In the face of rising censorship and cultural erasure, storytelling is resistance.

Mirror Stage, in collaboration with Humanities Washington, is launching Holding The Moment: A Speaker Series—a bold new series for voices fighting to be heard. Every other month, we host artists, educators, journalists, and activists who challenge systems of silence and invisibility through the power of story.

These interactive events explore identity, memory, politics, and art—connecting personal truth to collective liberation. From confronting anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric to exposing cultural appropriation and reclaiming erased histories, each talk invites us to resist oppression and build belonging.

John Halliday (he/him) is a legally blind Native American artist of Muckleshoot, “Duwamish,” Yakama, and Warm Springs Indian descent. Halliday recently retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as Deputy Regional Director for the Navajo Region after serving as CEO for both the Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie tribes. Halliday has shown his art at Lakewold Gardens, ANT Gallery, and the Sacred Circle Galleries of American Indian Art under the artist name “Coyote”. Halliday lives in Steilacoom.