June Newsletter
Dear Community,
Much like the weather, these first days of summer have been full of duality. While we are grappling with deep loss and devastation nationally and globally, we are leaning into gratitude, reflection, community, and the everyday acts of presence and change that are within our reach.
Amid the chaos and sorrow, this week we are huddled with our new team of 11 incredible young adult leaders to kick off our Freedom Schools staff training and site set up for our 10th Summer of Freedom Schools (and 6th consecutive year at Emerson Elementary!). After this week of preparation, grounding, and community building, we will welcome our 10th cohort of 65 Freedom Scholars on July 8th!
“We forfeit so much of our power by leaving the duty of care and relation to the state. We take our power back by building our communities and being accountable to each other without resorting to punishment.” ~ Brendane Tynes
In this newsletter you will find:
10 years of WA-BLOC Freedom Schools: Yobach’s story
Literature that Liberates!
Reminder to visit SPL for WA-BLOC’s Oral History exhibit “Circle Up!”
ICYMI: Meet our summer Freedom Schools team and support scholar transportation!
Community Events & Resources
10 years of WA-BLOC Freedom Schools: Yobachinia’s story
(Speech originally given at Seattle Teach Truth Day of Action June 8th. Printed with Permission by Yobach)
My name is Yobachinia Frazier, but most folks just call me Yobach. And I’m honored to be here today, not just as a speaker, but as someone who’s living proof of what liberatory education looks like in real life.
I want to start by telling you a little bit about myself, because truthfully, it’s impossible to understand the impact WA-BLOC has had on me without first understanding where I come from.
I was raised in Seattle. And I always like to quote a local artist, rest in peace to Tana Money, “I was born in the CD, but the South is where I reside.” That line hits deep, especially for those of us who understand the history of this city and the gentrification that’s pushed so many of us out.
I spent my teenage year in Rainier Beach as a Rainier Beach High Schooler. I’m a first-generation college graduate (now times 2). I had both of my parents go to prison around age of 7. And while I had people around me growing up, truthfully, I raised myself. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. And like so many young people in our communities, I thought everything I was experiencing was just… normal. I didn’t know language like “systemic oppression” or “generational trauma.” I just knew what it felt like to survive, and to try to hold it together.
Then I found WA-BLOC. I joined their Freedom Schools program the very first year they launched, ten years ago as an incoming freshman. And here we are now, a decade later, and I’m still with them. I started as a scholar, and since then I’ve been a Junior Servant Leader Educator, a Site Assistant, a Site Coordinator, and now this year I’m back again, as an Educator. So when I say I’ve been with WA-BLOC through every phase of this work, I mean it.
Yobachinia and peers during WA-BLOC Freedom Schools Day of Social Action, 2016.
For those who might not be familiar, WA-BLOC stands for Washington Building Leaders of Change. And that’s exactly what they’ve done for me, and for so many other students in South Seattle. Their Freedom Schools program is a five-week, literacy-based program, but what makes it different is the kind of literacy we’re focused on. We’re not just reading for reading’s sake, we’re reading to understand ourselves. Our stories. Our history. Our rights. Our worth. And our power.
WA-BLOC gave me a toolbox I’ll use for the rest of my life. I’m not just talking about the ability to speak or lead. I’m talking about tools that help me keep going, to advocate, to heal, to process, and to move through this world as a Black woman in America with her head held high.
They gave me tools for leadership, for standing tall in rooms where I wasn’t expected to speak, and for showing up for my community even when I’m exhausted, because I know what’s at stake.
Literature that Liberates
Curious to know what our Freedom Schools scholars read over the summer? The Freedom Schools team carefully selects books that do two things: one, bring our scholars’ languages, cultures, histories, and voices into their classrooms; and two, introduce scholars to diverse stories that reflect different perspectives and experiences. The federal government may seek to erase diverse stories and curricula from public schools, but we stand firm in the stories we read and why we read them. In the words of Septima Clark, “Literacy is Liberation.”
This month we’re highlighting stories that teach, honor, and celebrate immigrant families. In the face of the current administration’s harmful acts to expel immigrants, divide families, and spread fear and division, we stand in firm resistance and solidarity.
Island Born by Junot Diaz
When Lola’s teacher asks her to draw a picture of the country she emigrated from but can't remember, she turns to her community to piece together a vibrant and complex portrait of her homeland and identity.
Wishes by Muon Thi Van
Told through poetic text and haunting illustrations, this story follows a young girl and her family as they make a courageous and uncertain journey across land and sea to find safety in a new country.
Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Luisa Uribe
After a frustrating first day at school where no one can pronounce her name, a young girl learns from her mother the beauty, music, and cultural pride held within names from around the world.
Reminder: Circle Up! Listen to the Moment on display at Seattle Public Library now-July 31st!
Don’t forget! Our oral history exhibit “Circle Up! Listen to the Moment” exploring the narratives of Black Restorative Practitioners who helped embed Restorative Practices in South End Seattle schools over a decade ago is now on display at the Seattle Public Library until July 31st. Don’t miss your chance to hear their incredible stories and learn about this critical liberation movement in our city!
