Portside

The Federal Way School Board requested a review of the district's "Intercultural Speaker Series" after some questioned the inclusion of Dr. Angela Davis as this year's first speaker.

Davis gained national fame in the 1960s as an activist with ties to both the Communist Party USA and the Black Panthers. The announcement of Davis' speaking engagement for Oct. 16 in Federal Way attracted both praise and criticism from several community members.

Some residents lauded the presence of an accomplished educator with a unique historical perspective on cultural issues. Others decried Davis' controversial past and labeled her as a "radical" with ties to a terrorist organization.

On hand at the Oct. 29 school board meeting were Wanda Billingsly, Director of Title I/LAP programs for the district, and Erin Jones, Director of Equity and Achievement.

Billingsly said the speaker series is an attempt to create a conversation for the district, given the shifting demographics of both the country and Federal Way.

"We have a large shift in our demographics. Right now, over 70 percent of our students represent communities of color. Almost 60 percent of our students live in poverty," she said. "These demographic shifts create opportunities as well as unique challenges for our system. And so the Intercultural Speaker Series provides us opportunities to engage in critical dialogue about race, social justice and equity."

Jones said the purpose of the series is threefold: to promote dialogue and collaboration, to create an opportunity to bring the community together, and to aid in professional development.

"What I love about this opportunity is that it's not only for the teachers, not only for administrators. The community is absolutely invited to hear the same messages that our educators are receiving," Jones said.

Jones said the selection process for speakers is driven by people both inside and outside of the district, and the issues they'd like to hear about. There's an "equity advisory team" Jones indicated, which "determine(s) the appropriateness of people who come to speak in the district." On top of that, Jones said the district provides any speaker with data regarding the district's demographics, "so that they can speak to the unique context in which Federal Way exists."

Billingsly noted that the funding for the speaker series has mostly come from her department of Title 1/LAP. Outside of that, she noted that many of the speakers come to the district for a "nominal" or "no fee at all." Billingsly said that her department is looking to coordinate more closely with Jones' Equity and Achievement Department, in order to spread possible costs moving forward.

Billingsly and Jones reviewed the speakers from last year along with the confirmed and hoped-for speakers for this year. Last year included a number of education experts who spoke on issues ranging from immigration and marginalized populations to the overmedication of children and the possible effects of that practice.

This year's speakers include the aforementioned Davis, along with Dave Irwin, an expert in English Language Learning issues, and Anne Sibley O'Brien, a children's author/illustrator who focuses on children of color in her works.

"We still have a number of months throughout the year that we will be looking to fill with dynamic, iconic speakers," Billingsly said.

School board members responded positively to the report. Board member Danny Peterson said the Intercultural Speaker Series needed this explanation to counter some of the negativity that had been circulating throughout the community.

"I want to thank you for your presentation, for the context. I think a lot of the dialogue that's been going in our community has missed the context of this and the work you guys are doing," Peterson said.

Board president Claire Wilson said she felt comfortable going forward with the speakers series.

"The purpose is clear in my mind, the goal is clear in my mind. It's very intentional," she said. "What's important is that people understand what this series is and where the speakers come from, and how if they're stakeholders in the community, they can be part of the conversation…I think the importance (of the series) is the conversation we're able to have and the understanding the conversation brings."

Reader feedback

The following Facebook comments were posted on the original announcement of Davis' speaking engagement, along with a letter to the editor by Federal Way teacher Steve Edmiston titled "How I learned to stop being afraid of Angela Davis," and a letter titled "Radical woman comes to Federal Way" by Donna Metz.

• Leesea Kenebrew: "Angela Davis is a free woman preaching about her struggles back in the day. Some people are just racist and can't stand an intelligent Black educated woman."

• Martin Metz: "My only criticism is why did the taxpayers pay for this? If she wants to come out and folks want to pay to attend, that's one thing. Paying for it when we can't even maintain the buildings our children go to is another thing."

• David Alsabery: "It is a sad day when we have former or current members of the Nazi party, KKK or Black Panthers speak to our children. When did we decide it is OK to give a voice to former or current members of hate groups?"

• Karen Hedwig Backman: "America is a nation with many voices. I'm glad that the voice of Angela Davis (agree with her or not) was heard in Federal Way."

• Kelly Maloney (city council member): "I am very disappointed that this is the person who was chosen to kick off this series. Let's laud those who represent the positive aspects of intercultural activities, not those who take away from the efforts."

How I Learned to Stop Being Afraid of Angela Davis
Steve Edmiston, Federal Way
Federal Way Mirror
October 19, 2013
http://www.federalwaymirror.com/opinion/letters/228466861.html

She came. She spoke. Federal Way survived. Oh, and it was standing room only, a lot of laughs (often about her time in jail and being fired by Ronald Reagan), and began and ended with an ovation. She spoke for over 45 minutes, and answered questions in detail for nearly an hour.

