{"id":34488,"date":"2026-04-20T00:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T07:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/?p=34488"},"modified":"2026-04-20T03:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:17:05","slug":"shawna-hawk-oly-media-island-fraud-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/shawna-hawk-oly-media-island-fraud-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Shawna Hawk & Oly Media Island fraud investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

jess57grant@gmail.com<\/strong> (w\/thanks to Jess for permission to post it here)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From:<\/strong>jess57grant@gmail.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To:<\/strong>‘Rick Fellows’,pinbalwyz@yahoo.com,dana98501@gmail.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sun, Apr 19, 2026 at 10:06 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s my investigative article about MII. I hope it leads towards some form of belated justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you each for all the work you\u2019ve done on behalf of free speech and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there are any factual errors, please let me know so I can edit accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With deep respect,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jess Grant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Cautionary Tale from Olympia, Washington<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ad\u034f\u00a0Forwarded this email?\u00a0Subscribe here<\/a>\u00a0for more <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rise and Fall of Media Island International<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Cautionary Tale from Olympia, Washington <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

by JESS <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Media Island International in downtown Olympia, WA<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a story about the political Left eating its own. About the circular firing squad of identity politics. The story of how an intersectional approach to organization-building promotes the worst players while destroying the hard work of well-meaning activists. This is the saga of Media Island International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city of Olympia, WA, is a well-known hotbed of radical politics. Once a quiet port town at the southern tip of the Puget Sound, known primarily for its logging industry and as home to Washington\u2019s state capital, Olympia got a serious makeover in 1971 with the opening of The Evergreen State College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon Olympia was home to a classic Town and Gown split. This relatively conservative municipality, composed of buttoned-down politicians plus logging and farming families, was now home to thousands of itinerant college students. The experimental nature of the college sharpened this division, drawing counter-cultural students seeking new ways of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter Media Island International (MII), a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the promotion of progressive ideals. A group of local activists drew up the articles of incorporation in 1990 and enumerated these goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 To undertake public interest projects<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 To operate a publicly accessible library<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 To provide publication and media production capabilities to groups educating the public about underrepresented issues<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 To network among other public benefit groups<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 To sponsor and conduct public events<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next 28 years, MII would accomplish many things, only to be split apart by infighting that led to a hostile takeover in 2018. Once a busy hive of diverse activities serving a broad swath of community groups and issues, the organization now sits dormant, its doors locked, run by an individual with a narrow political agenda and questionable financial practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I lived in Olympia from 1994-98, where I earned an MPA from Evergreen and organized for the IWW union. I was a contributor to a local paper called\u00a0Works in Progress,\u00a0<\/em>one of the many groups working out of MII. Yet despite my immersion in that radical culture, I never visited Media Island or knew any of its principal actors. It was years later when I heard rumors that something strange had gone down there; this article is the result of my finally asking \u201cwhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jimmy Mateson<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0Jimmy Mateson was a driving force behind the formation of MII. After receiving their provisional license from the state to begin operations, MII opened their doors for business in 1991, operating out of Jimmy\u2019s house on Olympia\u2019s Westside. The following year they moved to an office on Capitol Way, where their activities picked up as the word got around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1997, an old Leftist named Gene Cade donated his home near the center of town to MII. This gift kicked off a flurry of activity as the group spent a couple years renovating the house for occupation. According to long-time volunteer and board member Rick Fellows, Mateson seemed to drag his feet. \u201cWe weren\u2019t able to move into the building until Jimmy left town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2000 \u2013 finally established in the newly refurbished house, and with founder and board chair Mateson now relocated to Hawaii \u2013 MII entered its golden years. Fellows, a backbone of the group for 17 years, remembers those days fondly. \u201cMedia Island was open to all. We had a sandwich board out every day on the sidewalk that said we were open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had status with the state as a public library space, so we felt obliged to keep it open. We curated books, magazines and videos about a wide range of under-reported subjects; radioactive waste, Guatemala, the CIA, right-wing networks. Rachel Corrie came through, Veterans for Peace, Food Not Bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The building also functioned as a meeting space. \u201cPeople could come in and read magazines or view videos. We gave free copying and network printing for 17 years, kept laser printers stocked with toner and paper. We had a kitchen and the downstairs to use as meeting spaces. We had open weekly meetings for years where people could come and make proposals or raise concerns.