Visit the installation at the Seattle Public Library 8th floor now through July 31st!
P.S. Bring your headphones!
Check out our online Zine created by Eboni Wyatt
Listen to the audio composition at home + read along with the transcript
Nominate a narrator to be featured in future oral histories: Narrator Recommendation Form
Support this work by donating to WA-BLOC.
Check out this REEL by the Seattle Public Library!
ICYMI
Meet our summer Freedom Schools team who will be serving more than 65 K-5th grade scholars and their families this summer!
Thanks to your generosity during this spring’s GIVEBIG event, we’re halfway to our goal of raising $20,500 to fully fund transportation for the 65 scholars attending Freedom Schools this summer, by July 1st! You can still give to get scholars on the bus!
Tell your friends!
Each year, families report transportation as the #1 barrier to attending a summer program.
Donate TODAY, to give a scholar a ride to Freedom Schools, with a donation starting at:
$12 = Give a scholar a ride for a day!
$60 = Give a scholar a ride for 5 days!
$120 = Give a scholar a ride for 10 days!
$300 = Give a scholar a ride for the summer!
Free, reliable transportation for each scholar helps make Freedom Schools accessible to the young people who need it most. With your support, we can ensure that every scholar can show up, learn, and lead.
Together, let’s get every scholar on the bus.
Community Events and Resources
Indigiqueer Festival | By Gathered in this Place & Friends of Waterfront Park
Friday, June 27th 1-8PM | Pier 62 | Free
This year's Indigiqueer Festival is packed with heart, art, and unapologetic expression. Come meet us and @gatheredinthisplace to honor and celebrate Indigiqueer creativity and community, where every moment moves, inspires, and uplifts.
By Friends of Waterfront Park Seattle | Thurs, July 3rd, 6-8PM | Overlook Walk
Live Anáhuac dance. Traditional beats. Open skies. on Thursday, July 3 (6 - 8 p.m.), where @tlalokan.seattle will light up the Salish Steps at Overlook Walk with music and movement from the heart of Anáhuac.
The Invisible Bridge | Lake Victoria to Lake Washington in Fashion
By odAOMO & Seattle Art Museum | Sat July 5th, 1-4PM | 1300 1st Ave, Seattle
Join us July 5th at the Seattle Art Museum for The Invisible Bridge, an immersive afternoon of film and fashion honoring the Abasuba people of Kenya. Hope’s Homestead film screening and a Fashion show rooted in heritage. A cultural moment you’ll feel in every fiber.
Limited tickets available | Tickets HERE
Camp Q for QTBIPOC | Summer 2025
By Queer the Land | July Events:
July 11 - Movie Night @ the QTL house
July 14 - Summer Sunshine Tincture Making @ the QTL House
July 20 - Nature Walk @ Carkeek Park Wetlands
July 27 - Titiya (Chamorro Bread) Making @ the QTL House
Location & dates subject to change. Ticket Pricing & Registration HERE
Seattle Disability Arts Festival | By @seattledisabilityarts & Friends of Waterfront Park
Sat, July 12th 12-5PM | Pier 62 | Free
Celebrate Disability Pride Month with the first @seattledisabilityarts Festival— Saturday, July 12 at Pier 62. Expect bold performances, boundary-breaking creativity, and a community that celebrates access, artistry, and inclusion. This free event uplifts the creativity and brilliance of disabled artists. Come be part of something powerful. All are welcome.
One Love Fest | By African Diaspora Education
Sun, July 20th, 1-7PM | Othello Park
The One Love Festival is a vibrant celebration of unity, culture, and community, inspired by the vision of bringing together the people of the African diaspora. Rooted in love and connection, this annual event honors the spirit and diversity of the African diaspora through food, music, art, and shared cultural experiences.
Tickets are FREE, RSVP HERE
Rematriation Celebration: A Yehaw Fundraiser for Arts, Land & Culture.
By Yehaw Indigenous Creatives Collective | Fri, July 25th, 2025, 3-8PM | 9674 51st Ave S
Join us for our Rematriation Celebration! A day of music, dancing, art, food, and family fun—all while helping us do BIG things for land and Indigenous arts!
Tix & More info HERE
Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network [WAISN] | Downloadable resources:
Know your rights with ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement)
Also available in Spanish, Somali, Lingala and Portuguese
Bystander & Observer Guidelines: In the U.S. everyone has certain constitutional rights and protections regardless of their immigration status or who is president. You have the legal right to film the police and/or immigration officers if they are in a public place and if the filming does not impede the performance of their duties.
Available in English and Spanish
Rumor Control: Spread Power, Not Panic: False information about immigration enforcement and border patrol sightings can create unnecessary panic in immigrant communities. Before trusting or sharing posts on social media warning about ICE or CBP sightings, ask yourself: Is this information backed up with evidence?
Available in English and Spanish
Check out their resources page for more: HERE
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