Drae Charles for Bethel School Board

The theme for this mornings speech is one of gratitude, and there’s so much to be grateful for. Before diving into some of those appreciations, I want to take a moment to extend that gratitude to my opponent, Erin. This was a competitive race, and above all else she showed that she shares my care for our students. While the outcome wasn’t in her favor, I’m looking forward to finding collaborative ways to address the school concerns, like the neighbors, allies, and community that we are. Thank you Erin!

With that, I’d like to acknowledge the many individuals that create the collective that made the success of our campaign possible.

First and foremost, my wife Nicole. I’m only able to do what I do because I have her continued unwavering support, and I know that she is holding down the fort at home on my behalf. Also our two boys, who put up with their dad being busy campaigning and missing those bedtime stories and snuggles.

Also I’d like to thank my campaign manager Tai, who planted the seed to run for this seat as he knew I had passion for serving our youth and our community;

My ever talented field organizer Doniya, who pulled off a clean sweep of victories for her Bethel candidates;

My amazing editor and translator Latiffe, who continued to step in and step up to see how she could support our campaign efforts and demonstrated the perfect example of true allyship;

My treasurer, and easily the best campaign finance volunteer in the entire county, Emily. Always available to answer questions, provide guidance and truly made the often stressful aspects of a campaign much less so;

My graphics and media specialist Josh, who made high quality materials for us to really brand our campaign in the capacity it needed and deserves;

And last but not least, I’d like to thank: You. The community members, the donors, the volunteers, the fellow candidates, the mentors, the elected officials, each and every single person who contributed to helping our campaign to win this election and get me to the starting line.

I want to take a moment to truly emphasize that. Winning this election just gets us to the starting line! The real race starts now. And with your continued support, guidance, and grace I’m looking forward to crossing that finish line in four years and admiring a better and stronger Eugene CommUNITY on the other side. We WILL:
-Increase our CTE and Mentorship pathways
-Increase supports for our teachers, staff and students
-Foster increased student belonging and academic achievement

And we will do all of this the Bethel way, together.

Again, Thank you!

Drae Charles,
Bethel School Board Director-Elect, Position 4

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En esta mañana, el tema de este discurso es la gratitud, y hay mucho por lo que estar agradecido. Antes de elaborar en algunos de esos agradecimientos, quiero tomarme un momento para extender mi gratitud a mi oponente, Erin. Esta fue una carrera competitiva, y por encima de todo, ella demostró que comparte mi atencíon por nuestros estudiantes. Aunque el resultado no estuvo a su favor, espero encontrar formas colaborativas de abordar las ideas para las escuelas, como vecinos, aliados y comunidad que somos. ¡Gracias, Erin!

Con eso, me gustaría reconocer a las muchas personas que conforman el colectivo que hizo posible el éxito de nuestra campaña.

En primer lugar, mi esposa Nicole. Solo puedo hacer lo que hago porque tengo su apoyo persistente, y sé que ella está manteniendo la fortaleza en casa en mi nombre. También nuestros dos hijos, que toleraron que su papá estuviera ocupado en la campaña y que les faltara cuentos antes de dormir y abrazos.

También quiero agradecer a mi gerente de campaña, Tai, quien sembró la semilla para postularme a este cargo, ya que sabía que tenía pasión por servir a nuestros jóvenes y nuestra comunidad;

Mi organizadora de campo siempre talentosa, Doniya, quien logró una victoria completa para los candidatos de Bethel;

Mi increíble editora y traductora, Latiffe, que siguió interviniendo y asumiendo la responsabilidad de ver cómo podría apoyar nuestros esfuerzos de campaña y demostró el ejemplo perfecto de una verdadera colaboración;

Mi tesorera, y fácilmente la mejor voluntaria de finanzas de campaña en todo el condado, Emily. Siempre disponible para responder preguntas, orientarme y hacer que los aspectos a menudo estresantes de una campaña sean mucho menos estresantes;

Mi especialista en gráficos y medios, Josh, quien creó materiales de alta calidad para que realmente podamos darle a nuestra campaña la marca que necesitaba y merecía;

Y por último, pero no menos importante, quiero agradecer a: usted. Los miembros de la comunidad, los donantes, los voluntarios, los demás candidatos, los mentores, los funcionarios electos, cada persona que contribuyó a ayudar a nuestra campaña a ganar esta elección y a ponerme en la línea de partida.

