The deadline for registration has been extended to Tuesday, October 8th for the 2nd Washington State People of Color Legislative Summit (POCLS). 

Community leaders of color across Washington are cordially invited to join us on Saturday, October 12th, 10am-4pm at one of nine locations. The purpose of the summit is to hear from and connect POC communities leaders and legislators of color to build solidarity and mobilizing capacity across the state for issues that are of highest priority to our collective communities of color. Further updates:

• Spokane location: Spokane Falls Community College Buyilding 30 room 212 3410 W Fort George Wright Dr. Spokane WA 99224
• You can watch a live stream of the Opening and Full Plenaries  here:  https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2019101012 . You cannot engage over live stream.

You are welcome to invite POC community leaders you know to register for this event. Snacks and refreshments will be provided at each location. All locations have parking and are ADA accessible. This statewide summit will have separate meeting rooms sited at college campuses around the state, virtually joined together using “Zoom” video conferencing. Each site will have a lead facilitator and staff to provide support and ensure a productive conference. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the project manager at jenny.chang@leg.wa.gov. 

Below are photos from the People of Color Coalition Candidates Forum Sept 28 at East Central Community Center. Photographs By Robert Lloyd

July 9, 2016 Spokane County Court House

Part one was Black Lives Matter / All Lives Matter.

Click for more photos

Part two was Police Lives Matter.

Part three was Spokane showed how to handle a person when he tries to disrupt your non-violent protest/vigil/rally.

Don’t let anyone hijack your non-violent protest.

There is nothing new about scandal in Spokane. Black voices have been bought off, driven to suicide, chased out of town or marginalized for years. Co-opting goes on continuously.

As for the current scandal, I could care less what Rachel’s ethnicity is. She has been a strong advocate for civil rights, social justice and issues of gender. She is a superb artist. I support her in her advocacy and speaking out on issues. The Spokane Black community has not had a representative voice since Eileen Thomas was president of the NAACP in 1998. Rachel did not seek the presidency of the Spokane NAACP but was recruited to run for the office.

Many people are talking about honesty and integrity. Let’s have the IRS look over their tax returns. Let’s have access to their emails and telephone conversations. Let’s check out their pedigrees. And where have all the investigative journalists been on important issues?

Spokane African Americans love their symbolism: hearing the “I Have a Dream” speech, wrapping up in kente cloth, wearing their dred locks and Easter bonnets.  But on substantive matters Black leadership has been absent without leave in the Spokane community for many years. None of the university and city multicultural specialists and advocates have spoken out on the issues with the fervor of Rachel Dolezal. None of the African American History teachers and historians have spoken out on contemporary Black issues in Spokane.

We left a vacuum and Rachel Dolezal and the young college students that she inspired stepped in to fill it with the support of a few progressive community activists and Unitarians.

I plead with those with a sincere interest in the issues that Rachel has championed to keep on fighting. I would suggest that the NAACP Monday night meeting be the largest in the history of the Spokane chapter and that we support Rachel. I solicit the support of MORE white people to walk in our shoes. I welcome MORE white people to share the oppression of Black America.

Two important perspectives on the issue of Black identity:

Rachel Dolezal exposes our delusional constructions and perceptions of race

Rachel Dolezal’s deception: her ‘black’ identity doesn’t make sense – or make her black

On December 23 the Spokane chapter of the NAACP held a strategy meeting where the president-elect Rachel Dolezal presented a PowerPoint of her suggested organizational structure and suggested officers for the new year. It was obvious looking at the room that there is new interest in the organization. See links to older 4comculture posts and pages regarding NAACP activity and compare them to posts of activity since Ferguson. I think this is the beginning of a new movement with a much younger and energetic group.  Only time will tell. I would encourage those under 40 to join the civic engagement and that we older folks stay home and send a check to support the youth.

Historical Note: When Dr. King joined the Montgomery Bus Boycott he was 26 years old. When he died he was 39 years old. Below are photographs of the SCLC field staff who were all in their late teens and early 20’s.

Post Ferguson MO

Spokane solidarity with Ferguson MO

Gonzaga University Die In

Pre Ferguson MO

Spokane WA NAACP Freedom Banquet 2013

Spokane NAACP Photo Gallery