Tony Allison
RARE Co-Founder
Fundraising Chair
Tony is a 1971 graduate of Roosevelt HS, where he played varsity sports and made many lifelong friendships. He has been concerned about racial issues since his high school years when unrest was widespread and racial injustice became glaringly apparent to him. Tony took a high school class in Afro-American history and became a history major in college. After a career in business, he became a high school history teacher, and made the history of slavery and race a central part of his curriculum. In 2020, during the racial upheaval that followed George Floyd’s murder, Tony contacted Joe Hunter, his high school basketball teammate. They started a discussion group on racial issues which grew into RARE. Tony calls creating RARE “one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my life — especially the talented, diverse people I get to work with and learn from.“ Tony currently lives on Guemes Island, WA, and is married with three adult children.