RARE Newsletter July 2021
SPS Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones Shares His Goals in RARE Discussion Series
Dr. Brent Jones wants to create the conditions for students to thrive in the Seattle Public School District. It’s his self-assigned mission. Jones, who is six weeks into his job as interim superintendent for the Seattle Public School District, shared his goals at the June 7 discussion session for Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity. Jones has a 14-month contract as superintendent while the district searches for its next leader.
Jones Supports New RARE Project
Dr. Brent Jones, interim superintendent of Seattle Public School, has committed $5,000 to a RARE initiative to bring together students of different backgrounds from different schools.
Scholarship Goal Met; Fundraising Continues
Thank you to all of the donors who helped us to reach our goal of $250,000 for the James A. Davis Jr. Scholarship Fund. We are grateful for your continued support as we build and strengthen the Fund to allow for increasing the grants to keep pace with tuition increases as well as our desire to add a third scholarship recipient each year.
A Look at the Case for Reparations and Atonement by the Brookings Institute
There are few issues that elicit a stronger reaction or a political tempest than that of reparations for slavery and for state-sanctioned racism that have left millions of Black Americans out of the middle class. In an article for the Brookings Institute, Rayshawn Ray and Andre M. Perry present a compelling case of reparations for both.
Dr. Kyle Kinoshita Joins RARE Open Discussion July 19 at 7pm (Zoom)
Dr. Kyle Kinoshita is a longtime Seattle resident (Rainier Beach, ’71) and member of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). He retired in 2019 as Chief of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction from Seattle Public Schools, and has been a K-12 educator in the Puget Sound area. His undergraduate degree was in ethnic studies and since then has long been interested and involved in issues of racial equity.
On Monday, July 19 at 7pm, Dr. Kinoshita will initiate a conversation on the upsurge of anti-Asian hate incidents that has erupted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will give a brief history of Asian Americans that will explain the roots of the narrative fueling the anti-Asian hate manifesting itself in the numerous attacks. The discussion session is open to the public. Please note the 7 p.m. start time.
Dr. Alex Manning Joins RARE Open Discussion August 16 at 7pm (Zoom)
Dr. Alex Manning, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hamilton College, New York, will be the featured speaker at RARE’s open discussion session on Monday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.
Manning’s research is centered on racism and sports. He will share how his experiences with sports, racism and racial socialization in Seattle contributed to what he teaches. He says that sports and racism have a relationship that the public should understand. He will also discuss the spectacle of sports and the hyper-competitive youth sports system.
The discussion session is open to the public. Please note the 7 p.m. start time.