Handful of Salt
Issue L, Volume 1 – Spring 2026
Included in this issue:
Young Activist Leaders Program
2026 Peace & Justice Action Conference
Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Day
Welcome Alexa!
Welcome Joe!
Member to Member Matching Challenge Results
Young Activist Leaders Program
by YALP Youth Organizers
Another session over, another YALP cohort goes out into the organizing world! The YALP graduation was filled with cake, celebration, and reflection as 40 graduates accepted their certificates and stipends.
The YALP Spring session is open for registration! The Young Activist Leadership Program is for youth aged 14-22 to teach organizing skills, connect them with community, and learn more about political activism. This session, along with our usual curriculum, we will be exploring these themes through art in different mediums and learning the visual language of political movements.
On March 20th, we’re launching something new for our Spring Youth Activist Leadership Program (YALP) session.
We will be joined by Aaron Dixon, former captain and founder of Seattle’s Black Panther Party. Youth participants will lead a discussion with Mr. Dixon about his journey into activism as a young person and his insights on organizing, leadership, and movement building.
While this event is designed for youth, we will be opening limited spots to PJALS members as well. Stay tuned for details on how to sign up.
Towards the beginning of the month, youth organizers Nicolai Jaggar and Wyktoria Taschler joined members from The Washington Bus for a Youth Lobby Day. The two travelled to Olympia to speak with representatives about college accessibility, financial aid, and progressive revenue. Our organizers are looking forward to developing the relationship between YALP and the eastern brand of The Washington Bus.
The 2026 Peace & Justice Action Conference is just around the corner, and we’re excited to gather with organizers, advocates, artists, healers, and community members to imagine and build the futures we deserve.
This year’s theme, From Survival to Vision: Crafting the Future We Deserve, calls us to move beyond reaction and into response. Grounded in real-world struggle and guided by imagination, the conference centers care, creativity, strategy, and solidarity as essential tools for shaping futures rooted in dignity, justice, and collective well-being.
Together, we’ll create space to strengthen our analysis, sharpen our organizing tools, and deepen our relationships across movements. This is a moment to pause, breathe, and ask bigger questions: What are we moving toward? What does collective liberation look like in practice? And how do we build it together?
We will be convening;
- Saturday, March 21
- 8:30 – 5pm
- Location shared upon registration
Check out the official 2026 Peace and Justice Action Conference webpage for more…
Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Day
by Shantell Jackson, Community Organizer
This January, PJALS partnered with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) to participate in Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day (IRAD) at our state capitol in Olympia.
Two buses traveled from Spokane, bringing PJALS members and Peacekeepers ready to take action. Together, we met directly with our legislators to advocate for immigrant rights, dignity, and protections for our communities.
We were joined by constituents from Seattle, the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, and beyond — over 300 people showed up in full force to make their voices heard.
Community power was on full display.
Welcome Alexa!!
by Alexa Shortell, Operations Coordinator
Intro by Liz Moore, Executive Director
We’re delighted to welcome Alexa Shortell to our team in the role of Operations Coordinator. She brings years of experience running her two businesses. We’re looking forward to working with and getting to know her!
Hello everyone, I’m Alexa Shortell (she/her). I’ve been a small business owner for the past 14 years, building and growing a salon and bridal business from the ground up. Five years ago, I expanded into opening an event space with the goal of creating a place where our community could gather, collaborate, and feel connected.
Both of my businesses are now operating independently, which has given me the opportunity to shift my focus toward something I care deeply about: equal rights and community advocacy. I’m passionate about making sure everyone feels represented, heard, and supported, and I’m excited to bring my experience in leadership, organization, and community-building to PJALS.
Welcome Joe!!
by Joe Stussi, Peacekeeping Coordinator
Hello everyone! It is an honor to join the PJALS team in the new part-time role of Peacekeeping Coordinator. In a former career, I was a retail manager at both Auntie’s Bookstore and Main Market Co-op downtown. Spending time in those circles, I developed a deep love of Spokane’s literary and food scenes. Now pursuing a career in construction, I am earning my license as a commercial electrician. I took my first PJALS De-escalation workshop close to ten years ago, and in the time since, I have realized a deep calling to live PJALS’ values everyday. Specifically, I want to center the cause of promoting racial equity in all arenas of Spokane life.
As Peacekeeping Coordinator, my aim is to remove barriers and make it easier for everyday people to volunteer. In addition, I want to continue to show up, modeling one version of what peacekeeping can look like.
At every huddle, this group of volunteers astounds me with the sheer talent and emotional intelligence on display. Last year, we set an all-time record for peacekeepers at one event – 30. This is a very real accomplishment, but the group shone even more a few weeks later. 28 people showed up to three events, in multiple neighborhoods, helping organizations meet their safety goals in the course of one day. This stands out to me as representing PJALS potential. To show up to one event requires what may be a comfortable solidarity. To show up to many requires listening to the stated needs of all peer groups in the region.
Member to Member
Matching Challenge Results
by Shar Lichty, Development Director
We had such an overwhelming response to our Member-to-Member Matching Challenge that we quickly reached the original matching fund of $9,345. Thanks to another generous donor we were able to increase that fund to $17,345, our largest to date.
Thanks to generous members like you, we even exceeded that increase receiving $20,135 from 62 individuals for a grand total of $37,480. Our staff and Steering Committee deeply appreciate all the ways you support our long-term transformational work and strengthen our PJALS community!
