Earl B Gilliam Bar members Tilisha Martin (far left) and Randy Reliford (third from left) join new friends at the 2013 Juneteenth Celebration
For the past few years it has been increasingly clear that many organizations across San Diego within our African American communities want to be connected to one another. This is true for professional and social reasons, but also because so many people realize that quality connections make it easier to magnify the impact of each individual’s efforts. The Earl B Gilliam Bar Association joined Unity in the Community for this reason and we want to highlight the importance of that organization. We reached out to the organization’s Treasurer, Darnisha Hunter, who provided some important background.
Unity in the Community (UITC) was formed in approximately 2009 by a group of community volunteers that wanted to be able to celebrate Juneteenth. If you didn’t happen to click on the link, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of Slavery in the United States (which, oddly, took almost three extra years to end in Texas as opposed to the east coast).
YMCA Drumline performing at Juneteenth
The primary organizers came together and recruited more than 16 local organizations to form UITC. The second Saturday of each June UITC holds a celebration at Admiral Baker Park.
UITC President Dan Falconer poses with attendees
UITC has created a great family-friendly event that really allows groups across San Diego to connect in a relaxed setting. If you’d like to participate in the 2014 Juneteenth celebration, please reach out to Darnisha Hunter at darnishahunter@ymail.com.
Pulling together the information for this post highlighted that many of the organizations in San Diego are already working together to provide support to each other and to help our young people succeed – especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, which is a major part of the future of educational and financial success. As the Earl B Gilliam Bar Association heads into its 39th year, we continue to embrace our role in providing access to the legal system through skilled legal professionals, supporting others in the community and advocating for members who seek to become judges or other positions of influence in the San Diego region and beyond.
Below is a list (including website links) of most of the participant organizations for Unity in the Community
Black American Political Action Committee of San Diego (BAPAC)
Blacks in Government (BIG) – San Diego Chapter
Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce
National Council of Negro Women
San Diego Black Nurses Association
San Diego Black Police Officers Association
Urban League of San Diego County
And a couple more it would be exciting to connect with in the coming years…
National Society of Black Engineers – San Diego Chapter
For more information about events and news in the community, check in at San Diego Voice and Viewpoint online.
For a brief interview with the Honorable Earl B Gilliam, the first African American federal judge in San Diego County, click here
And if you are curious about the origins of a song many of us have sung hundreds of times, check out this history of Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing(complete with link to Ray Charles version AND the lyrics to all three verses…for those of us who kinda mumble the last two verses but want to know).
If you would like to connect to other organizations or find out more about the Earl B Gilliam Bar, please do not hesitate to contact our President-elect Omar Passons at opassons@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter here and like us on Facebook here. Thanks for dropping by our site.
Thank you for dropping by our site, we hope to connect with you soon.
Recent Comments