A Celebration of Peacemakers 2025

On Sunday, May 4th, we gathered at South Puget Sound Community College's Lacey Campus for A Celebration of Peacemakers. This event honored our volunteers, supporters, advocates, and community partners - all those whose efforts help create a more civil and peaceful community. 

Highlights of the afternoon included reflections on promoting civil discourse by Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne and presentation of the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award to Lonnie Locke.

Established in honor of the DRC's Founding Executive Director, the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in strengthening civil discourse, and promoting peaceful dispute resolution and civility in our community.

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Lonnie Locke was honored with the 2025 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award.

Tribute to Lonnie Locke - Click to read

Lonnie Locke is a consummate model of authentic compassion in action. She creates opportunities for community members to come together to explore their differences and celebrate their shared values.

A few years ago, Lonnie helped launch the non-profit Multicultural Services Center of South Sound to provide immigrant support services. In her role as a non-attorney judge in the Washington courts system, she helped ensure more equitable treatment of court-involved immigrants. She is currently working with a team to develop the new Community Collaboration for Immigrant Support, to address safety threats to vulnerable immigrants.

Lonnie led Race Unity in Action in Olympia, and she served on North Thurston School District’s Multicultural Board. In that role, she co-produced “What Unites Us?”, a video interview project.
She led the community project “Looking Back, Moving Forward” to preserve first-hand records of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery civil rights march.

By collaborating with both marginalized community members and people who hold privileges, Lonnie opens doors to a more joy-filled, equitable world.

Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne's keynote address touched on themes of promoting civil discourse, seeking common ground and looking for the humanity in one another.

Click here to read mayor payne's speech