Martin Luther King Jr. Day event celebrates its 40th year

S1: Welcome in San Diego. I'm Jade Hindman. Today we're talking about the Jackie Robinson YMCA Human Dignity Award breakfast ahead of MLK day. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. This Monday marks Martin Luther King junior day. It's a day to honor Doctor King and his contributions to civil rights and the United States , as well as take a closer look at where his dream is in our time today. There are a number of events in and around San Diego to celebrate the day. One of the longest running is the YMCAs Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Human Dignity award breakfast. And I'm joined now by Dee Sanford. She is the YMCA board member and chair of this event. Welcome to Midday Edition.

S2: Thank you so much , Jade. It's such an honor to be here today.

S1: So glad to have you here. So tell us about the YMCAs , doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Human dignity award breakfast. I mean , this will be the 40th year. How did it get started and evolve over the years ? Well.

S2: In 1983 , you know , Ronald Reagan did approve the observance on the third Monday of January for Doctor King. And right after that , we started the Human Dignity Award breakfast there at the Jackie Robinson Family Y in our old building. And it started out , you know , kind of small , just a few hundred people. And we stayed with it. I have been chairing since 1999. So this is my 26th year chairing the event , and we are so excited to have outgrown everywhere except the Town and Country Convention Center , which holds up to 2200 people. So we're really excited. It kicks off the Doctor King weekend. It's a tradition and all the who's who are going to be there. From the mayor , he won't be in this year. Usually he's there. But from the mayor on to everybody who's active in the San Diego community. Active in politics. Active and education. Active in the community. Will be at the breakfast. Wow.

S1: And you grew up right here in San Diego.

S2: I am a native San Diego and a proud graduate of San Diego State University School of Business. All right.

S1: Go , Aztecs ! Since we're right , man.

S2: That's right. Yes.

S1: Yes. Well , you know , you had a window into the local civil rights movement in Doctor King's time.

S2: As a little girl , I must say that my father was the president of the Southern Area Conference of the NAACP. So even as a young child , I remember people coming to our home in the 50s and 60s to discuss the things that were going on in the civil rights movement and the things even before the laws were set. So my father was on the battlefield for many , many years before he passed away , and I kind of followed his example not to be a political person , but I am kind of anyway. We've we've seen a lot. I was a trailblazer , the first African-American woman hired in sales and management at Pacific Telephone back in 76 after I graduated from San Diego State. And I have served on the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA board for 30 years , and just done a lot of things in San Diego to open up doors and make more opportunities. I founded African American Business Women A vision , back in 94 to bring the business women together in San Diego , African American businesswomen. And then we expanded to bring other business women in so that everybody could meet one another , do business with one another , and develop relationships that actually exist until today. And , um , I've had a real up close view of what it takes , really to make it in this town as a person of color. And it has not been easy , as I state in my welcome letter every year. The struggle continues.

S1: Right ? And you know about that letter for this year's program. Again , you published it , and you connect Doctor King's legacy to the work that continues today.

S2: And so I've always struggled with the fact that even when I was in sales years ago , I would go to major corporations. There would be no people of color in leadership positions , and I'm afraid that that exists today. So the things that Doctor King worked for sacrificed for work with President Johnson and President Kennedy on so far back in the 60s. Um , there are people today trying to undo what little progress has been made. And so the struggle continues. And , um , we have to be ever vigilant to recognize that everyone is not on our side. People still don't have the respect for the educated person of color that you would think that they would have. After so many years of working with us and seeing how we are dedicated to excellence and how we continue to fine tune our expertise.

S1: Um , I mean , and the list is long when you're talking about things that still need to be addressed. And in some ways , the things that have sort of been rolled back. So , you know , what do you how do you prioritize a list that is so long ? I mean , you know , from voter suppression laws , affirmative action , the list goes on and on.

S2: I'm not sure that you can prioritize one thing because they're all so connected. I'm really concerned right now. Speaking of the rollbacks about project 2025 , as I mentioned in our letter and the attack on diversity , equity and inclusion Dei , they want to get rid of that. And so what we fought so hard for , to be included , to be at the table , to have an opportunity to have the positions in corporate America and government and other positions is being rolled back. And we know what's going to happen. I'm also very concerned about affirmative action , and that once I graduated from San Diego State School of Business in 1976 , I was given an opportunity at Pacific Telephone because of affirmative action. And so I know many doors opened for me. But once I got in there , I had to fight the battle as everyone did. And we had to be better , twice as good to be thought of as half as good. So I'm concerned on so many different levels. Voting rights. How do you separate and prioritize voting rights over anything else ? The fact that we would even be needing to reconfirm voting rights , it's not set in in stone. And so the fact that it would have to be voted on to allow people the opportunity to vote is just a just terrible. It's terrible. And the things that people fought for to be able to write their names and be able to vote. And now here we are in 2025. Fighting those same battles is absolutely ridiculous. So I think it's across the board. Jade. There's no way to say one thing is more important than the other , because we have to move the whole thing forward.

S1: Yes , yes. Well , you know , I mean , your life's work is really an example of how to organize around these issues.

