March Newsletter: Tending the Roots & Trusting the Process
Ramadan Mubarak to all of our colleagues, friends, families and students who are observing! We wish you a peaceful and blessed Ramadan.
March is here - and with it - the hopeful signs of Spring. On hard days - and good days too- we turn to our natural world around us, budding with life and wonder and allow ourselves to be gently reminded to trust the process and yield to the seasons of this work. Read ahead for some exciting announcements and beautiful reflection by our staff of digging in and helping restorative practices take deep root in our schools.
In this newsletter, you will find:
Announcing our New Development Manager
Feature Blog Post: Tending to Transformation: Restorative Practices in Schools
2023 Justice for All Award
Black History Month Recap
BIPOC Children's Book Drive
LinkedIn Launch
Show Your support!
We are so excited to welcome Marisol Montes de Oca to our team as WA-BLOC’s new (and first!) Development Manager! This is a special moment of growth for our organization as we seek to build our internal capacity to raise and steward the resources necessary to continue partnering with our schools and communities for transformative education and social action. Marisol will be leading our individual donor engagement and stewardship while supporting and developing WA-BLOC’s annual fundraising efforts.
Marisol (she/her/ella) is a first-generation immigrant from Colima, Mexico. Marisol came to the Yakima Valley with her parents and siblings at the age of four. Growing up in the Valley as an undocumented youth she remembers the barriers and uncertainty her family experienced when trying to meet their basic needs around housing, healthcare, education, and economic stability.
Marisol has found community and purpose working at the intersection of reproductive justice and immigrant rights first in Eastern Washington and then across the State of Washington. She approaches her work by building community connections based on shared values and purpose.
Connect with Marisol at marisol@wa-bloc.org!
In the tapestry of our natural world, sunflowers, mustard greens, and willow trees emerge as alchemists, possessing a shared superpower—the ability to transform toxic soil through a process called phytoremediation.
As we embark on the journey of implementing Restorative Practices to transform school-wide cultures and systems, we find parallels in the magic of phytoremediation. On our quest, we face a similar limitation akin to the roots of restorative plant species; the width and depth to which they can penetrate the contaminated soil.
Much like willow trees, whose roots can delve deep enough into the earth to cleanse groundwater, schools yearn for roots that reach to transform beyond structural, personnel, and policy constraints. Restorative Practices serve as a slow acting fertilizer for this.
WA-BLOC bestowed 2023 Justice for All Award by Washington State Leadership Board at 48th Annual Awards Ceremony in Olympia
Mom, we won an award! On February 22nd, our team humbly received the “Justice for All” Award bestowed by The Washington State Leadership Board (WSLB), in partnership with Lt. Governor Denny Heck’s office as part of the 48th Annual Washington Leadership Award ceremony. We were honored to be in the company of additional awardees including Weld Seattle (Organization of the Year), Jan Yoshiwara (Washingtonian of the Year), and Dr. Marsha Linehan (Legacy of Service Award). These awards are given every year on behalf of the State of Washington in recognition of outstanding service and leadership.
“Rooted in critical literacy, intergenerational leadership development, and social action, WA-BLOC empowers students and communities through transformative education. I don’t say this lightly…Transformation is something that we don’t see often enough in education and many of us who work in education see that the system and spaces students are spending every day in is not working for them, and we tinker around the edges. We try to tweak one place or another, but we feel the weight of the system. WA-BLOC is not content to tinker around the edges…WA-BLOC’s dedication to shaping inclusive and equitable educational environments celebrates the legacy of activism and social justice.”
In addition to distributing hundreds of Black authored children’s books and supporting our partner schools’ Black History events this past month, Anab, our Freedom Schools Site Coordinator and Curriculum/Instruction Specialist, spent a February afternoon in a UW Bothell classroom discussing the importance of Black spaces in education with college students. Here’s her reflection:
On February 14th, I joined a class at UW-Bothell called "Black Spaces" where students explored topics around Black resistance, Black studies, and Black freedom. I facilitated a conversation for students in this class about "Freedom at School." I talked about our Freedom Schools program values and how we create intentional space for our youth, particularly Black youth, to grow and feel seen. I presented our curriculum and shared some examples of lessons and books that we read in our program with the class. I passed around a talking piece and asked students what they were thinking about and what their hopes and dreams were for education. I ended the session by teaching some cheers and chants that we do with our students during the summer.
I think conversations like this are important to have with college-aged students because they are our leaders! Literally, they are the people we want to teach our youth during our Freedom Schools program :) They are thinking about ways to create space for young people that are affirming, loving, and safe. Our Freedom Schools program allows for people who are constantly thinking about these practices to figure out what this work could look like. We encourage the innovation, curiosity, and excitement that young people have for this work and know that their contributions and engagement will make the work stronger and more effective.
One of the major takeaways I had from this presentation is the answer that many of the students gave to the question "what are your hopes and dreams for education?" Many students talked about wanting to see schools with diverse teachers, inclusive practices, and culturally engaging lessons. In answering this question, many students reflected on their own educational experience and how they felt like they would have thrived in spaces like these if they were made available throughout their K-12 journeys.
BIPOC Children's Book Drive for WA-BLOC!
Join Seattle Urban Book Exchange on April 6th at The Station Coffeeshop from 6 PM - 10 PM for their upcoming 90's Vibe Book Drive event benefitting WA-BLOC!
Enjoy a 90's vibe musical performance by DJ LoveJones and show your support for six small business owners at the marketplace.
Donate a book to receive a complimentary raffle ticket for a chance to win fantastic prizes generously provided by community partners.
Admission is free! All donated books will go to our Freedom Schools summer program and be gifted to scholar participants to help build their home libraries!
Did you know that we recently launched our LinkedIn account?
Our goal is to invest in and expand our network with folks engaged in liberatory and transformative education. Whether you are an educator, school leader, restorative justice practitioner, community based organization, or individual simply interested in learning more, we look forward to connecting and building with you!
“To love all children, we must struggle together to create the schools we are taught to believe are impossible: schools built on love, justice, joy, and anti-racism.” Dr. Bettina Love
Follow along on the journey and connect with us there!
