40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Jan. 20 in Santa Monica

40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Jan. 20 in Santa Monica

Keynote Speaker is Sonya Young Aadam, CEO of California Black Women’s Health Project

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College (SMC) and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition are pleased to announce their 40th annual celebration honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The free celebration features Sonya Young Aadam, Chief Executive Officer of the California Black Women’s Health Project, as the keynote speaker. The event will be held on Monday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. in the John Adams Middle School (JAMS) Performing Arts Center, 2425 16th St., Santa Monica.

The event — one of the largest and most diverse celebrations of its kind in Southern California — is presented by The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition, a nonprofit whose mission is consistent with Dr. King’s legacy. Event sponsors include the City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica College Associates, Santa Monica College, SGI-USA, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, Santa Monica Bay Area Human Relations Council, and various other organizations and individuals.

This year marks the celebration’s 40th anniversary. The 2025 theme is “Celebrating Women of the Civil Rights Movement: Let’s Make Real the Promise of Liberty and Justice for All.” The multi-ethnic, interfaith program will include inspirational remarks, guest speakers, a musical performance, and a dance performance. The program also features the presentation of education awards to local high school students and a Community Light Award.

After the program, a Community Involvement Fair starting at 12:30 p.m. will present informational displays by a variety of community organizations. Light refreshments will be available.

Sonya Young Aadam is CEO of California Black Women’s Health Project. She brings decades of corporate experience in strategic planning, financial analysis, and management to her most important work in the past 10 years: supporting transformative intervention in underserved, urban communities — particularly in South Los Angeles — through her stewardship of the California Black Women’s Health Project. In addition to the strong technical skills Ms. Aadam brings to her work, she also brings a deep passion for the overall health and uplifting of Black women and families, which is driven by her upbringing as a woman of faith, committed to education, and the heartfelt sentiment that “…we lift as we climb.”

In 2023, the NAACP Image Awards honored Aadam as an “Unsung Hero” because of her work leading the California Black Women’s Health Project’s pursuit of health equity for the state’s 1.2 million Black women and girls.

Details about the annual celebration and other related special events — including the MLK Freedom Celebration and Breakfast (which has been relocated to Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 1343 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica) and the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Concert (in Barnham Hall at Santa Monica High School, 600 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica) — are available at The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Westside Coalition website mlkjrwestside.org.

Additional information may be requested by sending an email to mlkjrwestsidecoalition@gmail.com.

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