We are proud to share our video story about the Central Area Youth Association (CAYA). This is the second in the series of four videos that will focus on our Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) partners and Black-owned businesses in the Central District.
CAYA was formed in the 1950’s to organize and promote its youth football programs. In 1964, CAYA extended their services to provide education, recreation, and social development activities. Today, CAYA offers after-school tutoring, job readiness, art programs, and much more.
Our EDI partnership will support CAYA’s new mixed use community center to accommodate growing programming needs, as well as affordable housing to mitigate displacement of our community.
These videos are a continuation of the series we began in May 2021 to recognize the work of our EDI partners in the Cham and Vietnamese communities. These videos seek to uplift, empower, and educate about the value of these community-led projects in a time when information on local resources can be scarce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, displacement/gentrification, and ongoing racial oppression.
About our Filmmakers
TraeAnna Holiday, a true Seattleite, has watched her city change in many ways. From the age of nine, her deepest passion was in the creative field, which flourished at Garfield High. She took that passion to Howard University, where she studied theater management in her first year of college. Through studying abroad multiple times at the University of Washington Tacoma, gaining her degree in Communications and Urban Studies, and being displaced by gentrification, she’s now fueled to tell her neighborhood’s stories through film and education.
Producer/Interviewer: TraeAnna Holiday
Videographer: Jake Gravbrot
Audio: Curtis Delgardo
Editor: Gary Washington
About the Equitable Development Initiative
The EDI addresses displacement and the unequal distribution of opportunities to sustain a diverse Seattle. The EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to housing, jobs, education, parks, cultural expression, healthy food and other community needs and amenities. For more information, visit the EDI website.