Every once in a while, a person comes along who was born with a gentle, peaceful nature. Lonnie Locke is one of these gentle souls. “Because I’ve had so much turmoil in my own life, I’ve always sought peaceful arrangements – even as a child,” she says. Because of her lifelong dedication to peace and helping others, the Dispute Resolution Center awarded her the 2025 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award.
From an early age, Lonnie just wanted to help people. She started a peer-tutoring program in her elementary school in Alabama. After that, she decided to expand her service to the Red Cross. However, they refused her because she was African American.
Peacemaker Award Winner Lonnie Locke Spent Decades Serving in Washington State
At the age of 17, Lonnie moved to Washington State. It was this move, she says, that drew her to helping immigrants. “I can relate to leaving one’s home to escape oppression because I left racially-segregated Alabama at the age of 17 to come to Washington State for that very reason,” she says. “Even though I did not have nearly the hardship in reaching my destination and being resettled, the joy of gaining freedom is relatable and very precious. I also believe that the earth is but one country of which we are all citizens and we are all one human family.”
Throughout the decades, Lonnie’s service record is massive. She created a Boy Scout group and was its leader for boys and girls who were marked as having behavioral challenges. She and Dan, her husband, worked for Habitat for Humanity to bring houses in racially-segregated neighborhoods up to code in Yakima, as well as partnering with the Yakima Jesuit community to organize peace marches and promote racial justice.
From 1983-1985, she served as a Court Administrator and Court Commissioner. She was also a non-attorney judge. In that role, she strived to help immigrants, minorities and those with low income. “Before deciding to take on the position, I thought I might be able to ameliorate the injustices I had seen when one’s finances or race weighed heavily in decisions,” says Lonnie. “I soon learned that some things were already built into the system. I was able to bring to light barriers faced by immigrants who did not speak English because the court had relied for years on unqualified interpreters. I was able to bring about change in that system with the support of other judges.”
She and Dan also started an organization called Race Unity in Action, first in Spokane in 1984, then Yakima, and then Olympia in 1990 – she met Evan Ferber that year. “We dedicated our African American and European American marriage to promoting our belief in one human family,” Lonnie explains. “We feel that racism is America’s most vital and challenging issue. We began seeking out and organizing with like-minded people as soon as we arrived here. Our home was the setting for race dialogue, bringing in guest speakers who were for and against the issue.”
Out of the Race Unity in Action came her Friendly Supper Club, where for 15 years they opened their home to Thurston County residents of different cultures and backgrounds to share a potluck meal and conversation once a month.
From 2015 to 2018, Lonnie served on the North Thurston School District’s Multicultural Board. She organized community cafes that brought together families to give input to the district administration. At the 2018 Lacey Cultural Festival, she and Dan had a table to video and interview festival goers about what unites people. They created a unity tree that children decorated with paper leaves.
And in 2021, after two years of working on grants and collaborating with Lin Crowley, Brian Lock, Kelvin Hoang, and Kim Sauers of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition South Sound, Lonnie helped launch the Multicultural Services Center of South Sound. One of the grants she secured in 2019 was from the Community Foundation for a program called “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” with a focus on sparking dialogue on racism. “Multicultural Services Center of South Sound is part of a community coalition of whose mission it is to welcome those needing help in regaining their human dignity,” shares Lonnie. “I believe that the hurt of one is the hurt of all and the honor of one is the honor of all.”
This is just some of the incredible work Lonnie has done over the decades.
Olympia’s Lonnie Locke Future Service Projects
Out of all the work Lonnie has done, when asked what her favorite project was, she says:
Promoting the oneness of humanity is the common thread that runs through all that I have had the opportunity to engage in. I love the challenge that comes with that and the beauty of serving with others to reach a solution. Doing things in a spirit of service to others is what drives me and I have the good fortune of having a loving partner to encourage ideas and a community of amazing people to engage with.
Currently, she says she is working on forming a community coalition on immigrant support. “The people who came together to serve in this coalition are some of the most caring, passionate, and hardworking persons that I have had the privilege to meet and serve alongside,” Lonnie says. “I am awestruck by this gift.”
Congratulations Lonnie on your well-deserved recognition for your lifetime of peaceful service. For more information on the award and public service opportunities, visit the Dispute Resolution Center website.
Read more people in public service profiles here.
