- Oakland Unified School District
- WELCOME
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AAFE 2022 Year in Review
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
The World We ImagineThe Alliance for Girls conference was a powerful opportunity to connect with hundreds of girls, champions and service providers, as well as learn best practices and to hear from influential leaders on how to advance racial and gender equity. Students joined other participants in designing a live mural illustrating the conference themes and the creation of zines, where their words and ideas can come to life the themes of:
· Radical Safety - from home to school to public spaces & everywhere else
· Girls in the Lead - uplifting solutions across all sectors
· Healing and Restoration - well-being through collective care
AAFE 22-23 School Year Kickoff!
To support a great start to this school year, African American Female Excellence (AAFE) was graced with a wonderful field trip opportunity for 5th-8th grade African American female students, from our very own Golden State Warriors.
AAFE was invited to an exclusive literacy focused event at the Deyoung museum on Wednesday August 10th.
170+ 5th-9th grade African American female students from 8 OUSD schools attended. The event featured a “reading rally” of fun, literacy focused activities and a museum tour of the Faith Ringgold: American People Exhibit!
AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE EXCELLENCEThe 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. Queen Iminah is the co-founder & Program Director of AAFE. 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.
ousd.org/aafe
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.February is Black History Month, which honors the wealth & impact of African American history, heritage and culture on modern civilization. Black History Month is celebrated annually in the Oakland Unified School District, around the nation and world.
Black History Month evolved from “Negro History Week”, which was established by Carter G. Woodson in 1926, at a time when racism permeated all aspects of mainstream American society. During the 1920’s & for the majority of U.S history, all major educational & historical institutions promoted the belief that Black/African American people had any history or culture. This notion is still represented in the absence of African history,culture & contributions in major educational paradigms. The celebration of Black History Month helps to ensure that African Americans & all cultures learn the ancient, inspirational, impactful and deep history of Africa and the African diaspora in America. February is a time of revitalization, revival & empowerment to continue learning, teaching & sharing Black history, culture & cultural contributions every month of the year.
OUSD is celebrating Black History Month 2022 with the theme, “Black Futures Rising.” In the face of the extreme challenges the Covid-19 Global Pandemic has brought, in addition to many long-standing issues our communities are facing, it is imperative to use ancestral inspiration to uplift our mental, physical, spiritual, cultural, financial, emotional, social and academic health.
Sankofa! Learning from the power of our past, to move forward rising in our future.
Ase!
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AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE EXCELLENCE
Frick United Middle School
2845 64th AvenueMusic Building
Oakland, CA 94605
To learn more about the Office of Equity and other targeted initiatives, visit www.ousd.org/equity.