By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Greater Tacoma Peace Prize Board recently named Diane Hayes-Powers as their 2024 Laureate recipient, recognizing her outstanding advocacy in addressing the region’s housing crisis.
The Greater Tacoma Peace Prize, which recognizes individuals and institutions that promote peace, justice, and reconciliation, is celebrating Hayes-Powers’ decades of work, which focuses on one of the most vulnerable populations—homeless youth—demonstrating her unwavering commitment to the cause. From her time as a United Nations World Conference Delegate Against Racism to her work at Pierce County Connections and the Tacoma Office of Equity and Human Rights, Hayes-Powers has been an unrelenting advocate for those in need.
In their selection, the GTPP Board highlighted Hayes-Powers’ tireless activism on behalf of the homeless in Tacoma and surrounding areas. Her efforts have been a beacon of hope, especially during a time when systemic barriers, the rising cost of living, and the impact of COVID-19 have compounded the challenges facing those without stable housing.
“Diane Hayes-Powers is a force for peace and racial justice,” said Lucas Smiraldo, who nominated Hayes-Powers for the Peace Prize. “In Tacoma government and spiritual communities, she is a driving force, with her concern for vulnerable youth continuing to fuel her advocacy.”
As Pierce County grapples with economic and social disparities, Hayes-Powers’ dedication serves as a powerful reminder that individuals can and do create meaningful change.
“I believe in human rights for every person,” said Hayes-Powers. “Every child and family should feel valued, have the ability to live in a home, and protect their families. They should have a living wage and feel safe in their community. Every community deserves access to the resources their city provides.”
“One of the things we discovered while doing this work was that poor people on the east side of Tacoma didn’t even know they could call the city when their streetlights were out,” she added. “Because those streetlights were out for long periods, they had more crime. We wanted to make sure that all of the resources we had were equitably given to the community.”
According to Hayes-Powers, systemic racism and the widening wealth gap are key drivers of poverty and homelessness. She points to greed as one of the primary barriers to change, along with the need for political will to address these disparities. Now, post-retirement, Hayes-Powers continues her work as Board President of Associated Ministries, furthering her mission to promote equity and justice in Tacoma.
The equitable distribution of resources is vital, and Hayes-Powers believes this type of work is essential.
“For me, it’s really important because everyone pays taxes, and every person deserves to benefit from the resources their city provides,” Hayes-Powers noted. “There are so many inequities and divisiveness in this country right now, and with the backlash against equity work, it’s needed now more than ever.”
The wealth gap and systemic racism, according to Hayes-Powers, are two of the primary triggers of poverty and homelessness. Greed versus poverty and convincing leadership to have the political will to address this duality is one of the major challenges in her vocation.
“Challenges? The abundance of poverty on one side and greed on the other,” Hayes-Powers said. “I know there are people with three or four homes, and yet, so many families, children, and individuals have no place to live. To me, that’s one of the biggest issues we need to address—along with racial equity.”
Hayes-Powers acknowledges that creating change in a system entrenched with systemic racism and poverty is difficult. However, she remains hopeful.
“It’s hard to change the system,” she said. “We know that racism is systemic, and poverty is systemic, and it takes political will. It takes people not saying, ‘Don’t build that in my backyard,’ and it takes resources to make that change. I believe we have enough money and enough buildings to house everyone who is homeless, but the system isn’t set up for that yet. I do pray that it happens in the future because I’m deeply concerned.”
