SEA Racial Equity Newsletter - May 2021 |
SEA is working to build out a stronger vision for anti-racism in our union and across our education system! We created the SEA Racial Equity Newsletter to inform SEA membership of Racial Equity Opportunities and provide more resources so this work can continue in each of our spaces.
This month’s issue has resources about:
- Educators of Color Affinity Groups
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SEA CRE Racial Equity Team Mini-Grant Program - Deadline Extended
- SEA Anti-Racism Education Panel Series
- AAPI Heritage Month Resources
- Seattle APALA Membership Drive
- More Community Events
Please let me know if you have any questions or have something you would like to share in a future newsletter.
Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much)!
Kaitlin Kamalei Brandon, SEA Racial Equity Organizer
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Educators of Color Affinity Groups
SEA and the SEA Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC) are hosting Educators of Color Affinity Groups for SEA members who identify as educators of color. We need a space where we can simply be and find support as BIPOC educators. Come join us as we gather as a community!
The next one is Wednesday, May 5th.
Every Other Wednesday from 5:00-6:00 PM
Dates: May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16
Time: 5:00-6:00 PM
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SEA CRE Racial Equity Team Mini-Grant Program - Deadline Extended
Racial Equity Teams led by SEA members can apply for a $500 grant in order to fund racial equity work they want to do in the 2021-2022 School Year. We will be awarding 20 mini-grants. Racial Equity Teams do NOT have to be recognized by the district to apply for the Mini-Grant program -- you just have to be doing racial equity work in your school, be led by SEA members, and have a rocking plan for next year!
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SEA Anti-Racist Education Panel Series
SEA is hosting an Anti-Racist Education Panel Series this May and June! Our series theme is: How Do We Center Anti-Racism and Racial Justice This Year and Beyond?
At each event, 4-5 amazing educators will come together to discuss and answer questions about anti-racist education in their grade level and/or setting. Come learn from fellow educator leaders and join us on the following dates:
- Thursday, May 20 @ 5:00-5:40 PM: Special Education (Grades PreK-12) Panel
- Thursday, May 27 @ 5:00-5:40 PM: Elementary (Grades PreK-2) Panel
- Thursday, May 27 @ 6:00-6:40 PM: Elementary (Grades 3-5) Panel
- Thursday, June 3 @ 5:00-5:40 PM: Secondary (Grades 6-8) Panel
- Thursday June 3 @ 6:00-6:40 PM: Secondary (Grades 9-12) Panel
We are working on being able to offer Clock Hours if you attend the actual event (cross your fingers everything goes through). We will also be recording the panel for our members to access later on!
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AAPI Heritage Month Resources
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month is the month of May! While this is NOT the only month AAPI History and Heritage should be taught, we want to provide resources to ensure that AAPI History and Heritage are celebrated and taught this month and beyond.
Check out the following resources:
Also, we would love to feature the amazing work you are doing in your school or setting to celebrate, honor, and teach AAPI history and heritage. Please send any pictures or descriptions of what you are doing to kaitlinkamalei.brandon@washingtonea.org to potentially be featured on SEA social media.
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Seattle APALA Biennial Membership Drive
Join one of the Washington State Labor Council’s constituency groups, the Seattle Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance during their biennial membership drive. While the chapter is based in the Puget Sound area, all Washington union members who are committed to building power for API workers are invited to join.
APALA envisions a society where economic and racial justice prevails, human rights and worker dignity are affirmed, and where a healthy, sustainable planet is able to offer a better life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Black, brown, and Indigenous folks, and all communities fighting oppression.
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage month by joining APALA for a Labor Town hall on Anti-Asian Racism! Wednesday, May 12th @ 12pm PT / 3pm ET. We encourage all labor leaders and allies to attend.
How can we build a labor movement that is inclusive of Asian American workers and that fights to end anti-Asian racism with the same fervor as we fight for workers’ rights? How do we commit our leadership and each member to recognize anti-Asian racism in our unions historically and now, and commit to stop treating Asian American workers as disposable, as perpetual foreigners, or as invisible?
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More Community Events
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Wednesday, May 5: Vaccine Clinic at Plymouth Church
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Are you Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color and you or your family are seeking a vaccine appointment? Community has invited our BIPOC members and their families to schedule a vaccine appointment for yourself or members of your family, click here.
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Saturday, May 8 from 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM: National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day
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More Info: https://www.votingrightsalliance.org/upcoming-events-1/2021/5/8/national-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-action-day#:~:text=On%20May%208%2C%202021%2C%20a%20“John%20Lewis%20National,the%20last%20vestiges%20of%20slavery%20-%20the%20filibuster!
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon Events
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Wednesday, 5/5/21 (5 – 7 PM) | Reconciling History & Social Locations What is race? What is racism? How do we confront racism in ourselves, in our communities, in society? | BIPOC only event
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Wednesday, 5/12/21 (5 – 7 PM) | Radical Self-Awareness What is the model minority myth? How can we disrupt the weaponization and create a model minority mutiny? | BIPOC only event
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Friday, 5/14/21 (Noon - 1:30 PM) | Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Resilience & Solidarity All audiences are welcome to learn about and celebrate Asian & Pacific Islander Resilience & Solidarity.
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Tuesday, 5/18/21 (5 - 6:30 PM) | Unlearning Anti-Blackness in Non-Black Communities We will challenge our personal practices, build skills for discussing anti-Blackness with our communities, and commit to de-centering ourselves in order to center Black livelihood. | BIPOC only event
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Wednesday, 5/19/21 (5 – 6:30 PM) | Relational Social Power Old and new members of Asian 4 Black Lives will give a presentation on their experiences: how A4BL structures challenges and disrupts anti-blackness + white supremacy within ourselves, our organization, and beyond. | BIPOC only event Liberation in Practice gatherings, just like Resilience Series gatherings, are for and by the BIPOC community. Our white allies and accomplices are welcomed to our event on Friday, May 14, 2021, A Celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander Resilience & Solidarity.
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