About Us

Mission 

The San Rafael AAPC supports African American students by developing community, celebrating cultural identity, and providing advocacy for the achievement of academic excellence.

Vision

Our vision is for children to leave San Rafael School at their optimal academic best and with a knowledge, love and respect for all cultures, including the African American heritage. We want to contribute towards creating an environment where children feel good about their history and lineage, academic potential, cultural background, and physical characteristics. We want children to value and embrace the rich diversity of African American people and culture and not consider them as inferior or marginal, but as integral patterns, shapes, and textiles of the beautiful and rich quilt of American culture.

In an effort to support minority parents who share a common history and ancestry, DEVELOPING COMMUNITY results is a sense of belonging and identification and is important for providing emotional safety. It requires ongoing investments in intangible assets over extensive periods of time. The San Rafael AAPC attempts to do this through building relationships, engaging in dialogue, and making ongoing efforts to create physical and virtual safe spaces where the experiences, values, perspectives, communication styles, and other cultural traits of African American parents are understood, respected, and normalized.

CELEBRATING CULTURAL IDENTITY is achieved through honoring the distinctive characteristics and common interests of a group including beliefs, values, traditions, food, entertainment preferences, religion, language, practices, values and world views. Activities leading to developing cultural awareness, building self-esteem, stressing unique talents and abilities, and acknowledging and transcending negative social stereotypes lead to self-confidence and positive psychological development. The San Rafael AAPC attempts to do this through creating events and activities that are culturally relevant and appealing and bringing together resources from various organizations to create a calendar of community and cultural events.

PROVIDING ADVOCACY FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE is addressed through the evaluation, analysis and tracking of assessment data and educational achievement gaps; development of school supplemental educational activities and programs, such as the Study Zone and Mary McLeod Bethune Book Club; and participation in campus, district, and community organizations and committees that support student success.