Patricia Dickson

Pat’s interest in justice was kindled in an abusive, racist, blended family environment after her mother died when she was nine. Later in her life, the Watts Riots fanned that kindling into a passion to work for a more just and peaceful world. The riots occurred during the years her spouse taught and she continued her education at California Lutheran College (now University) in Thousand Oaks, CA. CLC’s anti-racism marches, recruitment of students from Watts, and establishment of a Black Student Union provided opportunities for her to learn from their own mouths about some of the suffering that Black people experience. Subsequent coursework in Afro-American Literature inspired her further. Throughout her life, she has sought justice for others and been a member of or led social justice groups in churches she attended. After her spouse died in 2020, Pat relocated to Baxter MN where two of their three children and six of ten grandchildren live and where she and her spouse had worked in mental health for 17 years. She also returned to Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter. Pat currently serves as coordinator for Lord of Life’s Micah Group.