Hundreds of Seattle teachers to wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ shirts in show of unity
Hundreds of Seattle educators plan to wear Black Lives Matter shirts at school next week in response to the threats that prompted an elementary school to cancel its Black Men Uniting event last month.
More than 700 shirts have been ordered for the “Black Lives Matter to Educators” event on Oct. 19, according to a news release sent by a group of Seattle educators. The event isn’t sponsored by Seattle Public Schools but coincides with the district’s “day of unity” to bring focus to racial equity as part of a larger campaign to eliminate opportunity gaps.
In addition to wearing shirts, teachers and staff members will hold rallies before school and teach lessons on black history and institutionalized racism, according to the group, called Social Equality Educators.
The shirts say “Black Lives Matter” and “We Stand Together” and are similar to the ones teachers planned to wear at John Muir Elementary in September during a celebration called “Black Men Uniting to Change the Narrative.” More than 100 black men planned to gather outside and greet students as they walked into the building, with the goal of dispelling negative stereotypes about black men.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/seattle-teachers-to-wear-black-lives-matter-shirts-in-show-of-unity/