Lucas Dambergs

Lucas Dambergs is a student in the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program at the University of Washington Tacoma. Lucas is interested in learning from people who are living out emancipatory and revolutionary lives that challenge our corporate, individualist, consumer society. He uses oral history to document and share their experiences, and to illustrate potential future directions for society that are being enacted in the here-and-now. Lucas is currently working his master’s project, a film about William “Bix” Bichsel, an activist priest who lived in Tacoma and was known for his anti-nuclear resistance and his community work with the homeless and mentally ill._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lucas' MAIS Project

“William Bichsel and Nonviolent Civil Resistance Project”

William “Bix” Bichsel (1928-2015) was a Jesuit priest, born and raised in Tacoma, who devoted his life to anti-war and social justice causes. Bix was best known for his forceful protests against the School of the Americas (where Americans trained Central American military officers in methods of torture) and against the stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, which he saw as both a danger to life on Earth, and the ultimate expression of the violent nature of our society. Bix put his life on the line to fight against these evils – he was often arrested for acts of nonviolent resistance, and spent years in prison. In Tacoma, Bix was also known for his camaraderie with the homeless, the mentally ill, and others who were abandoned by society. He initiated many community institutions in Tacoma’s poorest neighborhoods, including the MLK Ecumenical Housing office, the People's Park swimming pool, and the Tacoma Catholic Worker, where he lived in community with the poor and vulnerable. Bix’s tenacity, joy, humor, and compassion transformed the lives of those around him.

Lucas Dambergs is currently working on a documentary film that will examine Bix’s life, his international acts of civil resistance, and his special relationship with the people of Tacoma. The film with include interviews with Bix, as well as those who lived with him, those who worked with him, and those whose lives he helped shape and change. Lucas is also collecting stories and documents that will be used in a book that will chronicle Bix’s life and work through oral history.

Watch Lucas’ TacTalk "You Can't Say "No" to Father Bix" from Spring 2014.