serving the public good. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and a law degree from the University of Oregon. The daughter of a retired history professor and a retired Girl Scout office administrator, she was raised to value education and service — values that continue to shape her work today.

LaNesha DeBardelaben – Executive Director of Blackpast.org - - Receiving the Larry Gosset Service Award on behalf of Blackpast.org

For over twenty years, LaNesha has helped lead the growth of Black museums and history initiatives. She is Executive Director of BlackPast.org, the world’s largest online encyclopedia on Black history founded by historian Dr. Quintard Taylor. Prior, she served as the award-winning President & CEO of the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle where she led innovative, transformational growth.

ADEFUA Cultural Performers– Drum Performance

ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop, is a non profit organization. This year in celebration of 40 years in service. We've been providing West African Cultural Arts Experiences to youth, families in Rainier Valley, by teaching and celebrating African Music, Dance, Song, Rites of Passages for young girls and more! 

ADEFUA is dedicated to advancing social justice and equity by celebrating, preserving, and sharing African and African American cultural heritage. Our cost of operating, and programming has been enormous. We're now ready to build, construct, and preserve an African Cultural Arts Center in Rainier Valley. 

Davida Ingram – Keynote Speaker

Davida Ingram is creative leader in institutional change. Her focus includes reparations, equity & inclusion, race & social justice, arts & culture, civic leadership, and strategy development. She is known for building dynamic collaborations between community-based organizations and government with a specialty in museums and libraries. She is currently the executive director of SAARC (Seattle King County African American Reparations Committee). Her tenure in Seattle has included time at The Seattle Public Library, the Gates Foundation, and the Seattle Art Museum.