By Selene Guadalupe Rodriguez, The Seattle Medium
Paula Sardinas has spent more than half of her life amplifying and advocating for Black and marginalized communities all over the United States in personal and government settings.
She got her start in advocacy in 1992 at the age of 20 when she interned for the Bill Clinton presidential campaign. That has led Sardinas to advocate for communities for 32 years.
In 2020 she created her own collaborative organization, Washington Build Back Black Alliance (WBBA), a division of FMS Global Strategies. The collaborative of non-profit and business executives from historically marginalized communities, according to their website, focuses on wealth disparities, food insecurities, gentrification, a lack of educational resources, and the injustices Black individuals face in the United States. They do this, in part, by advocating for more than 300 bills each legislative session in Washington.
Right now in Olympia, she and her team at the WBBA are navigating potential cuts to federal funding under President Trump’s executive orders. The organization relies on federal grants to help serve their communities.
“It challenges our agenda because a lot of organizations do equity, diversity and inclusion work, and so when Trump is taking federal grants, it can have demonstrable impacts on the Black community,” Sardinas said .
She is a fifth-generation Floridian, who found her passion for advocacy irrevocably shaped by the tragic deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. These moments compelled her to step away from a successful corporate career to dedicate herself fully to addressing systemic racism and amplifying Black issues in America.
After retiring from AT&T in 2014, Sardinas founded her advocacy firm, FMS Global Strategies. In 2016, she relocated to Washington state and served as vice president of legislative affairs for GoWest Association, a credit union advocacy group. After four years in that role, the tragic death of George Floyd reignited her commitment to systemic change, prompting her to relaunch her firm and focus on advocacy in Washington state.
Washington Build Back Black Alliance was specifically created to highlight issues that weren’t only related to police brutality. Sardinas said people often worry or advocate for the Black community when it has to do with the death of Black individuals at the hands of the police.
“We have issues with food insecurity, we have issues with generational wealth, our issues can’t just be relegated to when someone dies in the hands of the police,” Sardinas said.
Bryant Gilcrease, Army veteran and community engagement manager at WBBA, wanted to work with the organization because of its aspirations for the Black community on the government level. WBBA shares tracks and shares information on state and national legislation. They also take part in government meetings on behalf of some legislation.
“I joined the Washington Build Back Black Alliance because I was drawn to its mission of fostering equity and creating systemic change for underrepresented communities,” said Gilcrease. “I was motivated to be part of a team that shares these values and vision for a more equitable future. Working with someone whose mission aligns so closely with mine made this an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
WBBA has dozens of members from various organizations that Sardinas hand-picks herself because of their advocacy work.
“All of our members have to be invited, we interview every CEO, we look for folks where the mission is aligned, and I look at the body of the work,” said Sardinas. “I decide every year who I want to be a part of WBBA.”
The members are thrilled to work with WBBA because of their accessibility and helpfulness to other organizations.
“I think in realizing that to stay on top of legislative policies that have one voice and have someone to do all that leg work and report back to us when we are needed,” said Ollie Garrett, WBBA founding member and Tabor 100 president. “Doing that leg work takes a lot off of the CEO’s back who are members of WBBA.”
Sardinas efforts and relationship-building in the community led her to join the 53-person team helping Gov. Bob Ferguson tackle recent executive orders signed by the president.
“We are currently working on a minority contracting. We are watching Donald Trump dismantle DEI, so we are working with the office of equity to ensure we keep equity available and accessible to our communities,” said Sardinas. “We will not allow these policies to be rolled back.”
Sardinas advocacy work has inspired the people she works with.
“She leads with integrity, compassion, and a clear vision, ensuring that no task is too big or small for her to tackle,” Gilcrease said. “Her ability to inspire and uplift others makes her not only an incredible CEO but also a role model for anyone fortunate enough to work alongside her,”
Source: Seattle Medium
