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Press releases, media coverage, blog updates, and resources for journalists.
Latest from the Blog
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When Anti-Racism and Anti-Blackness Collide: A Seattle Education Association Story
by Tracy Castro-Gill, Shraddha Shirude, and Sara Lockenvitz What follows is a story that is, no doubt, playing out in organizations across the globe. It’s a story of what happens when anti-racism and anti-Blackness collide. It’s a story that is trying to be hidden, but we have come together to make it public – as…
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Open Letter to SPS: Mobilize the Immobilized
By Alex Ng Open Letter to Seattle Public Schools Students, Families, Educators, and Communities “We need to mobilize what works.” – Dr. Nicole Law Seattle School District leaders consistently do just the opposite. They immobilize what works, even after it has been proven to work. They impede and stall the work our communities call for,…
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Ethnic Studies Kitchen Conversations with April Berg
In June of 2020 WAESN Executive Director, Tracy Castro-Gill, and Board Director, Jeff Stone, were invited to discuss Ethnic Studies with April Berg, Democratic candidate for State Representative in the 44th District. The conversation included everything from what is Ethnic Studies, to who should teach it, and the status of Ethnic Studies in Washington State.…
In the News
15 Seattle parent advocacy groups supporting education
The Seattle’s Child article lists 15 parent advocacy groups in the Seattle area, including WAESN, and highlights their roles in supporting families, influencing policy, and amplifying parent voices in education.
September 25, 2025
SERIES | Stop Performative Politics, Recenter Youth of Color, and Invest in Ethnic Studies Now
WAESN Youth Advisory Board and NAACP Youth Council leaders argue that political gestures around ethnic studies in Washington State are too often performative rather than substantive and call on lawmakers and school leaders to meaningfully invest in ethnic studies that center youth of color, support educators, and transform curriculum and pedagogy.
November 15, 2024
SERIES | After Decades of Advocacy and Minimal Action, It’s Time for Washington State to Invest in Ethnic Studies and End ‘Curriculum Violence’
After decades of advocacy with only token progress, the WAESN’s Executive Director, Dr. Castro-Gill, and Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Oliver Miska, push Washington State to seriously fund and implement ethnic studies and to end the “curriculum violence” that harms marginalized students via biased content, exclusion, and identity erasure.
October 1, 2024
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