Tracy Castro-Gill legal defense fund

The 2019 PSESD teacher of the year in the state of Washington, Tracy Castro-Gill, is being harassed and punished for what she does best, Speaking Truth to Power. As the Director of Ethnic Studies at Seattle Public Schools she has pulled together an extremely talented team of educators to create frameworks and curriculum for the implementation of Ethnic Studies in Seattle schools, K-12. The Ethnic Studies Advisory Group is made up of educators, most of whom are educators of color, and is in the vanguard of this work.  It has had wide ranging influence around the state and across the country. Unfortunately, the superintendent and the upper echelon at Seattle Schools have disrespected that work and have failed to make space for the work to come to fruition. They have retaliated against Tracy's relentless anti-racist posture and unwillingness to back down after pointing out the endemic racism in Seattle Schools. When the district puts up road blocks and detours, Tracy points them out. And now she has been put on an academic leave of absence with the fear of losing her job. A job that she loves. A job in which she excels.

She is not one to give in so easily. She is utterly convinced that the work she and her team have been doing will be transformative  for thousands of students in Seattle. That is why she is determined to fight but she needs our help. She needs an attorney and attorneys work for fees which can run into the thousands of dollars. She and the rest of her team would be very appreciative of your support in her struggle. Giving to this effort would mean so much to the people doing this work under Tracy's guidance. Let's get her back to where she is supposed to be, fighting for the betterment of our schools through Ethnic Studies.