*Denzel Washington recently mentioned that “Black Panther 4” will be one of his last movies before he retires. On Sunday, November 17, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, Dr. George J. McKenna received the mother of all retirement send-offs, in the form of a fundraiser gala given by California Student Achievement Foundation, C-SAF, a charitable organization Dr. McKenna founded whose mission, according to the website, is to empower underserved children to achieve lifelong success.
You may wonder why I paired Denzel and Dr. McKenna. Well, there is a connection. In 1986, Denzel Washington played Dr. McKenna in “The George McKenna Story.”
Dr. McKenna is credited with turning George Washington High School, in South Central Los Angeles, from a gang-infested, crime-riddled school with a low enrollment of 1,200, into a school students were clamoring to attend, with an enrollment of 2,800.
He is as influential as it gets in the education area, and with a career that has spanned over 40 years, Denzel is as big as it gets in the movie arena, so one titan having played another is fitting.
OK, enough of the Denzel and McKenna connection. This stage belongs to Dr. McKenna alone.
Dr. McKenna is from New Orleans, Louisiana, so it was only fitting that his gala had a green, purple, and gold Mardi Gras theme. The photo-taking area had a gold background, with gold, purple and green balloons.
Mardi Gras beads were provided and the tables had Mardi Gras-themed centerpieces and souvenir napkins. The stage included a green, purple, and gold balloon arch with a Mardi Gras mask in the center of the balloon.
Even many of the guests understood the assignment and wore Mardi Gras colors. I did not get the memo. The only thing that did not have a Mardi Gras theme was the display table that contained memorabilia from Dr. McKenna’s illustrious career.
The food was plentiful and delicious. They said they were serving refreshments, but they served anything but…how about a full breakfast and salad bar, including chicken, salmon, and shrimp?
Foshay Middle School’s band provided entertainment, and they were good … period … not just for kids.
Dr. McKenna had the Who’s Who of politicians and educators attend his shindig to give him his flowers, as they celebrated his 60 years in education.
He was handed plaques and proclamations left, right, and center. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Danny Bakewell Sr., Former Brotherhood Crusade President and owner of the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper, were on hand and were among the many who gave speeches.
Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, a Washington High School alum, as is yours truly, was the Mistress of Ceremonies.
Dr. Dechelle Byrd another Washington High Alum and former Washington High Principal, was the host.
Other luminaries and dignitaries on hand were LA School Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, who gave a speech for the ages, City Councilmember Holly Mitchell, CA State Senator Steven Bradford, CA Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the CA Superintendent of Public Instruction, the LA Community College President and Ayanna Davis from Mike Gipson’s office, who McKenna once told, “Baby, you can’t be no punk over there.”
Everyone spoke so eloquently, glowingly, and lovingly about Dr. McKenna, his life, his legacy, and how he impacted them. Wendy Raquel Robinson said it was her time watching Dr. McKenna as principal of Washington which allowed her to play a principal on the Steve Harvey Show for six years.
Dr. Byrd also credited her time at Washington with her later success as the principal at her alma mater. While principal at Washington, Dr. McKenna instituted contracts between the school, students, and parents.
Holly Mitchell mentioned the contract and gave her own contract/promise to protect all Black children.
Senator Bradford mentioned Dr. McKenna being gracious when he worked at IBM, saying, “He didn’t say much, but when he opened his mouth, he had a whole lot to say.”
The senator gave him the smallest of the plaques, mentioning the budget, which got a chuckle from everyone.
There was a video presentation chronicling Dr. McKenna’s 60-year career in education, which has been spent in the Los Angeles, Compton, Inglewood, and Pasadena school districts, which included being a math teacher at Jordan and an assistant principal at Dorsey High Schools before being at the helm of Washington from 1979 – 1988 when he then moved over to become the Superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District. In 2014, he replaced Marguerite LaMotte on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education after her death, where he has stayed until his retirement this month (December 2024).
Dr. McKenna gave a speech as only the 84-year-old trailblazer could, and one that took me back to my days at Washington High, listening to him in assemblies. We, the gala attendees, laughed when he told the story of the late singer Richard “Dimples” Fields performing at Washington, and Wendy Raquel Robinson joining him on stage, uninvited, to sing Betty Wright’s portion of the song, “She’s Got Papers on Me.” He told his staff, “Wendy was either going to be a star or she was going to be incarcerated.”
He also told stories of racism, like being removed from teaching at Gardena High and sent to Jordan because he was Black. There was also a time when his students were using racial slurs and he asked them “if it would surprise them to know a Black man has been teaching the class,” and their response was, “You haven’t been absent.”
Dr. McKenna could very easily pass for White, but he let it be known he was Black. As one speaker put it, the lightest one in the room was the blackest. Dr. McKenna talked about Donald Trump, and said “Education is the answer to everything.”
Dr. McKenna’s supporters, including former students, teachers, staff, educators, and politicians, showed up for him. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. The fundraiser raised $20k, a win for someone who did not want a retirement party.
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