January 2023 Newsletter

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View this email in your browser   FOCS Newsletter January 2023 FOCS Office Updates FOCS turns 10 years old in 2023! Get Ready for FOCS' 10 Year Anniversary Celebration! FOCS Staff and Board are busy planning our 10th Anniversary Celebration and we want all the FOCS there! Stay tuned for more information on how and WHEN we plan to celebrate 10 years of Families of Color coming together! Announcements will be posted on our website's Upcoming Events page.  Year End Fundraising Updates A special thank you to our video participants: FOCS Board Vice-President Latima & FOCS 2022 Parent Group Participants: Hoyan, Joyce, Rocio, Enrico, and baby MK  Thank you to all our FOCS friends, families and supporters who joined us in fundraising and raising awareness about our services this past year! With your support, we were able to raise a total of $17,520 from individual donors in 2022 to support free programming for Families of Color in the Greater Seattle area! These funds help us to: Continue to offer our Parent Groups and Family Programming at NO CHARGE to families Hire, Train, and Pay Peer Group Facilitators to engage families and further their own professional development Contract with BIPOC professionals and consultants in the Seattle area to share resources and knowledge with our parents Interested in becoming a FOCS Monthly Donor in 2023? Click HERE to make your donation today.  FOCS is Accepting Race Equity Workshop Requests for 2023! Request a Workshop FOCS supports our BIPOC families, school communities, organizations and employers in the Greater Seattle area by offering consultations, as well as custom online and in-person interactive dialogue workshops to a wide range of participants including public and private educators and staff, PTAs and parent-led groups, student groups, as well as corporate, government, and nonprofit staff and boards. We customize our workshops to be developmentally appropriate for various age groups from preschool to college. Our Workshops Topics Include: Undoing Racism Positive Racial Identity Development Interrupting Microaggressions We also provide facilitation of group conversations on topics related to our workshops. Learn More or Request a Workshop HERE. FOCS Programs Updates Winter Parent Groups are Starting NOW! There is still space available in the following Parent Groups: North Seattle Newborns- includes Fremont, Lake City, Ballard and surrounding areas Fridays 9 – 11am January 6 – March 3 Parents of Children with Disabilities- This Affinity group is open to parents and caregivers with children of ALL ages, and families located in ALL areas within the greater Seattle area Wednesdays 7 – 9pm January 18 – March 8 Pacific Islander & Asian Parents Group- This Affinity group is open to parents and caregivers with children of ALL ages, and families located in ALL areas within the greater Seattle area Thursdays 6:30 – 8:30pm January 12 – March 2  Eastside Newborns- includes Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland and surrounding areas Thursdays 11:30 – 1:30pm February 2 – April 6  Register and Learn More about FOCS Parent Groups on our website focseattle.org Register Here FOCS Programs Updates FOCS Winter Programming Join us for an Outdoors Family Fair on Saturday, January 28th! Join FOCS at this free community event centering BIPOC reclamation and exploration of the outdoors! There will be interactive tables, adventure gear giveaways, and mini workshops for people of all ages to find out about the opportunities to engage with nature and the organizations advocating for BIPOC reclamation of outdoor spaces.   When: Sat, January 28, 2023, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM  Where: Rainier Arts Center 3515 S Alaska Street Seattle, WA 98118 Alison Mariella Désir and a host of local organizations, including Families of Color Seattle, are inviting families to learn more about getting active outdoors at this family-friendly community event Get your free tickets HERE Check out our latest YOUTUBE VIDEO where FOCS staff members Hafidha and Abbie talk about 5 Tips for Dressing and Getting Ready for Wet, Fall Weather. Don't forget to invite your FOCS friends to connect with us! Join our Facebook Community Page to see updates, pictures, and get notified of future events! FOCS Member Spotlight   An Interview with FOCS Parent Group Participant, Joyce Sinakhone Listen to Joyce as she shares her experience participating in a FOCS Parent Group and why she thinks FOCS is an important organization.  FOCS Community Program Spotlight LOVING ROOM: Diaspora Books + Salon This month we want to highlight the amazing community building and connections happening at LOVING ROOM: diaspora books + salon LOVING ROOM: diaspora books + salon is a Black-owned community reading room (bookstore + cultural salon) featuring various genres of literature by Black + African writers for readers of all ages. Public programs include a weekly children’s story hour, youth read-aloud, and young writers’ club. Monthly offerings consist of teens’ book club, grown folks’ book club, poetry soirées, film screenings, and more. The space is also available for private events and bookings! Learn more about LOVING ROOM at: www.lovingroombooks.community Resources & Events for FOCS Community Events  Lunar New Year on Pier 62- Jan. 22nd, 2pm, Pier 62, 1951 Alaskan Way. Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a lion dance by the Mak Fai Kung Fu Club and fire pits on Pier 62 Ruha Benjamin, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want- Tuesday, Jan. 10, 7:30pm, University of Washington, Kane Hall, Room 120. Ruha Benjamin introduces a microvision of change — a way of looking at the everyday ways people are working to combat unjust systems and build alternatives to the oppressive status quo.  African American Writers’ Alliance (AAWA) Open Mic, Thursday, Jan.12, Third Place Books Seward Park. An in-person open mic. Bring old pieces or new pieces, and bring a friend! NAAM- Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration, Jan. 16, 11am- 5pm. Northwest African American Museum, 2300 South Massachusetts Street. NAAM will host its annual King Day Celebration with activities for the entire family.  Clarence Lusane with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz — 'Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy'- Tuesday, Jan 17, 6:00pm, Virtual Event. Third Place Books welcomes author, activist, scholar, and journalist Clarence Lusane for a discussion of his latest book Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy. He will be joined in conversation by acclaimed historian and author Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. Ross Gay: In‑Person & Online, Monday, February 6, 2023 7:30pm, Town Hall Seattle—The Great Hall. A free event celebrating the publication of Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy, an intimate and electrifying collection of essays from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Delights. Reginald Dwayne Betts: In‑Person & Online, Thursday, February 9, 2023 7:30pm, Town Hall Seattle—The Great Hall. Reginald Dwayne Betts is an award-winning author, poet, lawyer, and outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform, whose work interrogates and challenges our notions of justice. Resources for Parents Seattle Public Schools- New Student Enrollment, New Student Registration begins Jan. 3 for the 2023-24 school year.  Seattle BIPOC Therapists & Mental Health Resources Global Perinatal Services- Birth Doulas services are free to low-income, immigrant, and refugee families living in King County. Services are available in various languages including Somali, Arabic, Hindi, and more. Northwest Vipassana Center- Free 10-day Meditation Retreats for individuals. Affinity courses including Black Heritage Course, and Bilingual/Thai and Spanish courses.  Community Resources Alternatives to calling 911 UTOPIA WA- basic needs, support groups and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ community Seattle Green Book- Seattle’s Black business directory. Free and open to Black-owned and co-owned businesses and people holding space for the Black community around the Puget Sound. Young Women Empowered Mentorship-based empowerment programs serving diverse young women ages 13-26 COVID & Monkeypox Resources Current COVID Guidance in King County Current Information about Monkeypox Resources for Families Impacted by COVID Eviction Assistance  City, County, State & Federal Resources Small Business Support Free Internet Access and Hotspots  Free and low cost internet access for low-income families More Ways to Stay Connected! Become a Monthly Donor! Host a Race Equity Workshop Join the Facebook Community Group Follow us on Facebook! Find us on Instagram! Stay connected on LinkedIn! Learn more on our Website! Copyright © 2022, Families of Color Seattle, All rights reserved. Our email address is: info@focseattle.org  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.