Fifty-one years after he was slain and 33 years after the first observance of the federal holiday in his name, Dr. Martin Luther’s legacy is well and alive in the San Diego region.
Thousands of local residents, civic leaders, and advocates for justice, human dignity, diversity and inclusion – including some of our employees and executives – are participating in a series of MLK community events to celebrate his legacy and honor those who carry it on.
On Friday, we paid tribute to the slain civil rights leader and community heroes at the 34th Annual Jackie Robinson Family YMCA Martin Luther King Jr. Human Dignity Award Breakfast. Congratulations, Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, for receiving the Lifetime Human Dignity Award. Thank you for all the work you do to prevent violence and foster safer schools and communities.
Today, we participated in the United African American Ministerial Action Council’s 24th Annual Martin Luther King Breakfast Celebration alongside several nonprofit partners. Members of our company’s Local Diversity and Inclusion Council also took part in the Alliance San Diego’s 31st Annual All Peoples Celebration.
Embracing Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion have long been core values at SDG&E and our parent company, Sempra Energy. Just recently, Sempra Energy was named to Forbes' list of the "Best Employers for Diversity 2019" and also to the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women's equality.
Our company’s commitment to diversity extends beyond our employee ranks to our suppliers. In 2017, SDG&E set a company record of spending $703 million with diverse businesses, representing 44.6 percent of all goods and services we relied on.
Why do we care about diversity and inclusion so much? Because we believe an open and inclusive culture is fundamental to the success of our community, our company and our economy.
For More Information
We invite you to check out this Q & A with our President Scott Drury on why he’s so passionate about diversity and inclusion.