Dolores Sibonga (1931-) was the first Filipina-American lawyer admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1973 and the first minority woman on the Seattle City Council, appointed to replace a retiring Phyllis Lamphere for three months in 1978. She was elected the following year and served on the council until 1992. Prior to law school, she worked as a journalist in radio and television, and she and her husband owned the community newspaper the Filipino Forum.

Sibonga briefly returned to her position as the Deputy Director of the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) in late 1978, before her successful election to the Seattle City Council in 1979. Established in 1949, the WSHRC is responsible for administering and enforcing the Washington Law Against Discrimination (Chapter 49.60 RCW). This photo shows Sibonga at the WSHRC talking to previous Executive Secretary Bill Hilliard. Hilliard would go on to head Seattle's Human Rights Department from 1986 to 1994.

Caption source information: "City Council Candidate: Dolores Sibonga," by Keri Murakami, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 25, 2006; "Four finalists await interviews for human-rights-commission job," Seattle Times, January 27, 1980, p. A5; "Human Rights Department Facing More Tough Inspection - Royer Nominee Gets Approval of Council Panel," by David Schaefer, Seattle Times, June 18, 1986, p. H1; "Human-Rights Chief Takes a New City Job," Seattle Times, September 23, 1994, p. B2.