In 2017, a group of parents and students at Orca K-8 School in Seattle began discussing how to address the ongoing lack of arts education and anti-racist teaching practices at their school. Among those initial participants was South End Stories Founder Donte Felder. Drawing on their collective experiences—including Mr. Felder’s decades-long tenure as an educator, artist, and visionary leader in South Seattle—the concept for South End Stories was conceived.

South End Stories was established with a mission to ignite joy and justice in classrooms and communities through arts-based learning, anti-racist education, and social activism. We believe that the arts are an essential tool for fostering creative, collaborative, communicative, and critical learning. Our vision is liberation through storytelling and the arts. To achieve our goals, we work holistically with youth, teachers, and families to transform the school climate into a welcoming and relevant environment for all, particularly for BBIA (Black, brown, Indigenous, or Asian) students in King County, Washington, who have been most impacted by systemic racism in the education system.