Quiero tomarme un momento para resaltar realmente eso. ¡Ganar esta elección solo nos lleva a la línea de salida! La verdadera carrera comienza ahora. Y con su continuo apoyo, orientación y gracia, espero cruzar esa línea de meta en cuatro años y admirar una comunidad de Eugene mejor y más fuerte al otro lado. HAREMOS:
-Aumentar nuestras vías de CTE y mentoría
-Aumentar los apoyos para nuestros maestros, personal y estudiantes
-Fomentar un aumento del sentido de pertenencia estudiantil y logros académicos

Y lo haremos al estilo de Bethel, juntos.

¡De nuevo, gracias!

Drae Charles,
Director electo de la Junta Escolar de Bethel, Posición 4

I want to once again give big thanks and a shout out to the Oregon Futures Lab team for their endorsement, enthusiasm and continuous support of not only my campaign but many other candidates of color as well! Keep up all the great work ✊🏾

✅ Vote Drae Charles for Bethel School District Position 4!

Drae is a husband, father, civil servant and small business owner who is passionate about our community and those we share it with. Drae was appointed by the Eugene City Council as one of its newest Human Rights Commissioners, serving a three year term starting July 1st, 2022. Drae respectfully resigned from this seat to accept the role of Human Rights & Equity Analyst position for the City of Eugene, helping the city advance it’s social justice initiatives and fostering community belonging. Through the Eugene Consulting Group, Drae provides education and consulting services on the subjects of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for both the private and public sectors, and conduct investigative work in support of that ethos.

Find out how to support Drae today: https://draecharles.com/

Happy to share my pleasure to be endorsed and congratulations to all campaigns recently endorsed by the Eugene Weekly in the upcoming election! Special shout out to Robin Zygaitis For Bethel School Board,
Curt Nordling,
Jenny Jonak for 4J School Board,
Rick Hamilton for 4J School Board,
Elect Tom Di Liberto to 4J School Board,
Morgan Munro for 4J School Board, and last but not least
Lyndsie Leech For Eugene City Council Ward 7!

Congrats and best of luck everyone, we are in the home stretch.

For the full list of Eugene Weekly endorsed candidates, you can read about them here:

https://eugeneweekly.com/2023/05/04/endorsements-12/?fbclid=IwAR1EoriuBEAj4CWn23LnR6mmY9pPnTyCfmMOFo_VW8ftvzyM2B2GH8n1jhI&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Endorsements! – Eugene Weekly Endorsements! May the Fourth be with the candidates who truly care about civics and education News by Editorial BoardPosted on 05/04/2023Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to email a link....

While I was unfortunately unable to attend our joint canvassing efforts today as our family cares for our sick baby, I’d like to extend my gratitude and appreciation this afternoon. First and foremost, to my ever present campaign manager Tai Pruce-Zimmerman! It’s a huge relief knowing even if I can’t be present, everything is left in capable and compassionate hands. Secondly, to both Robin Zygaitis For Bethel School Board and Curt Nordling for Bethel School Board. Being able and willing to step in and carry our lit on my behalf is the essence of what our Bethel neighbors value so much: Community. And to everyone out volunteering their time, canvassing on this gorgeous Saturday, to help ensure our Bethel community’s students, families, and staff receive the support they deserve, we couldn’t do this without you. THANK YOU EVERYONE! And hope to see you out there soon.
-Drae Charles

Response to racism at WHS:

Our team has been made aware of the awful ongoing situation surrounding a Willamette HS student displaying blatant racism and hostility toward our Black community.

We first would like to thank the community for informing us of this, and are encouraged to see so many of our neighbors taking a firm stance against this students behavior. Hate has no place here or anywhere.

Eugene has a long demonstrated history of injustice towards our Black and Brown communities, and radicalized white supremacist behavior like we are witnessing being displayed by this particular student is not unique to them, or even this area.

However, we must not meet these individuals in their arena of bigotry and instead we must continue to unite in the face of hate and show those that seek to harm or marginalize our community that we will not stand for it. We will support and protect our neighbors, advocate for their rights, and show that this individual is not representative of what our values are as a community.

As we continue our campaign to join the Board to fight injustices such as these, we will be eagerly awaiting to see how our Bethel administration chooses to respond to this incident and continue to make ourselves available to them for support as needed.

For these, or other bias incidents and crimes, I encourage our community to report these to the Oregon Department of Justice at www.eugene-or.gov/reporthate. If you need local supports and referrals, the DOJ can connect you with the City of Eugene’s Office of Equity and Community Engagement.

Please take care and stay safe!

Respuesta al racismo en WHS:

Nuestro equipo ha sido informado de la terrible situación que rodea a un estudiante de Willamette HS que muestra racismo y hostilidad hacia nuestra comunidad afroamericana.

En primer lugar, queremos agradecer a la comunidad por informarnos de esto, y estamos alentados al ver que tantos de nuestros vecinos adoptan una postura firme contra el comportamiento de este estudiante. El odio no tiene lugar aquí ni en ningún otro lugar.

