SPARRC

SPARRC (SAAS Parents/Guardians for Awareness, Race Relations and Community) is a strategic partnership with SAAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department, the Family Association and Parent Education. SPARRC serves as a learning space for SAAS parents/guardians of all backgrounds and experiences to discuss matters of race and equity. We formed in January 2020 out of a desire by parents/guardians to continue the important conversation that was had at SAAS’s first Families Committed to Diversity Night in the fall of 2019.

Our discussions are centered around multimedia resources and current events that affect the SAAS community, our region and the country. We explore a wide range of topics and approach discussion through the lens of race and our roles as community members. We encourage listening and sharing rather than instruction as we come together to build a stronger and more cohesive SAAS community.  

You can also sign up for the SPARRC Google Group to receive notifications about upcoming meetings, events, and resources.

Meeting Notes

SPARRC holds three to four events a year with occasional “impromptu” events mixed in. All events will be announced here, in the SAAS Friday emails, via the SPARRC Google Group, and in the Family Association monthly newsletter.

VIEW THE SPARRC PADLET SITE

Group Norms

SPARRC members developed these Group Norms as a way to guide us in our discussions and to build community and trust.  Group Norms are reviewed annually and we welcome suggestions.

1. Stay engaged: Commit to being emotionally, intellectually, and socially present and involved in the dialogue.  
2. Experience discomfort: Emotion, fear, and/or discomfort is inevitable in dialogue about race. We foster a safe space for learning and growth.  
3. Speak your truth: Be open and honest about your thoughts and feelings in a respectful manner. Be willing to take risks. Speak from your own experience and avoid generalizations. Remember that silence is often wrongly interpreted as agreement.
4. Expect and accept nonclosure:  Be ready to “hang out in uncertainty,” especially in relation to racial understanding. Don’t try to rush to quick solutions. 
5. Maintain confidentiality.  Honor privacy and avoid “who said what.”
6. Be aware of your privilege. Privilege is often invisible to those that have it. Be aware of whether you are taking up too much emotional and airtime space. Make room for others to speak.

*Adapted from Singleton, Glenn E. Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, Second Edition. Corwin, 2015.

SPARRC Steering Committee

Contact Information:

• Meg Butterworth - SAAS parent
• Deli Moussavi - SAAS parent 
• Heidi Ob'bayi -  SAAS parent
• Kim Saxton - SAAS parent

If you have any questions about or suggestions for SPARRC please contact sparrc@seattleacademy.org