FOCS Staff is growing!
We have four new staff members! A big FOCS welcome to:
Phil, Development Director
Jacob, Projects and Programs Coordinator
Ésminà, Projects and Programs Intern
Barbara, Advocacy Fellow (not pictured)
In this Newsletter:
FOCS Summer Highlights
Community Partner Spotlight: Silvio from Union Cultural Center
FOCS Fall Programming
Spread the Word: Seeking FOCS Space
FOCS Summer Highlights
Photos of Summer Parent Group participants and families at FOCS Park Days.
✨Parent Group Highlights✨
We offered nine parent groups, all of which reached full capacity, including:
We held four Park Days throughout the Seattle area, bringing together over 100 parents, caregivers, and children aged 0-13. Our themed Park days included Black Mermaid Storytelling, a Native Nature Walk, and Martial Arts Learning
FOCS sponsored three families to attend Samish Island Adventure Camp in partnership with The Bronze Chapter
We hosted our FIRST Melanin Spectrum Celebration for children and youth on the autism spectrum. Over 30 families, including children aged 0-13, came together. We collaborated with 15 volunteers to make this event possible.
We partnered with Pacific Science Center to offer Science on Wheels, which hosted ten families, including 19 children aged 0-10.
✨ Advocacy Highlights ✨
This summer, FOCS remained committed to advancing racial equity and systemic change for all families of color in Seattle. We supported youth and families by advocating with asylum-seeking families living at an encampment in Kent and calling for the closure of the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center in Seattleat a King County City Council meeting. We talked with elders and mothers at the Kent encampment throughout the summer about ways to best support the families and collaborated with other community organizations to ensure children were enrolled and transported to school. FOCS supported the families by:
Offering weekly Programming to the children at the encampment in partnership with Union Cultural Center's Master Level Capoeira Instructor Silvio Dos Reis
We helped enroll over 25 children who spoke 4 different languages into 6 different schools throughout the Kent and Tukwila school districts in collaboration with several community organizations
Contacted the City of Kent and the City of Seattle to push for support for the asylum-seeking families and help them secure housing
Community Partner Spotlight: An interview with Silvio Dos Reis, Master lever teacher of Capoeira Angola and founder of Union Cultural Center
How did the partnership with FOCS happen?
I met Amy (FOCS founder) at a community event and we became friends. When FOCS was created, I began partnering with them in their programming. The approach of lifting the voices of parents of color and my approach of promoting Capoeira and other arts from the African diaspora was a match of values. It was a very powerful partnership. We had to close our doors during the pandemic and lost touch. We both had to move our programming online, but when we returned to the central district schools, I met FOCS staff again. Now that we are back and here, I love the idea of starting the partnership again.
How did you get involved with supporting families at the Kent Encampment?
Last year, I heard about a big migration happening, so I started working with Super Familia and have been supporting with fundraising to help with supplies and housing at the beginning of this year. I’ve worked as a translator since my language is Portuguese and many of the families speak it. I came to the US as an immigrant and have a history of being taken by ICE, which is a story I have shared. I felt connected with the families and saw the need for a Capoeira movement which brings a sense of belonging and is a tool for education. When I heard about FOCS’s approach and saw the request for programming for the kids, I decided that I could help.
FOCS Staff Abbie and Jesse did great work making first contact with the families. They contacted the elders and asked what they thought about programming. They wanted housing, not programming for the kids, but they were okay with it. There is a natural tension there because they don’t know what’s coming or when it will happen. They get donations, but they don’t know when they will get housing. This process can take a very long time, so it is a very delicate situation. The kids are at the camp without going to school. FOCS helped bring the idea of programming for the kids and the need for school, and the city of Kent has the obligation to get the kids to school. It doesn’t matter what their status looks like. Now I heard that some of them are already in school.
I tried to bring educational moments through art and movement, and they were open to it and very welcoming. I brought musical instruments they recognized, which was a very good moment. It was a challenge because I was coming in from the outside and offering something that was not a priority or did not look like a priority for them- a chance to move their body, sing, play, and learn. We did some storytelling about the history of Capoeira and Africa, and I brought my perspective about coming here and living here. I look forward to returning now that the kids are in school.
What do you love the most about your job?
