by jasminemahmoud

Don L. Rivers, King County Executive Candidate — 2025 Primary Election

CANDIDATE: Don L. Rivers, King County Executive Candidate

ARTS PLATFORM

I love the arts, being born in Detroit, growing up with Motown. I was honored to perform with Pat Wright and The Total Experience Gospel Black and Nativity Christmas plays at the Space for a Needle Seattle Center TV, commercials [for] Bon Mercer World Travel, [and] concerts [in] Russia, Germany, Oman,Jordan, Israel, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, all of West Africa, invited to go to India next year and Philippines. 

Seattle has long been a place where creativity meets activism. Envisioning the arts through this social justice lens doesn’t just make the arts more relevant—it makes Seattle a more equitable, vibrant, and livable city for all.

It would mean to have an understanding and advocating for the arts as both a reflection of community identity and a powerful tool for social transformation.

Access in Seattle where everyone regardless of income, ability, neighborhood, or background—can access the arts as both audience and creator.

Support free or low-cost cultural events in underserved neighborhoods.Invest in multilingual and multicultural programming. Expand public art in transit, parks, and public housing. Increase funding for organizations that serve communities of color, youth, and people with disabilities. In other words a Seattle where artists can live and work without being pushed out by rising costs.

Identify and protect cultural landmarks and gathering spaces.Invest in cultural space preservation, especially in historically redlined or gentrifying neighborhoods (e.g., the Central District, Little Saigon International District. Involve artists in community planning and anti-displacement strategies. Advocate for equitable arts funding in Seattle Public School Support partnerships between schools and community arts organizations.Promote culturally responsive curricula that reflect the diversity of Seattle’s students. Fund after-school and summer arts programs in neighborhoods impacted by poverty.