Natalie Guerrero and Le’Anne Norfleet are joined by members of the Dr. MLK Jr. Cultural Committee and Sen. Steve Bradford for a celebratory photo on Saturday in front of the Nakaoka Community Center. The essay winners each received a $1,000 scholarship from the MLK Jr. Cultural Committee of Gardena and that figure was matched by Bradford. Both ladies are recent graduates of Gardena High. Norfleet is headed to UCLA in the fall and Guerrero will attend UC Davis. (Gary Kohatsu)
Le’Anne Norfleet, a recent Gardena High School graduate, was one of two essay winners in the 2021 Arthur L. Johnson college scholarship contest. She plans to attend UCLA in the fall and major in history. A special ceremony for the scholar recipients took place Saturday, July 23 on the steps of the Nakaoka Community Center. (Gary Kohatsu)Natalie Guerrero was also a recipient of the 2021 Arthur L. Johnson college scholarship for her essay on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme of this year’s essay was, “Is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. still relevant in today’s society?” Guerrero will attend UC Davis in the fall. (Gary Kohatsu)Crystani Freeman, a 2017 Johnson scholarship recipient, returned this year as a guest speaker to give words of encouragement. Freeman attended UC Davis. The Arthur L. Johnson college scholarship is presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Committee of Gardena. Johnson worked diligently in the early 1970s to get the city of Gardena to honor MLK. Gardena was the first city west of the Mississippi to celebrate Dr. King, which included a parade. (Gary Kohatsu)Natalie Guerrero and Le’Anne Norfleet are joined by members of the Dr. MLK Jr. Cultural Committee and Sen. Steve Bradford for a celebratory photo on Saturday in front of the Nakaoka Community Center. The essay winners each received a $1,000 scholarship from the MLK Jr. Cultural Committee of Gardena and that figure was matched by Bradford. Both ladies are recent graduates of Gardena High. Norfleet is headed to UCLA in the fall and Guerrero will attend UC Davis. (Gary Kohatsu)From left, Natalie Guerrero and Le’Anne Norfleet were co-winners of the 2021 MLK essay contest. This year’s theme was whether MLK is still relevant in today’s society. Each won a $1,000 scholarship, which was matched on Saturday by Sen. Steven Bradford, a lifelong Gardenan and former Gardena Councilman. (Gary Kohatsu)Jorge Guerrero leads the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Guerrero is the younger brother of scholarship winner, Natalie Guererro. He placed third in the essay competition. (Gary Kohatsu)
