Black College Matters
Donation protected
I am a co-founder of Save Your VI
We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California and dedicated to education, awareness and advocacy for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects all students from racial harassment and discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, nation of origin, and religion. Last year, I happened to see a post on social media about two young students who had been suspended for wearing African headwraps to school. I couldn't scroll by this, as I knew it was illegal and racist. I reached out to them on social media, and that started a partnership and advocacy campaign that grew into a friendship.
Delanie Seals and Is'Abella Miller made national headlines as they fought to change a discriminatory school policy barring the wearing of headwraps in their town of Ada, Oklahoma. These young women faced a school administration that would rather suspend them and deny them their education than allow them to wear headwraps, which they categorized as a "safety issue." These brave young people stood up against their school administration and the district for years, to protect and uphold the right to cultural expression for Black students.
Not stopping there, they have developed a legislative proposal to end racial and cultural expression discrimination in all schools in Oklahoma, similar to the CROWN Act, and are working their way through the State Legislature. Being members of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, they want to insure that all BIPOC attend schools free from discrimination and harassment, as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees.
Delanie and Is'Abella were instrumental in organizing Black Lives Matter protests in Ada, started an Intersectional Activists Facebook group with over 1200 members, have partnered with the NAACP, and are currently engaged in police reform talks with their city council, to demand accountability. Their families have been personally affected by police violence.
As I watched them graduate on Zoom, I saw many white students receive ample scholarships. I saw these two young students who had done so much for their community, passed by without a second thought. When I asked them where they were attending college, they said they hoped to. When I asked why it was a question, they informed me that with all they have accomplished, they are both struggling with socio economic conditions that make college a "maybe". Both of them work low wage jobs where they earn between $7 and $11 per hour. Delanie has endured racial slurs and verbal harassment at work. Structural racism means that white students in their graduating class received scholarships of up to $40,000 while BIPOC students largely received nothing, with a few receiving a one time scholarship of $500-$1500. This is not justice. This is not equity.
Black Lives Matter, and while we honor those who have been stolen from us, we must uplift and uphold Living Black Lives. These young women have demonstrated, time and again, their commitment to social justice and racial equity. They stand to change the entire state of Oklahoma. Let's remove the barriers set up by structural racism and help them start on a playing field that has always been stacked against them.
This fall at East Central University, Delanie plans to major in Political Science and Psychology, and Is'Abella plans to major in Social Work. The costs for their education break down as follows:
UPDATE 5/21/21
Delanie’s Scholarships/Personal Payments for Freshman/Sophomore Year 2020-2021
Tribal Grant: $6,450
Foundation Scholarship: $375
Undergraduate Scholarship: $1000
ECU Honors: $3,500
Total: $11,325
Delanie’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Freshman/Sophomore Year 2020-2021
1st Semester: $4,226.30
2nd Semester: $4,712.10
Total: $8,938.40
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy’s Scholarships/Personal Payments for Freshman Year 2020-2021
CLS Tuition Waiver N: $1,500
OKLA Tuition Aid Grant: $1,000
Pell Grant 2021: $6,346
UNDG Tribal Grant: $800
Private Donation: $1,500
Izzy’s Personal Payment: $508.90
Go FundMe Money: $3,937.85
Total: $15,592.75
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Freshman Year 2020-2021
1st Semester: $3,937.85
2nd Semester: $6,735.35
Total: $10,673.20
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Scholarships for Sophomore Year 2021-2022
Total: $ 0
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Sophomore Year 2021-2022
1st Semester: unsure about about Fall/Spring possibly taking gap year (financial aid is suspended temporarily)
2nd Semester: unsure about about Fall/Spring possibly taking gap year (financial aid is suspended temporarily)
Delanie’s Scholarships Sophomore/Junior Year 2021-2022
GLT: $2,000
A.T. & Ethel Watson Scholarship: $7,000
Total: $9,000
Look at what they have been able to accomplish so far. Imagine the possibilities with no barriers. Let's send them to college this Fall stress and worry free, so that they can learn and grow into their full potential. Ada, Oklahoma is on the map and it is because of Delanie and Is'Abella. Let's give back to them. BLACK COLLEGE MATTERS. BLACK FUTURES MATTER.
Thank you from all of us at Save Your VI
Dmitra, Celeste, Johanna, Kirstyne, Raquel
10/31/19
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-school-district-punishes-students-for-refusing-to-remove-cultural-headwraps/
11/26/19
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-school-district-changing-dress-code-policy-after-african-headwrap-controversy/
12/02/19
https://blavity.com/oklahoma-students-who-fought-back-after-being-told-they-couldnt-wear-headwraps-fighting-for-change-in-dress-code?category1=news
12/10/19
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8883/fight-for-head-wrap-ban-oklahoma
12/11/19
https://www.kten.com/story/41438397/byng-students-win-dress-code-battle
12/23/19
https://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/chicken-fried-news-wrap-battle/Content?oid=6835139
2/19/20
https://naacp.org/the-state-of-black-students-in-america/
6/4/20
https://www.kxii.com/content/news/ECU-student-removed-from-campus-after-social-media-post--571030671.html
6/6/20
https://www.theadanews.com/news/local_news/1-000-turn-out-for-peaceful-black-lives-matter-march-through-downtown-ada/article_5d9044c9-6af3-5be0-bbb8-b1b759df542b.html
6/25/20
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/black-lives-matter-protests/
We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California and dedicated to education, awareness and advocacy for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects all students from racial harassment and discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, nation of origin, and religion. Last year, I happened to see a post on social media about two young students who had been suspended for wearing African headwraps to school. I couldn't scroll by this, as I knew it was illegal and racist. I reached out to them on social media, and that started a partnership and advocacy campaign that grew into a friendship.
