Black Family Day is Jan. 21 at Willie Brown Middle School

by Laura Savage

Black-Family-Day-2017, Black Family Day is Jan. 21 at Willie Brown Middle School, Culture Currents Mark your calendars! The first Black Family Day of 2017 takes places on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. This event will be at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School, 2055 Silver Ave. in the Bayview district.

There is no better time to get together with other Black families across the city than the day after the Donald Trump inauguration!

The focus of this event is reducing summer learning loss. Many students, especially those who don’t have access to summer programs, struggle to retain information that they’ve learned during the previous school year. Families can attend Black Family Day and learn about summer programs available to students or ways to support students at home. High school students can also learn about potential internships.

As a continued effort to support Black families in San Francisco, the Black Family Resource Network (BFRN) is bringing together local agencies and organizations to create a one-stop shop for support options that benefit Black families in San Francisco. As with the September 2016 event held at Mission High School, the organizations “represent a combination of those that we hold accountable for serving our Black families and those community-based organizations that have years of service and experience in supporting Black families,” says Landon Dickey, special assistant to the superintendent, in San Francisco Unified School District.

Families can attend Black Family Day and learn about summer programs available to students or ways to support students at home. High school students can also learn about potential internships.

Organizations and agencies participating include San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), Black Family Resource Network, Alliance of Black School Educators (ABSE), Hope SF, San Francisco Mayor’s Office, 100% College Prep, Mo’ Magic and AfroSolo.

The goal of Black Family Day is to connect Black families to much needed resources and to capitalize on the leadership skills already present by giving them the skills needed to navigate public and private systems on behalf of their families.

SFUSD-African-American-Parent-Advisory-Committee-meeting-0816, Black Family Day is Jan. 21 at Willie Brown Middle School, Culture Currents
The SFUSD African American Parent Advisory Committee meetings are a good way to get involved and advocate for your child and your school. This meeting was held last August.

More upcoming events in support of the community

Friday, Jan. 13, 2017: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Oratorical and Music Contest and Essay and Art Awards, Willie Brown Middle School, 2055 Silver Ave., 9 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 6, 2017: African American READ-IN at various SFUSD schools

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017: African American Family Workshop, Leola Havard Early Education Department, 1520 Oakdale Ave., 5:30-7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017: African American Parents Advisory Committee (AAPAC) meeting, Leola Havard Early Education Department, 5:30-8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017: African American Honor Roll Celebration

Thursday, May 4, 2017: Scholarship and Retirement Banquet and Salute, African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St.

Join us at one or all of the events above to see the extent of the support in San Francisco for Black families.

Disclosure: I am a member of the network and will be giving a workshop on navigating Special Education in SFUSD.

Laura Savage is a Bay Area-based freelance writer. She can be reached at lsavage26@gmail.com.