PR4P: Why did you start Via Seattle?
GC: I started Via Seattle because I wanted to make a positive contribution and build strong, positive bonds in the communities that I belong to. I specifically wanted to focus on the needs of the people who belong to the demographics that I belong to—although, our reach isn’t limited to those groups.
PR4P: What need in the creative marketplace does Via Seattle fill?
GC: Via Seattle is the mother organization of projects like Artists We Will Be, a recurring panel that will take place in different cities and highlight the stories and insight of different artists of color. I think it’s imperative, right now, to give women of color a loudspeaker to help them express themselves artistically.
PR4P: What challenges do women of color face (in the creative/artistic fields) that are different from women who are of different races or ethnicities?
GC: People of color, women of color specifically, are less likely to get platforms to showcase their talents and tell their stories. Very few major motion pictures, for instance, tell the stories of Black women, and even fewer are written by or directed by Black women. This is an issue, not just because artists aren’t getting opportunities, but because Black women and other women of color aren’t seeing themselves represented as much as they should be, and the times when they are, it’s typically not in a positive light.
PR4P: What does Via Seattle want to accomplish during 2017?
GC: For the rest of this year, we’re hoping stay on the same track—hosting drives and fundraisers, developing projects that benefit children, spotlighting people of color and women in art and activism, while building up a coalition of like-minded individuals and organizations who have goals similar to ours.
In the Spotlight|
Gennette
Cordova
Editor, Writer, Founder of Via Seattle, Gennette Cordova