Delanie Seals and Is'Abella Miller made national headlines as they fought to change a discriminatory school policy barring the wearing of headwraps in their town of Ada, Oklahoma. These young women faced a school administration that would rather suspend them and deny them their education than allow them to wear headwraps, which they categorized as a "safety issue." These brave young people stood up against their school administration and the district for years, to protect and uphold the right to cultural expression for Black students.
Not stopping there, they have developed a legislative proposal to end racial and cultural expression discrimination in all schools in Oklahoma, similar to the CROWN Act, and are working their way through the State Legislature. Being members of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, they want to insure that all BIPOC attend schools free from discrimination and harassment, as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees.
Delanie and Is'Abella were instrumental in organizing Black Lives Matter protests in Ada, started an Intersectional Activists Facebook group with over 1200 members, have partnered with the NAACP, and are currently engaged in police reform talks with their city council, to demand accountability. Their families have been personally affected by police violence.
As I watched them graduate on Zoom, I saw many white students receive ample scholarships. I saw these two young students who had done so much for their community, passed by without a second thought. When I asked them where they were attending college, they said they hoped to. When I asked why it was a question, they informed me that with all they have accomplished, they are both struggling with socio economic conditions that make college a "maybe". Both of them work low wage jobs where they earn between $7 and $11 per hour. Delanie has endured racial slurs and verbal harassment at work. Structural racism means that white students in their graduating class received scholarships of up to $40,000 while BIPOC students largely received nothing, with a few receiving a one time scholarship of $500-$1500. This is not justice. This is not equity.
Black Lives Matter, and while we honor those who have been stolen from us, we must uplift and uphold Living Black Lives. These young women have demonstrated, time and again, their commitment to social justice and racial equity. They stand to change the entire state of Oklahoma. Let's remove the barriers set up by structural racism and help them start on a playing field that has always been stacked against them.
This fall at East Central University, Delanie plans to major in Political Science and Psychology, and Is'Abella plans to major in Social Work. The costs for their education break down as follows:
UPDATE 5/21/21
Delanie’s Scholarships/Personal Payments for Freshman/Sophomore Year 2020-2021
Tribal Grant: $6,450
Foundation Scholarship: $375
Undergraduate Scholarship: $1000
ECU Honors: $3,500
Total: $11,325
Delanie’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Freshman/Sophomore Year 2020-2021
1st Semester: $4,226.30
2nd Semester: $4,712.10
Total: $8,938.40
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy’s Scholarships/Personal Payments for Freshman Year 2020-2021
CLS Tuition Waiver N: $1,500
OKLA Tuition Aid Grant: $1,000
Pell Grant 2021: $6,346
UNDG Tribal Grant: $800
Private Donation: $1,500
Izzy’s Personal Payment: $508.90
Go FundMe Money: $3,937.85
Total: $15,592.75
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Freshman Year 2020-2021
1st Semester: $3,937.85
2nd Semester: $6,735.35
Total: $10,673.20
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Scholarships for Sophomore Year 2021-2022
Total: $ 0
Izzy’s 1st & 2nd Semester Tuition for Sophomore Year 2021-2022
1st Semester: unsure about about Fall/Spring possibly taking gap year (financial aid is suspended temporarily)
2nd Semester: unsure about about Fall/Spring possibly taking gap year (financial aid is suspended temporarily)
Delanie’s Scholarships Sophomore/Junior Year 2021-2022
GLT: $2,000
A.T. & Ethel Watson Scholarship: $7,000
Total: $9,000
Look at what they have been able to accomplish so far. Imagine the possibilities with no barriers. Let's send them to college this Fall stress and worry free, so that they can learn and grow into their full potential. Ada, Oklahoma is on the map and it is because of Delanie and Is'Abella. Let's give back to them. BLACK COLLEGE MATTERS. BLACK FUTURES MATTER.
Thank you from all of us at Save Your VI
Dmitra, Celeste, Johanna, Kirstyne, Raquel
10/31/19
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-school-district-punishes-students-for-refusing-to-remove-cultural-headwraps/
11/26/19
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-school-district-changing-dress-code-policy-after-african-headwrap-controversy/
12/02/19
https://blavity.com/oklahoma-students-who-fought-back-after-being-told-they-couldnt-wear-headwraps-fighting-for-change-in-dress-code?category1=news
12/10/19
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8883/fight-for-head-wrap-ban-oklahoma
12/11/19
https://www.kten.com/story/41438397/byng-students-win-dress-code-battle
12/23/19
https://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/chicken-fried-news-wrap-battle/Content?oid=6835139
2/19/20
https://naacp.org/the-state-of-black-students-in-america/
6/4/20
https://www.kxii.com/content/news/ECU-student-removed-from-campus-after-social-media-post--571030671.html
6/6/20
https://www.theadanews.com/news/local_news/1-000-turn-out-for-peaceful-black-lives-matter-march-through-downtown-ada/article_5d9044c9-6af3-5be0-bbb8-b1b759df542b.html
6/25/20
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/black-lives-matter-protests/
Organizer and beneficiary
Dmitra Smith
Organizer
Sonoma, CA
Delanie Seals
Beneficiary
