Families of Color Seattle

2023 marks a DECADE of connecting Families of Color through peer-led parent support groups, cultural resource sharing, and racial justice advocacy!

We invite you to help us continue to build on our commitment toward racial justice for all FOCS families and invest in our vision of building a world where children of color are born into a loving, racially and economically just community!

Mission

Families of Color Seattle- or what we call FOCS (pronounced “folks”) is a growing community of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) families focused on raising children who are healthy, loved, and justice-oriented. We connect families, caregivers, and children through peer-led parent support groups, cultural resource sharing, and racial justice advocacy. 

Description

Since 2013, FOCS has grown from a group of BIPOC mothers in conversation about raising their children into a nonprofit building collective power through intersectional solidarity. FOCS is led by BIPOC mothers who believe parents of color deserve a loving and supportive community. We want our parent community to feel safe, heard, and confident in their parenting and their efforts to talk about and address systemic racism. 

Peer-led Parent Groups are the core of our programming. Our curriculum includes dialogue on racism, identity, and the tools to support raising strong and compassionate children of color. All FOCS parent groups are peer-led which means we rely on FOCS parents to return and help new parents on their journey.

Our Family Programming helps families stay connected in real time. During the pandemic, FOCS offered creative ways to help families stay connected and supported. In addition to virtual parent groups, we connected families with community educators, offered panel discussions with experts in various fields, and invited families to participate in awareness events and activities such as Black maternal health week. 

FOCS' Systems Change Work encourages communities to work together to dismantle systemic racism. We offer consulting workshops to help facilitate and guide institutional change, partner with organizations aligned with our interests and expand on advocacy issues based on community feedback. We believe policies and systems impacting BIPOC families should center their voices. FOCS supports issues important to families of color, such as reproductive justice, health, and education equity, and expands on these issues based on FOCS community feedback and interest.