Rickie Malone has been teaching and advocating for children in Seattle Public Schools since the 1970s. Graduating from Seattle Central Community College (now Seattle Central College), Malone first taught 2nd and 3rd graders at Colman Elementary School, then taught 4th and 5th grade at the African American Academy when it opened in 1991. She retired as the Academy's principal in 2007; it was her second retirement. Malone was the principal of the Madrona School when she held her wedding ceremony there in 2004, challenging students to read for 20 to 30 minutes every night for three months to make the wedding guest list. After her third retirement, Malone worked at the Interagency Academy, an alternative multi-campus high school in the Seattle Public School system designed to engage students who need different supports than comprehensive schools offer. She also continued to work as a substitute teacher as of 2015.

This photo shows Rickie Malone in front of her class of 4th and 5th graders at the African American Academy in September of its first year, operating out of the Colman Elementary School. The following year it moved to Rainier Valley, then to Magnolia in 1993, before moving to its permanent home on Beacon Hill. The African American Academy closed in 2009 due to district-wide budget deficits.

Caption information source: "Madrona principal's wedding day a valentine to her students" by Sarah Anne Wright, Seattle Times, February 15, 2004.
Caption information source: 'The African American Academy (1991–2009)," by Minnie A. Collins, retrieved at BlackPast.org at https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/african-american-academy-1991-2009-0
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.