Handful of Salt
Volume XLVIII, Number 3 – Fall 2024
Included in this issue:
Grounded by our Roots, We Grow
Leaving home is bittersweet…
Passing the torch to other young leaders!
In shifting sands, together we create stability for each other
Join us for YALP this Fall!
Introducing keynote speaker: Lili Navarrete
Grounded by our roots, we grow
We are just two weeks away from our 9th annual benefit luncheon! This event is our largest fundraiser of the year, where we increase the capacity of friends and funds to sustain our work. This year we have chosen the theme Grounded by our Roots, We Grow! to reflect on the movement and power we have been building together for the last 49 years.
From the deep and sturdy roots that were laid in 1975, we have grown a base of nonviolent peace-seeking activists that have helped bring important progressive wins to our Spokane community. We have stood hand-in-hand on train tracks to protest nuclear weapons transport, dressed in all red handmaids uniforms to fight for reproductive rights, marched in the streets to demand justice for Black lives, celebrated and protected queer joy in our orange vests at every Spokane Pride, and so much more.
When we come together in a room full of our people, a world that is truly just and filled with peace not only seems possible but within reach. We hope you will join us for lunch to learn more about our work on Wednesday, September 25 at noon! For more information and to reserve your seat today, go to pjals.org/grow24 or follow the link below.
Leaving home is bittersweet…
written by Union Carter
PJALS is my organizing home; leaving home is bittersweet. Being the Organizer has allowed me to sharpen my own political analysis, take action on issues I care deeply about, and bring you all along on the ride. This community has welcomed me like no other, and I see the commitment to a just and nonviolent world in the staff and members. I am grateful for the relationships I was able to curate with members; knowing you all on a deeper level makes our work together more meaningful. It is the relationships that we have with one another that make the good times better and the hard times more bearable.
During my time at PJALS, I have been inspired by the dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to justice you all have. You have taught me the true power of collective action, and for that, I am forever thankful. Each campaign, meeting, and event has been a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared vision for a better world.
Spokane has something great going on–the close-knit nature of the community, passion for change, and care for the work makes me excited for the future. This community is a powerful force for good, and I am humbled to have been a part of it. Without you—our members, staff, and wonderful community partners—I couldn’t imagine what it would be like.
I know in my heart that our organizing paths will cross again, so rather than say goodbye, I will say see you later. Until then, I carry with me the lessons, memories, and friendships we’ve built together. Let’s continue to fight for justice, peace, and a better world, always remembering that our strength lies in our unity!
Passing the torch to other young leaders!
written by Ellis Benson
As my time as Youth Organizer is coming to a close, I am inundated with feelings of both gratitude and loss. My time at PJALS gave essential leadership and activist skills, empowering me to be a life-time advocate wherever life takes me. Through PJALS, I’ve been given countless opportunities to expand and build upon pre-existing knowledge. I’m especially grateful for being able to coordinate the Young Activist Leaders Program and I have high hopes for the next YALP session. Above all else, I am most grateful for the sense of hope PJALS has helped to instill in me.
One of the most memorable moments of my time as Youth Organizer was when we defeated Measure 1 – we proved that with enough people power anything is possible. The feeling of loss primarily comes from the wonderful and supportive community that PJALS fosters. Although I will still stay connected to PJALS, I will still miss this amazing community while I am in Seattle. Despite this chapter of my life closing, I look forward to my future at the University of Washington and the opportunities I’ll have there thanks to the skillset PJALS gave me.
I plan to continue my activist work during college and beyond into my future career. I’m grateful to know that I’m leaving the position to two fantastic, passionate and caring new Youth Organizers, Foster Transue and Nicolai Jaggar. Thank you all for your loving and supporting community!
Meet our new youth organizers!
Nicolai Jaggar
Nicolai (he/him) recently graduated high school, and is hoping to study political science after a gap year. In the meantime, he hopes to immerse himself within Spokane’s social justice community, and learn from the best. In his time at PJALS, Nico would like to help create a fun, constructive space for our upcoming YALP session. He believes that education and involvement surrounding local issues are the first steps to creating a unified community. Nico also really loves his pets, and will definitely show you pictures if asked.