\u201d\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rick Fellows \u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0Unfortunately, this made MII a lightning rod for conflict. \u201cThere was so much good stuff that happened,\u201d Fellows recalls. \u201cYet the things that stand out are the interpersonal conflicts. One incident in 2010 was very traumatizing. I support dignity for transgender people, but a group of folks were coming in and demanding that this be a safe space where people can yell at you if you misgender somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt felt like they were trying to drive everybody out that wasn\u2019t all about pronouns. As soon as somebody came through the door, they\u2019d be pressed on their pronouns, and there was a lot of scowling and demands that people go through anti-oppression workshops. People would not feel welcome because they were lording it over the space. In the end they didn\u2019t get their way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fellows is understandably bitter about what happened to MII later, between 2016-2018. \u201cIt was a privatization, a theft from the community. It\u2019s a long-valued resource that\u2019s gone dark. Everybody was turned away. Nobody\u2019s gotten through the door in eight years, and no one can tell me if there\u2019s still books in there or if they\u2019ve still got radio transmitters and PA systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what happened? According to former MII caretaker and volunteer Bruce Wilkinson, \u201cWe had a low power FM station, and the new on-site caretaker was running it by himself. I came back to MII in January 2015 and started to build the station back up, because I thought that was the most dynamic program. By June I\u2019d built the station crew back up to a dozen volunteers.\u201d\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007Bruce Wilkinson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0Bruce Wilkinson<\/em> \u201cWe\u2019d gotten three grants for over $20,000, and that\u2019s when Shawna Hawk showed up. She was going to Evergreen and was interested in being a DJ. She was a responsible person, so at the time it was great having her. I recruited her to be involved in the group on a deeper level, and she was amenable to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt the station could keep MII running. Our reach on the airwaves was low, but we were streaming online by this point. Podcasting was taking off, and we had a recording studio. We took the grant money and bought some new equipment with it. Then (board president) Jimmy Mateson came to town for the first time in 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen we got a big surprise. Jimmy hadn\u2019t filed our 990 forms for three years and we were notified that we\u2019d lost our nonprofit status. Though we eventually got it back, I was horrified because we were also the fiscal sponsors for other projects. So, I wanted to add two new members to the board for accountability: a friend of mine, along with Shawna Hawk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead of adopting my idea for two new board members, Jimmy and the board kicked me out of the organization, out of the spokes-council, and out of my job as program manager. Though Shawna wasn\u2019t elected to the board, she was promoted to my old job as station manager. She didn\u2019t have great politics, but she cared about the station and she seemed responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Shawna had no technical abilities, no computer skills. She was a good DJ, good at interviewing people, but needed other people for the technology. Soon the collective had drifted down to nothing, just Shawna and the caretaker. Next thing you know, Jimmy made Shawna the caretaker and put her on the board. They chased out the old caretaker (Dana Walker).\u201d\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007Shawna Hawk<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick Fellows remembers it similarly. \u201cShawna was brought in as a volunteer after getting expelled from KAOS (the Evergreen State College station). The people at the radio station were demanding that the whole house become part of the radio station. To resolve the disputes between the radio station and the board, they wanted to put Shawna on the board of directors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShawna seemed friendly, talking about how much she liked what MII does. We had some concerns about her being kicked out of KAOS, but we\u2019d been saying for years how we wanted people of color and women on the board, so here she is and the radio station\u2019s demanding it. But as soon as she got on the board, she started saying that people couldn\u2019t use the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI proposed we let a homeless group use a small office for outreach. But Shawna said \u201cno,\u201d because \u201cwhite men don\u2019t understand what it\u2019s like to be a black woman in this space.