The Washington West African Center is a local 501(c)(3) registered in the state of Washington. The mission of the Washington West African Centre is to connect West Africans in Washington with local resources, bridge the gap between us and the wider community, and culturally socialize West African children in a value-driven way. We provide culturally relevant wrap-around services to our community members in a value-driven and dignified manner.
WAWAC serves over 20,000 West Africans across Washington State, operating statewide with a primary focus in Snohomish, King, Pierce, and Clark counties. Our community comprises multi-generational, low-income immigrant families who settled here 50 years ago, as well as current second- and third-generation West African Americans. We were subjected to systemic neglect and discrimination, thereby establishing a legacy of fear and mistrust of authority/systems. Our community mostly dwells in neighborhoods deemed unsafe and often falls victim to misinformation, leading to consequences of trauma endured from years of racial discrimination and socio-economic deprivation. A good number of us are undocumented, with limited to no formal education, and language barriers. As such, we are forced to work behind the scenes, mostly under substandard conditions, and receive a pittance in pay. For this reason, we can mostly afford to live in unsafe neighborhoods, susceptible to high crime rates and grossly exposed to illicit substance use. Access to firsthand information in our native languages is a challenge, as West African languages are not written. It is easy to confuse critical information with the myths, misconceptions, and misinformation circulating through social media.
