SCAR
Why not try real solutions?
Spokane could just decide to love its community more. Everyone wants less crime, but leaning on police to do all the work just creates more prisoners. We need to actually invest in our community; in each other.
A message from Jac
Hello, Spokane community. It’s Jac, Policy Director for SCAR. Over four years have passed since we came together through over thirty community organizations and hundreds of individual commitments to demand an end to systemic racism in Spokane.
Since then, a lot has changed. There have been starts and stops, unplanned pauses for critical campaigns, deviations from the process, and a lot of growth. We lost one founding Steering Committee member–Autumn Reed–to breast cancer (she would want everyone reading to remember to get screened regularly). We also lost our wise, beloved, and irreplaceable founder, Sandy Williams.
Meanwhile, other SCAR Steering Committee and Staff team members have experienced tremendous personal and professional changes, including career shifts, graduate school, marriages, new babies, and more. As a result, how the SCAR Steering Committee and Staff team stewards the Platform for Change is also changing.
We are excited to welcome a new team member: Platform for Change Project Manager Alethea Dumas (she/they). Alethea is working hard to revive Spokane’s Platform for Change and develop a sustainable process for centering this community’s policy priorities.
You may know Alethea as the Engagement Director at The Way to Justice, or from her community contributions as a facilitator, convenor, and space-maker for Spokane’s Black and queer communities. Or, perhaps you’ve just had the pleasure to meet Alethea sharing her singing voice, smile, and energy throughout Spokane.
As the Platform for Change Project Manager, Alethea is reconnecting our community and reigniting our movement for a just, racially equitable community of care.
Introducing Alethea
Alethea Sharea Dumas (she/they) is a passionate advocate for equity, antiracism, restorative justice, and healing work. After graduating from Lewis and Clark High School in 2012, Alethea attended Washington State University, and ultimately earned double bachelor’s degrees in Women’s Studies and Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies in 2016, along with minors in Human Development, Popular Culture, and Sociology.
As the Director of Community Engagement at The Way to Justice, Alethea dedicates herself to disrupting and dismantling systems of oppression. Her commitment to making a difference is further reflected in her roles on the boards of Spectrum Center Spokane, Black Lens, and Takeall Foundation.
Alethea’s story is also one of personal growth. She is a flawed human being, striving each day to be the best version of herself while learning to love and embrace every version along the way. Her deep love for sunflowers, passion for music, and joy in singing are reminders of the beauty she finds in life, even as she works tirelessly to create a more just world.
“I am truly honored and thrilled to be the new Platform for Change Project Manager. This role fills me with a profound sense of responsibility and dedication to work toward transformative change and nurture a supportive community. I’m energized by the opportunity to collaborate closely with my community for lasting progress.
As Project Manager for the Platform for Change, I will focus on building strong community partnerships and encourage open conversation about systemic issues. I will work with you, my community, to make our efforts both effective and lasting. By amplifying local voices, I aim to strengthen our collective commitment to transformative justice and community well-being.”