February 2024 Newsletter
There can be so much pressure to make big, quick changes at the start of a new year.
White supremacy and capitalism tell us that we have to learn and produce very quickly, and this can feel especially true during the new year season. We believe it is critical- as an organization supporting our school communities in often crisis/urgent situations - to remind ourselves and each other that we get to slow down, build in reflection, and support each other well.
Our first pause of the new year to reflect and support one another in global solidarity came one month ago when Journalist Bisan Owda called for a global strike to support a permanent ceasefire in Palestine (a siege that has now surpassed 131 days).
A box filled with sloth stuffies
We also started off the new year with an intention to connect with each of the 200+ educators and leaders we work with on a daily basis through our Restorative Practices school programming and remind them that we see and value each of them and the hard work they do every single day. We provided sloth stuffies to each person - that can also be used as talking pieces in class circles - with a personal note and reminder to go slow and trust the process (and have fun!).
As we look ahead, we are excited to begin preparations for our (9th annual!!) Freedom Schools summer program. It’s our favorite time of the year. Truly.
Speaking of summer and Freedom Schools, we are now hiring current and aspiring educators to join us this summer! The rest of this newsletter is packed with all things Freedom Schools including information about the history of Freedom Schools, current programming, and opportunities to work with us this summer!
We want to recognize the collaborative effort between the NAACP Youth Council, the Seattle Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators (SCORE), and Washington Ethnic Studies Now for continuing to advocate and organize the Seattle-based Black Lives Matter Week of Action (which took place Feb 5th-9th). The movement, now national, started in 2016 at John Muir Elementary School (one of our partner schools!) when, upon getting a bomb threat, administrators had to cancel an assembly designed to support its Black students. The week is made up of a series of events, including a talent show for Black youth and a rally at a school board meeting to call attention to four BLM at School demands. The demands continue to be clear:
End zero tolerance and implement restorative justice.
Mandate Black history and ethnic studies.
Hire and retain Black educators.
Fund counselors, not cops.
To learn more about the BLM Week of Action at School read the article linked in the button below from the South Seattle Emerald.
Stay tuned for our next newsletter, we’ll have a full recap from our February Black History Month activities.
Calling all educators (current and aspiring)! The WA-BLOC team is hiring for our 2024 Freedom Schools Summer Program!
Check out the educator job description here. To apply, fill out this Google Form and send a resume to katie@wa-bloc.org with the subject line “[First Name Last Name] Summer Program Educator Application.”
The priority deadline is March 6 at 9:00am! If you have any questions reach out to Katie, Freedom School Program Director, at katie@wa-bloc.org.
Want to learn more about our Freedom Schools program?
Katie (Freedom Schools Program Director) and Mari (RJ Coordinator and Liberatory Educator) share about the 1964 Freedom Schools, our Freedom Schools curriculum, and a typical program day.
Check out this reflection from a former Freedom Schools educator.
“This summer truly made me excited about education and educational spaces again. Before Freedom Schools, I was starting to get extremely burnt out and jaded about the state of public schools, especially for underrepresented youth. This summer showed me how magical and transformative education spaces can be and just how smart and inspiring youth of all ages are.”
Read about Yobachinia, a former Freedom Schools Scholar that continues to come back as a young adult leader for the program in the next section of this newsletter below.
We've heard some incredible stories about the impact that our work at WA-BLOC has had on individuals, schools, and our community. While we get to hear and feel the impact that our work is having, we thought we'd share some of these stories with our network (you!). Your support through financial contributions, spreading the word about WA-BLOC to your communities, and cheering us on helps keep us going! We hope to provide insight into how our work is making an impact - one person at a time.
Meet changemaker, Yobachinia Frazier. Yobach first participated in WA-BLOC programming as a freshman at Rainier Beach High School in 2015 through our Freedom Schools Summer Program and has continued to be involved ever since, from a youth participant to a young adult leader within WA-BLOC.
"Sometimes, when you get hit with so many negative issues, you wonder what good is there. But Freedom Schools does it in such a cool way, telling you, 'This is what's going on. This doesn't have to be your story, and now that you're aware of it, what are we going to do about it?'." - Yobachinia Frazier