Foster Transue
Foster (he/they) was born in Kansas City, but has spent half their life in Spokane. They graduated in 2023 and are continuing their education. A child of advocates, they grew up believing that activism is the rent we pay towards society. With PJALS, Foster hopes to learn more about the experience of others, and how to equitably build community. In his free time, he loves music, gaming, the arts, and his cat Archimedes.
In shifting sands, together we create stability for each other
written by Liz Moore
Recent weeks have been a whirlwind of shifting conditions for me personally and for us collectively. At the end of August, I helped my oldest son move into his Gonzaga University dorm room to start his college experience. Much mental and material preparation and adjustment has been required! It’s exciting, it’s bittersweet, it’s full of love, it’s a shock to the system. Support for each other and from loved ones has been essential.
For us collectively, recent weeks included a growing sense of disaster with the Supreme Court ruling on Presidential immunity and the ongoing US-funded Israeli genocide in Gaza, great alarm at the right-wing response to the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, fear about the rise of American fascism, the surprise of President Biden’s exit from the Presidential race, relief and excitement about Vice President Harris’s candidacy, and determination to change her party’s position in order to stop the genocide and end the occupation: all this and more — so much to feel, to process, to talk about, to disagree about, to figure out our actions for and against.
My experience is that coming together in community with shared values and purpose is essential support in times of intense emotions. When I’m with people like our PJALS community, I know we are able to expand our individual and collective capacity for intense feelings. Community offers at least the possibility that we can hold contradictory truths together. And when we take action together, that’s such a feeling of collectively embodying power and agency.
Can we organize against white nationalism and institutionalized white supremacy while we also organize against US imperialism and militarism? Can we organize simultaneously against fascism and genocide? I believe we can. That’s the kind of movement I want to be part of, and to be part of building with you all.
This fall our Connections Committee will organize opportunities for us to come together. Similar to the essential support I’ve needed in my personal life changes, coming together we can offer each other space to receive support, explore contradictions, process further developments, and take action together. I am looking forward to being in space and in action with you.
Join us for YALP this Fall!
written by Youth Organizers
Are you 15-22 years old, passionate about social justice, and interested in kicking off your activism journey with new skills and applied experience? If you are nodding at your phone or computer right now, then you should consider joining us for YALP this Fall! YALP is a great, low-barrier entry point into movement work. Developing the next generation of young leaders has been a top priority for our members for decades. In addition to hearing from topic experts, contacting voters, and learning organizing skills you’ll need to successfully mobilize other people in your community, you’ll also receive a $250 stipend if you attend 7 or more of the 9 sessions!
Introducing keynote speaker: Lili Navarrete
written by Shar Lichty
We are ecstatic to introduce Lili Navarrete as our keynote speaker for this year’s benefit luncheon! A long-time friend, member, and partner of PJALS, Lili speaks from her heart as well as her mind. She puts her whole self in motion for the well-being and thriving of our whole community with a focus on immigrant rights and health. She’s one of the warmest people you’ll ever have the joy of meeting.
More about Lili
Lili Navarrete and her family immigrated to Spokane from Mexico City in 1988. Lili briefly attended Frances Scott Elementary, formerly known as Sheridan, but was later transferred to Stevens Elementary to participate in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. After graduating from Ferris High School, she obtained a BA in International Affairs from Eastern Washington University, with minors in Economics and Business Administration.
Lili currently serves on Spokane City Council, representing District 2. Advocacy is central to her career. Lili was the Director of Public Affairs and Raíz at Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho for eight years, where she fought for reproductive rights, immigrants, and marginalized communities.
Lili has been an active member of the Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network. She played an instrumental role in the passing of the Reproductive Health Care Access For All Act and worked tirelessly to combat racial profiling in Spokane. In addition, Lili previously served as a commissioner for the Office of Police Ombuds for District 2.
Lili was the Vice President of the Hispanic Business/Professional Association and was appointed by Governor Inslee as a Commissioner on Hispanic Affairs in 2020. In these roles, she has also been a close community partner with PJALS on multiple issues.
Aside from representing District 2, she also works as the Community Health Equity Organizer for WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and is the Chair of Health Equity for Nuestras Raices. Lili has owned restaurants in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene and holds a Washington State Cosmetology license.
Join us for our Benefit Luncheon Wednesday, September 25 at noon to hear from Lili and other community leaders who are energizing the movement for peace and justice in Spokane and beyond. Hope to see you there!