News The latest ideas and information from Washington Ethnic Studies Now We Pause to Remember the Refugees of Wars This Memorial Day Weekend Below is a message from Friendly Vang-Johnson, founder of Friendly Hmong Farms, a CSA created during COVID to support Hmong flower farmers whose businesses were shuttered during quarantine. There will be no flowers this week / weekend as we take time as a nation to reflect and honor the sacrifices of fallen American soldiers. Some of us will celebrate in the “traditional” way with… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 30, 2021May 30, 2021 Petition: Address Racism and White Supremacy in North Thurston Public Schools EDIT: Success! At the request of the authors of the petition, the petition has been temporarily suspended while they work with the North Thurston School Board, who has responded to all of you who signed the petition! Many thanks for elevating this issue and being catalysts for change! If you would like to send your own email, please visit the North Thurston School District… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 28, 2021June 2, 2021 Your Gaze Doesn’t Define Me – The Identities of Mixed-Race People I decided to write this blog post because I recently came under attack with accusations of being a “racial imposter,” using my “proximity to Brownness” for personal gain. While I can easily dismiss this accusation from someone who doesn’t know me or my work, the accusation has dredged up a lot of the trauma I’ve experienced around navigating a mixed-race identity; never being enough… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 1, 2021April 26, 2021 When Anti-Racism and Anti-Blackness Collide: A Seattle Education Association Story by Tracy Castro-Gill, Shraddha Shirude, Sara Lockenvitz, and Amanda Hubbard 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 a cautionary tale – for others in… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading April 1, 2021May 4, 2021 SB5044 OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY ACTION If you’ve been following our social media, you’ll know we’ve been tracking SB5044 concerning anti-racist professional development. It has passed the Senate and must pass the House by March 26th. We can use the time between now and then to influence important changes to the language of this bill. The WAESN Legislative Subcommittee has read through the bill and has the following concerns/talking points… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading March 13, 2021March 18, 2021 Support BIPOC Whistleblowers Feature image from KUOW Recently, KUOW published information about the practice of putting children, mostly Black and Brown special education students, in cages. More distressing than the practice is the fact that the practice, itself, is approved by policy in Seattle Public Schools. The educator who blew the whistle, named in the KUOW piece, is Jackie Flaherty. Jackie is a veteran kindergarten educator and… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 29, 2020February 10, 2021 OSPI Ethnic Studies Failure Directors and members of WAESN have been participating in and following the work of the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s work on the legally mandated creation of a K-12 model Ethnic Studies Curriculum. WAESN board president, Amanda Hubbard, is an official member of this committee and has witnessed fragile whiteness in both the leadership of this committee and the creation… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 11, 2020December 11, 2020 Remove Denise Juneau; An open letter to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors By Rita Green, NAACP Education Chair for Washington, Oregon, and Alaska Recently, the King County NAACP, in support of the Washington State NAACP Youth Council, called for the removal of Superintendent Denise Juneau. Below is a detailed rationale for their actions written by Rita Green. To support the efforts of the NAACP, please sign the petition at the end of this open letter. Denise… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Petition: Fire Superintendent Denise Juneau On October 5th, youth leaders of the NAACP Youth Council demanded that Superintendent Juneau be terminated. Below is an excerpt of the speech given by Angelina Riley, co-president of the NAACP Youth Council, outlining the reasons why they are demanding her termination. One mission of Washington Ethnic Studies Now is to center the voices of BIPOC students, and we are doing that by assisting… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 WA State NAACP Youth Council’s Launching the 2020-21 School Year of Racial Justice On Monday, October 5th, the NAACP Youth Council launched the school year with a list of demands for both the State of Washington and Seattle Public Schools. Below is a recording of the webinar. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 6, 2020October 6, 2020 WAESN Voting Guide 2020 As a 501(c)(4), one of Washington Ethnic Studies Now’s (WAESN) purposes is to advocate at all levels of government for the advancement of Ethnic Studies and anti-racist practices and policies in public education. As such, we are providing our first, ever, election guide with our choices for state and national level candidates, resolutions, advisory votes, and referendums. We surveyed members of our Executive Team… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 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, and take away from educators the very tools that… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading September 2, 2020September 2, 2020 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. Below is the video of that conversation followed by… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 An Elder Millennial’s Journey to Ethnic Studies & Visual Arts, Part Two By Alex Ng This multipart journal is where I am documenting my thoughts as I embark on the journey of revising all of my classes from decent Visual Arts curriculum with some Ethnic Studies themes and content integrated throughout, to true Ethnic Studies Visual Arts at all levels: curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom culture. Part Two picks up where Part One ended: the start of… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 Load more posts Loading… Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
