Sofie Villa (right) is a lead volunteer at the Seattle Liberation Center. Photo by Hong Ta.
On a rainy evening on October 24, 25 people came into the New Central Building on Maynard Ave S for a political education event called Understanding Zionism: The Nakba Never Ended. The lecture, titled “Origins of Zionism,” is one of a six-part series created by The Palestinian Youth Movement. It played on the big screen while attendees took notes and ate bánh mì provided by the organizers.
This first-floor space is newly occupied by the Seattle Liberation Center (SLC), a volunteer-led 501c4 organization that signed the lease in January 2025. They hosted their grand opening in the historic New Central Building on September 20.
The new community center offers arts, political and cultural events. It also serves as a gathering space for social justice groups such as the Palestinian Youth Movement, Song2Sea, Shut It Down for Palestine, and Washington Muslim Youth for Palestine, according to founding member and lead volunteer Luke, who asked to be identified only by his first name.
“We hope to offer a true third space for the working-class, organizations, and institutions that no longer have the spaces available,” said Luke. “There are still some third spaces, but they are typically spaces where you have to buy something to be there.”
Many of the events hosted at the center are free, such as a Block Printing Workshop led by visiting artist Jamie John, a Mariners Playoffs Watch Party, and the 156th Anniversary of El Grito de Lares, which commemorated Puerto Rico’s anti-colonial movements.
One of the organizations that uses the space is the Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL), of which Taylor Young—who attended the Understanding Zionism event—is an organizing party member. She envisions the center as a place for different groups to connect and share space.
“We know that we can only win if we’re united, and so that’s our biggest mission,” Young said. “Let’s unite organizations and the struggles in this city as much as we can. We see that the SLC is such a benefit to that type of work.”
The Seattle Liberation Center raises funds primarily through individual donations and operates a mini bookstore inside the main event room. They also rent out the space to businesses, nonprofits, and other community organizations through a reservation request form, but groups can apply for financial support to host events for free. However, funding obstacles still linger for the organization, according to Young.
which is the mass expulsion of Palestinians during the 19848 Arab-Israeli War. This event was
one of a six-part education series happening every Friday until December 5. Photo by Hong Ta.
“One challenge is just the lack of funds for infrastructure that supports movements,” she said. “When the Trump administration blurs the lines of anyone being slightly anti-fascist as being part of a terrorist organization, I think any space like this, and in our organization in particular, is under unprecedented threats from the presidential administration.”
Despite these difficulties, there is strong support and attendance at events. Community members such as Matt, who also asked to be identified only by his first name, have been able to meet other organizers.
“I think for someone who is a Seattle transplant like myself, I think it’s been helpful to connect with people that I can learn from and ask questions with,” he said. “It’s been great to be able to be together with people and out in public as well, out in the streets and standing up for what I believe is right.”
The historic significance of the SLC’s location is not lost on its organizers. The origins of the center began in the summer of 2024, when Luke and other founding members started searching for a physical location. They settled on the New Central Building months later, in the following year.
“If you think about the history of Chinatown, it sums up the development of Seattle itself, right? We know that Chinatown has been at the heart of the timber industry from shipping and logistics,” says Young, “It has been workers from Asia who have been explicitly exploited to help make this city prosperous. We can’t lose sight of that, as an organization that operates in this district, to really reckon and understand the history here.”
Within the next few years, both Luke and Young share a vision of the Seattle Liberation Center growing as a third space that has no barriers to entry for community members. Childcare is provided at every event, and doors remain open to both individuals and groups who want to take advantage of the space to gather.
Hong Ta (she/her) is a news writer from South Seattle and grew up going to the CID, specifically in Little Saigon. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. You can read more of her work at thienhongta.com.
