About Songs of Black Folk
The 2026 Show
Songs of Black Folk 2026 is scheduled for Saturday February 14th, and will feature 4-time Grammy Award winner India Arie for 2 shows, 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center. Also performing will be tenor extraordinaire Zebulun Ellis (a 2-time finalist in BET’s Sunday Best) and the Northwest’s favorite songbird Josephine Howell. Poet Laureate Mona Lake-Jones will deliver a special Valentines Day tribute to “Black Love”. Comedian Isaiah Anderson, Jr. and news Journalist and Playwright Angela Russel will serve as the program’s emcees.
​
Discover the power and presence of Songs of Black Folk through moments from our past productions, capturing the music, movement, and stories that have shaped our stage.
The Music
Songs of Black Folk (SBF) demonstrates and celebrates the evolution of African music in U.S. culture over the past four centuries in the context of the African American experience of bondage, suffering, and struggle against oppression. SBF will follow that evolution from the rise of the Negro Spirituals and their evolution into other Black musical genres including, blues, jazz, Country Western, Gospel, Rock-n-Roll, R&B, Funk, Hip-Hop, and spoken word.
The SBF audience will experience how all genres of African American music functions as both a tool of political resistance and as a potent and source of hope for a people who have endured 4+ centuries of anti-blackness in a white supremacist society that has been relentless in its assaults on Black lives. Ultimately, the SBF experience will connect the African American struggle for freedom, justice, dignity, and happiness with the struggles of other American communities who have had to fight their way from the margins of American society into the mainstream.
OUR MISSION
The mission of Songs of Black Folk is to provide the Pacific Northwest audience a worldclass fine arts production that features elite African American artists, both national and local. The aim of SBF is to provide a Cultural Arts experience that rivals the most elite productions presented anywhere in the United States. In essence, Songs of Black Folk is the Pacific Northwest’s opportunity to annually experience the “best of Black folk”. And by doing so, inspire the next generation of African American artists.
THE ALBUM IS HERE
Secure your piece of history by pre-ordering our exclusive vinyl album, Songs of Black Folk: Music of Resistance & Hope. Available for a limited time only, don't miss out—reserve your copy today before it's gone. This unique memorabilia is a must-have for your personal collection. Visit our online store now to place your order, and explore other specially designed merchandise!
