Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
PTSA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Read All About It!
See an interesting event? Please send it our way!
DEI Events: In the DEI section of the Weekly PTSA NewsDEI Committee Meetings – Join Us!
- May 7, 2024, from 6 – 8 p.m. At the Fish Ladder Lounge (4910 Leary Way NW)
- June 4, 2024, from 6 – 8 p.m. (Location TBD)
The Ballard PTSA DEI Committee meetings meets the first Tuesday of each month. We’d love to see you at a meeting! Please reach out if you’re interested or have any questions: DEIatBHS@gmail.com
Upcoming Events | Announcements
- Sign up now for the Ballard HS Multicultural Union student club’s first Multicultural Night (April 26, Ballard HS, Free). “Please join us at the Multicultural Union student club’s first festival in the Ballard HS Commons from 6 – 8 p.m. Sign up to bring a dish, perform a piece from your culture, or come host a game and talk about your culture! RSVP not required but encouraged to help with the students planning!” The Multicultural Union is also looking for volunteers to help with the event. Multicultural Festival Potluck RSVP Encouraged
- April 25-28 Seattle Black Film Festival (Virtual and In-person, ticketed event) “Films. Premieres. Parties. Talkbacks. The 21st annual Seattle Black Film Festival is only just beginning! Running this year at two locations, the historic Langston Hughes Performing Art Institute and Washington Hall in the Central District.”Seattle Black Film Festival – LANGSTON Seattle
- Check out the book “Parenting at the Intersections.” the Library Journal calls it “A necessary, engaging, educational, and eye-opening perspective, not often found, about parenting children of color with neurodivergence.” (highlighted by Seattle Special Education PTSA)
- Pollinator Path Exhibit Highlights Indigenous Knowledge | South Seattle Emerald Fun fact! Headwater People also worked on the design highlighting Indigenous history at Ballard Pagliacci’s (across from the Ballard Locks).
See an interesting event that celebrates Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion? Please send it our way to DEIatBHS@gmail.com Thank you!
DEI Resources
- SPS Black Indians, African American History: A place of belonging. A true sense of home
- QPOC Hikers: Hikers based in the Pacific NW and exists to connect queer people of color with hiking and the outdoors.
- Up & Back: Outdoor solace for Seattle’s queer people of color
- Native and Strong Lifeline: 988 Crisis Line Support for Native Communities.
- UW: Get to Know the UW campus with Indigenous Walking Tour
- Seattle Histories: My Grandfather’s Queue – Front Porch
BHS PTSA DEI Committee Goals
We are excited to kick off another year of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts (or DEI) at Ballard High School! We want everyone to link arms towards creating a more welcoming, diversity-rich safe space here in our school community where everyone feels a greater sense of belonging, where everyone has a seat at the table, and where students’ and families’ unique cultural perspectives are valued.
Goals of DEI Committee
- Create a safe space for students and families in our BHS to discuss experiences and resources
- Provide and promote activities and enrichment experiences that elevate students and school families in our community, focusing on the information and skills necessary to improve equity
- Facilitate direct access to school administration, allowing better communication between families and school administration
- Advocate for and amplify diverse voices in the school community
At the January 2022 PTSA meeting, the Ballard PTSA adopted a resolution affirming the information in WSPTA Resolution 2.26, “Dismantling Institutional and Systemic Racism”. To view, open the Child Safety and Protection tab. This will guide the work and inform the DEI Committee’s future goals.
See an interesting event that celebrates Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion and you’d like to see it highlighted? Please send it our way! Thank you, Shelley Bolser at DEIatBHS@gmail.com
2023 Follow Up Roosevelt High School
Beyond Black & White Film Screening Resources
On April 21, 2023, the DEI Committee hosted Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity (RARE) for a community film screening and panel discussion of “Roosevelt High School: Beyond Black and White.”
RARE Resources
- View this film on the RARE website.
- Learn more about RARE’s work and events on the Open Discussions RARE site.
- Related Seattle Times Article: Seattle Schools chose integration. But then it fell apart. (may need subscription to read).