Celebrating African American Female Excellence

African American Female Excellence (AAFE) is the first district-wide initiative in the nation of it's kind. AAFE makes OUSD the first school district ever to focus on the specific upliftment and support of Black girls as a city-wide strategy. Part of OUSD's Office of Equity, AAFE currently serves over 300 girls in multiple Elementary, Middle & High Schools across Oakland.

AAFE provides daily Black girl-centered classes & weekly girls groups, which are integrated into the core-school day, in addition to providing city-wide programs and events. AAFE is actively revolutionizing the way public educational institutions serve Black students in Oakland.

As we have launched into 2023 we wanted to share a look into some of the good things AAFE has accomplished so far. We are so proud of our students and teachers who make AAFE shine!

"AAFE extends a huge thank you to all our students, families, staff and especially teachers for going above and beyond to ensure opportunities & enrichment are accessible to our young Queens.

Thank you for your support of AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE EXCELLENCE! ASE!!!" AAFE has had an incredible journey so far and we are excited for all that is to come!

Queen Iminah & AAFE Staff

 49ers Foundation Fanatics Global Impact Day - 6/27/23

Golden State Warriors Read to Achieve - Summer Reading Celebration - 7/31/23

AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE EXCELLENCE

The mission of African American Female Excellence is to inspire excellence and accelerate academic achievement amongst African American girls and young women in OUSD. AAFE is the first-ever district-wide initiative in the nation, focused on specifically supporting the needs of Black girls and young women, and is housed in OUSD's Office of Equity. She is an OUSD graduate & 3rd generation OUSD leader.

African American Female Excellence was initially founded in 2017, and re-launched in 2020. AAFE's mission is to effectively mitigate the disparities in educational and social outcomes for African American girls and young women from elementary through high school and beyond. By institutionalizing systemic change, through district wide programming, advocacy, events and visibility, AAFE aims to eradicate systemic intersectional bias against African American girls.

In addition to providing OUSD-wide programs & events, AAFE is actively establishing safe spaces for Black girls district-wide, through the creation of AAFE classes for Elementary, Middle & High School students. African American Female Excellence serves as a model for positive systemic change in Oakland and in the world.

Connect with AAFE here

The initiative will work with a core Advisory Group and a team of thought partners to develop strategies, structures, and guidance regarding how to improve the culture, climate, and conditions of female students of African descent from preschool through 12th grade.

The advisory group — OUSD Collaborative for the Achievement of African American Girls and Young Women (OUSD Collaborative for African American Girls) — will develop interagency linkages, inter-departmental recommendations, models, best practices, and feedback loops to ensure that all parts of the organization are moving together to interrupt intersectional bias against African American girls. Lead, supervise and support an alignment of the OUSD Collaborative for African American Girls Achievement with the District strategic plan and equity policy.