We are happy to announce La Tanya Dubois as the newest member of the RBAC squad! La Tanya is our Meal Program Coordinator, which means she oversees preparing the meals for the different RBAC programs, and makes sure nutrition is always available at the office. The lively La Tanya has led many lives.
La Tanya is from Seattle, but was originally raised in the south and moved here her second semester of 8th grade, enrolling in South Shore.
One of her favorite authors is Octavia Butler, she says “Her books are supposed to be science fiction but they kind of speak to the real-life of Black folks and what we experience in this country, not just in this country but kind of in our metaphysical aspect.” she appreciates the realness that Butler offers.
Besides reading, some of her other hobbies are gardening, being in nature, and listening to music. Gardening makes her feel happy, and nature brings her a great deal of peace. La Tanya describes some of the beauty Washington brings to her:
We have so much greenery. It’s beautiful here. So, you know we can go walk along the pier, smell the fresh water from the Puget Sound. You can walk down the trail over here by Renton and be by the water and the forest. So many wonderful places you can go to. You can even be out on Puget Sound on a boat and you can go crabbing, you can dig for clams, you can catch a ferry anywhere.”
La Tanya is appreciative that Washington offers so many green spaces–since she has seen the other side of not having it in the South.
A passion of hers is working with youth and their families within our community of black and brown folks. Her favorite part of the job so far has been working with the youth and hearing their brilliance “I am very much for empowering our youth to be leaders because they are the leaders of our tomorrow and now. We need them in place. We need you in place to do what it is we’ve been doing for centuries, trying to grow, to thrive, make sure that there is equity in the systems that we live under. I feel like that this is a better fit for my time and energy working with young adults who are transitioning into adulthood. YATTA baby!”
Welcome La Tanya. Your energy, smarts and commitment are a valuable asset to RBAC and the Rainier Beach neighborhood