May BLM Year of Purpose; Septima Clark; Black Radical Educator Day & Black Villages
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Dear Sacajawea Community,
This month, Sacajawea’s Parent Racial Equity Team celebrates Septima Clark’s Birthday/Black Radical Educator Day (May 3). Septima Clark was an educator and civil rights activist whose work in the 1950s and beyond were crucial in the drive for voting rights and civil rights for African Americans.
This month’s guiding principle focuses on Black Villages; “Supporting, promoting, and fostering growth and renewal for our villages” and highlight three “villages” within the United States; Wa Na Wara (Seattle), Ethel’s Club (New York City/online), and Black Scientists Matter (nationwide) with the intent to encourage our community’s continued engagement with Black Lives Matter at School Year of Purpose. Our goal is to empower parents and students to do the necessary work to achieve racial equity and justice.
Septima Poinsette Clark (1898 - 1987)
“I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.”
Born to a laundry woman and former slave, Septima Poinsette Clark led an incredible life of drive and innovation in grassroots citizenship education, and was considered the “Mother of the Movement”. She overcame multiple obstacles to becoming a teacher, including pursuing her education during summer breaks. When she finally became a teacher, she faced opposition in the city of Charleston refusing to hire black educators. Turning her frustration into action, Septima worked with NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to petition the city to change their policies..
A lifelong advocate for equality and education, she and Thurgood Marshall campaigned for equal pay for black teachers at Columbia. She worked with the YWCA in a class action lawsuit filed by the NAACP that resulted in pay equity for black and white teachers in South Carolina.
Later, South Carolina state legister banned state employees from being associated with civil rights organizations (such as NAACP) in order to minimize their effectiveness. Septima refused to withdraw from the NAACP, and moved to Tennessee where she helped found citizenship schools designed to “aide literacy and foster a sense of political empowerment within the black community.” Rosa Parks participated in one of Septimas workshops just months prior to leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The citizenship training program equipped African Americans with basic literacy and math in order to pass the prerequisite test to register to vote. This in turn linked individuals and communities to the power of the vote.
When she retired at the age of seventy two, Septima had educated some ten thousand citizenship school teachers and her colleagues had educated one hundred thousand Blacks to read and write and demand their rights of citizenship. Nearly two hundred schools were operating in the South in 1962, forever changing the political face of the region.
Septima observed best the success of her workin 1982; “From one end of the South to the other, if you look at the black elected officials and the political leaders, you find people who had their first involvement in the training program of the citizenship school.” Her legacy continues to live on.
Black Villages
This BLM Year of Purpose principle is “committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another. For younger learners, this principle shares the understanding message that there are lots of different kinds of families; those people might be related, or maybe they choose to be family together and to take care of each other, what makes a family is that it’s people take care of each other.”
Here are just a few examples of such villages and the impact they are making in their communities and beyond;
Wa Na Wari
“Sited in a fifth-generation, Black-owned home, Wa Na Wari is an immersive community art project that reclaims Black cultural space and makes a statement about the importance of Black land ownership in gentrified communities. Our mission is to create space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection. Referred to as a "container for Black joy,” Wa Na Wari incubates and amplifies Black art and belonging while providing a safe space for organizing and movement building. By renting a house from a vulnerable Black homeowner, and giving that space back to the Black community, Wa Na Wari is an active model for how Black art and culture can combat gentrification and displacement.”
Ethel's Club - New York City/Online
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Ethel's Club is the first social and wellness platform designed to celebrate people of color in both physical and digital spaces. Our vision is to spark the next renaissance with people of color at the forefront.
At Ethel's Club, we see our members as unique individuals that deserve care, celebration, and healing. We believe that when we’re given the tools to thrive as individuals, we create new worlds when we come together as a community. We’re dedicated to providing those tools to encourage healing, inspiration, and communal care.”
Black Scientists Matter
“Black people comprise 13% of the United States population, but less than 5% of graduate students pursuing Ph.D’s in STEM and 8% of the STEM workforce (National Science Foundation, 2019) The question is, why are there so few Black scientists? And what can we do to fix that?
This organization is an apparel brand that utilizes the power of social media to promote scientific literacy and STEM education to people of all backgrounds. Currently, the brand maintains multiple social media platforms with a growing follower base and has sold merchandise to 35 different states in the U.S. Black Scientists Matter has also been featured in numerous blogs, podcasts, and publications, and in 2018 was awarded a grant from Johns Hopkins University to further it’s mission of empowering the African American community through science!
BSM features an active Blog that allows science enthusiasts a platform to learn more about scientific concepts, discuss their unique academic journey’s, and provide resources to assist future scientists. As the brand continues to evolve to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, Black Scientists Matter Inc. will continue to grow and expand.”
We encourage you to learn more about Septima Clark, radical black educators (see below resources) and the Black villages discussed in this newsletter. There are many examples of individuals and communities embracing the power of community and the impact both within Black communities and beyond.
What ignites your passion and what steps can you take to initiate action?
Take a virtual tour of the Northwest African American Museum to learn about Seattle Black Villages over the years. Support local nonprofits such as Black Heritage Society, GirlTrek, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and Jack and Jill Tacoma/Seattle. Investigate if there are communities in your own neighborhood that you can support.
What can you do and how can you learn more?
If you have 2 minutes, watch Black Educators: A History of Shaping the Future six radical black educators are highlighted in these videos, all about 2 minutes long
If you have 3 minutes, read 12 Black Educators Who Changed History That We Should All Know About
If you have 4 minutes, read How Black Classical Musicians Are Creating Community
If you have 6 minutes, watch TED Talk Black Male Educators Matter Vincent Cobb
Check out these books focused on Black educators and Black families and villages:
Full, Full, Full of Love by Trish Cook (Ages 2-5 years)
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena (Ages 3-5 yrs)
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaret King Mitchell (Ages 4-7 yrs)
The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Ages 4-8 yrs)
One Family by George Shannon (Ages 4-8 yrs)
Grandpa’s Face by Floyd Cooper (Ages 4-8 yrs)
Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange (Ages 5-11 yrs)
The Teachers March!: How Selma's Teachers Changed History By Sandra Neil Wallace (Ages 7-10 yrs)
Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School by Janet Halfmann (Ages 7-11 yrs)
In Daddy’s Arms, I am Tall by Folami Abiade (Ages 8-11 yrs)
With gratitude,
Sacajawea’s Parent Racial Equity Team
Jennifer Sunami, Becky Beard, Dana Robinson Slote, Robin King, John Delfeld, Karla Sclater, Sophie-Shifra Gold, Lori Phipps, Jenna Buzzard, Ara Swanson