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In conversation with leaders.

Speaking engagements, press conferences, broadcast appearances, gatherings, and moments shared with civil rights leaders, public officials, and changemakers.

Moments shared with civil rights icons, public officials, and cultural leaders.

With Martin Luther King, III

With Martin Luther King, III

With Rasheda Ali (Daughter of Muhammad Ali)

With Rasheda Ali (Daughter of Muhammad Ali)

With Rosalind Brewer and Sorority

With Rosalind Brewer and Sorority

With State Rep. Jamila Taylor

With State Rep. Jamila Taylor

With The Links, Incorporated

With The Links, Incorporated

With civil rights leader and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young

With civil rights leader and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young

With Bill Bellamy and Jessica Care Moore

With Bill Bellamy and Jessica Care Moore

With U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters

With U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters

With Mignon Clyburn and peers in Israel

With Mignon Clyburn and peers in Israel

With legendary artist Samella Lewis

With legendary artist Samella Lewis

With Valerie Jarrett, Hill Harper, and community partners

With Valerie Jarrett, Hill Harper, and community partners

With Smithsonian Curator Dr. Damion Thomas

With Smithsonian Curator Dr. Damion Thomas

With King County Executive Dow Constantine

With King County Executive Dow Constantine

With Wanda Herndon

With Wanda Herndon

With Jacqueline Hamer Flakes, the belated daughter of Fannie Lou Hamer

With Jacqueline Hamer Flakes, the belated daughter of Fannie Lou Hamer

With U.S. Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice

With U.S. Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice

With Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch and Sylvia Cyrus

With Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch and Sylvia Cyrus

With civil rights leader Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian

With civil rights leader Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian

With Bruce Turner, the descendant of Nat Turner

With Bruce Turner, the descendant of Nat Turner

With Wanda Herndon

With Wanda Herndon

With Governor Jay Inslee and Stacey Abrams

With Governor Jay Inslee and Stacey Abrams

With Dr. Constance Rice and Seattle Mayor Norman Rice

With Dr. Constance Rice and Seattle Mayor Norman Rice

Virtual Conversation with Cornel West, PhD

Author and activist Dr. Cornel West is a former Harvard University Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University

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“LaNesha has a warm, corporate professionalism with a passion for and commitment to people.”

- Crasha Townsend, PhD

At the Smithsonian Castle

With Secretary Lonnie Bunch, the nation’s first African American Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution & Dr. Vedet Coleman-Robinson of the Association of African American Museums

A group of people sitting around a wooden table in a formal meeting room. Three women are visible on the left side, and an older man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a suit, is speaking. The room has framed artwork and photographs on the walls, a sign reading 'Lonnie G. Bunch III,' and a stack of books on the table.
Three people standing together, the man in the center holding an award, all smiling for the camera in an indoor setting with a chandelier and framed artwork on the wall behind them.
Group of four smiling adults standing on a pathway in front of a historic red brick building with tall windows and greenery.
A group of four people sitting around a round wooden table in a warmly decorated room. Two women and one man are visible, with books and small framed pictures on the table, and a large painting of a coastal landscape hanging on the wall behind them. The room has wooden cabinets and a door, and the atmosphere appears to be friendly and conversational.
Front view of a woman with black hair, glasses, and dark skin, dressed in camel-colored clothing, holding a smartphone and speaking into a microphone.

LaNesha’s media kit

Trailblazing work in public history, educational justice, museum advocacy, and more.

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.”

~ Fannie Lou Hamer

Learn more

Stand with Black Women

Read Black Enterprise story HERE.

Broadcasts & Interviews

Featured in Broadcast Media

A selection of televised interviews and segments. [Click on each image to watch the video]

Woman with glasses wearing a yellow blazer and black t-shirt sitting in a room with cultural posters on the wall, being interviewed for a news segment about NAAM's Juneteenth week.

