MER Summer Newsletter

Welcome to the MER Summer Newsletter! As we move into the excitement and anticipation of the new school year, we wanted to take a moment to (re)introduce ourselves: We are Multnomah Educators Rising.

As you'll read in this newsletter, there are some remarkable things happening through MER. And we feel like the MER story is a story worth telling. So this spring we worked with the incredible team at Responsible Media Group to capture the essence of the program through the voices of the MER community. We think it turned out beautifully - we hope you do too.

Check out a special extended version of the video with more voices and stories here.

On August 1st, families, friends, and supporters of the MER Summer Academy came together at the African Youth & Community Organization to celebrate the 80 young people who completed the program this summer. ODE Director, Dr. Charlene Williams, provided inspiring keynote remarks and students shared their reflections from the summer. Check out the highlight video from the event!

Growing our own future diverse educators starts with engaging students in our schools today and offering them opportunities to discover the joy of teaching. For the third year in a row, rising seniors and this year's graduates from high schools across the county spent the summer working in paid internships supporting younger students in their home districts’ summer learning programs or at community-based programs like Latino Network. Summer Academy participants earn four college-level credits through Portland Community College by taking College Readiness and Intro to Education / Multicultural Education courses.

The Summer Academy is possible thanks to support from Nike, The Collins Foundation, and the Educator Advancement Council of the Oregon Department of Education.

Check out this great article from The Outlook for a deeper look at the MER Summer Academy.

In partnership with OEA Choice Trust, we hosted a wellness retreat for MER participants at the newly renovated Kah-Nee-Ta Resort. During the first weekend of August we brought 30 participants on a much needed rejuvenation and relaxation retreat. Guests were able to enjoy the amenities at the resort, bring family members for care and support, and participate in facilitated reflection and connection activities with each other. Folks walked away from the weekend feeling loved, appreciated and rested. It was a transformative experience and one we hope to continue in the future. Many thanks to OEA Choice Trust for their collaboration and support!

On Saturday, June 1st, MER held its First Annual Rise Up Ceremony at the Native American Youth and Family Center. Two-hundred friends, family and supporters from all generations gathered to celebrate 44 remarkable BIPOC educators who completed Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Masters degrees, as well as Principal Licenses, this spring. The event was filled with laughter, music, tears, joy, poetry, and love. Check out this inspiring highlight video from the event.

The First Annual MER Grow Your Own Champion Award was presented to Ms. La’Shawanta “Taye” Spears for her leadership, vision, and inspiration in supporting and lifting up diverse educators. Taye serves as Assistant Superintendent of Diversity & Equitable Inclusion at David Douglas School District where she has helped blaze the path for rising BIPOC educators in her district and across the state. The award was presented on June 1st at MER’s First Annual Rise Up Ceremony.

Check out this tribute video for Ms. Taye.

Janiya Thompson, a junior at Jefferson High School, shared her uplifting original poem, Teacher Love, as part of MER’s Rise Up Ceremony in June.

As we make our way into the first days of the 2024-25 school year, may Janiya's words inspire us to share our love, honor, and respect for every educator in every school in every neighborhood of our community. Thank you, Janiya, for your powerful words.

I want to be as strong as a teacher

To have the energy to see the same kids over and over

To get ignored, but still teach with my heart

To set my life aside and give my all

To wake up early, and sleep late

Yet still come back every day

To know I am a huge part

In setting up generational life

I wish I was a teacher type of strong

I want to be as brave as a teacher

To get a batch of kids each year

Stand in the front of a class

And constantly be seen

Constantly be heard

To give input at meetings

Set up school events

To put my job on the line to witness

A system improve

Not just for me, but for every kid I teach

For even with livelihood on the line

I’ll show up at the flip of a dime

I wish I was a teacher type of brave

I want to have the fight of a teacher

To not accept student disrespect

To strike early every morning

To protest till the afternoon

To show up half sick

Fully tired

And completely drained

Still having papers to grade

Knowing I will have to repeat the cycle

The next day

To know you and your students deserve better

And constantly work for it

I wish I had a teacher type of fight

Mostly I want the love of a teacher

To have the heart to treat random kids as my own

To work to help students make academic comebacks

To stay afterschool to check in with teens

To bring snacks and treats

Setup cozy nooks and corners

To work hard without so much as recognition

Or a complement

To never know how amazing you are,

Yet still respect every student around you

Oh how I wish I had that teacher type of love

Through rain or shine

Through hell or high water

I have seen teachers show strength

Show bravery

Show fight

But most importantly show love

I could never do what you do

So know all my respect and love goes to you

Never acknowledged and underappreciated as such

Know you Teachers mean so much!

Teacher Love