We are thrilled to announce that civil rights leader and social justice trailblazer, Eva Paterson, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s 30th All Peoples Celebration!
The All Peoples Celebration is one of San Diego’s pre-eminent social justice gatherings and honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. More than 1,000 civic leaders, business leaders, faith leaders, community organizers, artists, and students will stand together for this inspiring program that includes our keynote speaker, Eva Paterson. The event will take place on Monday morning, January 15, 2018, at the Balboa Activity Center in Balboa Park.
The theme for this year’s celebration is the embodiment of one simple but mighty word: STAND. So it is fitting that Eva Paterson will keynote the event. She has stood with marginalized communities her whole life and has become a foremost advocate of civil rights, leading the charge to preserve and expand access and opportunity for all people.
Ms. Paterson first captured national attention at age 20 when she debated then Vice President Spiro Agnew during a tumultuous period in this country marked by the shooting of student protesters at Kent State University. During this time, she became the first African-American president of Northwestern University’s student government, then went on to graduate from UC Berkeley’s School of Law. Since then, she has been on the frontlines of nearly every social justice battle in California, winning groundbreaking anti-discrimination suits along the way.
As founder and chair of the California Civil Rights Coalition, which brings together the major civil rights organizations across the state, Ms. Paterson has fought for marginalized communities in the legislature and at the ballot box. She has served as the executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and now heads the Equal Justice Society, a legal organization transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and art.
Buy your tickets here before they sell out! Our previous All Peoples Celebration sold out early, so be sure to act fast. Still not sure? Check out 3 Reasons To Stand With Us At This Year’s All Peoples Celebration.