MLK: The Promise

Celebrate with GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice at our first Virtual Justice Event of the year as we honor the life and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this inspiring event, community leaders will reflect and discuss the Promise Land he foretold in his last sermon. Are we closer to achieving his prophecy? Join us and find out!

Hosted By: Guled Muse, Community Engagement Manager, GLIDE's Center for Social Justice

Our panelists include:

Aaron Grizzell: Executive Director of the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation (NorcalMLK Foundation)

Aaron Grizzell is the executive director of the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation (NorcalMLK Foundation) and has led the organization since 2010. The Foundation was established in 1985 by the late Coretta Scott King and serves as the official organization in northern California to honor the establishment of MLK Day as a federal holiday.

Mr. Grizzell’s experience spans over 25 years in civic and social justice, public policy, and economic development. He is co-founder of the King & Faith Series, a program of the NorcalMLK Foundation that engages the scholarly and faith communities in contemporary contemplation of Dr. King’s message and legacy. The series’ Ethics, Religion, and Climate Change Roundtable was one of the official programs of the California governor’s Global Climate Action Summit in 2018. Mr. Grizzell also co-founded the Black & Brown Comix Arts Festival (BCAF), a comic book, animation, and popular culture expo that celebrates artists of color. In 2015, USA Today readers and editors selected BCAF as one of America’s ten best art festivals.

Paula Farmer: Director of Community and Belonging at The Berkeley School

Paula Farmer is currently the Director of Community and Belonging at The Berkeley School. In her work, she is committed to developing dialogues about equity and inclusion practices that consider the individual in the context of institutional culture in order to realize a diverse community that thrives together.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Paula has lived and worked in the Bay area for 17 years. She is active in many civic organizations, including GLIDE Memorial Church, where she is currently a Lay Leader. She also facilitates the GLIDE Racial Justice Group and the GLIDE Reads Book Club, and is supportive of the work of the GLIDE Foundation.

Isoke Femi: GLIDE’s Maven of Transformative Learning for Center for Social Justice

Isoke works at GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice and leads its summer internship program, Emerging Leaders. A co-founder and director of the Todos Institute, Isoke co-authored “No Boundaries”, a manual for intercultural alliance building. She also developed “Leading With Soul”, a curriculum for cultural leadership. For over 25 years, Isoke has worked with hundreds of groups throughout the United States, supporting them to appreciate and engage difference. In her work, Isoke draws on indigenous African concepts such as soul force, personalism, and vitalism, as ways of engaging and integrating learning. She has devoted her life to the work of unlearning oppression and illuminating power at the intersection of spirit and culture.