The March 4 fundraiser for the Renton School District’s upcoming Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Delegation and Tour helped raise money so that Renton’s Black high school students can expand their horizons and explore school options beyond in-state universities.

“The information and lessons I encountered on the trip proved to carry much more depth than I expected, and I was able to come into contact with communities who are proudly and unapologetically African-American,” said Renton High School junior Kashawn Spencer Jr., who attended the 2024 tour and is now a peer mentor. “As I was shown on multiple occasions where I, as a young Black man, am capable of achieving since it was displayed by every single HBCU student we saw.”

According to Diane Dobson of the Renton Chamber of Commerce, donations leading up to and during the event were enough to fund this year’s trip and add to the 2026 fund. GEAR UP district coordinator and delegation co-founder Kirsten Thornton told the Renton Reporter that they needed over $10,000 for students and chaperones to attend this year’s tour.

Taking place at the Weatherly Inn in Renton, the event included delicious food, a silent auction, sparking wine, other personal stories of students who are involved with the delegation. The event also featured a keynote address from former Seattle Seahawk and local philanthropist Doug Baldwin, the founder of Family First Community Center in the Renton Highlands.

Baldwin talked about the need for “genuinely caring about the person next to you.”

“I believe that if you do that, no matter whether you’re in sports or you’re an organization or you’re in a community, that is how a community and people thrive,” Baldwin told the crowd of donors. “So, I want to give it back to you, I want to encourage you all. This is your opportunity to pour back into our young folks […] so that we, our community, can thrive.”

For Talley High School junior Dominic “Dom” Williams, the delegation and tour “shows Black excellence” and that he applied to go on the 2025 tour when he saw that Howard University was part of the tour.

“I want to follow the footsteps of our vice president Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, Chadwick Boseman, our great alumni that we have seen do great things,” said Williams, who wants to go into politics.

Sienna Allen, a junior at Lindbergh High School, also spoke to the crowd of donors, saying that she dreamed of “pink and green dorms” when she first learned about HBCUs as a child, but that she felt discouraged from the little information there was about out-of-state colleges.

“It seemed more like, ‘Oh, this is something you could do in another life, but you’re from Washington, you’ll go to Central and UW, maybe Eastern,’” Allen said. “I wasn’t taught or shown how I could reach my own history, and through this program, I’ve been shown multiple ways to, even if I don’t go to an HBCU.”

The first HBCU delegation and tour through the Renton School District was co-founded in 2023 by Thornton, Curtis Riggins, Shaquille Blair-Kimber and Clarence Baber, who all work for the school district.

The first tour was fully funded by the Renton School District’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and the second trip in 2024 was made possible through the CTE program, private donors and sponsors, which included Renton Education Association, Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Riggins’ FIGG Mentoring, Marlene Anderson, Karen Keiser, Kathie Thornton, Claudia Peterson, Ellen Willis and Jana Robbins.

The fundraiser was sponsored by foundry10, Renton Chamber of Commerce, Washington Education Association, CTE, Eileen & Callie’s Place, FIGG Mentoring, Renton School District, Vault89, Delta, Synchrony, Eight Twenty Eight, Renton Schools Foundation and Gesa Credit Union.

Dominic Williams of Talley High School speaks about the HBCU trip from a student perspective. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing

Sienna Allen of Lindbergh High School talks about how excited she is to go to attend an HBCU after she graduates. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing