This is LANGSTON.

Our mission is to strengthen and advance our community through Black arts and culture.

Our vision is to Cultivate Black Brilliance.

Our values include:

• Sharing culture
• Promoting artistic expression
• Encouraging artistic excellence
• Facilitating cultural education and possibility
• Cultivating leaders
• Practicing radical inclusivity
• Thriving as a self-determined community

LANGSTON is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, established in 2016 to lead programming within the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. LANGSTON guides generative programs and community partnerships that center Black art, artists, and audiences and honor the ongoing legacy of Seattle’s Black Central Area. We support a variety of enriching programs, across multiple disciplines, rooted in our mission and values.

LANGSTON was conceived and designed by community members to serve as strong stewardship for this Black arts and cultural hub in Seattle. This reflects community recommendations from a three-year stakeholder engagement process led by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, who remains our close partner and major sponsor to this day.