Pasadena NAACP Honors Portantino at 32nd Annual Ruby McKnight Williams Award Dinner

Thursday, October 12 2017

Pasadena, California – This evening, Senator Anthony J. Portantino will be recognized as the recipient of the Civic Award by the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at the 32nd Ruby McKnight Williams Awards Dinner. The Pasadena NAACP will be honoring Senator Portantino for his outstanding commitment to public service and continuous support of the communities he serves.

In 2011, Portantino, together with Joe Hopkins, publisher of The Journal, worked with the Deans of the University of California Business Schools and local leaders to create the Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders (SIEML). The institute engages African American and Latino undergraduates who hope to earn MBA’s and allows them to experience the best of California both academically and culturally. This year, under Portantino’s leadership, $300,000 in ongoing funding was secured for SIEML.

"I am honored to join such a distinguished list of awardees. It is humbling to be in such great company,” Portantino said. “The Pasadena NAACP has been an important part of our district for almost 100 years and its tireless work to address political, educational, social and economic equality for all persons is an inspiration to me.

Senator Portantino is the Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education.  While serving in the State Assembly he chaired the Committee on Higher Education.  Education is Senator Portantino’s number one priority and he continues to work hard to make sure that our students come first. 

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Sen. Portantino represents nearly 930,000 people in the 25th Senate District, which includes Altadena, Atwater Village, Bradbury, Burbank, Claremont, Duarte, Glendale, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta,  Lake View Terrace, La Verne, Los Feliz, Monrovia, Montrose,  Pasadena,  San Dimas, San Marino, Shadow Hills, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena,  Sunland-Tujunga, and Upland.