S2: When I started my organization , as a matter of fact , I worked for the telephone company for 20 years and left to start my own business. And once I left to start my own business , I realized how much opportunity was available. But you have to take charge of the situation. You have to create your own opportunities. And that fortunately , is still available. So I think entrepreneurship and independent thinking is going to be the way , but most people are not able or too many people , I should say , are not able or strong enough , or they might be afraid to just initiate things. But the door can be open for those who are willing to initiate. So that would be something that you can do individually. You can start your own organization. You can work with different organizations that are already in place. You can move forward. You can become a spokesman. No one can stop you from your independent moves. It's just those organizations where you are an employee , that you are being held back.

S1: This is KPBS Midday Edition. We're back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. We are talking about the Jackie Robinson YMCA Human Dignity Award breakfast ahead of MLK day. And I'm joined by Dee Sanford , who chairs the event. Well , I want to talk about something really specific to to the community. Um , and , you know , because this year's MLK day comes almost exactly one year after the San Diego floods hit and devastated many communities of color in and around San Diego.

S2: We're right there. And after our breakfast last year , we raised a lot of money at the breakfast and then we turned around and really needed that money. The Jackie Robinson Family YMCA , as you probably know , became a hub after the flood because it took weeks for the city and the government to get in place and set up something to help people. So we opened up our doors and we began to serve through different nonprofit organizations that we are going to be honoring on Friday morning for their efforts to provide security , a place to take a shower or a place to get some clothes , a place to get some food , a place to come and get registered , a place to find solace and rest. We organized all of that through these different nonprofit organizations at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA. Sad to say. Many of these people are still displaced , and we're not sure what's going to happen. I have a very good friend who I graduated from high school with from Lincoln in 1963 , and her home is still boarded up , and there's too many people. She was blessed to be able to have a duplex across the street that she and her husband had purchased , and so she was able to move there. But there are a lot of displaced people , Jade and San Diego to this day. And you probably know that the insurance companies refused to pay. So the people don't have anything. They have no insurance to cover. A FEMA was was late to the table. And , you know , that's not a total solution. So there are a lot of people who are really hurting right now as a result. But we are going to recognize the organizations that did participate and those organizations include the Harvey Family Foundation , the pillars of the community , the Urban Collaborative Project , the Jireh Providers , the Hip Hop Health and Wellness five K , Phat Camp , and the Urban Leadership Development Institute. So we will be thanking them and recognizing them for all of the hard boots on the ground work that they did when it was needed most.

S1: And it sounds like , you know , they their action and the way that those organizations jumped into action really speaks to what you put in your letter and what you write in the end , which is really a call to action. You said the question isn't what would Doctor King do ? The real question is what will you do ? So how do you hope people answer that ? Well.

S2: I don't have all the answers on that. Jade , I think that you have to look at the problem and really decide for yourself what you're going to do about it. We don't have to feel helpless , but we don't have the resources. And so as these organizations came together , we should always be looking for ways to partner. In fact , that was one of the foundations of my organization back in the 90s and the early 2000 with African American businesswomen of vision was partnering alone. I may not be able to do anything , but if we get ten of us together , we can make a difference. We can pool our resources , we can pool our knowledge , we can pool our connections , and we can move forward supporting one another and make a difference in the area that affects us the most. And that's really what we did in the community with these organizations. They came together and they came together , and we opened our doors at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA. But those opportunities exist everywhere to come together with others and to pool your resources and your knowledge and your connections to make a make a difference in the area that affects you the most.

S1: And there will be a celebration and observation of all of this Friday morning.

S2: And that tells everything about the breakfast. It's going to be this Friday , January 17th at 630 in the morning at the Town and Country Resort in the Golden State Ballroom , which is their largest ballroom. Tickets are $55 , tables are still available and tickets are still available. But I think the registration website is going to close today. So again , go to YMCA , S.D. forward slash MLK.

S1: Well , can you tell me more about the people who will be honored at this breakfast ? Yes.

S2: We are honoring a very distinguished figure in San Diego , Doctor John Warren. Doctor Warren is the editor and publisher of the San Diego Voice and Viewpoint newspaper , and he has guided this community through his journalism for over 25 years. Keeping us abreast of the important local , national and international events. And he publishes a special newspaper every year in honor of Doctor King. With all of the history of Doctor King's work and his sacrifice and contributions. And we will have those newspapers available at the breakfast on Friday morning.

S1: And we will also have a link to that on our website as well , KPBS. I will also be in attendance for that breakfast.

S2: Oh , I'll meet you there then you will.

S1: Before we go , any parting words for our audience on Doctor King and and what makes his work and his words so pertinent today.

S2: Doctor King laid the foundation up and he built the foundation , if you will , on top of the work that our ancestors did for so many different years. We have to remain vigilant and we have to remain cognizant of what's going on. Things like project 2025 and other actions by the Supreme Court to eliminate affirmative action are things that seriously affect the ability to move forward in so many different areas. And so we have to challenge that. We have to speak out about it. We have to let people know about it. So they're not sleeping through the very actions that are trying to set us back in our progress as people of color and as women as well , because there are so many things that are taking the rights of women away , like the right to an abortion , which includes more than just , um , family planning. Women are actually dying because they cannot get the help that they need from the hospitals , because certain states have discontinued access to abortion. So there are a lot of things that are happening that are rolling back rights for people of color and women , and we just have to be vigilant about that.

S1: Well , I really want to thank you for joining us today and sharing more about Doctor King's legacy and his relevance today. I've been speaking with Dr. Sanford. She is a board member at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA and chair of this event. Thank you so much.

S2: Thank you Jade , I appreciate it and everybody is welcome. I'll look forward to seeing you.

S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.