ACLU of Washington statement honoring Sandy Williams, Spokane civil rights activist and publisher of the Spokane Black Lens

Published: 
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
SPOKANE – The U.S. Coast Guard announced that distinguished civil rights activist and journalist, Sandy Williams, was aboard the floatplane that crashed off the coast of the Whidbey Island on Sunday, September 4, 2022. Williams was a community leader in Spokane, founding both the recently opened Carl Maxey Center and the independent newspaper, the Spokane Black Lens, in 2015. She also served as the interim executive director of the Odyssey Youth Center and worked throughout the early 1990s with the People of Color Against AIDS Network. Williams would have celebrated her 61st birthday next week.

ACLU of Washington Executive Director Michele Storms offered these words:

“We are devastated at the tragic loss of Sandy Williams, a bright light in the fight for truth, racial justice and equity in Spokane and in Washington. Sandy touched the lives of so many in Spokane and across the state. Even as we mourn, we are inspired by her life of leadership and service and by the legacy that she established. Our thoughts are with her family and community on this difficult day.”