Although she faced discrimination, African American engineer Raye Montague rose to become the first female program manager of ships for the United States Navy. Montague changed the way the navy designed ships and submarines using a computer program she developed in the early 1970's. Many of her ship designs are still in use today.
In 1956, at the age of 21, Montague graduated from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College – now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff — with a bachelor’s degree in business. She had wanted to study engineering but, at the time, no colleges in Arkansas permitted such degrees to African-American students. She would later take night courses in computer programming while working as a clerk typist for several years. This led to a job as a digital computers systems operator at the Naval Ship Engineering Center.
Earning a promotion, she was tasked with what would be her single greatest achievement: to design a Navy ship using a computer. In 1971, Montague did just that — she became the first person to ever design a naval ship while using a computer, producing the first draft for the Oliver Hazard Perry class-frigate. It would typically take two years to create a design of a ship on paper, however, due to the urgency of her task, which came directly from President Richard Nixon — during the heat of the Vietnam War — she was given one month to reach completion.
She finished the design in under 19 hours.
During her career, she managed to work her way from being a GS-3 to a GS-15, and held several invaluable positions along the way. Every month, she briefed the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. She taught at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. She was the U.S. Navy’s first female program manager of ships and the first program manager of the information systems improvement program.
Her accomplishments earned Montague the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1972, the Navy’s third-highest honorary award. She was also nominated for the Federal Woman of the Year Award by the Secretary of the Navy. In 1978, she was the first female professional engineer to receive the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Achievement Award, and in 1988, received the National Computer Graphics Association Award for the Advancement of Computer Graphics.
After a 34-year career with the Navy, she officially retired in 1990 but most of her accomplishments were largely forgotten until a 2012 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette cast a spotlight on her remarkable contributions.
Source: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/2549135/raye-montague-a-us-navy-hidden-figure/
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A state program addressing the historic harms of racially restrictive real estate covenants has helped hundreds of Washington residents become homeowners since last summer.
Why it matters: For decades, many deeds contained language barring the homes from being sold to Black, Asian, Native and Hispanic Washingtonians, fueling segregation and disparities in homeownership rates that persist to this day.
- Statewide, researchers with the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University have identified more than 80,000 properties that once had these types of restrictions in effect, including more than 40,000 in King County.
Catch up quick: Washington's Legislature passed the Covenant Homeownership Act in 2023 to try to remedy some of the fallout from those previous racist practices.
- The program provides zero-interest loans to help cover down payments and closing costs for first-time homebuyers who were impacted by housing discrimination in Washington.
- The goal "is to create the equity that would allow folks to build intergenerational wealth," state Rep. Jamila Taylor (D-Federal Way), the sponsor of the 2023 law, told a legislative committee this month.
By the numbers: Currently, the down payment assistance program had helped buyers close on 247 homes, distributing a total of $27.5 million since last July, per numbers from the state Housing Finance Commission.
- That averages about $111,000 per loan.
- Another 54 loans are waiting to close, for a total of 301 loans either completed or in progress.
- 70% of borrowers on those loans are Black; 15% are Native American; 9% are Hispanic or Latino; 1% are Asian; and 4% are other races or not listed, per data the Housing Finance Commission shared with Axios.
The fine print: Buyers can qualify if they are Black, Latino, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Korean, or Asian Indian, or if they have a parent, grandparent or great grandparent who was. Those groups still have much lower homeownership rates than white Washingtonians, a study completed last year found.
- Either the homebuyer or the applicable relative must have lived in Washington state before April 1968, when the federal Fair Housing Act made racially discriminatory real estate covenants illegal.
- Down payment assistance is limited to those making 100% or less of area median income, which is $147,400 in King County — although a new proposal from Taylor seeks to raise that income cap.
What they're saying: State Rep. Shaun Scott (D-Seattle), who assisted with the UW's project to identify racially restrictive covenants while a student there, said "residential segregation still casts a very long shadow" in Washington state.
- Those harms are reflected in Black Washingtonians having worse health outcomes and lower average household wealth than their white counterparts, among other disparities, Scott said.
Last fall, a lawsuit was filed against the head of the state Housing Finance Commission, Steve Walker, asserting the program is discriminatory because it is open only to certain racial and ethnic groups.
- The nonprofit filing the lawsuit, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, says on its website that it is focused on "overcoming identity politics."
- Walker's lawyers wrote in a December court filing that the program targets groups that have experienced "lasting impacts of housing discrimination," as documented in last year's study. They are asking a judge to dismiss the complaint.
Article source: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/02/26/covenant-homeownership-washington-state-redlining
A Call to Action: Public Comment on Student Discipline Rules Needed
In Washington State, Black students face a crisis of disproportionate discipline that cannot be ignored. In 2023, 6.4% of Black students were excluded from class, nearly double the statewide average of 3.5%.
A proposed permanent discipline rule change for the 2025–26 school year could lead to:
• Disconnection from school communities.
• Declines in academic performance.
• Entrenchment of the school-to-prison pipeline.
Will these proposed permanent rules promote systemic success, educational engagement, and justice for Black students, or will they reinforce barriers that have held them back for far too long?
Add your comment to our collective voice. It is essential to create an inclusive educational environment where every Black student has the opportunity to thrive!
Public Comment on Student Discipline Rules:
OSPI is accepting written public comment and holding public hearings on the proposed changes to student discipline rules under 392-190-048, 392-401-020, 392-401-040, and Chapter 392-400 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
The purpose of the public hearings and comment period is to provide interested community members with an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes to the WAC language. Please review the proposed changes before submitting comments in writing or in-person at a public hearing.
Review Proposed Changes:
Proposed Permanent Rules for Student Discipline. 392-190, 392-400, 392-401
2-Column Proposed WAC Side-by-Side (changes between emergency rules and proposed permanent rules)
3-Column Revised WAC Side-by-Side (changes between pre-existing discipline rules, emergency rules, and proposed permanent rules)
Addendum to Bulletin 055-24 (notice of emergency discipline rules currently in effect)
OSPI Student Discipline Webpage | Subscribe to Student Discipline Email Alerts
Public Hearings (Listed below):
• March 4, 2025 @ 10:00am on Zoom (Register here)
• March 11, 2025 @ 4:00pm at Skyview High School (1300 NW 139th St, Vancouver, WA 98685)
• March 12, 2025 @ 4:00pm at Todd Beamer High School (35999 16th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003)
• March 18, 2025 @ 4:00pm at Columbia River Elementary School (9011 Burns Road, Pasco, WA 99301)
• March 19, 2025 @ 4:00pm at Shadle Park High School (4327 N. Ash St, Spokane, WA 99205)
 Renter in Washington State? Knowing your rights can keep you from losing your housing. Join the upcoming Rent Smart webinars presented by Solid Ground. Their Tenant Counselors will cover a variety of topics that come up for renters, including repair issues, breaking a lease, and more. Sign up for free on their website!
Additional events listed at CAAA.WA.Gov/events
 INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK – FASHION EXPO 2025
The Largest Fashion Expo in the Northwest is scheduled for April 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the Tacoma Convention Center Exhibition Hall A
FREE ADMISSION - Everyone is welcome.
Discover the Latest in Fashion, Beauty & Wellness! Explore Beauty & Wellness Innovations, top designers and brands. Industry Leaders will be in the building!
Vendors! Showcase Your Brand at This Exclusive Event! Apply Now: internationalfashionweekusa@gmail.com. Spots are limited
More information at https://mgi-entertainment.com/?page_id=602#contact-us
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