\u201d And that was always the answer. She refused Food Not Bombs, who we had hosted for years. Since we operated by consensus, she blocked all proposals. And Jimmy Mateson took her side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it first went down, I tried to rally for what I thought was being lost to the community, but people were attacking me, so I stepped back. I had run the fiscal sponsorship program, paid the bills, fixed broken pipes, rewired the house \u2013 all as a volunteer. And I didn\u2019t get any thanks from Shawna for that. Out of 17 years of volunteering there were five months I got a $200 stipend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It got worse. The shift in power was finalized at a board meeting on October 18th<\/sup>, 2018. By now Shawna was living in the house as the on-site caretaker, and was sitting on the board with Mateson, Fellows and Tom Nogler (now passed away). Mateson and Hawk made a motion to remove Fellows and Nogler from the board; Fellows and Nogler of course voted no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mateson fell back on a provision in the group\u2019s bylaws that gave him an extra vote in the case of a tie. He used this second vote to pass the motion and remove Fellows and Nogler from the board. They received no thanks for their years of hard work, no gold watch for exemplary service. Today, Mateson rues the day and regrets the loss of friends, saying he was torn between conflicting priorities and did what he thought was right for the group at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, Fellows is still licking his wounds. \u201cI\u2019ve never put in that much time on any project. I was struck by how many people in the community came up to me during that time and apologized for not daring to speak up. There was a lot of fear of being labeled a racist. I was being called a racist, yet I had worked for black and indigenous-led projects my entire life. People knew it was unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Wilkinson and Fellows chose to walk away, not everybody was so equanimous. MII\u2019s former caretaker and radio tech Dana Walker complained loudly about his ouster by Hawk and Mateson via his newsletter\u00a0The Thunderbolt<\/em>, and he was backed up by local blogger John Smith of Amicus Curia.1<\/sup>\u00a0The two of them turned up the heat, much to Hawk\u2019s dismay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shawna Hawk, not content with merely evicting Walker from the MII house, had a lawyer send him a notice to \u201ccease and desist all harassing, threatening, and defamatory conduct.\u201d To which he responded, \u201cI stand by my factual reporting, my opinions are clearly identified as such, and my editorial decisions are not going to be determined by threats from Shawna Hawk or your legal firm.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007 Dana Walker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When her letter had no effect, she filed a petition for a Protection Order against Walker. She sought protection from his \u201charassment\u201d with this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe has insited (sic<\/em>) actions of others in his writings toward me\u2026He began to target me with his aggression by posturing and giving threatening looks and gesters (sic<\/em>). This would also accompany the constent (sic<\/em>) writing about me in his weekly newsletter and he had a couple of his friends write things on social media and send nots (sic<\/em>) and messages to the work facility.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007Shawna Hawk in court seeking a protection order from Dana Walker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually Hawk had her day in court. When she complained that John Smith was taking photos, the judge said,\u201d This is a courtroom. A courtroom is one of the most public venues in existence. If the press wants to come and record what\u2019s going on and broadcast that later, we consider that to be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witness EV Webb had this to say about Walker. \u201cDana can\u2019t stand the organizational transformation that includes anti-racism and dismantling patriarchy at MII. His behavior reminds me of the toxic abusive manipulative men who won\u2019t lay a hand on the women they\u2019re abusing but will punch a wall to let her know he wants to hurt her. Subtle threats hidden behind vaguely progressive language. White supremacy and patriarchy right there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witness Lisa Ganser also framed the issue as one of dismantling racism. \u201cI got to know Shawna through her work with Women of Color in Leadership and I offered to come in and support her leadership, which means raking leaves or whatever it is that Shawna would want me to do. Because I appreciated that the organization was shifting from this white boy club to women of color actually in leadership. And I\u2019m seeing all this pushback from the white men.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007 Lisa Ganser, a witness for Shawna<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shawna had the last word. \u201cThis situation is extremely disturbing, unsettling, painful, trying to do the work of centering women, particularly women of color and other marginalized groups\u2026I was a foster kid, I was abused as a kid, I had domestic violence in my background. They can have their paper but to have them keep my name out of their paper is what I need and what I ask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After weighing the testimony, the judge dismissed Hawk\u2019s petition. \u201cI think of all the people who have been before me in cases like this, as people working in the media, you would understand the frightful prospect of a court issuing an order telling someone to stop saying something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOther people may have opinions about how you manage the organization, and they may vigorously disagree with you in the public forum. But that is one of the aspects of a robust public debate on a matter of public importance, and it can be uncomfortable to participate in. I have no choice but to deny the request for an anti-harassment order.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034fCommissioner Paul Wohl denied Shawna\u2019s petition for a protection order<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Hawk wasn\u2019t done with Dana Walker. Next, she went after his sole means of earning a living. He sold copies of\u00a0Real Change\u00a0<\/em>(a homeless advocacy paper) in front of the Eastside Olympia Food Coop, and she petitioned the Coop to remove him from his spot in front of the store. Despite being exonerated on charges of harassment by a court of law, Walker received this missive from the Coop\u2019s membership committee.