We Pause to Remember the Refugees of Wars This Memorial Day Weekend Below is a message from Friendly Vang-Johnson, founder of Friendly Hmong Farms, a CSA created during COVID to support Hmong flower farmers whose businesses were shuttered during quarantine. There will be no flowers this week / weekend as we take time as a nation to reflect and honor the sacrifices of fallen American soldiers. Some of us will celebrate in the “traditional” way with… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 30, 2021May 30, 2021
Petition: Address Racism and White Supremacy in North Thurston Public Schools EDIT: Success! At the request of the authors of the petition, the petition has been temporarily suspended while they work with the North Thurston School Board, who has responded to all of you who signed the petition! Many thanks for elevating this issue and being catalysts for change! If you would like to send your own email, please visit the North Thurston School District… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 28, 2021June 2, 2021
Your Gaze Doesn’t Define Me – The Identities of Mixed-Race People I decided to write this blog post because I recently came under attack with accusations of being a “racial imposter,” using my “proximity to Brownness” for personal gain. While I can easily dismiss this accusation from someone who doesn’t know me or my work, the accusation has dredged up a lot of the trauma I’ve experienced around navigating a mixed-race identity; never being enough… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading May 1, 2021April 26, 2021
When Anti-Racism and Anti-Blackness Collide: A Seattle Education Association Story by Tracy Castro-Gill, Shraddha Shirude, Sara Lockenvitz, and Amanda Hubbard 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 a cautionary tale – for others in… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading April 1, 2021May 4, 2021
SB5044 OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY ACTION If you’ve been following our social media, you’ll know we’ve been tracking SB5044 concerning anti-racist professional development. It has passed the Senate and must pass the House by March 26th. We can use the time between now and then to influence important changes to the language of this bill. The WAESN Legislative Subcommittee has read through the bill and has the following concerns/talking points… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading March 13, 2021March 18, 2021
Support BIPOC Whistleblowers Feature image from KUOW Recently, KUOW published information about the practice of putting children, mostly Black and Brown special education students, in cages. More distressing than the practice is the fact that the practice, itself, is approved by policy in Seattle Public Schools. The educator who blew the whistle, named in the KUOW piece, is Jackie Flaherty. Jackie is a veteran kindergarten educator and… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 29, 2020February 10, 2021
OSPI Ethnic Studies Failure Directors and members of WAESN have been participating in and following the work of the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s work on the legally mandated creation of a K-12 model Ethnic Studies Curriculum. WAESN board president, Amanda Hubbard, is an official member of this committee and has witnessed fragile whiteness in both the leadership of this committee and the creation… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 11, 2020December 11, 2020
Remove Denise Juneau; An open letter to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors By Rita Green, NAACP Education Chair for Washington, Oregon, and Alaska Recently, the King County NAACP, in support of the Washington State NAACP Youth Council, called for the removal of Superintendent Denise Juneau. Below is a detailed rationale for their actions written by Rita Green. To support the efforts of the NAACP, please sign the petition at the end of this open letter. Denise… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading December 3, 2020December 3, 2020
Petition: Fire Superintendent Denise Juneau On October 5th, youth leaders of the NAACP Youth Council demanded that Superintendent Juneau be terminated. Below is an excerpt of the speech given by Angelina Riley, co-president of the NAACP Youth Council, outlining the reasons why they are demanding her termination. One mission of Washington Ethnic Studies Now is to center the voices of BIPOC students, and we are doing that by assisting… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 13, 2020October 13, 2020
WA State NAACP Youth Council’s Launching the 2020-21 School Year of Racial Justice On Monday, October 5th, the NAACP Youth Council launched the school year with a list of demands for both the State of Washington and Seattle Public Schools. Below is a recording of the webinar. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 6, 2020October 6, 2020
WAESN Voting Guide 2020 As a 501(c)(4), one of Washington Ethnic Studies Now’s (WAESN) purposes is to advocate at all levels of government for the advancement of Ethnic Studies and anti-racist practices and policies in public education. As such, we are providing our first, ever, election guide with our choices for state and national level candidates, resolutions, advisory votes, and referendums. We surveyed members of our Executive Team… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading October 1, 2020October 1, 2020
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, and take away from educators the very tools that… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading September 2, 2020September 2, 2020
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. Below is the video of that conversation followed by… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading August 14, 2020August 14, 2020
An Elder Millennial’s Journey to Ethnic Studies & Visual Arts, Part Two By Alex Ng This multipart journal is where I am documenting my thoughts as I embark on the journey of revising all of my classes from decent Visual Arts curriculum with some Ethnic Studies themes and content integrated throughout, to true Ethnic Studies Visual Arts at all levels: curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom culture. Part Two picks up where Part One ended: the start of… Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Keep reading July 13, 2020July 13, 2020