1 Vernice Hankins
From: Wittig, Michele A <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2023 6:44 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Nat Trives
Subject: Aug 22 Agenda item 16H: grateful for past support / hopeful for future support
EXTERNAL
Mayor and City Council members,
I’m writing in anticipation that, at your meeting on August 22, you will unanimously pass Item 16H to provide $9000 in support of the 39th annual local celebration of the life of Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King spoke here on December 8, 1961 and again in 1964, both times at the Civic Auditorium. Another connection that our city has to the life of Dr. King occurred in April, 1968.
The Academy Awards were scheduled to be held at “The Civic” on April 8. Dr. King had been assassinated in Memphis on April 4. Riots had rocked the country. Black actors —Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr, Diahann Carroll, Louis Armstrong and others— threatened to boycott the Awards unless they were postponed until after Dr. King’s funeral.
Dr. King was laid to rest on April 9. The Awards were held April 10. The Black celebrities attended...not without ambivalence and controversy over our nation’s tendency to “acknowledge the burdens of race without insisting on change.”
For the past 38 years, the local celebration of Dr. King’s life has been an occasion for all segments of the community to recommit to his ideals and identify how we will collectively enact the changes he advocated.
Thank you — our elected representatives of the residents of Santa Monica — for your decades of support of, and participation in, this important annual civic event at which we strive for unity in the struggle to overcome injustice.
Michele Wittig
Co‐Chair, with Nat Trives,
Venue Fundraising Committee
Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Westside Coalition
Rev King speaking to a crowd of 1800 at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, 1961 at the invitation of Calvary Baptist Church and the Santa Monica Business and Professional Men’s Council:
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3 Photo by Chester Maydole
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Darlene <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 1:02 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Aug 22 Agenda item 16H: grateful for past support / hopeful for future support
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Davis and City Council members,
I write in support of Agenda Item 16H requesting approval of $9000 to assist and support the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition in our 39th annual celebration of Dr. King and his legacy.
As you may know, we are an all‐volunteer organization, operating solely through donations, a major source of which has been City funding. The City has provided funding and support to our event for most of the past 39 years, a tradition and relationship we treasure greatly.
Your support and funding is obviously beneficial to us and we believe it is beneficial to the City as well. Our publicity makes it known that the City of Santa Monica financially supports and promotes a diversity of events, people and causes. Our celebration, including the Community Involvement Fair which follows, is free and open to the public, including the refreshments provided at the Fair. We bring together City leadership, community organizations and community members of all races, ages and genders to celebrate Dr. King and his vision to make real the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, to wit, “all men are created equal,” and to make real the belief that all people should be treated equal as well. We provide entertainment, education awards and insightful commentary from our various speakers. We also present a forum for many nonprofit organizations to connect with community members and discuss their services and involvement opportunities.
We believe our Celebration is one of the many important City sponsored events throughout the year, and since our event is always in January, we think focusing the community’s attention on Dr. King and his work to make this world a better place is a perfect way to begin the year. Our desire is to make the Dr. King national holiday a day on rather than a day off.
It is for all these reasons, and more, that we request the City’s continued funding and sponsorship of our event. Our theme for 2024 is “Stop the Hate, Start the Healing,” a message that should resonate the world over, and is a great way to begin the year.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Sincerely,
Darlene Evans, Executive Committee Member,
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition
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