By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Alliance for Education, the local education fund for Seattle Public Schools, recently announced that they are honoring Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Miles with their 2024 Public Education Advocacy Award.
This inaugural award honors and recognizes people or organizations that have demonstrated exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to advancing issues crucial to students, families, and educators in Seattle Public Schools.
Miles, who has served on the Board of Directors of Alliance for Education for over twelve years, has a deep passion and commitment to educational excellence, justice and equity. Over the course of his tenure, Miles has been a steadfast advocate for marginalized communities, working diligently to make sure that students of all backgrounds have access to the resources and opportunities needed to thrive.
“First of all, I am just excited because this is the inaugural award and so anytime you get the first of anything it means this organization looked back and said who has been instrumental in the organization, who has played a role in making sure that the organization’s values and missions is upheld,” says Miles. “To look at person and say here is a person that represents those values and it’s you, that really meant something special, and I took this heart.”
For more than 30 years, Miles has been a major force in the national healthcare, local community, and non-profit sectors. As the former Vice President for Strategic Initiatives for Eli Lilly and Company, Miles has been called upon repeatedly to serve his community, state, and country. Locally, Miles’ advocacy efforts have been instrumental in promoting economic opportunity for Black families and communities, championing critical investments in education, and leading initiatives aimed at addressing systemic barriers to success. Miles also played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Seattle Public Schools Office of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) that stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to empowering Black students and dismantling inequitable structures within our educational system.
“As I look back over my career and I think back, especially when it comes to fighting for justice and fighting for equity in the educational system, it something I fight for unapologetically,” Miles reflects. “Especial for African American children in the system because that’s where a lot of the change has to happening.”
Reflecting on his “why”, Miles reminds us of the struggle and sacrifices our ancestors endured to free themselves so that we can have the opportunity to collectively better our situation.
“Without [education] who knows where the African American community would be today,” says Miles. “Look at Fredrick Douglass, look at Booker T. Washington, once they learned how to read these people came out of slavery. That’s what got them out of slavery, understanding and learning how to read and write is what freed them from bondage. Physical and mental.”
According to Miles, receiving this award was not necessarily about working with the Alliance today, it is for 40 years of fighting to make sure a voice for African American students and those parents would be heard.
“So many times they would say, “well we have these African Americans and obviously their parents or their families don’t believe in education like some of the other minorities believe, I have heard this some many times,” continued Miles. “I have news for them, our parents care about their kids getting educated just as any other parent or family. My parents from day one express to me that education is the key to success in this country. My work is important because I want to change the narrative. The narrative that many African Americans don’t believe like many other minorities or white families in education, and that education is important as it should be, and don’t hold it in the same regard as others, that’s just not true.”
Notwithstanding his career achievements, Miles was born-and-reared in Washington. He is a graduate of the University of Washington where he met and later married his college sweetheart. He is the father of three young adult children. Miles’ impact as a family man, leader, philanthropist, and mentor within the community cannot be overstated. For decades, Miles has dedicated himself to serving others, leaving an indelible imprint on countless lives and inspiring future generations to follow in his footsteps.
“Now that I am retired, I’m thinking and I am grateful for the honor, I thought to myself, this has been 40 years, a lifetime of work in the making. This did not just happen overnight,” says Miles. “I’m really taken a back when people remember what you’ve done. I was talking with a friend who said, “Nate you have a legacy now…” But when I was doing the work, I wasn’t thinking about legacy, I was doing it because it was what we do.”
“As they say to much is given, much is expected…”