Meet Sammie: Our Membership Director

Sammie Ablaza Wills is an organizer, death doula, and community archivist who has worked in transgender, queer, and racial justice movements for over a decade. Raised in a hustling class immigrant household, their political journey started with witnessing xenophobia against their family, fighting budget cuts in public schools, and learning about trans Pilipinos fighting colonization.

From 2016 to 2021, Sammie served as Executive Director of Lavender Phoenix, where they began as a youth Summer Organizer. In their role, Sammie supported hundreds of community members to build intergenerational connections, organize for trans justice, and transform definitions of safety. Most recently, Sammie authored Right-Sized Belonging, an organizing framework that calls on our movements to confront the current crisis of belonging-scarcity with purpose and collective governance. Across their work, Sammie is committed to building a just transition free from extraction, binaries, and false solutions.

As GAR's Membership Director, Sammie will help shape our membership's shared political vision, strengthen our programs, and unite our members and allies in the fight for working-class justice. Sammie brings a deep commitment to grassroots organizing and movement building that will help us build power for our power!

We're so excited that Sammie is joining our team. Please give a warm welcome to Sammie!