Page 24 - Pierce County Lawyer - January February 2025

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE:
Desirée Wilkins Finch and the Tacoma
Urban League’s Fight for Equity
Be the Bridge – With Humor, Grit, and a Call to Action
“To be a bridge means you have
to be willing to be walked
upon,” quips Desirée Wilkins
Finch, CEO of the Tacoma Urban
League. And oh, what a bridge she’s
been! Equal parts warmth and tenacity,
Desiree’ doesn’t just talk the talk—she’s
stomping through systemic inequities in
heels, inviting us all to join the march.
"Walking the Bridge"
- A Legacy in Motion
Growing up in Roseland, a vibrant yet
challenged neighborhood on Chicago’s
South Side, Finch learned early how to
navigate between worlds. One minute,
she was mastering the flute; the next, she
was side-eyeing the glaring disparities in
the elite, often all-white, classical music
spaces she entered.
One of her teachers helped connect the
dots: the spaces weren’t broken—they
were designed that way. “He made my
feelings in these ‘white spaces’ make
sense,” Wilkins Finch recalls, sparking
her life-long crusade for equity and
justice.
From union organizing to therapy to
leading the Tacoma Urban League,
Wilkins Finch has worn many hats—
each one tilted with purpose. Her
mission? To amplify marginalized voices,
create collaboration, and push against
every status quo.
The Humor that Fuels the Fight
Wilkins Finch may be fearless, but she’s
not humorless. Remembering her move
to Tacoma? She laughs, “I said, ‘There
are no Black people in Washington. I
don’t want to come out there!’” Turns
out, the South Puget Sound community
proved her delightfully wrong. “And
thank goodness for that!” Over time, she
has cultivated a thriving, diverse
community that she’s proud to
call home.
Civil Rights:
The Movement That
Never Clocked Out
Wilkins Finch doesn’t sugarcoat
the challenges. “The movement
isn’t over. Until injustices are
exhausted, we’re still in it,” she
says, delivering the kind of no-
nonsense truth that hits like a sermon.
Take marijuana laws, for example.
While legalization enriches white
entrepreneurs, communities of color
are still fighting the fallout of outdated
convictions. Wilkins Finch pulls no
punches: “Blake’s Law may patch some
wounds, but it doesn’t repay stolen years
or repair shattered lives.”
And don’t get her started on honoring
Civil Rights leaders. “Yes, let’s praise Dr.
King,” Wilkins Finch says, “but don’t stop
there! What about Nettie J. Asberry, Rosa
Franklin, Roberta Byrd Barr, Candace
Wesley, Ahndrea Blue, Annie Jones
Barnes, and Pat Coleman? You want to
honor the past? Start by standing up in
the present.”
Calling All Legal Eagles
- Time to Rethink the System
Wilkins Finch is side-eyeing the justice
system hard, challenging it to do
better. She envisions courthouse client
advocates, culturally competent judges,
and tools like video tours to make the
legal system less intimidating.
“Innocent until proven guilty shouldn’t
feel like guilty until proven otherwise,”
she says. Her advice to the legal
community? “Get off the sidelines. We
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need funding, unrestricted funding,—
but we also need empathy, innovation,
and people willing to pound doors and
protest.”
It’s also important to celebrate and
support the brilliant legal minds of
Black women like Judge TaTeasha Davis
and Commissioner Doris Walkins,
some of the leaders in our judicial
community. This commitment to equity
inspired Wilkins Finch to establish the
Washington State Black PAC which helps
fund candidate campaigns, creating
meaningful platforms for qualified
women of color to ensure fairness and
representation.
So, What’s Next?
Step Up or Step Aside
If Wilkins Finch has her way, you’re not
just inspired—you’re ready to act. “Listen
to people’s stories, then DO something.
Partner with the organizations doing the
work and build systems where equity
isn’t a dream but a reality.”
If you’ve ever thought, “I would have
marched with Dr. King,” and lamented
missing your chance, take heart—the
work is far from over. The fight for
justice and equity continues in every
corner of our society. Today, you have
the opportunity to make meaningful