Seven Star Women’s Kung Fu

BLM Statement July 2020

We at Seven Star Women’s Kung Fu stand in solidarity with the Black people in our community, against police brutality, and against bias in the justice system, in healthcare, and in education. Seven Star will continue to actively resist systemic racism with our actions and our collective voice. Black Lives Matter. Black Women Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. Black Voices Matter.

Although Seven Star has often reflected a higher than average LGBTQIA population, we have always had to work to increase the BIPOC in our ranks. To support this goal, our school has chosen to reside in the more diverse areas of Seattle and support local BIPOC businesses. Forty years ago, Seven Star began at Yesler Community Center. We consciously chose to open our first bank account at Liberty Bank on Union and 23rd—the first Black-owned bank in the Pacific NW. We were fortunate to be able to buy our building in the Central District and feel honored to have been a part of this neighborhood for the last 20 years, although we recognize and acknowledge that we have contributed to its gentrification. We understand that these were just small steps, not concrete actions to increase the diversity of our school.

We also recognize that even though the demographics of our student body mirror the demographics of Seattle for approximately the last 10 years, our teaching staff and leadership roles don’t fully reflect those demographics. We are conscious that we need to continue to increase the number of BIPOC in these roles. We initiated a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion working group in 2019 as one way to guide us toward these goals, but we have much work to do. Seven Star will continue to examine our policies, procedures, rules and culture, as well as our individual and collective biases, to build a welcoming environment for BIPOC.