On KIRO 7 discussing NAAM’s award-winning Juneteenth Week programming

A woman with glasses and curly hair is standing in an art gallery with colorful paintings on the walls.
A woman with glasses and dark hair, wearing a blazer and a coral-colored statement necklace, speaking in an interview setting.

Discussing Black Resistance

Yahoo News - ABC23 TV

Two women speaking on a news broadcast about NAAM's contributions to the community, with displays and photos in the background of a museum.

Discussing Juneteenth 2022 

King5 TV

Discussing Black History Month programs 

Onward & Upward Web Series

Screenshot of a virtual event titled "Onward & Upward" with Leslie E. Royal and LaNesha DeBardeleben, featuring two women in separate video panels.
A woman with glasses and dark hair speaking in an office, with a bookshelf and a potted plant in the background.

Discussing the relevance of history

King5 TV

A woman with glasses and a blue blazer standing in front of bookshelves in a library.

Discussing the significance of King Day 2021

Alpha Graphics

Television news studio with a desk, chairs, and screens displaying the NBC 25 FOX 66 logo.

Discussing exhibition development

TV64

Discussing museum programming

Close-up of Lanesha Debardelaben speaking at an event, with other attendees and booths in the background at the Northwest African American Museum.

On KIRO 7 discussing NAAM’s award-winning Juneteenth Week programming

Four women sitting on sofas in a TV studio with a 'Studio 13 Live' sign in the background discussing.

Discussing the reopening of the museum

Fox13 TV

A woman with long black hair, wearing a black mask and patterned jacket, being interviewed outdoors in a parking lot during sunset.
Two women having a conversation indoors, one wearing a black face mask and brown jacket, the other in a pink outfit with a pearl necklace, standing near display boards with historical photos and text.

Discussing Malcolm X Drive-In Movie Night

King5 TV

Discussing King Day 2022 activities for the community

Congressman Adam Smith TV

A woman with dark hair and glasses smiling during a video call in a cozy living room with a fireplace, beige armchair, and bookshelf.
News broadcast with a male news anchor on the left and a female guest on the right, both visible in a split-screen format.

Discussing the role of museums in society

Q13 TV

Woman with two young girls on a basketball court during a ceremony or presentation, with the girls holding yellow jerseys numbered 19. The background shows a sports arena with a banner reading 'Seattle Storm & Basketball'.

Discussing King Day 2021 activities

WNBA Seattle Storm

Text reading 'The Evergreen' in green font.

Receiving the Inspiring Women award

The Everygrey

Discussing museum exhibitions

Woman wearing glasses, pearl necklace, and a shirt with Martin Luther King Jr.'s portrait, standing in front of a historic building during a public event.

On KIRO 7 discussing NAAM’s award-winning Juneteenth Week programming

A woman with curly hair and large glasses speaking at an event, wearing a pearl necklace and a black top, in front of colorful artwork.

Discussing the museum on the 2023 King Day Re-Opening

Fox13 TV

Two women are participating in a virtual video call, both smiling and sitting in different rooms with home decor visible behind them.

Discussing Fannie Lou Hamer’s life with biographer

Seattle Medium TV

Book cover titled "Music from the Museum" with subtitle about the Northwest African American Museum's African American choir ensemble.
Split-screen image showing a black-and-white photo of a man in front of a vintage car and crowd on the left, and a woman smiling and holding a children's book on the right.

Discussing the museum choir she created

Town Hall Seattle TV

Discussing history with a Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Q13 TV

A woman wearing glasses, a mask, and a scarf standing outdoors in front of a cardboard box with trees and a building in the background. The image is from a news broadcast with a lower third showing her name as Lanesha DeBardelaben and her title as NAAM President & CEO.
Woman wearing glasses and a face mask with North American Museum logo, standing outdoors near a cardboard display.

Discussing “Books + Balls” King Day Giveaway

Northwest Now

Logo for American Black Journal with text about airing on Sundays at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, and sharing African American perspectives for over 50 years.