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019ll surely agree, our work as white people is to dismantle white supremacy. Yet our solidarity does not always look like high-profile social activism, political analysis, nor feel good inspirational treatises of allyship. It can also look like a decision to exercise restraint and swallow our pride, rather than inflict additional hardship onto a marginalized person.\u201d\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst the court ruled that your speech did not constitute the legal definition of harassment, this does not remove you from the consequences of that speech. In order for the co-op to consider you in alignment with our value of Anti-Oppression and continue to provide endorsement of your tabling activities, we ask you to demonstrate accountability for the role you\u2019ve played in the tremendous fear Shawna expressed as a Black Woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis occurred whilst Black Women professors at Evergreen are being threatened with death, and another Black Woman is found tortured, and whilst Nazis are rallying openly at the college. We\u2019ve collaborated with our Anti-Oppression Team and our Conflict Resolution Team to craft the attached set of Behavioral Agreements. You\u2019ll be required to complete these steps before your Tabling Application can be reviewed in the future.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Eastside Olympia Food Coop where Dana Walker sold the\u00a0<\/em>Real Change\u00a0newspaper<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effect on Walker was catastrophic. Hawk made his private phone number available to the public and encouraged people to harass him. She called his employer\u00a0Real Change\u00a0<\/em>in Seattle in a failed effort to have him fired. She succeeded in having the Food Coop ban him from their property, which contributed to his subsequent homelessness. At age 60, and with a felony marijuana conviction, he had difficulty finding work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, back at Media Island, Shawna was putting the finishing touches on her coup d\u2019etat. Her long-time champion, founder Jimmy Mateson, was ready to leave the group but wanted to ensure that MII would be in good hands. Though he had supported Shawna in court and through the many organizational changes, he wanted some balance on the board of directors. With Fellows and Nogler gone, that meant finding two more members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and Shawna found two willing volunteers. They were duly sworn in and Mateson felt confident enough to resign as president, fulfilling an agreement he\u2019d made with Shawna about the conditions of his departure. Yet within a couple months both new members resigned, leaving Hawk entirely in charge, the sole \u201cregistered agent\u201d of Media Island. Mateson was heartbroken and felt betrayed by her.\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0 Shawna Hawk<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight years later, Hawk remains the sole registered agent of MII, despite by-laws that require the board of directors to have three members. She still lives in the house, the doors locked and the windows blacked out with posters, expanding her nonprofit domain with the creation of two more organizations, both co-located at the MII address. So how did local activists frame Hawk\u2019s takeover? Here\u2019s Lisa Ganser\u2019s take in\u00a0Poor Magazine,\u00a0<\/em>11\/25\/18:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShawna\u2019s work and leadership\u2026(are) bringing the organization alive. But this feels threatening to white men who cling to their positions of power over the organization\u2026This is an opportunity to dismantle patriarchy and white supremacy. Shawna sees and feels a sense of urgency for white people to go deep with The Work and turn over power, unhoard the resources. This can serve as an example of Reparations, of transformative racial justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another of Shawna\u2019s allies, George Collins, wrote this in\u00a0Ungagged,\u00a0<\/em>4\/27\/19. \u201c<\/em>Media Island operated under the control of a board of mostly white men\u2026with this dude Rick Fellows at the helm. Through a series of scandals involving infighting\u2026the old boys of the board faded away. Hawk stepped up to take over the space\u2026and shifted the focus to its current mission: to provide a welcoming space for women and people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen a black woman assumed control of his little boys-only hideout, Ricky boy blows an artery\u2026At the heart of all this is the topic of reparations, or compensation, for the wealth stolen from slave families during the slave trade. Restoring the wealth of people of color is necessary for a multiracial society to leap forward into socialist organization.\u2019\u201d\u00a02<\/sup>\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0 \u201cGeorge Collins,\u201d the nom de plume of Collin Parker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another whitewash of Shawna\u2019s work by Heather Leigh Dyson from\u00a0Thurston Talk<\/em>. \u201cMedia Island International is a black-owned and black-run cultural center that was founded around 30 years ago. The initial focus was environmental justice but has transitioned over the years to social justice issues. Shawna propelled race and gender issues when she started there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter earning her master\u2019s in Leadership & Education, Bicultural Development, and Social & Human Services from Pacific Oaks College, she decided to return to TESC to earn her second bachelor\u2019s degree with a focus on Cultural Studies and Communications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Privacy laws prevent journalists and hiring officers from verifying educational claims like these. Pacific Oaks College offers master\u2019s degrees online, but nothing called \u201cLeadership & Education, Bicultural Development and Social & Human Services.