Martin Luther King Legacy Awards presented

Pleasanton CA

25 January, 2021

4:25 PM

Description

The 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Fellowship Breakfast was a virtual event via Zoom. Unable to hold the regular sit down breakfast event, it was decided to make this a zoom event. Hosted by the Community of Character Collaborative, the it was a huge success, about 120 people registered and paid the $40 fee. Instead of the normal breakfast, a bag items were delivered to each attendee the evening before by the Community of Character board, including breakfast sweet rolls, fruit and drinks. Also included was the book "The Day You Begin" by Jacqueline Woodson. The book begins with "There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you". Other items included a stress ball, pen, pencil and a wooden nickel good for an ice cream treat at Meadowlark Diary. THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER WAS JONATHAN EPPS. Jonathan grew up in Pleasanton and graduated from Amador Valley High School in 2015. He later graduated from Morehouse College in 2019 as Valedictorian and was awarded a Fulbright ETA grant to Brazil for the 2019- 2020 application cycle. At Morehouse, Jonathan served as a UPS Community Service Scholar at Fickett Elementary School, tutoring/mentoring elementary schoolers for over 150 hours per semester, as well as a peer tutor in Political Science in the Douglas Academic Resource Center. In his free time, Jonathan likes to spend time with friends, listen to good music (shoutout to Kendrick Lamar), and binge new Netlfix series. He spoke of his experiences growing up in Pleasanton as a young black man, then going on to Morehouse College where Martin Luther King also attended. You can hear Jonathan's remarks at www.bit.ly/PL-MLK1 (caps required, Jonathan's intro begins at about 21:00) LEGACY AWARD RECIPIENTS: NATE MILEY, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in November 2000 and is serving his sixth term this year. Nate represents Supervisorial District 4, which includes portions of Oakland, from Montclair in the north to Oracle Arena and coliseum in the south, and the communities of Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, El Portal Ridge, Fairmont Terrace, Fairview, Hillcrest Knolls and Pleasanton. He has worked to engage communities, protect open space, strengthen our healthcare system, and create more livable and safe neighborhoods. After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College and finishing Law School at the University of Maryland in 1976, he moved to Oakland to work as a Jesuit Volunteer. Nate began his community involvement by taking a position with the Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) and has worked with many community-based groups as well as trained community organizers through the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs. In 1986, Nate discovered his passion - advocating for older adults who do not often have a voice - and created the United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County (USOAC). USOAC empowers older adults to improve their quality of life. Nate served as the Executive Director of the United Seniors for more than 20 years and was elected President of the Board in November 2010. RUTH GASTEN Ruth Stern Gasten was born in a tiny town in Germany in 1933, the year Hitler rose to power. She speaks of the rise of anti-Jewish edicts by the ruling Nazis, her father being taken to a concentration camp, and the family's escape to the United States in 1939. Ruth's experiences as a poor immigrant child in Chicago are the second part of her story. Today's immigrant children easily relate to her experiences of culture shock and being bullied. Ruth is the author of the book, An Accidental American, where she recalls life in Hitler's Germany as seen through the eyes of a young girl. The book tells of kind neighbors, an unforgettable ocean voyage, and bedbugs in Chicago, among other memories. Ruth has joined the City of Livermore's Equity and Inclusion Committee and serves on its affordable housing subcommittee. She is a founder of the Tri-Valley Interfaith Interconnect. DENEL MCMAHAN Denel McMahan is a current senior at Dublin High School. He is the president of the Black Student Union at his school and has reached out to accomplish more within his community. He is a social media intern for the Diablo Black Men's Group and works with Tri-Valley for Black Lives to hold events, like the Black Lives Matter Tri-Valley Sign Garden that took place last November. Controversy caused Danel to engage with a local resident who opposed the event with the outcome that "The man who posted that original message says he had it all wrong. I never thought a 17-year-old boy would basically wake up a 65-year-old man." Upon hearing that Denel would be receiving this year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award, his principal, Maureen Byrne said, "Denel is a remarkable individual and I love that you are recognizing him." We are certain the future is bright for Denel and our community is better because of him. An interesting feature of the event were the breakout rooms into very small groups where each person could tell their own story of times when "there was no one like you in the room".