What I love the most is on different levels- I see the kids getting challenged in a way that makes them grow and ask questions, not just taking in information. I love working on the process of storytelling for Black and Brown kids- sometimes, the schools don’t teach the history of Africa and their ancestors- when I bring Capoeira, I try to focus on that for the kids- the importance of ancestry and connection- I like to provoke them to help them grow. With adults, it’s the development of friendships. I approach martial arts as a non-competitive martial art- we use it to learn from each other- it's circulatory. Everyone is a reference, and all of us can learn from one another. It's not about competing but cooperation. We all belong. We all need to respect our differences. Friendship and building community is important in this work. We just need to listen and see to build a better world. We also need to ask questions- for yourself, for your elders, and for your growth and the growth of the community. My teachings are centered around the African philosophy known as ubuntu- I am because you are. Me without you is not possible.
Check out upcoming events for Union Cultural Center HERE.
Donations Needed for Families at the Kent Asylum Encampment:
There is currently a need for the following items:
Socks of all sizes
Rice
Black hair care products
Clear storage totes with lids to keep rodents out of non-perishable food
5-gallon containers of water (like the ones used by water coolers, available in many stores)
Coolers to keep perishable groceries in (the larger, the better)
Blocks of ice for the coolers
Immediate needs for the children include:
First Aid Kits
Diapers (all sizes)
Overnight Pull-ups (all sizes)
Shoes (all sizes)
Plastic dolls of color
Sturdy books
Sturdy and age-appropriate toys (no small parts or legos)
We are still encouraging families to take donations directly to the encampment; however, please be aware that security is strict about what goes into the encampment.
Donations can be dropped off directly at the encampment. The encampment is directly across the street from a bowling alley where you can park. There is a tent where you can drop off donations. The address to the bowling alley is 1234 Central Ave N, Kent, WA 98032.
🍂 Fall FOCS Programming 🍂
Parent Groups are Starting Soon!
Do you know a family that could use some FOCS community?
Explore our Parent Group offerings and register now at: focseattle.org --------------------------------
North End Waddlers
Wednesdays 5:30 - 7:30 pm
October 16 - December 11
*No Meeting 11/27
In-Person- Edmonds*
North End Newborns
Fridays 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
October 11 - December 13
*No Meeting 11/29
In-Person- Rotating Homes*
South End Waddlers
Wednesdays 5:00 - 7:00 pm
October 16 - December 11
*No Meeting 11/27
In-Person- Columbia City*
South End Newborns
Fridays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
October 18 - December 20
*No Meeting 11/29
In-Person- Columbia City*
FOCS parent groups are open to parents living or working in the Seattle metro area and surrounding Native reservations. ---------------------------
Single Moms of Color
Sundays 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
October 20 - December 8
In-Person- Columbia City*
Eastside Newborns
Tuesdays 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
October 29 - December 17
In-Person- Redmond*
Indigenous Parents of Children (0-5)
2nd and 4th Wednesdays
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
3712 S Ferdinand St., Seattle
(Ongoing drop-in group)
---------------------------------- Is the group you're interested in not listed?
More parent groups will be announced soon, including: Parents of Neurodivergent Children
Groups are filling up fast!
Check our website at focseattle.org for the most up-to-date information.
Join us at the Seattle Art Museum!
Join us for an art making experience at the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle!
Date: Saturday, October 19th
Time: 10–12:30 pm
Location: Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101
FOCS Community Family Fun Workshops are designed for families with children ages 2–12 to learn and create together.
SAM will provide free lunch and refreshments!
This is a limited-capacity event. Registration is required.
For over a decade, FOCS has grown from a small community of mothers seeking connection into a thriving network, thanks to your support! Your contributions allow us to continue to offer free parent groups, connect families, and advocate for racial justice. As we gear up for our fall programming and continue our advocacy work, we invite you to become a FOCS monthly donor. Your generosity sustains our current efforts and helps build a future where all families can thrive in supportive, empowering spaces.
As we move back to in-person parent groups and offer more events for families to gather, we are currently searching for free or low-cost meeting spaces in the Seattle metro area and surrounding Native reservations. Preferably kid-friendly spaces!
If your organization or business is open to having FOCS families come to your space, contact us!
About Families of Color Seattle
(FOCS- pronounced "folks")
FOCS connects families, caregivers, and children of color through peer-led parent support groups; spaces to share culture, skills, and resources; and racial justice education and advocacy. Our vision is that children of color are born into a loving community that is racially and economically just. Visit focseattle.orgto learn more about our programs.
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