Remembering Sandy Williams
With deflated hearts, we extend our condolences for the loss of Sandra "Sandy" Williams. Sandy was our community's crown jewel, the founder of the only, Black-led publication in Spokane, The
Black Lens, and Executive Director of the Carl Maxey Center. Standing steadfast in her commitment to the Black community, Sandy was the prizefighter in her fight for justice. Sandy was not boisterous, loud, or audacious in her work; however, she was inspirational and motivational, and for the many she leaves behind, Sandy is aspirational.
Remembering
Sandy Williams.
"She stood unapologetic in her work for justice.
Unwavering in her fight for equality."
Since 2015, Sandy has provided the Spokane Region with content, news, and perspectives on the Black Experience through her newspaper publication, The Black Lens. The Black Lens provided us with local, regional, national, and even global updates that kept us abreast of what was happening in the Black Community. Sandy opened the door to promoting Black Businesses and Black Professionals and giving a platform for local writers and made room for members of the Black Community to be uplifted and amplified
when in other spaces, Black Businesses and Black Professionals were ignored and overlooked.
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For over 40 years, Sandy has been involved in anti-oppression/anti-discrimination work. Sandy has dedicated her life to capacity building for people of color in Spokane as a leader, a mentor, and a visionary. Sandy was the community's Mount Olympus. Sandy was monumental to Spokane and its residents, especially in the East Central neighborhood.
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A solider for justice, Sandy was at the forefront with her vision of opening the Carl Maxey Center, a Black-Led, Black-Centered Non-Profit that focused on addressing the needs of the Black Community in Spokane. Culture. Equity. Economics and Justice, the values of The Carl Maxey Center, undoubtedly define Sandy Williams.
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We at the Carl Maxey Center are tasked with the unfathomable in asking that we honor the loss of our beloved Sandy by asking the community to remember her legacy. She stood unapologetic in her work for justice. Unwavering in her fight for equality. And unmoved in her fight for the common good of all people. Sandy was the light in the darkness of injustice.
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For now, let us bind our wounds to heal and extend our deepest condolences to the Williams family, the Hicks Family, their friends, and colleagues. We extend our heartfelt thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies to those who also lost loved ones in this unfortunate tragedy. If you feel moved to do so, please donate to the Carl Maxey Center so that her mission may live on. We are hopeful their legacies continue to live on in a lifetime of memories.