Mary Lou first heard about the Spokane Alliance from Bill Prouty and Jerry White at UUCS around 2005. The church had become a member of this organization whose goal was to give everyday people the tools to change the conditions in their lives by organizing with other people – to actively participate in democracy and together have the power to make change.

One example of this power was the Spokane Alliance’s work to create a 2016 sick and safe leave ordinance in Spokane to benefit 40,000 workers. To do this, they engaged thousands of people, found hundreds of personal stories, new business allies and organizational relationships. On January 11 the Spokane City Council voted 6–1 to pass a Sick and Safe Leave Policy; on January 22 Mayor Condon vetoed it. Three days after that, the City Council overrode the mayor’s veto. And a year later, the state of Washington passed a state-wide law, citing Spokane as a leader on this issue.

Over time, Mary Lou took on more leadership and administrative roles and today is president of the Spokane Alliance. She describes this work as emphasizing financial and legal oversight, and fundraising that supports the organizing work of the Alliance. “We keep the wheels on the bus.”

Today, there are three active teams doing research and moving towards action. The Housing Team is working in West Central on affordable housing options. The Jobs Team is making sure that public construction funds have public benefits for local workers and our local economy. Mary Lou is deeply involved in the third team—the Truth and Transformation Team. Developed by Indigenous leaders from four continents, this Team’s training helps participants “wrestle with the truths most of us were never taught and learn how to be in right relations with Indigenous organizations to offer support and see how we can work together.” Several members of INUUC have already taken this training and several more are currently taking it. The first five sessions are on Zoom followed by three local in-person sessions.

According to Mary Lou, she is involved in the Spokane Alliance, “because this is a way I can make a difference that I could never make alone. I can and have helped deliver substantive change. My life is so much richer working with diverse people across race, ethnicity, and religious preferences, with union men and women and with those on the front lines—health personnel, fire fighters, childcare providers, and those that work with the unhoused. I get to collaborate with these amazing people because we work with people, not for people.”