Renton Woman Appointed to State Commission on African American Affairs

Written by April Chan

A King County Metro transit operator from Renton is among four new appointments to the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, a news release said Wednesday.

Sara Franklin currently serves as the Political Action Chair for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587. She grew up around politics as her mother is former Senator Rosa Franklin from the 29th legislative district. Franklin remains active in her local democratic organization and spends much of her time organizing her neighbors and working on community projects.

The Commission was formed in 1992 to advise state leaders on issues of importance and concern to the African American community.

The three additional appointments, effective immediately, are:

Sandy Williams of Spokane - an activist, writer, and filmmaker, with an extensive background addressing issues of discrimination, oppression, equity, and social justice. She is currently the Coordinator of the Pride Center on the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney Washington. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of Odyssey Youth Center, serving Spokane’s LGBTQ youth, and was also the Spokane Field Coordinator for Youth Suicide Prevention Program

De’Sean Quinn of Tukwila - currently a Water Quality Planner and Project Manager with the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks where he works on community relations, directs public involvement consultants, and represents the agency on various intergovernmental planning groups. He also works with the local communities and the Puget Sound Partnership to update their work in accordance with the regional action agenda strategies. In addition he currently serves on the Tukwila City Council.

Dr. Kameka Brown MS, MBA, PhD, FNP of Seattle - currently the Lead Family Nurse Practitioner for the King County Public Health Department. She has extensive medical experience and will be able to help the Commission work on health disparities amongst African Americans in Washington. She received her Master of Business Administration with honors from Roosevelt University, her Master of Science in Nursing with honors from DePaul University, her Post Master Certification from the School of Nursing at Northern Illinois University and her Doctorate of Philosophy from the College of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.