Discussing the relevance of Black history

American Black Journal

Discussing museum programming

Seven diverse people smiling and posing for a group photo at an indoor event, with some wearing conference badges.
A woman in a black and white striped dress and red jacket speaking into a microphone at a D.O.I.L.D. event on a stage with the D.O.I.L.D. and Dancing in the Rain Media logos on the backdrop.
Three people standing together at an indoor event, smiling and facing the camera. They are wearing conference badges around their necks, and the background includes exhibition booths and decor.

Featured in Print Media

[Click on each image to read the news article]

The Puget Sound Business Journal named LaNesha DeBardelaben and 12 other women leaders as 2022 Women of Influence.

Click here to read the published article.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Seattle Times

New leader brings passion, growth to Northwest African American Museum

New leader brings passion, growth to Northwest African American Museum

The Evergrey

Meet the museum leader who helps Seattle celebrate Black history

Meet the museum leader who helps Seattle celebrate Black history

Detroit News

Crain’s Detroit

 

Media Highlights

LaNesha discusses the role of museums within communities and museum experiences upon identity development.

 

Media Highlights

LaNesha discusses the learning opportunities within museum exhibitions in these three news segments.

“Education, connection, and self-discovery are at the center of Black museology. Black museums are like mirrors - they help us see who we are and who we can be.”
— LaNesha McCoy (DeBardelaben)

Media Highlights

LaNesha discusses the history of the museum and its relevance to community.

“Smooths seas don’t make skillful sailors.”
— African proverb
Click HERE to go to NPR interview, then click on blue audio button to listen to LaNesha’s Juneteenth discussion.
“For museums, the choice is either resilience or irrelevance. When museums see themselves not only as serving their community but AS their community, they will undoubtedly be resolute, fortitudinous, adaptive, and unrelenting, despite the challenges they face.”
— LaNesha McCoy (DeBardelaben)

Click HERE to go to the NPR interview, then click on the blue audio button to listen to LaNesha’s Juneteenth discussion. Click HERE and HERE as well as HERE to watch news segments about the Juneteenth programming.

Four diverse women standing together at a conference, wearing name tags, with a backdrop for the Association of African Museums, and a staging area with equipment in the background.
Two women smiling for a selfie at an indoor event. The woman on the left has dark hair, glasses, and wears a pearl necklace and jacket. The woman on the right has gray hair, glasses, and is wearing a vibrant patterned top. There is a sign with the na
Two smiling women wearing matching collegiate shirts with Greek letters pose together indoors. They are in front of a scoreboard or sports display.
A woman with dark curly hair and wearing a floral dress sits by a window, smiling at the camera.

“Your work is to change the world.”

~ James Baldwin

“We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

~ Ella Baker

A group of five diverse women and one man standing outdoors, smiling at a public event, with a construction site and parked cars in the background.
A diverse group of people standing outdoors, smiling for the camera in front of small, colorful houses during daylight.
Group of people wearing hard hats at a groundbreaking ceremony for new Hope family housing, holding shovels, standing in front of a sign that says 'Groundbreaking Ceremony' with balloons on the right, in an urban area with modern buildings in the background.
Four diverse individuals standing outdoors during a protest or rally, with cars and trees in the background.
Group of diverse people standing outdoors at a basketball court, smiling at the camera.

Podcast Highlights

Listen to LaNesha discuss her career, her work at NAAM, and the museum choir she established on KBCS

Listen to LaNesha and the African American Cultural Ensemble choir she created on KNKX

Visit LaNesha's episode on the Inspired Design podcast

Visit LaNesha's episode on KNKX

Honor certificate for La Nesha DeBardelaben recognizing her as a 2025 Honoree in the 50-Under-50 category by Greater Seattle Chapter, with floral decorations and logo of The Links, Incorporated.
A certificate or award for LaNesha DeBardelaben, a 50-Under-50 Honoree, recognizing her leadership and community involvement. The certificate includes a logo of The Links, Incorporated, with a globe and chain design, and mentions her contributions to