Filam in power struggle with African American in Seattle

January 28, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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SEATTLE, Washington A Filipino American and an African American are locked in a turf battle at the state-owned Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, a wellspring of African-American talent for decades.

Tom Reese of the Seattle Times said the two top directors at Langston Center - Filipino American Manuel Cawaling and African American artistic director Jacqueline Moscou occupy offices on opposite sides of the buildings second floor, rarely speaking to one another. The son of white and Filipino parents, he also became the centers first nonblack head, and his appointment encouraged new worry among some about the loss of an African-American focus.

Raised in New York, Moscou is the daughter of black and white parents. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Acts and had three decades of experience in theater and is perhaps best known locally for her Black Nativity” production at Intiman Theatre.

Those on the local theater scene describe a woman driven. Energetic, productive and committed, Moscou, they say, also can be demanding and imperious. But no one questions her talent.

The estrangement is the result of race. The rise of Asian Americans represented by Cawaling has created tension among the Blacks who said the center was responsible for three decades of giving rise to African American talent.

Blacks believe the centers core mission is commitment to an African-American focus. But the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, which runs the center, said theres no such single mission.

Theres a group of people who would like to see it an exclusively African-American facility,” the Times quoted Eric Friedli, the parks departments director for Langston Hughes. As a publicly funded entity, we … can say the emphasis is African-American, but we need to make sure were welcoming to others.

The Seattle Times continued:
Tension is rising as staffers which have grown more diverse in recent years have largely sided with Cawaling. But friends of Moscou have staged demonstrations and rallies outside the center after she was forced to go on leave with pay recently.

Parks department officials have declined to say why Moscou was placed on leave, calling the case a personnel matter. Friedli said only that Moscou ultimately will be returned to her job or replaced.
Before placing her on leave, officials had completed a workplace assessment” brought about by mounting morale problems and staff complaints.

One African American staffer said that while he had tremendous respect for Moscou, she ahd on at least one occasion made racial comments about Asian-American employees, saying she saw no difference between them and white people.

Moscou denies making any such statements. She said she was removed for upholding the centers mission, which is to foster artistic expression for African Americans and other communities of color.
Ive been accused of this being a personal agenda of mine, Moscou said. Over and over again Ive said no, this is not my mission, its the historic mission upon which Langston Hughes is built and Im just standing up for it.

Her attorney, Vonda Sargent, said Jacqui is accused of being a racist, of wanting Afrocentric this, all-black that; wont hire anyone but black people.” But her record proves none of that is true, Sargent said.

Moscous supporters say her ability to transform Langston Hughes into a nationally renowned arts organization was just being realized when she was removed.
Cecelia Beckwith, a member of the Langston Hughes Advisory Council and a longtime friend of Moscous, said, With Jacqui, we saw a rebirth of Langston Hughes.”

Then they take Jacqui out, she said, and what we know is a significant number of people being brought into the building have no relationship with the African-American community.”

At the same time, there are those who believe that for all the outrage being expressed over Moscous departure, the larger African-American community has failed on a sustained basis to support the center itself through donations, volunteer work and regular attendance.

I tell people, Look down the list of donors and find your name, said Vivian Phillips, a longtime advocate of the center. Id like to see you buy a ticket to every performance. This is what needs to happen.

The distinction here is whether people are willing to support a person or an institution.”
Named for the Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes is housed in an imposing 1915-era synagogue, which the city bought in 1971.

It is the only publicly owned, culturally specific performing-arts center in the Puget Sound area, funded by the city of Seattle last year to the tune of around $580,000.

An additional $330,000 was raised through donations, program fees, corporate giving and ticket sales.

Like many other local arts venues, the center has experienced acrimonious staff turnovers and financial troubles. And some believe the organizational structure that had Moscou reporting to Cawaling was flawed, since in many arts institutions their positions are equal.

Cawaling had worked at the Northwest Asian American Theater and Wing Luke Museum before applying to be artistic director at Langston Hughes in 2002. A finalist, he lost out to Moscou.

The center hired him the following year to run its arts-education program, and in 2004, when the managing director quit after clashing with Moscou, Cawaling was tapped to head the center, becoming Moscous boss.

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