Women of the Year: Shari Williams-Clarke 'stays engaged despite the challenges'

Nov. 28—People who walk into the Carl Maxey Center are often greeted by the welcoming eyes of Shari Williams-Clarke.

Williams-Clarke took over as executive director of the nonprofit earlier this year to honor and continue the work of her late friend, Sandy Williams. Located in Spokane's East Central neighborhood, the Maxey Center is a gathering space and nonprofit offering different types of support for Black community members.

"Whoever comes through the door, they're met with a warm hand and a warm smile," Williams-Clarke said. "You might come in presenting problems with your landlord or you don't have food. We go beyond that in trying to find out why and what we can do to assist."

The Maxey Center offers rental assistance as well as support for Black-owned businesses and prospective business owners. An eviction prevention program is also in the works, Williams-Clarke said.

Williams, who founded the Maxey Center and the local Black Lens newspaper, died in a plane crash last year. Her death inspired Williams-Clarke to postpone her own retirement and take over leadership of the Maxey Center.

"Sandy's dream was that this vision was for Black people," Williams-Clarke said. "She was very unapologetic about that. That being said — we are open to all. We know who we serve, we know our primary audience, but we want everybody to be supported by this center."

Williams-Clarke moved from Ohio to Spokane in 2017.

She quickly became known as a champion of equality in the community after taking on her role as the vice president for diversity and the senior diversity officer at Eastern Washington University. There, she worked with Spokane's Diversity Advisory Council to bridge gaps between the city and university communities. Williams-Clarke also repeatedly secured grant funding for EWU students from underrepresented communities.

Prior to her tenure at EWU, Williams-Clarke did award-winning diversity affairs work in higher education at institutions around the country, including Ohio University and Marshall University in West Virginia. Williams-Clarke — known as Dr. Williams-Clarke to many — holds a Ph.D. in education leadership and higher education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Williams-Clarke said one of her goals at the Maxey Center is to bolster the nonprofit's social services. The executive director is also looking forward to launching the Carl Maxey Center Youth Academy, thanks to a grant she submitted.

"Right now, we don't have a lot of programs that really reach out to youth," Williams-Clarke said.

The new academy will be geared toward high school students, Williams-Clarke said. It will feature monthly "lunch and learn sessions" where mentors will give presentations on various topics.

When asked what her day-to-day schedule looks like, Williams-Clarke responded with two words: hectic and rewarding. She said she often continues her work day into the evening and sometimes helps host Saturday events at the Maxey Center.

"I have to be visible," she said. "I have to speak, I have to try to make sure we're putting our best foot forward. I have to be politically astute. And then there's managing staff."

The many hats worn by Williams-Clarke the past six years have not gone unnoticed by her neighbors in Spokane.

"Dr. Shari Williams-Clarke made a big decision this year," wrote Mary Ann Murphy, who nominated her for Women of the Year. "She had planned for her retirement. ... She deserved to rest on her laurels.

"How very fortunate we all are that such an accomplished leader is willing to forego her well earned leisure to serve her community."

Kurtis Robinson, Spokane NAACP president and executive director of the Revive Center for Returning Citizens, said he met Williams-Clarke a few years ago during her time at EWU.

"I experienced her as being a very intelligent, very grounded human being," Robinson said, "especially being a very strong woman of color — who knew her stuff, who knew what she was all about and knew what she was trying to do. Top marks on all of those."

Robinson also noted it takes courage for Williams-Clarke to do the work she does in Spokane.

"Most everybody that's a Black or Brown person in Spokane is dealing with not only a copious amount of micro- and macro-aggressions, but then we just walk around on a daily basis and continue to not see a whole lot of us," Robinson said. "It is important for Black and Brown people here in Spokane who are in the lowest percentage of the population to stay, and to stay engaged despite the challenges. Dr. Williams-Clarke represents some of the best of that."

Ellen Dennis' work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.