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Our Mission
Our mission is to provide African descent community member organizations a platform to share resources, promote collaboration, and be an influential voice.
A Word from the Executive Director
Selam! Kodi! Bonjour! Mhoro! Jambo! Hello!
It has been an honor to meet, volunteer, and work with so many dedicated African descent community leaders, community members, youth, stakeholders, allies, and partners committed to preserving our rich culture & heritage, building community wealth, engaging civically, and maintaining/improving healthy communities over this past 18 months.
The exponential growth of our membership, quadrupling of our 2020 fundraising goal and committee activation; was made possible by the support and commitment of all Washington State Coalition of African Community Leaders’ (WSCACL or the Coalition) volunteers, member organizations, and the Board. The Coalition started its journey with a handful of African Leaders committed to working together to share information across our communities and better leverage scarce resources, while uniting as ONE voice. Our mission and membership has grown to include the entire African diaspora. We are very fortunate to have an active and dedicated multi-generational volunteer Board composed of diverse members of the African diaspora with backgrounds in marketing, website development, business ownership, public health, real estate development, finance, insurance, compliance, and non-profit governance that has met once a week for almost two years.
No matter our differences or the diversity of our communities, we should never forget the African Proverb, “Two spiders working together can take down a lion.” Creative Solutions to our common challenges will not come from City Hall, Olympia, or DC. Real change starts with us. We know the issues and we know the solutions that will work in our communities. Change only happens when the African diaspora UNITES and builds a better tomorrow as ONE.
As we reflect on 2021, like many others we experienced highs and lows in our second year of the pandemic. Since making a commitment to “Build Black Better Wealth Summit in February 2021, we have kept our commitment to purchase Black or BIPOC, our African Youth Drug Prevention group doubled in size and their parents are now participating actively in their
Martha Foster (Lucas)
Proud Seattle Native, Bulldog, & Double Husky “Woof, Woof!”
Strategic Goals For 2020-2022
- Civic Engagement
In line with the coalition’s Civic Engagement strategic goal, VR will address the issues that affect civic participation by our communities…. READ MORE→
- Economic Empowerment
We at WSCACL are committed to improving the lives of the African Diaspora by engaging and implementing the full meaning of…. READ MORE→
Our COMMITTEES
The Foundation of the Coalition are our committees, which are led by our African Descent Community Leaders. It is our Community Leaders that work directly with our community members in their nonprofit community organizations or businesses and are at the frontlines
Focus on African descent Arts and Cultural programs, engage and teach youth about African descent culture, and participate in social events to bring awareness to Washingtonians READ MORE→
We at WSCACL are committed to improving the lives of the African Diaspora by engaging and implementing the full meaning of…. READ MORE→
Provides detailed information to best navigate the US Healthcare system, conduct health assessment, participate in health board, etc. READ MORE→
In line with the coalition’s Civic Engagement strategic goal, VR will address the issues that affect civic participation by our communities…. READ MORE→
Works from the framework of the Coalition’s strategic goal of economic empowerment. There is a direct link between educational achievement and…. READ MORE→
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Martha also works as a Full-Service Independent Insurance Broker selling life, Medicare insurance plans, and property insurance. Under the leadership of the current Board, WSCACL was honored by the African community with an African Achievement Award in 2021. In the last two years, WSCACL has grown from 20 to over 50 African descent member organizations and individuals, activated all its African descent community led committees, vaccinated hundreds of primarily BIPOC community members, counted hundreds of African descent community members with the 2020 Census, registered and encouraged many voters of African descent to vote, developed award winning youth & Culture & Heritage programs, and raised nearly $500,000. Martha is a Seattle Native that is from the Tigray State of Ethiopia, a proud Garfield Bulldog, and a double Husky receiving her master’s in health administration & bachelor’s in political science from the UW. Martha has volunteered in the African, African American, and Asian community serving on Boards and in various capacities for over twenty-five years.
