Window Seat Media

Help Window Seat raise funds for our Pride Storytelling Project, a branch of our Community Roots Oral History Project in partnership with Capital City Pride documenting local LGBTQIAA2S+ history. The project trains and mentors a diverse group of LGBTQIAA2S+ cohort members in oral history methods and ethics to plan, develop, and activate this community-driven documentation effort. All Give Local proceeds will support this project.

The first $2,500 is matched to $5,000 by three wonderful donors! GIVE NOW to double your impact.

Our Story

Window Seat was founded in 2016 on a mission to spark conversation, connection, and social change through community-based oral history and storytelling. We are a local history and storytelling organization working within the South Sound to document community stories that would otherwise be forgotten and engage the public in these historical memories. Our nonprofit builds our community’s capacity in the areas of arts, cultural heritage, education, human rights, and social justice.

See the Media Gallery for images of our Community Roots Oral History Project in action - our 2023-24 cohort, exhibit opening and project panel, theatre performances, and workshops.

The Pride Storytelling Project

The project aims to celebrate the people at the center of Thurston County Queer spaces and organizing initiatives over time. Cohort members carry out interviews with community narrators, bringing their wisdom to uplift stories from their own communities. This is a group of Queer narrative changemakers. We know that grassroots storytellers have deep insight into the issues facing their communities and yet, often struggle to carry out projects for lack of resources. Our project expands and democratizes the stories that get told and the way history is remembered. See the "More" tab to learn more about our Community Roots Oral History Project and Giving Goals.

Now more than ever, as books in libraries are censored, history textbooks are scoured, and voices with the most first-hand experience are silenced and cast aside, we must invest in ethical documentation of the past to better inform our communal future. Have you been impacted by a local space or organization with Queer community members at its roots? Do you hope your Queer friends, neighbors, and families are safe and free to be their most abundant selves? Then, we hope you consider donating to our campaign.

Give the Gift of Queer History

Community resilience requires the collective efforts of many. We’ve seen how our work brings people together to make communal sense of our memories. Window Seat’s gift is to be space-holders, adept at weaving a complex tapestry of different perspectives. The important gap we fill is to offer deep listening and thoughtful questions, bringing histories to the surface that shed light on current issues, and sharing this wisdom with the public. History can provide critical insight into contemporary conversations about culture, place-making, and the systems, structures, and ethos that make resiliency both challenging and possible today. We hope you'll engage with us, join in, and support our community-based oral history work.

Your gift is needed and deeply appreciated!