No-Li Brewhouse has pledged to help with the relaunch of The Black Lens, Spokane’s only Black newspaper. The hope is that the brewery’s $10,000 contribution will inspire other businesses to also lend their support. After a two-year hiatus, and the tragic death of the newspaper’s publisher, The Black Lens returns next month.
The Black Lens, an independent community publication, was founded by civil rights activist Sandy Williams in 2015. It ran as a monthly publication before going on hiatus in 2022. William intended to relaunch the paper in 2023, but sadly she died in a plane crash in September of 2022. Folks around Seattle will remember the tragic story of a Northwest Seaplanes flight that crashed off Whidbey Island en route from Friday Harbor to Renton.
Sandy Williams was a force for civil rights and justice in the community. In addition to creating The Black Lens, she was instrumental in founding the Carl Maxey Center in Spokane, a non-profit organization committed to changing lives and improving the well-being of Spokane’s African American community. Now, the newspaper she started is set to return as an insert in Spokane’s largest newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, and as a free newspaper available in magazine racks around town.
John Bryant, co-founder of No-Li Brewhouse, told the Spokesman-Review, “This is important to us and our culture, our community. This represents who we are, and we want to be involved in, and support, the Black community, the Black voice, the foundation and all people of our community.”
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No-Li Brewhouse is no stranger to this kind of community support. We’ve published many stories about the brewery’s community involvement over the years, but that’s not the real story today. The important thing is that Spokane’s only Black newspaper returns on February 4th. No-Li Brewhouse hopes its support of The Black Lens inspires other businesses to also pledge their support. Individuals and businesses are encouraged to donate to the Sandy Williams Black Lens Fund via Innovia.
