Dolores Silas wanted to make a difference. Judging from Monday’s outpouring, she did
Dr. Dolores Silas was known for her colorful hats — one “for every occasion,” as she told The News Tribune in February.
Most of all, she was known for the barriers she broke.
Silas — the first Black woman to serve on the Tacoma City Council and the first Black administrator at Tacoma Public Schools — died Saturday at the age of 94. Since word of Silas’ passing began to spread, remembrances have poured in from a city she spent her life dedicated to improving — particularly for African Americans like herself.
Whether it was serving on the council representing Hilltop and Central Tacoma, her tenure as president of the local NAACP or being just the third Black teacher employed by Tacoma Public Schools back in the 1950s, Silas was driven by “doing what’s right,” according to Jim Walton, the city’s first Black city manager.
Walton, one of Tacoma’s civil rights pioneers along with luminaries like Harold Moss, Thomas Dixon and Rosa Franklin, said that Silas was a constant presence in the long fight for equality in Tacoma over the decades. Her selfless humility was well-known, Walton recalled, but so was her knack for saying what needed to be said, whenever it needed to be said.
“My life just weaved in and out of and around Dr. Silas for as long as I can remember,” Walton said. “I think her motivation was just that human motivation — to make a difference. Just make a difference … and bring about meaningful change in the situation that we as African Americans find ourselves in.”
As Tacoma’s first Black female mayor, Marilyn Strickland also came to know Silas well. Now serving her first term in Congress, Strickland described Silas as “a beloved mentor, trailblazer, and a strong voice for education, equity, and progress.”
“Dr. Dolores Silas’ accomplishments paved the way for many to follow in her footsteps, and her legacy will inspire the next generation of public servants and educators, especially young people, women, and people of color,” Strickland said in a prepared statement. “I join our entire community in mourning her loss, and offer my deepest condolences to the entire Silas family during this difficult time. May she rest in peace.”
Likewise, Tacoma Schools superintendent on special assignment Carla Santorno described Silas as “an educator at heart with a lifelong passion for civil rights.”
“She also had a sense of humor,” Santorno said, recalling how Silas took the news that Tacoma’s Wilson High School would be renamed in her honor.
“When I called her to let her know I planned to recommend renaming Woodrow Wilson after her, somehow the word had leaked out. She’d heard about it already by the time I called,” Santorno said. “‘You should have called me sooner,’ she scolded. Then she broke into a big laugh. We both laughed at how hard it is to keep a secret in Tacoma. … She said how delighted and humbled she was at the honor. I was humbled to have a great conversation with her.”
“I am so pleased that we could honor her and that she lived long enough to experience it and feel the adoration of a community she served for decades,” Santorno continued. “Her legacy will live on for many generations to come.”
While many people in Tacoma knew Silas from her work in public, Scott Breckenridge had a much more personal view of her life and many accomplishments, he said.
Silas was his godmother, and the drive she exuded was a reflection of her mother, he believes.
“She was raised by a mother who was pretty disciplined. For most of her life, it was just her and her mom, and her mom really expected excellence out of Dolores ” Breckenridge said. “(Silas) was never one to sit around or lay around or let grass grow under feet. When she was committed to something — like she was committed to Tacoma — she was very self-motivated.”
On Monday, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards — who in 2017 became the second Black woman elected to the office, following in the footsteps of Strickland — said she spent the weekend helping Silas’ family deal with the loss. She acknowledged that Silas’ passing still felt surreal and had yet to sink in.
Over the years, Woodards often called Silas for political advice, she recalled. But the friendship they developed ran even deeper, she said, and some of her fondest memories were simply getting to spend time with the well-dressed city icon.
That included earlier this month, during the renaming ceremony for what will now forever be known as Dr. Dolores Silas High School.
Like Santorno, Woodards said she’s grateful the community had a chance to pay tribute to Silas before she was gone.
She also said that Silas — who typically sought to avoid public recognition for her work — was “tickled” by the honor.
“There are no words to describe what … it felt like to be in that moment with her, and for her to be absolutely present for it,” Woodards said of the July 1 renaming ceremony. “To be able to say that we did that — that we gave her flowers while she yet lived, so she could see them, and smell them, and feel them — means everything. She got to personally know the impact she had, and take that with her.”
Silas accepted the honor with her trademark humility.
“I am here because of you,” Silas said during the renaming ceremony.
“I did not do anything for glory. I did it because it’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 4:06 PM.
