Mirror Stage Launches HOLDING THE MOMENT: A NEW SPEAKERS SERIES With Luther Adams – FREE MAN OF COLOR
Six-part humanities series begins July 12 at Rainier Arts Center in Seattle, with free events and livestreams through May 2026.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 26, 2025
Mirror Stage, in partnership with Humanities Washington, has announced Holding the Moment, a bold new public humanities speaker series aimed at challenging censorship, cultural erasure, and systems of silence. Launching on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Rainier Arts Center in Seattle, the six-event series kicks off with A Space for Black History, presented by Luther Adams – Free Man of Color.
In a political and cultural climate increasingly hostile to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Holding the Moment centers the stories and voices of those working toward a more just and inclusive society. All events are free, open to all ages, and available both in person and via livestream, with a suggested donation of $15.
Luther Adams (he/him), associate professor of ethnic, gender, and labor studies at the University of Washington Tacoma, uses Black Thought, poetry, imagery, and local history to ask why Black history matters—and why efforts to suppress it persist. He is the author of Way Up North in Louisville: African American Migration in the Urban South, 1930–1970 and is currently at work on a history of African Americans’ resistance to police brutality.
Future events in the Holding the Moment series include John Halliday presenting What is a Chief? How Native Values Can Teach Resilience on October 4, 2025; Maria Chavéz with The Firsts: Latina Struggles in the United States on November 8, 2025; and Putsata Reang sharing Resisting Erasure Through Storytelling on January 10, 2026. Two additional presenters, for March 21 and May 9, 2026, will be announced by the end of the year.
The first event on July 12 begins at 7:30 p.m. at Rainier Arts Center (3515 S Alaska St, Seattle). The venue is fully accessible, with ADA-compliant restrooms, ramps, and an outdoor wheelchair lift. ASL interpretation will be provided at all events, and live-streaming is available for those attending remotely.
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