\u201d Their records department refused to confirm Hawk\u2019s matriculation. It\u2019s hard not to doubt such dubious educational claims in light of Hawk\u2019s grade-school-level grammar and spelling (see court docs above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This writer tried to talk with Shawna Hawk over several months. She never returned my many calls or emails, despite my offer to let her \u201ctell her side of the story.\u201d I even went to the front door at MII and rang the bell; she answered via intercom but refused to talk with me or answer the door. If this account feels one-sided, it\u2019s not for lack of trying on my part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since seizing control of MII in 2018, Hawk has continued to expand her nonprofit realm by founding (or co-founding) two more 501(c)(3) organizations, both of them working out of the MII building. The Women of Color in Leadership Movement (WOCILM) was formed on April 10, 2017, and Shawna serves as the sole governor of the corporation.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Women of Color in Leadership Movement is a group that is being cultivated as a safe space for women of color to discuss issues, events, and experiences that uniquely affect us. Spiritual empowerment and finding and using our voices are not always possible in male\/white or white passing spaces. We also talk about issues such as colorism within our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2017 and 2023, The WOCILM received over $44,000 in grants from Media Island International. Their programming is thin; they\u2019ve sponsored just four speaking events over a six-year span. More recently they co-hosted a Juneteenth celebration in collaboration with the City of Olympia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May of 2018, a year after the founding of the WOCILM, Shawna\u2019s son Javoen Byrd founded The Hawk Foundation for Research and Education in African Culture (HFREAC). The Hawk Foundation\u00a0also<\/em>\u00a0operates out of MII\u2019s building. Media Island\u2019s average annual revenue is $106,000 (2017-23); by comparison, the HFREAC averaged $378,000 in annual revenues (2021-24), and earned an impressive $620,000 in 2024 (the last year reported).\u00a0\u2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Javoen Byrd, Shawna Hawk\u2019s son<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, The Hawk Foundation paid $45,000 in rent and utilities (presumably to MII, their \u201clandlord\u201d). In 2024, they spent nearly $268,000 on \u201cScholarships.\u201d Who are the recipients? Also in 2024, someone (presumably Javoen) earned $53,279 in salary. That same year they spent $93,255 on travel, meetings and conferences. Which is curious, considering their programming happens in and around Olympia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shawna has served on the board of the Hawk Foundation, as has George Collins (the \u201cjournalist\u201d who wrote in such glowing terms about MII in\u00a0Ungagged)<\/em>. And why is it called the Hawk Foundation, if its founder\u2019s name is Byrd? Presumably in honor of Byrd\u2019s mother or, just as likely, in recognition of the control she exerts over the organization. Nowhere on their websites or in the media do they ever mention their filial connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it seems their relationship is deliberately hidden from public view. In another fawning article by George Collins, published in the\u00a0South Seattle Emerald<\/em>, he quotes Shawna as she describes how MII helped Byrd achieve nonprofit status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJavoen was brought to Media Island as a community member who had an amazing idea to create an organization that focuses on African studies and culture,\u2019 said Shawna Hawk, Media Island\u2019s main organizer. \u2018Javoen and his organization are an example of the kind of opportunities that we want to offer\u2026especially on issues of race, power and privilege.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shawna has ingratiated herself with the city\u2019s powers-that-be. The WOCILM collaborates with the city on Juneteenth celebrations, which take place in a small park across the street from MII on Adams Street. The park is named after 19th<\/sup>\u00a0century African American businesswoman Rebecca Howard, and Hawk sits on a steering committee overseeing the site\u2019s redevelopment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I asked someone in the Parks Department about Hawk\u2019s role on the committee, she was reluctant to comment. \u201cI want to let her tell you in her own words. I wouldn\u2019t want to get it wrong.\u201d City bureaucrats have learned to tread softly around Shawna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the future hold for Media Island? Shawna and Javoen now control a valuable set of assets. With total revenues from their nonprofits approaching $1 million annually, the future looks bright. The MII house is assessed by Thurston County at $473,100, and while she can\u2019t sell the house and pocket the money outright, it would be easy for her to retain control of the assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article VI of the Media Island by-laws stipulate that, \u201cIn the event of dissolution of the Corporation, the net assets are to be distributed as follows: to an organization , or organizations of similar purposes, as determined by the Board of Directors, which has established its tax-exempt status under the 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.