This article is one of a series of articles produced by The Seattle Medium through support provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to Word In Black, a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media outlets across the country.
By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Public School’s Office of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) recently released a report that explores how our Black boys, teens, and families experience the Seattle Public School system.
According to Dr. Mia Williams, Executive Director of the AAMA, the findings and recommendations from the report are the products of parents, student voices and insights. The report is the cumulative effort of ongoing conversations about building just schools, leading from the insights of students/families and rectifying inequities.
“We are excited about our commitment to do better, as we say, ‘it is important to listen, act and repeat,’” says Williams. “This is not a one-time event. We want to make sure all are accountable to providing what is best in making sure we are at the table of decision-making, so that our students can get what they need.”
AAMA was launched in 2019 to reconstruct Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and cultivate the strengths of Black boys and teens. With outcomes of Black boys and teens embedded across Seattle Public Schools’ strategies and goals, there is a strong need for coherence and community leadership. AAMA provides strategic alignment, community partnership, educator development and research; and approaches this work from a framework for systemic change.
The report uplifts four key themes, with each offering a specific set of recommendations:
• Create welcoming, joyous, and safe learning environments
• Develop instructional approaches grounded in identity affirmation
• Build strong relationships between educators and students
• Lead with insights from families and community members in the education of their children.
Advocates within SPS, believe creating a welcoming, safe and joyous learning environment is the first step to making sure young Black male students feel safe and confident about learning. In addition, they also feel that it is important for students to develop identity through instruction to help them build their self-esteem.
“The AAMA gave me the ability to express myself,” says Trevon Mitchell, a junior at Cleveland High School. “I always wanted to be a public speaker and the program helps you to identify your passions and then helps strengthen your skills. So, they took that and put me in uncomfortable spaces to where I can actually present public speaking and because of that I have become more comfortable with my ability.”
Adding culturally relevant histories to ethnic studies curriculums, the AAMA looks to use this instruction to teach the idea that Black people and other ethnic minorities possess a story of their own that deserves attention and to promote pride in the contributions Black culture and other ethnic groups have given humanity through their erudition.
“Understanding who we are, our history, our ancestors on who’s shoulders we stand on is essential,” says Williams. “Many of the students, particularly when we talk to young Black males, find it difficult because nothing is being taught in schools that they can identify with. They are really interested in learning more about their own histories.”
“Curriculums are being put in place, in ethnic studies and studies centered around the contribution of Africans and her descendants. We have also included other ethnic groups like the Filipino students and are offering studies relevant to their culture as well,” says Williams.
Having strong relationships with Black faculty members is another recommendation that stems from the voices of Black families and their children. Seeing someone walking the halls or teaching a class that looks like them, that challenges their standards and expectations of themselves is something they believe is important for their personal development.
“One of the things that students have always said is that we wanted to see more Black teachers, more Black counselors,” says Mitchell. “More Black history that is one of the things we are pushing toward in the public schools, so that is something that is weighing heavily in this program.”
The source from which this program extracts its agenda is through its “Listen to and leading from their voices” focus groups is the family and community. While many agree that educators are the experts and can provide the learning environment with their valuable contributions, they also believe that the students and parents live the experience and are impacted the most through the educational experience, so it is important that their voices be heard because it directly impacts them.
“The importance of making sure that we have the voices of our students and families is number one,” says Williams. “They know what they need to thrive, and they know what is missing for them to succeed.”
“We have our motto ‘nothing about us without us’, you can’t design or impact young people and include academic, social and life outcomes without their and their family’s voices in decision making,” adds Williams.
Changing the environment is not easy and it cannot happen without the involvement and commitment of the community at-large. With mentorships, youth organizations and other outside influences, SPS needs the involvement of the community to help enhance the learning environment of its Black male students.
“Our Black led organizations, our elders and community members, it is going to take an intergenerational effort to help us all succeed,” says Williams. “Black-led organizations help to close the gaps in services and opportunities and Black led organization and community members bring that to the table.”
