Civic Events to Honor Work of Slain Civil Rights Leader
As community groups, religious leaders and municipalities pause Monday to commemorate the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a Sylmar man will he honored for embracing the late civil rights leader’s commitment to serve others.
Baltazar Martinez, 22, will receive the Mayor Tom Bradley Award on Monday night at the 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Service, hosted by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council.
The Mission College student was nominated by one of his teachers and his pastor at Church of the Foothills in Sylmar. They cited his campus, church and community volunteer work.
Martinez heads Young Life, a nonprofit youth mentoring program. He also works on San Fernando Mayor Cindy Montanez’s campaign for state Assembly.
A native of Tecalitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, Martinez moved to Los Angeles in 1991. He entered the fifth grade at Dyer Street Elementary School in Sylmar unable to speak English.
Martinez said he worked hard in English-language classes at Olive Vista Middle School and went on to graduate from the Sylmar Math Science Magnet in 1998.
Martinez earned an associate’s degree in electronics from ITT Technical Institute, but after working for the political campaign of Jose Hernandez, a San Fernando city councilman and former mayor, he turned his attention to politics.
“Instead of fixing TVs, I thought maybe I could fix communities,” he said.
Although Martinez was born a dozen years after King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, he said he admires the Baptist preacher’s refusal to accept second-class citizenship in a segregated society.
“Even though the circumstances were against him, he still went forward,” Martinez said. “I am an immigrant and even though I speak with a thick accent, and sometimes people can’t understand what I am saying, I still move forward. I don’t let things get in my way.”
The Interfaith Council’s ecumenical program, “We Still Have a Dream,” will be hosted by actor Roger Aaron Brown of the CBS-TV drama “The District.”
Speakers representing the Bahai, Jewish, Islam, Buddhist and Christian faiths will speak about peace and nonviolence from the perspective of their religion, organizers said. An interfaith choir will perform.
The free program begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, 10390 Remick Ave., Pacoima. For information, call (818) 718-6460.
Other Southern California observances include:
* Speeches, songs and essays at Lancaster’s 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 4 p.m. today at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. Admission is free. For information, call (661) 723-6000.
* The Santa Clarita Interfaith Council’s ninth annual King Day celebration at 7 p.m. Monday at Congregation Beth Shalom, 21430 Redview Drive, Saugus. The ecumenical event will feature speakers of various faiths. Admission is free. For information, call Barbara Myler at (661) 290-2911.
* The Museum of Tolerance event honoring King, beginning at 10:45 a.m. Monday with a series of events, including Living Voices performing “Heroes in Pursuit of a Dream,” a combination of theater, video and live interaction. The museum is at 9876 W. Pico Blvd. For information, call Avra Shapiro or Michele E. Alkin at (310) 553-9036.
* The Kingdom Day Parade beginning at 11 a.m. Monday at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Crenshaw boulevards. Gov. Gray Davis will attend.
* The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. dinner celebration. Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons, the first African American to lead an Ivy League university, will be the keynote speaker. Davis also will speak. A reception begins at 6 p.m. Monday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave. For information, call (323) 290-4100.