My Friend has died

Spokesman-Review

Sandy Williams was a passenger on the float plane that went down in Puget Sound last weekend…no survivors. She was my friend.

I met Sandy in the 80’s in Spokane, Washington when I went to a  multi-cultural World AIDS Day Service that she had organized. This was early on in her activism days when she was deciding on educational pathways, struggling with some health issues and raising a small daughter as a single, black mom. We became close and worked together on a number of efforts to reduce the stigma around HIV, to create easier pathways to services, and to support a mutual friend who was dying of AIDS. I learned a lot from Sandy about how activism doesn’t have to be loud and that’s it’s strength comes from perserverance, and it’s power through personal connections.

She was a quiet person with the most wonderful grin and a laugh that crinkled her eyes and infected others. Sandy went on to film school and produced some incredible artistic work. She came home to Spokane and spearheaded an effort to create a neighborhood center for the black community and brought her creative talents to Black Lens - a newspaper she founded.

We have all lost a woman of integrity in a tragic accident. I wish gentleness for her family and much storytelling for Spokane. Her artistry and legacy will remain strong.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/sep/05/spokane-civil-rights-activist-sandy-williams-was-a/