- friendsofingrahamh
Black Lives Matter
Dear Ingraham Community,
Friends of Ingraham is horrified by the tragedy of lives lost to police violence and grieves with our community over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many more. Seattle grapples with its own long history of institutional racism, and we mourn the lives lost here, too.
Phrases like “furthest from educational justice” and “most marginalized” acknowledge the structural racism inherent in the US educational system, but can also detract from the lived experience of our Black students. To be clear, the educational system was designed to exclude Black children, and even today it perpetuates violence and trauma on them. As an organization that supports student success, it is our responsibility to speak out against oppressive systems.
Black students matter. It is a joy to witness their excellence. We see their brilliance and their creativity, their dedication and their drive. Over the years, our students have stood firmly on the side of justice time and again, and we are seeing it today as they work for change. We are so proud of the eloquence, grace, and bravery of the Ingraham student body as they exercise their Constitutional rights by speaking truth to power, through writing and protest, standing alone or lending their voices to chants at rallies. We can only hope to live up to the example they set for us.
FOI is here to support our Ingraham students, families, and staff. We not only want to add our voice of support but also add our resources. If students, parents, or staff have an idea for how to support or educate our community right now or throughout the next school year, FOI wants to learn more and to provide needed resources through our grant program. Maybe there are engaging or thoughtful speakers who can share their life experiences or their professional expertise on the topic of racial injustice or justice reform; high school workshops or conferences that our student leaders can attend; or staff with ideas on how to add curriculum or guest teachers. FOI would like to find those resources and support initiatives with our volunteers and financial resources.
We are an organization of volunteers; we work to be responsible stewards of your financial contribution and we encourage rigorous scrutiny. We invite you to hold us accountable to our commitments. Please feel free to reach out to us at friendsofingrahamhs@gmail.com.
Black Lives Matter, always, unequivocally.
Sincerely,
Clare Thomas
President, Friends of Ingraham
Know Your Rights (in multiple languages): https://www.nlg.org/know-your-rights/
Resources and Ways to Support Black Lives Matter: https://creative-capital.org/2020/06/03/resources-ways-to-support-black-lives-matter/
Black Lives Matter Seattle - King County’s Protest Safety Guide: https://blacklivesseattle.org/protest-safety-guide/