\u201d That is, an organization like The Women of Color in Leadership Movement or the Hawk Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we know about Shawna Hawk\u2019s life before she arrived in Olympia? Very little. Born in 1968, Shawna had three children with a soldier named Anthony Byrd (Javoen and two twin sisters, Tanya and Latrice). Hawk and Byrd divorced and, in 2001, she filed for a protection order from him, alleging assault. She raised her children in Tacoma as a single mother, living off a teacher\u2019s salary and child support. That\u2019s no small feat and worthy of respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve tried to let this story tell itself, using source materials and interview transcripts, with little editorializing. Allow me now to summarize what I see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Island International spent 28 years providing vital resources to Olympia\u2019s progressive movements: meeting rooms, a library, printing supplies, a radio station and event production. Despite some rough spots and internal quarreling, they kept the doors open and the lights on, a welcoming space for a broad diversity of groups with a variety of agendas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016 Shawna Hawk arrived and volunteered to do a radio show on their low-power FM station. As one of the few (but not the only) black woman to volunteer, she was shown great deference out of a sincere desire to diversify the group. Through a process of attrition and well-intentioned personnel shuffles, Shawna rose through the ranks, eventually securing herself the jobs of on-site caretaker, radio station manager and Board member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the Board worked on a consensus model, Shawna was able to jettison most of the program suggestions by vetoing proposals she didn\u2019t like. She went after those who objected to her power play, working with group founder Jimmy Mateson to remove two long-time volunteers from the Board. When Mateson and two new board members resigned, Shawna became the group\u2019s sole board member and agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the Left rallied to her support, and critics were afraid to speak up for fear of being labeled racist. She waged a vindictive campaign against her most vocal critic, attacking his sole source of income and contributing to his homelessness. What was once a thriving hub of Olympia\u2019s Left community has become her personal playground. The door stays locked, the windows are blacked out, and the programming\u2019s been reduced to a trickle of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawk has leveraged her position in the community to expand her financial reach, founding or co-founding two new nonprofits operating out of the same location. The groups currently function with little public scrutiny, and she controls them by appointing friends and family to their boards. She justifies all this with the rhetoric of reparations and anti-racism, but an objective observer can\u2019t help but notice the potential for self-enrichment that exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story raises a familiar theme. What happens when people belonging to \u201cmarginalized groups\u201d are called out for unscrupulous behavior? Do they get a free pass by virtue of their marginalization? Do people with more social privilege have a right to raise such issues, or will they be ostracized for speaking up? Why did no one have the courage to come to Rick Fellows\u2019 or Dana Walker\u2019s defense, despite the unfairness of the campaign against them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(In an interesting corollary, a similar story was playing out at The Evergreen State College during this time. The \u201cDay of Absence\u201d at Evergreen was a long-standing spring-quarter event that featured minority students and faculty meeting off-campus to discuss race and equity. In 2017, the event was reversed, asking white participants to stay off-campus. This sparked controversy, a student uprising and the resignation of Professor Bret Weinstein. Hawk and the Food Coop allude to these events here.)\u00a03<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My goal is to restore accountability to an organization that has operated without oversight for too long. I encourage the Secretary of State\u2019s Office and the Department of Revenue to launch an investigation into Media Island\u2019s financial and legal status. For starters, they are out of compliance with their own by-laws, which require three members on the Board of Directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state should audit the three groups\u2019 finances to ensure that public money isn\u2019t lining the pockets of Hawk, Byrd and Co. This reporter has no subpoena power and limited research skills; I can only ask questions and try to point regulators in the right direction. In an era when unprecedented fraud is making national headline news, it makes sense to dig a little deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ustice is long overdue at Media Island International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RESOURCES:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Amicus Curia, John Smith\u2019s blog with extensive coverage of this issue. http:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/media-island-meltdown-abus\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. George Collins\u2019 (nee Collin Parker) article about Media Island. https:\/\/leftungagged.org\/2019\/04\/27\/media-island-reparations-and-the-racism-of-the-old-white-guard\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Benjamin Boyce\u2019s documentary \u201cLet It All Hang Out: The Evergreen Story\u201d https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLRdayXEOwuMG9DG66Bvx6YbUnhw-buS5K&si=QtA8IDDIDsixiinF<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtroom photo credits: John Smith<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SHARE<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0LIKE<\/a>COMMENT<\/a>RESTACK<\/a>\u00a0\u00a9 2026 Jess Grant
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Unsubscribe<\/a>\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad\u034f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2007\u00a0\u00ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

jess57grant@gmail.com (w\/thanks to Jess for permission to post it here) From:jess57grant@gmail.com To:‘Rick Fellows’,pinbalwyz@yahoo.com,dana98501@gmail.com Sun, Apr 19, 2026 at 10:06 AM Gentlemen, Here\u2019s my investigative article about MII. I hope it leads towards some form of belated justice. Thank you each … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34488"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34505,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34488\/revisions\/34505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}