BIPOC Educator Project Creates Support and Community for Alums Working in Education

Educators that are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are leaving the profession at a disproportionately high rate. The Seattle University College of Education, with the help of donors, is working to change that narrative for their BIPOC alum community.

Through retreats, research and contributions to literature, the BIPOC Educator Project in the College of Education seeks to promote healing and communities of support for alumni educators of color. With key funding from alumni, the project’s restorative retreats continue to impact alums committed to creating more equitable and inclusive P-12 schools in Washington State.

Recent research has shown that BIPOC teachers experience hostile racial climates that impact professional growth, and at the same time are often focused not only on teaching, but also on working to remove inherent bias and racism from existing curriculum. This struggle to create equity-centered lessons, which is often met with resistance from colleagues, produces feelings of isolation and exhaustion. Racial affinity spaces and healing practices are ways to increase community affiliation while retaining educators of color and supporting their professional development.

In 2020, Dr. Charisse Cowan Pitre and two of her colleagues received an Advancing Equity grant from Washington State Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB). This grant allowed for the opportunity to create a professional community and affinity space for 10 BIPOC-identifying educators. Conducted virtually through the pandemic, the monthly affinity group gatherings concluded in the spring of 2022. After the two-year grant cycle, the participants hoped to continue the restorative retreats and affinity space with the supportive community that had developed.

Fortunately, the mission of the restorative retreats for P-12 alumni BIPOC educators resonated with SU trustee and alumna Maureen Brotherton, ’96, Louise Wilkinson, ’01 and Maureen Benoliel, ’71, who generously agreed to contribute funding. In doing so, they demonstrated their commitment to make a difference in the lives of diverse families, and to support the development of alumni committed to advancing justice.

“When I met Dean Dillard,” Brotherton says. “I immediately felt her warmth and welcoming nature. Later, when she and Dr. Cowan Pitre shared their vision of hosting a retreat for SU BIPOC educators, their enthusiasm was contagious—and I share their excitement. Providing BIPOC teachers with time to relax in nature and take part in outdoor activities, along with sharing their dreams and challenges with each other, is important to do. BIPOC teachers most often are teaching in primarily white schools and need support and respite.”

In May, the inaugural BIPOC Educator Retreat for Healing, Restoration and Community invited 12 alumni of color from the College of Education’s Master of Teaching program to Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island, owned by Brotherton and her husband, Joe. The Brothertons were thrilled to provide the retreat with a beautiful location that has a “magical impact” on its visitors.

Through their generosity, Brotherton, Wilkinson, and Benoliel were able to create a unique experience for BIPOC educators that will continue to provide them with necessary support.

“Making Doe Bay available to the BIPOC community is something Joe and I are enthused about, and to have SU embark on the path of providing BIPOC teachers this kind of renewal is outstanding,” Brotherton says. “Creating a space for BIPOC educators to engage in reflection, share, and unpack their experience in racialized schools will result in making them better teachers, improve teacher retention and so much more.”

Tyson Koyano, ‘18, teaches twelfth grade humanities at Cleveland High School and participated in the inaugural retreat last May. Now six years into his career, he recognizes the importance of taking a break from the difficult journey of teaching. At the retreat, Koyano cherished the opportunity to build community while also being provided space for quiet and reflection.

“I think as teachers we can almost martyr ourselves for our work,” Koyano says. “Personally, I’ve always had a mentality of finding joy in the grind. While we should absolutely find joy in our struggle towards building a better society through education, we also need to find joy in rest.”

Looking ahead, the BIPOC Educator Project hopes to continue providing space for community through retreats and by bolstering research for advancing equity in schools. For Koyano, and other BIPOC alum educators, the retreats are unique opportunities for support and restoration that are not found elsewhere.

“Teaching is hard for everyone, but I think it is particularly trying for those impacted by systemic oppression who feel compelled to make this society something sustainable culturally, economically and environmentally,” Koyano says. “This retreat gave me hope for what it could mean to be truly supported as an educator.”

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To join Brotherton, Wilkinson and Benoliel in supporting the next BIPOC Educator retreat in May 2024, and to make a gift for future BIPOC Educator Project endeavors, contact Peggy Fine, Senior Director of Development at finep@seattleu.edu or 206-296-1896.