Eugene tiene una larga historia demostrada de injusticia hacia nuestras comunidades negras y morenas, y el comportamiento de supremacistas blancos radicalizados que estamos presenciando por parte de este estudiante en particular no es único de él ni siquiera de esta área.

Sin embargo, no debemos enfrentar a estos individuos en su arena de intolerancia, en cambio, debemos seguir unidos ante el odio y mostrar a aquellos que buscan dañar o marginar a nuestra comunidad que no lo permitiremos. Apoyaremos y protegeremos a nuestros vecinos, defenderemos sus derechos y mostraremos que este individuo no representa nuestros valores como comunidad.

Mientras continuamos nuestra campaña para unirnos a la Junta para luchar contra injusticias como estas, estaremos esperando con interés ver cómo la administración de Bethel elige responder a este incidente y seguir estando disponibles para apoyarlos según sea necesario.

Para estos u otros incidentes y crímenes sesgados, aliento a nuestra comunidad a reportarlos al Departamento de Justicia de Oregón en www.eugene-or.gov/reporthate. Si necesita apoyo y referencias locales, el DOJ puede conectarte con la Oficina de Equidad y Participación Comunitaria de la Ciudad de Eugene.

¡Por favor, cuídense y manténganse seguros!

Report a Bias Crime or Incident - Oregon Department of Justice : Hate crimes and bias incidents are on the rise, both in Oregon and nationally. It is up to all Oregonians to make sure that everyone is safe in their community. A bias incident is any hostile expression that may be motivated by another person’s race, color, disability, religion, national origin, s...

We are officially 30 days out from Election Day. Micah and Noah wanted to remind you all to make sure you submit those ballots, and if you live in Bethel, vote Drae Charles for School Board! If you’d like to host one of these lawn signs in your yard, please comment below or send us a message.

We have finalized our walk piece for our incoming canvassing and field team! For those who would like to help us or simply learn more about the Drae Charles for Bethel School Board Campaign, please visit the campaign website at www.draecharles.com or comment on this post. As always, thank you to our community who are supporting our run as we seek to elevate diverse voices and perspectives in education.

Our campaign is thrilled to announce we have been endorsed by none other than the Oregon Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum!

The first woman to serve as Attorney General, she has a proven track record of spearheading civil rights initiatives in Oregon, such as the DOJ’s Bias Response Hotline and support services.

As we continue to look to create innovative initiatives locally to support our most marginalized and vulnerable communities, we appreciate knowing that aligned efforts will continue to thrive under Ellen and her teams leadership. Thank you for your vote of confidence Ellen!

We are pleased to announce we have been officially endorsed by the Color PAC and Oregon Futures Lab!

These sister organizations are founded and grounded in principles of equity, racial Justice, and the importance of representation. They work to disrupt the status quo of who is “best positioned to lead”.

As a campaign deeply rooted into the equity and racial justice challenges facing not only our students, but our broader community, we are honored that they entrust us to empower Bethel into the future!

We are delighted and honored to announce that the Eugene Education Association has committed its support to our campaign! We thank you for the endorsement and are looking forward to the positive changes we can ensure students and staff.

As the electoral season gains momentum, we wish to commence the customary demonstration of gratitude to those who have pledged their endorsement and backing for our candidacy for the Bethel School Board.

We are elated to declare that our campaign has received endorsement from four esteemed members of the Eugene City Council, namely Mayor Lucy Vinis, Ward 6 Councilor Greg Evans, Ward 7 Councilor Lyndsie Leech, and Ward 8 Councilor Randy Groves.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to these individuals for their unwavering dedication in facilitating the progress of the Bethel Community, and we are humbled to receive their endorsement.

A medida que avanza la temporada de campañas, deseamos expresar regularmente nuestro agradecimiento a quienes respaldan y apoyan nuestra candidatura para la Junta Escolar de Bethel.

Nos complace anunciar que nuestra campaña ha sido respaldada cuatro miembros de nuestro Consejo Municipal de Eugene:
La alcaldesa Lucy Vinis
El concejal del Distrito 6, Greg Evans, El consejal del Distrito 7, Lyndsie Leech, El concejal del Distrito 8, Randy Groves.

Agradecemos a todos su arduo trabajo para apoyar a la comunidad de Bethel y nos sentimos honrados de contar con su respaldo.

Good evening Bethel community,
If you have the financial means to do so, please consider donating to help our team as we seek a seat on Bethel School District's School Board! Any and all contributions are appreciated. Education is in a pivotal moment nationwide, and I aim to ensure that Bethel School District remains on the right track. With your help, we will!

I just gave to Drae Charles! Show your support with a contribution.