Vashon High School - 2020 Young Leaders of Color

Dear Vashon Island Educators, Community Members, and those important to us outside of the Vashon Community: 

This letter is a call for compassion, for financial assistance, and for action on behalf of Vashon Island High School’s staff Racial Equity Team.

Our country is gripped in a moment of turmoil, from the pandemic and economic downturn, to the peaceful protests and escalation of riots; we are in the midst of much-needed and long-overdue change. Deep transformation is never easy, nor is it always immediately accepted. And, we must persevere and continue to fight in solidarity with people of color experiencing the devastating impacts of structural, institutional and individual racism.

Our team at VHS has helped shape the lives of some incredible students over the past four years. And at this moment we are gearing up to celebrate their graduation from high school and sending them off into a world filled with so many unknowns. 

For the first time, The VHS Racial Equity Team is in a position to provide much needed support for three of our graduates of color as they make this life changing transition to adulthood. From traditional college programs, to flight attendant school, to an English Language acquisition program at a local community college - these young adults* have plans, they have determination, and they all have need of financial support. 

Our team has received a generous "seed" donation of $1,300 which is ready and available to distribute to these students. And while this is already a substantial amount, our goal is to provide $1,000 to each of our three nominated students. 

With your help, we aim to raise an additional $2,000 for this cause.

All funds raised through this campaign will be evenly distributed to this year's three students.

We also recognize that these are particularly difficult financial times for many. If a financial gift to this cause isn’t currently within your capacity, we have shared an infographic below full a list of recommendations for you to consider to show support and solidarity with our communities of color ((original source @emmakumer). In addition, please know that sharing this campaign with your communities is a great way to foster more contributions. 

Organizers' Notes: To protect the privacy of the recipients (and keep this a surprise) we are not revealing their names or other personal information. Photo used is not representative of actual recipients, but depicts our student-led racial equity pact (REP).

We also want to thank and acknowledge the Vashon Community Scholarship Foundation for their longstanding commitment to supporting Vashon's graduates. This campaign is not sponsored by or affiliated with VCSF in any way, though we do hope to integrate our efforts in the future. 

Similarly, this campaign is not officially sponsored by nor is it directly supporting the Vashon Island School District, though many of us on the campaign team are employees.


Thank you for your support!