"Success is seen as being famous or rich. We only talk about Black Excellence in relation to people like Obama, but by doing so, we are limiting that definition to ‘I need to be a famous athlete or President of the U.S.’ to be successful. Black Excellence, is also having a normal life, feeling like you are part of the community…"
– Seattle Public Schools Student
The Department of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) directly aligns with the Seattle Excellence, the district's strategic plan and the collective commitment to unapologetically support and serve students and families furthest from educational justice.
Public school systems that have made significant gains for African American males have stand-alone departments focused on student support and advancement.
Seattle Public Schools is the first district in Washington state and one of the few across the nation to create a department that intentionally cultivates the cultural and academic strengths of African American male students while simultaneously addressing needs.
The Department of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) was launched in 2019 to ensure Seattle Public Schools has the culture, conditions, competencies, and community connections needed for all Black and African American boys and young male students to be successful.
Excellence is inherent in our black boys and young men, but for far too long public education hasn’t acknowledged or intentionally cultivated their cultural brilliance, academic strengths, and potential. Creation of AAMA is evidence of the district’s formal commitment to support the Black Excellence of our African American male students and create the school system that they deserve.
This important work is everyone’s work. From the bus stop to the board room we will collaboratively develop a unified vision for African American boys and young men in Seattle Public Schools, so people will act in concurrence and our students will thrive.
What does AAMA do?
The Department of AAMA critically examines our systemic practices through a racial equity lens to assess and build capacity for our system to engage, empower and educate our Black boys and young male students. Seattle Public Schools’ AAMA was created to directly address anti-black institutional and structural racism by creating educational systems, structures, and spaces that guarantee success for all AAM students in SPS.
We will be a school system that loves black boys and youth and focuses not on fixing students but disrupting and fixing the racist systems that marginalize and limit them. By using data, including the wisdom of our community, we will identify access points into schools and systems to increase racial justice, improve the cultural responsiveness of our educators, and implement antiracist practices that support all African American boys and young men.