WA Ethnic Studies Now

Seattle Public Schools is pulling back on Ethnic Studies, and we’re not standing for it! ✊🏾

Join WAESN, SESEC, and the NAACP Youth Council for a free, urgent webinar to discuss what’s happening in our schools and how we can fight to protect our curriculum.

We’re breaking down why authentic, anti-racist education matters and organizing to rebuild what’s being dismantled. This is for every student, parent, and educator who believes in the education our kids deserve.

🗓️ Tuesday, July 9

🕕 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

🔗 Register at the link below:

https://waethnicstudies.com/event/no-fair-the-state-of-ethnic-studies-in-seattle-public-schools/

Can't join us, but still want to support the cause?

🙏 Donate here: https://waethnicstudies.com/donations/givewp-donation-form/

The WAESN Summer Institute is back for five days of deep, justice-centered professional learning for K–12 educators.

MEET THE SPEAKERS:

Rogelio Rigor

Rogelio “Roger” Rigor serves as the Board Chairperson for the Foundation for Philippine Progress, where he champions the organization's mission to secure health equity, education access, and basic human rights for vulnerable communities in the Philippines.

A lifelong advocate for the diaspora, Roger bridges grassroots activism with international development. In 2023, he notably co-anchored the "Ride for the Philippines," biking from Seattle to Portland to raise vital funds and awareness for communities facing the severe impacts of climate change.

Before stepping into full-time non-profit leadership, Roger spent over two decades as a revered High School Math and Science teacher within the Seattle Public Schools system.

Deeply committed to educational equity, he co-founded the Ida B. Wells School of Social Justice in 1997 in partnership with the University of Washington.

Register Now: https://waethnicstudies.com/product/2026-summer-institute/

Studies

The WAESN Summer Institute is back for five days of deep, justice-centered professional learning for K–12 educators.

MEET THE SPEAKERS:

Dr. Gonzalo Guzman

Dr. Gonzalo Guzmán is from Wapato in the Yakama Nation of Washington State. His research focuses on the racialization and educational histories of Latina/o/x communities in the Mountain States and Pacific Northwest of the US.

His work has been published in the Journal of Latinos and Education, History of Education Quarterly, Education’s Histories, Critical Readings on Latinos and Education, and Annals of Wyoming.

Additionally, his research and commentary have been featured in Colorado, Washington, and Wyoming NPR and PBS affiliate stations, as well as the National Park Service.

He is currently finalizing his first book manuscript tentatively titled: Education for a New Race: Making Whites and Schooling the Mexican in Greater Juan Crow.

👉 Register now: https://waethnicstudies.com/product/2026-summer-institute/

Please help WAESN welcome Jasmine Lee to the team as our new Director of Communications and Member Engagement!

With a background in print journalism and digital marketing, Jasmine is dedicated to the art of storytelling and its power to connect communities. Her own story includes building and operating an Internet marketing company, reporting for the Los Angeles Times and years of advocating for students and families in public education systems.

Jasmine, who immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 3, is fluent in Korean and is working at becoming better at cooking Korean cuisine. She is a parent to two remarkable humans.

She is excited to help WAESN share its story and amplify how Ethnic Studies can transform students' educational experiences.

The WAESN Summer Institute is back for five days of deep, justice-centered professional learning for K–12 educators.

✔️ Limited capacity
✔️ Up to 36 clock hours

If Ethnic Studies is more than a checkbox for you, this is where you need to be.

👉 Register now: https://waethnicstudies.com/product/2026-summer-institute/

2026 Summer Institute A five-day, immersive professional learning experience for K–12 educators committed to teaching Ethnic Studies with integrity and depth. Participants engage with WAESN Modules 1–3, explore pan–Ethn…

Behind the Mask: Why Authentic is Under Attack in Washington

Let us call a hustle a hustle.

For a decade, we worked in authentic relationship with Seattle Public Schools communities to build an Ethnic Studies program. Today, that program has been systematically dismantled—its budget stripped, its staff gone.

And right on cue, a special interest group called FAIR is swooping in to fill the vacuum with a distorted, whitewashed curriculum written by white scholars with zero background in the field.

FAIR is actively marketing this corporate, colorblind curriculum to school districts across Washington State. They are weaponizing Dr. King's words to advance anti-intellectualism and win reverse racism lawsuits for cis white men.

True Ethnic Studies is inherently anti-racist. It interrogates systems; it does not give people of color equitable access to Whiteness. We are not letting them co-opt our labor or erase our youth.

Take a stand with . It takes 30 seconds to email the school board and demand they partner with real, state-recognized experts, not conservative grifters.

Read the full expose by Executive Director Dr. Tracy Castro-Gill and take action:

Fighting Back Against FAIR: Why Authentic Ethnic Studies is Under Attack in Seattle and Across Washington State By Dr. Tracy Castro-Gill On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, WAESN’s Executive Director, Dr. Castro-Gill, gave public testimony to the Seattle School Board. This blog post builds on that testimony an…

Seattle Public Schools has completely dismantled in their district.

Earlier this evening, I, Tracy, gave public testimony to the Board. Below is my testimony.

for more, including calls to action.

My name is Dr. Tracy Castro-Gill. I am the co-founder and Executive Director of Washington Ethnic Studies Now. I am the only Washington-based scholar (that I know of) publishing peer-reviewed research on K–12 Ethnic Studies. I co-authored OSPI’s Ethnic Studies Framework, consulted with the State Board of Education on their Ethnic Studies graduation requirement resolution, and partnered with the Professional Education Standards Board to conduct a pilot to certify K–12 educators in Ethnic Studies pedagogies.

Nearly 10 years ago I was part of a group that successfully lobbied the Board to develop SPS’s Ethnic Studies Program, and I’m here to highlight the fact that the program we worked so hard to build in authentic relationship with SPS communities and students has been completely dismantled and is at risk of being co-opted by a racist organization ironically named the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, or FAIR.

The budget and staff for the Ethnic Studies program was taken away from the program manager, so he left his position. We are left only with the staff and leadership that have actively worked to thwart and dismantle the program since 2017.

Now, we have FAIR hawking their distorted version of Ethnic Studies curriculum written by white scholars who have no background in Ethnic Studies. FAIR uses the stale strategy of quoting Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech to advocate for colorblind ideologies, win lawsuits for cis white men in reverse racism claims, advance Donald Trump’s ban on DEI curriculum and training, and engage in anti-intellectualism calling into question the scholarship of decades of research conducted by Ethnic Studies scholars of color.

I ask the board to partner with and other community organizations that feel the same, including Southeast Seattle Education Coalition and the WA State NAACP Youth Council , to learn about authentic Ethnic Studies, how the State has defined it, and how to guard against the harmful attempts of FAIR.

Early registration ends Sunday!

The WAESN Summer Institute is back for five days of deep, justice-centered professional learning for K–12 educators.

✔️ Early-bird pricing
✔️ Limited capacity
✔️ Up to 36 clock hours

If Ethnic Studies is more than a checkbox for you, this is where you need to be.

👉 Register now: https://waethnicstudies.com/product/2026-summer-institute/

2026 Summer Institute A five-day, immersive professional learning experience for K–12 educators committed to teaching Ethnic Studies with integrity and depth. Participants engage with WAESN Modules 1–3, explore pan–Ethn…

**REPOST**

Credit:

We (WAESN) wanted to share this fantastic, informative resource from our friends at the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition. () Check out their latest guide to learn everything you need to know about the new Seattle Public Schools partnerships process!