SDCCD : A Civil Rights Victory For Southeastern San Diego

Press release from San Diego Community College District:

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021, marked a victorious moment for San Diego civil rights activists who
first envisioned the Educational Cultural Complex (ECC) as a bustling epicenter for
entertainment and public service in the heart of Southeastern San Diego.

California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins announced at a news conference,
that a $35 million grant will be used to renovate the historic theatre inside the
San Diego College of Continuing Education's (SDCCE’s) ECC.

“I started my tenure in the district by touring all of the colleges. As I walked through
this building I discovered multiple rooms with trophies, awards, plaques, and resolutions
from elected officials. It disheartened me to see that our history was not being recognized,
celebrated, and treasured,” said San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Chancellor
Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D., who previously served six years as President of SDCCE.
“The layers of this rich treasure are deeper than I ever imagined, we are sitting
on civil rights history. This is hallowed ground.”

“We are both recognizing the history and reinvesting in the future, which is what
is so important about today,” said Atkins during her welcoming remarks.

Forty-five years ago, ECC was one of southeastern San Diego’s only centers for education
and arts. Civil Rights leader Coretta Scott King, award-winning artist and humanitarian
Stevie Wonder, and Civil Rights activist and American poet Maya Angelou are some of
the many influential social justice champions who have been part of the history at
this campus.

Atkins along with California Senator Ben Hueso and Assembly Member Chris Ward presented
a check to the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Chancellor Carlos O. Turner
Cortez, Ph.D., on behalf of SDCCE, the noncredit college within the district.

See the photo gallery

Article: Educational Cultural Complex celebrated for role in civil rights movement

San Diego Councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera and Monica Montgomery Steppe, SDCCD Board
of Trustees President Maria Nieto Senour, Ph.D., SDCCE Interim President Kay Faulconer
Boger, Ed.D., and Alyce Smith Cooper, a member of SDCCE’s Historic Preservation Committee
were among the speakers.

“The iconic ECC theatre has been an invaluable asset in southeastern San Diego, at
the intersection of arts and activism, we have wreaked the benefits of change right
here on this landmark civil rights campus,” said Councilmember Montgomery Steppe.
“There is no disputing this is a community safe space known for being at the center
of the cultural revolution in our community and being known to be woven in the fabric
of civil rights advocacy.”

Today, ECC continues to honor its inaugural purpose, by welcoming the public every
February for a Black History Month celebration displaying live music, dance, and spoken
word symbolic of African American legacy. Students from SDCCE’s welding department
design a float each year to echo Dr. King's dream for liberty and freedom. With support
from the state grant, award-winning float entries will be memorialized around ECC.

In addition to the arts, SDCCE has provided free higher education and workforce training
to adults in San Diego since 1914 — more than a 100-year heritage of opening doors
into a world of possibilities for students who come from underrepresented ethnic and
minority groups including immigrants, refugees, and for families seeking asylum.

“We still have adults in our community that have not received their high school diploma
and what does that mean for them, that they have less of an opportunity to participate
in this economy,” said Senator Hueso. “SDCCE is one of those institutions that can
provide a pathway to high paying jobs. These locations help build the middle class,
a pathway for people to support their families.”

Assemblymember Ward added, “These are the investments that have been long overdue
for our community. This is about our future, the hundreds of thousands of community
members who will be able to get a quality education, who will build skills, who will
be able to be a more active part of our community, who will be given an opportunity.”

A planning committee will be formed and meet this fall to begin preserving and restoring
ECC. Theatre renovations will include modern acoustic panels, sound and lighting controls,
updated entries, foyer areas, and seating. Additionally, plans will update surrounding
exterior patio areas, and a new community room that will welcome public use. The project
is estimated to be completed in 2024.

“We are going to be honored to welcome students into this new facility knowing what
it’s going to be able to provide for their futures,” said Ward.

SDCCD Chancellor Cortez is working with the city of San Diego and state officials
to have ECC named as a Civil Rights Landmark Designation.

This press release was produced by San Diego Community College District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.