SAARC Prepares for 3rd Annual World of Repair Gala to Advance Washington State’s Local Reparations Movement
Davida Ingram speaks at a recent SAARC Coalition Meeting. (Photo: D Squared)
On Saturday, Oct 17, 2026, the Seattle/King County African American Reparations Committee (SAARC) will host its 3rd Annual World of Repair Gala at historic Washington Hall in Seattle.
Running from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the event, themed “Grow the Garden of Repair,” brings together community members, grassroots organizers, artists, and elected officials to reflect on the progress of local reparations policy and to lay the groundwork for upcoming legislative efforts.
Movement Building and the ‘Garden of Repair’
The annual World of Repair campaign is a public engagement initiative aimed at connecting Washington residents with the statewide reparations movement. Grounded in Seattle and King County, historically home to the state's largest Black population, SAARC’s work centers on addressing historic and systemic harms experienced by direct descendants of U.S. chattel slavery.
This year's theme draws a direct parallel between agricultural cycles and sustainable movement building.
"If you... hang out with people who are gardeners or people who work on urban farms, there's a growing season and a plan to how you grow and produce and harvest from year to year," Davida Ingram, SAARC's Executive Director, said. "So when we do World of Repair in the fall, that's typically the harvest season... Thinking about growing the reparations movement was on our minds this year, and helping people understand the rhythm of growing the local reparations movement."
Ingram noted that SAARC's annual organizing begins with the state legislative session and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rally in January, building through Black History Month and Juneteenth, and culminating in the fall gala.
"I always think reparations has a silent P in front of it. So thinking about preparations, 2026 was to prepare us for 2027, which will be a critical year for our local reparations movement," Ingram said. "We want people in advance to know why to be excited, what they can do to advocate, to educate, to organize, and to when necessary to mobilize, so that our movement can keep growing, so that we can make reparations a reality."
Strategic Horizons: The 2027 Harm Study and Policy Landscape
An upcoming focal point for SAARC’s advocacy is the Washington State reparations harm study, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2027, Ingram said. Developed through a coalitional effort involving the regional National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Washington Equity Now Alliance, and SAARC, the harm study aims to examine policy-driven injuries in economic opportunity, education, health, and mass incarceration.
Ingram emphasized that the study must maintain strict legal and methodological rigor to withstand potential constitutional challenges.
"A reparations harm study... is something that must be done meticulously, and it actually is the thing that demonstrates that a state is being reflective about past policies that it had that caused harm to a unique group of people," Ingram said. "To survive strict scrutiny, you really need to prove that this is a narrowly tailored remedy for past harm to a unique group of people."
Looking ahead to the legislative session in 2027, SAARC is exploring several policy tools, including state-level race and employment data collection, preservation of Black history, and business slavery disclosure measures modeled after California legislation, Ingram said.
Program Highlights and Gala Details
The gala this weekend combines policy reflection with community celebration and cultural performance.
Event Emcee: Deaunte Damper
Speakers & Guest Leaders: Members of the Legislative Black Caucus, including Rep. Jamila Taylor and Rep. Chipalo Street; community reflections by Janet Preston and Jakari Brown.
Performances & Arts: Live vocal performance by Jayza Duhon, line dancing led by Steppers Unite Inc., and photography by D Squared.
Catering: Dinner inspired by classic Southern cuisine with Pacific Northwest influences, prepared by Chef Mulu.
Speaking on the choice of emcee, Ingram highlighted Damper's deep connection to the local community:
"Deaunte... brings humor, brings charisma, but brings the incredible way that he loves community to the conversation," Ingram said. "SAARC is pretty interested and devoted to intergenerational and intersectional Black civic leadership... Whenever Deaunte steps into the room... he brings an integrity and a passion to it, that I think very much makes for a great ambassador for the work."
Sponsored by the Inatai Foundation and Social Justice Fund NW, proceeds from the gala will directly fund SAARC's ongoing policy strategies and community engagement at the state, county, and municipal levels.
"A world of repair challenges our society to imagine a future so bright that the shackles of racial hatred finally break once and for all," Ingram said. "This gala plants a seed for a greater society that we all can grow together."
Event Summary & Ticket Information
Date: Saturday, Oct 17, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Washington Hall, 153 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
Ticketing: Individual tickets and table reservations are available online via www.saarcpnw.org. Direct donations to support SAARC's work can be submitted through the same platform.
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