About Jamika
Jamika Scott was born at St. Joseph hospital in the Hilltop and later attended Bryant International School of Arts & Culture (now Bryant Montessori), where she was involved in a multitude of activities to include the jump rope team, dance, girl scouts, and countless other school activities. Jamika later attended Truman Middle School and Stadium High School, where she was a community service officer and leadership academy graduate with the NJROTC and active in playing basketball, along with many other activities.
Following high school, Jamika attended Linfield College (now Linfield University) in 2005, majoring in creative writing with a concentration in screenwriting and creative non-fiction. After graduating college in 2010, she began work for AmeriCorps and was assigned to Peace Community Center in Tacoma in the elementary-aged children’s program as a tutor, mentor, and recreation leader.
From 2013-2015 worked as a childcare provider for a local family in Gig Harbor, as well as a stand up comedian. In 2015, Jamika helped organize her first direct action, “4 Mile March,” in January. Later that year, she began organizing under “Tacoma Action Collective (TAC)” and started a new position at YWCA Pierce County as an assistant in the Children’s Program. By late 2015, TAC carried out an action at the Tacoma Art Museum called “Stop Erasing Black People”, gaining national attention.
From 2016- 2018, Jamika worked at the YWCA as the School-Aged Children’s Advocate providing domestic violence services to youth and families. During that time she continued her advocacy as the co-founder of TAC; receiving accolades from various community organizations, and continued her engagement in the Tacoma creative space by participating in The Grand Cinema’s 253 Short Film Competition and The Hilltop Street Fair Film Festival. In 2018, Jamika left YWCA to pursue creative work full-time.
In 2020, Jamika began a contract position with artist-focused startup, Whipsmart, as a local coordinator working with creative entrepreneurs to assess and strengthen the local creative economy. She later left the position due to the pandemic. During the time following Whipsmart, Jamika continued her work in the creative community earning multiple awards and accolades.
In 2021, Jamika ran for Mayor of Tacoma. Since her run for Mayor, Jamika was also accepted as a fellow for the iMPACT LENS: Hilltopia Film Fellowship, elected President of The Grand Cinema Board of Directors, and joined the Tacoma Public Library Foundation Board of Directors, as well as the Tacoma Arts Commission..
Jamika currently works as a freelance creative in Tacoma. In her free time Jamika likes to spend time with her family, her partner, Scott, and their dogs Alfie, Sam, K.G., and Penelope. She also enjoys photographing the many beautiful sights of the PNW and attending weekly karaoke sessions with her closest friends. She currently lives in Central Tacoma.
Why I’m Running
Thank you for your interest in my campaign. I’m Jamika. I was born and raised in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. As a child, I watched my mom as a leader in our community, spending much of my time at various community events and meetings. I would listen in on conversations about the block, the neighborhood, the city, and the people. I listened as folks shared ideas and hopes, as well as their strategies for action. As a kid, much of it went over my head. But as I continued to grow, I learned how to be part of the conversation, how to be a good neighbor, and how meaningful it felt to be included in community decisions.
Whether it took place in a church basement, community center, or the biggest living room available, our community showed up and took care of each other. More often than not, these conversations were neither led nor attended by those who had been elected or appointed to represent our interests.
I have felt the impact of being failed by the system as it stands; I have seen the harm that comes from a governing body that is out of touch with the people–the result is too many of us left to feel unheard and uninspired by our policymakers. I am running for City Council because I know it doesn’t have to be that way.
As a co-founder of the Tacoma Action Collective (TAC), I have gained valuable experience in leadership, decision-making, and community activation. The work we do constantly reminds me why leaders need both empathy and courage to be effective. Empathy to help us see things from a humanistic perspective, and courage to always do what is right no matter the stakes.
Creatively, as storyteller and filmmaker, I strive to not only share myself with the community, but to make the arts more accessible and inclusive. I believe one of Tacoma’s greatest assets is our ever-growing creative economy. I believe in the power of stories to change hearts, minds, and the world.
As someone who loves Tacoma dearly, I work every day to take steps towards actualizing a city where we all feel we can thrive. Whether it is in my work as a creative entrepreneur, a community organizer, or as an advocate, I value collaboration, equity, justice, and action. The work we have to do is both difficult and possible, and will require bold action to find solutions that are creative and considerate, moving us closer to the safe, healthy, and affordable city we all know Tacoma can be.
