RARE Newsletter May 2022
Please join RARE’s open discussion session on Monday, May 30 at 7 p.m. for a panel discussion on the Challenges of Asian Americans. Panelists will will share their lived experiences along with the rich history of Asian immigrants and their progeny in America, their fight against stereotyping and racism, the recent rise in hate crimes against Asians, and other challenges.
RARE's First-Ever Brochure!
RARE has had some amazing accomplishments in its short two-year history, and it has all been done by email and word-of-mouth. As we ramp up Connections and other new programs, we are proud to introduce our first-ever printed brochure! Its purpose is to help with recruiting (yes – we DO need more volunteers!) and fundraising. Please let us know if you have a group in mind that is likely to have interest in hearing our story and message. We’re happy to share!
How to Make Connections
In the 1960s and ‘70s at the start of Seattle’s desegregations program, it didn’t matter whether students were in favor of busing or against it. There was no plan. Students were simply bused into schools and picked up at the end of the day.
KCTS 9 To Feature RARE Documentary Film on Juneteenth
KCTS 9, a PBS member station in Seattle, will feature Roosevelt High School: Beyond Black & White on June 14, 7pm and June 19, 6:30pm (Juneteenth). RARE is honored that this prestigious station has chosen our documentary film for prime time viewing on this important date. Please spread the word!
“As many of us reflect and learn more about the history of racial injustice, segregation, and racial equity in our country and in our city, this film brings these topics together in a compelling way. Current students’ perspectives and alumni’s experiences capture how current events are tied seamlessly with history. At KCTS 9, it is part of our role in the community to share these important stories with as many viewers and families as possible.” Tomás Aguilera, KCTS Programming Coordinator
Uplifting Open Discussion of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
After months of heavy, thought-provoking topics RARE’s March open discussion session turned to praise, lament, and prayer.
That’s how speaker Dr. Cherry McGee Banks described the three verses of Lift Every Voice and Sing, the song that is also known as the Black National Anthem. Banks shared the history of the song in context of the time in which it was written. It is one of the first examples of Black history and people that was written into Western music.
James Weldon Johnson, Renaissance Man
RARE’s Open Discussion on March 28, 2022 featured University of Washington-Bothell Professor Emeritus, Cherry A. McGee Banks’s presentation on Lift Every Voice and Sing, long recognized as the America’s Black National Anthem. In her lively and informative presentation, Professor Banks noted the varied and accomplished life of the song’s co-writer, James Weldon Johnson, who penned the song’s lyrics to the musical score of his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson.