By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Central District of Seattle has long been the cultural heart for the African American community in the Pacific Northwest. Amid historic buildings and landmarks that have shaped Black culture in the region, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute stands out as a beacon for artistic expression and social justice. Now, the Institute is entering a new chapter under the leadership of its new Executive Director, Ebony Arunga.
Appointed as the permanent director in June of this year after serving as interim director for just over ten months, Arunga—a dynamic force with deep ties to both Seattle and her Kenyan heritage—brings a lifetime of experience and passion to her new role.
“I was born in Kenya, but I moved to Seattle’s Central District when I was seven,” says Arunga. “At that time, the Central District was primarily Black. I grew up going to Langston as part of the community, a place where we convened for social justice conversations as well as theater, arts, and culture. When I was 11, I was in the very first summer musical, Summer Rhapsody, in 1996. It was through that experience that I fell in love with theater and felt a strong connection to Langston.”
For Arunga, her love for acting and stage management led her to Langston, so much so that it became her second home.
“I would go after school—they used to have an after-school theater program,” she adds. “I would go every day. They also did other plays with adults, and I would usher and volunteer pretty much all the time. It was like that was my home.”
Arunga’s journey from a young theater enthusiast to the executive director of a cultural institution is a testament to her resilience and commitment. Her family moved to the U.S. from Kenya when she was young, and she experienced both the challenges of cultural adjustment and the isolation of being an African girl in a predominantly white school. Feeling targeted at Lindbergh High School in Renton, she decided to return to Kenya for her final year of high school.
“I started at Lindbergh High School in Renton, and then I went to a boarding school in Kenya in the middle of nowhere,” Arunga says. “It had no electricity, no running water. At Lindbergh, I felt targeted often, you know, as a Black kid in a school that was majority white. I would always be in the AP classes and all of that, but I ended up going back to Kenya.”
“That year was actually a really transformative experience for me,” Arunga adds. “And when I came back, I started Running Start at Seattle Central.”
After completing her studies at Seattle Central Community College, Arunga followed her passion for theater to Virginia Commonwealth University. There, under the mentorship of Dr. Tanya Pettiford, she co-founded the Conciliation Project, a nonprofit dedicated to using theater to address racism and social injustice in America.
Arunga’s deep roots in Seattle’s cultural community and her dedication to social justice made her a natural fit for the leadership role at Langston Hughes. After serving on the board of directors, she was appointed interim executive director and, in 2024, took on the role permanently. The building itself, which began as a Jewish synagogue before becoming a cultural arts center, reflects the diversity and transformation that Arunga aims to foster.
“Our building used to be a Jewish synagogue. And when it was transferred into a Black arts and cultural place through a program called the Model City back in the seventies, and through that program, Model Cities, that building was actually supposed to go to Black Arts West, but that didn’t happen and it ended up going to parks and recreation,” Arunga explains.
Steve Sneed, a former director of the institute, believes Arunga’s appointment marks a significant milestone not only for Langston but for Seattle as a whole.
“I think her appointment is important because Langston Hughes has, in the overall scheme of things, a rather young history as a cultural arts institution for the Central Area, for the Black community of Seattle, and for Seattle in general,” says Sneed. “Ebony represents our cultural roots taking hold. She grew up as a young person involved in the cultural center, whether it be the teen summer musical or ushering in one of the professional plays that we put on. She was there when I was the director, and she left Seattle when she graduated from high school and went on to study stage management and theater, professional theater, which is a perfect background for the work she’s doing now.”
Arunga is excited about the future of Langston Hughes and has big plans to expand the institute’s reach. Her agenda includes revitalizing youth programming to provide young people with a safe space to express themselves through theater, art, and culture—just as she did as a young girl.
Arunga is also fostering collaboration with the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas to create financial opportunities for Black artists. One initiative, called Create and Thrive, builds on the legacy of the Seattle Artists Relief Fund, which raised $1.1 million to support artists during the pandemic.
“We put together a youth advisory council that’s youth-led. They are going to be advising us on our programming as well as tackling issues that they’re facing in their community and just taking action and learning about organizing and making a difference, using their voice to make a difference in our world in the way that they see the need for that,” says Arunga.
Sneed praises Arunga’s leadership qualities, noting the importance of her community roots and her dedication to Langston Hughes.
“I think what makes her a great leader is her compassion,” says Sneed. “She loves people, loves our people. She is good with people, too, and it really takes that. Having been in those shoes, I’ve hired her several times, and I believe she is really the right person.”
With a focus on youth engagement and support for Black artists, Arunga is poised to lead the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute into a new era—one that continues to honor its history while expanding its reach and impact for years to come.
“Because it was so effective and impactful for me, I really want other young people to have access to our building and our space and our offerings,” says Arunga. “I want other young people to grow up in the building. And so that’s something that I’ve really been working hard on.”