Many did not agree with Angela Davis’ ideas. I don’t agree with many of her ideas. I'm sure many did not agree with her tactics in the 1960s and 1970s, and much of her polarizing history that included membership in the Communist and Black Panther parties, and time in jail.

I know that some in our community did not want to allow her to speak here at all, in any capacity. The comments in The Mirror before she arrived had reached fairly ugly proportions. The Mirror comments repeatedly called her a terrorist, equating her presence to bringing in Klansman and Nazis; they used labels including “blood drenched radical” and “murderer;” they linked her to a suggestion that our local Somali-American community was prone to terrorism; and of course attacked the Federal Way School Board for allowing her to speak.

There was also very emotional testimony last week during public comment that challenged the school board for allowing Davis to speak, and challenging that the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech was not applicable to supporting a talk by Davis.

So naturally, with this much controversy I was excited (as were my wife and daughter) to see this talk for myself! I’m pleased to share that as far as skill and eloquence – the art of holding an audience in rapt attention – I’ve not seen a better presentation in Federal Way – kudos to Wanda Billingsley.

And as the evening wore on, it became abundantly clear that it was precisely because of Ms. Davis’ life experience – both good and bad – that her otherwise non-controversial subject matter carried resonance far beyond a sound bite on a news report, or a mean-spirited, throwaway slur on a website comment.

I believe everyone at the program was moved by the stories of growing up in segregated Birmingham, and of the bombings and burnings that destroyed and shaped the lives of so many. I believe that Ms. Davis’ framing of the issue as one of imagination – that we cannot achieve change that we cannot imagine, let alone imagine as possible – served as a non-controversial centerpiece for the evening and was illustrative of how useful different points of view can be when problem solving.

Many teachers asked probing questions about techniques to address problems within our Federal Way schools relating to discipline, the “the pipeline to prison,” race and diversity, institutional bias, the role of family, the role of community, gender issues, health and nutrition issues, and other frightening topics. I believe that those in attendance (even if they vehemently disagree with her message) would likely agree that Ms. Davis did not shy away from a single question and answered the questions in detail.

There were two troubling parts of the evening: first, no one that was previously so upset about Angela Davis asked a question that might have probed the reasons that justified why they did not want her to speak. Maybe they didn’t attend. Maybe they were intimidated by a woman who comes off as a soft-spoken, humor-filled, permanently hopeful grandmother.

Second, while the evening stood as a testament to the application of the Constitution to our discourse, the ease with which the idea of censorship can be tolerated is always a concern. At the board meeting, in response to complaints, the board seemed to suggest that a “report” would be made at the next meeting about why Ms. Davis was asked to speak, suggesting that it was possible that having Ms. Davis speak was a mistake.

The board stated that Wanda Billingsley, who set up the speaker series, would be asked to come to present at the next meeting, which seemed to imply that the decision might need to be defended.

I was then discouraged that, as far as I could tell, no member of the Federal Way School Board had the opportunity to attend the actual talk. If they had done so, I think they may have realized that the best response at a school board meeting, when a member of the community seeks board support for censorship, might go something like this:

“Not in Federal Way. The First Amendment rocks in Federal Way. We are a city of ideas, a city of diversity, and a city where a multitude of opinion and culture must coincide, every minute of every day. We’ll put up no walls to exclude, and where we find them, we will tear them down. You want to burn one book? Amazon’s right up the street, we’ll buy two copies for each one you torch. You want to silence a speaker instead of offer your better idea in the public square? Sounds like that’s a speaker we’ll ask back two times.”

Radical Woman Comes to Federal Way
Donna Metz, Des Moines
Federal Way Mirror
October 18, 2013
http://www.federalwaymirror.com/opinion/letters/228367641.html

I attended the Federal Way School Board meeting Oct. 15 to comment on Angela Davis coming to speak as the guest of the Federal Way Public Schools and its taxpaying residents for the kickoff of the district's "Intercultural Speaker Series" this year.

This guest is only the third woman ever to earn a spot on the FBI's "Most Wanted List." She was also known as a radical feminist activist, a member of the Communist Party USA, and an associate of the Black Panther Party. This radical resume and background makes her someone we should not be bringing here to increase awareness and deepen knowledge of cultural competency or deepen relationships with our students, parents and teachers.

Why would I want my grandson at Sacajawea Middle School to be exposed to this woman?

Ms. Davis is of course free to speak at any public event, air her views, and have the public at large pay for her event. However, I don't think it's right for taxpayers to be paying and promoting such an event.

With the times being so tight financially right now, why go outside the Seattle/Olympia area or even outside Washington state to pay for someone? Are there no other qualified celebrities or experts who could come in to speak as effectively and knowledgeably?

Future guest speakers should receive closer scrutiny to ensure taxpayers and parents get the best for the least.