Washington Ethnic Studies Now

WAESN’s History

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We are a group of anti-racist, Ethnic Studies educator activists who came together to form a joint 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(3) non-profit in the State of Washington to support the implementation of Ethnic Studies Statewide.

Our Story

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We formed our group in March of 2019 after Dr. Curtis Acosta and his group, Acosta Educational Partnership, helped us organize the inaugural Washington Ethnic Studies Now Assembly. This was not an educator conference, it was a chance for Ethnic Studies educators in our region to come together, learn from one another, and share stories to build our movement. We knew we were limited by our siloed work and were grateful to have Dr. Acosta and his colleagues share their expertise and experiences, too.

We walked away from our first assembly with a new network of Ethnic Studies educators in Washington State, and we knew we had to do something with that. We started meeting once a month, discussing and planning how to affect change. From that came our non-profit, Washington Ethnic Studies Now. As a non-profit organization, we hope to provide a hub for Washington State educators to organize, learn, and resist!

WAESN’s Dual-Entity Model

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Shortly after founding our 501(c)(4) in early 2020, we realized that systemic change requires a multi-pronged approach. We formed a 501(c)(3) to house our youth programming and educational opportunities, while the 501(c)(4) focuses on unapologetic political advocacy and legislative leadership necessary to advance K–12 Ethnic Studies.

This dual-entity model provides us with a framework that:

• Ensures Sustainability: We protect the integrity of our educational work while maintaining the freedom to lobby and hold elected officials accountable to our community’s needs.
• Centers Youth Power: Our 501(c)(3) fuels the WAESN Youth B.A.S.E., including the Youth Power Lab and Stay Woke Conference, transforming volunteer advocacy into a coordinated youth leadership pipeline.
• Bypasses Gatekeepers: By operating across both sectors, we move beyond permission-based activism and directly influence the state policies and public narratives that shape young peoples’ lives.