FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Erin Jones, a veteran teacher who has taught in diverse communities across the nation, will speak at the upcoming YWCA Spokane‘s Stand Against Racism “Building Bridges Not Walls In Times of Conflict.”
The annual event is free and open to the public, and is to confront stereotypes and bias as a community. According to the YWCA, “Each courageous conversation provides an opportunity to broaden perspectives, learn new tools, and connect with a diverse community of citizens passionate about eliminating racism.”
Jones was named the Most Innovative Foreign Language Teacher in 2007, while teaching French Immersion at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma, and was the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year in 2008, while teaching at Rogers High School in Spokane. She received recognition at the White House in March of 2013 as a “Champion of Change” and in 2015 Erin earned recognition as PTA Educator of the Year for her testimony in the McCleary education funding case.
Jones was the first African-American woman to run for executive office in the state of Washington and lost by one percent. Since she ended her campaign for office, she has spoken to more 20,000 students, according to a press release.
She’ll be speaking at the YWCA’s annual event on April 28. The event will be at 11:30 a.m. at YWCA Spokane, 930 N Monroe St. Attendees are asked to register in advance.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
