NEW FACES: Dr. Bea Butler Joins RARE’s Board of Directors

Welcome to RARE’s newest member of the Board of Directors – Dr. Beatrice Butler!

RARE is grateful for Dr. Butler’s professional contributions and personal values and attributes.  She shares her story below:

I was born and raised in Yakima, Washington in the early 1960s, and was part of the first integrated school bussing system as a young kindergartner.

I still recall the NAACP representatives visiting our home to speak with my parents about how my involvement would be beneficial for “Our People.”

However, that experience often included facing hostility, being called hurtful names, and feeling unwelcome at school.

I remember surprising my teacher by demonstrating that I could write my name and address. I even created a map outlining how to get home in case the bus didn’t take us. I proudly graduated from A.C. Davis High School, where I served as Senior Class President in 1982. This early experience laid the foundation for my passion and commitment to RARE and its mission.

I hold a BA in Graphic Design from Central Washington University, an AA in Applied Video Production from Seattle Central, a Teaching Certification and Master’s in Human Development from Pacific Oaks Northwest, and a Principal’s Certification and Doctor of Education from The University of Washington, along with my Superintendent Certification.

Currently, I work as an educator within Seattle Public Schools, where I’ve held roles including Classroom Teacher, Academic Interventionist, Head Teacher, and Assistant Principal.

Presently, I serve with the Department of Racial Equity Advancement (DREA), supporting 22 North Region schools’ Racial Equity Teams (RETs) by providing coaching, professional development, and implementing action plans.

I am also actively involved in community organizations, serving as president of the Seattle Chapter of the National Black Child Development Institution. In addition, I support Multi-Communities (M.I.C.), a domestic violence service in the Seattle area, providing assistance to individuals affected by domestic abuse. I believe that serving and supporting our community is crucial.

When I discovered RARE, I felt a strong urge to contribute to the initiative focused on achieving true equity and diversity.

This aligns directly with the Racial Equity work I am currently engaged in within the North End schools of Seattle.

Although I am not a Roosevelt alum I believe in the work RARE is doing, breaking down barriers of racial biases and building communities of belonging. I encourage all to check out RARE and lean into the change and step up to the challenges we and our children are facing courageously.

Racial Equity is part of the cure that binds us together.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”  – Nelson Mandela

We must “Recognize!” -to understand, to comprehend something that is already known. Our part in this world as a human, that it is our right and responsibility to love one another.