Last week, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced more than $440,000 in grant awards for the Black Girls, Young Women, Black Queer and Transgender Youth Request for Investment to support positive identity development and social-emotional learning for middle- and high-school age youth in Seattle.
According to officials, six community-based organizations will receive awards ranging from $69,000 to $75,000 to provide culturally-responsive programs designed to support Black girls and Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) youth with leadership skills, mentorship, dedicated safe spaces and mental wellness services. Three of six organizations are first-time grant recipients from DEEL, and the majority of programs will serve students in the Central District and South Seattle. Programming will occur during the 2021-2022 school year and will serve over 200 youth.
“To support the safety and wellness of young people in our city, we need to invest in programs dedicated to their mental health,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “The ongoing pandemic and civil rights reckoning our nation is experiencing has been especially challenging for young people, especially our Black and LGBTQ+ students. I’m proud to support community organizations led by Black, Indigenous and People of Color to deliver the programs our city needs to connect youth with these important services.”
DEEL’s vision for this grant was to ensure that funded proposals were informed by Black and Black LGBTQ+ youth who would participate in the programming. In November of 2020, the Seattle City Council approved the Black Girls, Youth Women, Black Queer and Transgender Youth Request for Investment to build upon the City of Seattle’s ongoing efforts to provide culturally-responsive programs for Black queer and transgender youth.
“The voices of young Black LGBTQ+ women and girls shaped the design of this grant. Communities know best which programs are needed, which is why it was critical that their input inform the program strategies and intended outcomes of the grant,” said Dr. Dwane Chappelle, Director of DEEL. “The organizations that will be funded are those that Black youth and adults have recommended to provide this important programming dedicated to supporting the wellness of young Black and LGBTQ+ scholars in our city.”
The Black Girls, Young Women, Black Queer and Transgender Youth Request for Investment award recipients are: BRAVE (Building Resilience Awareness & Variations of Excellence) – $73,800; Coyote Central – $69,163; FEEST (Food Empowerment Education & Sustainability Team) – $75,000; Girls on the Run of Puget Sound – $72,500; YMCA of Greater Seattle – $74,965; and Y-We (Young Women Empowered) – $75,000.
“BRAVE is elated and honored to partner with DEEL to serve Black girls, young women, Black queer and transgender youth through our Trailblazers program,” said Theresa Hardy, Founder and CEO of BRAVE (Building Resilience Awareness and Variations of Excellence). “BRAVE Trailblazers is designed to introduce social justice awareness while cultivating positive self-identity as youth grow to realize their greatness while strengthening and contributing to their communities. Funding from DEEL will be used for youth to participate in creative self-exploration to increase positive cultural identity and confidence in their ability to lead.”
Reagan Jackson, Executive Director of Y-WE (Young Women Empowered), shared “the double-edge sword of the myth of the strong Black woman is the assumption that no matter what happens, she is strong enough to endure. Many LGBTQ-identified folks also know what it is like to be isolated and under-supported, and those who live in the intersectionality of multiple oppressions are even more vulnerable. Being seen as strong or independent sometimes prevents us from asking for, or accepting, support and keeps us trapped in cycles of survival that prevent us from thriving.
With DEEL’s grant, we will be able to center the mental, physical and overall well-being of Black girls and women and our LGBTQ youth and community. This is a life-giving and–in some very real ways, life-saving, opportunity. Through these new healing programs and affinity spaces, we will be able to connect youth with one another in a positive community; and provide the resources, mentorship, and professional support that our Black and LGBTQ youth need to thrive.”
