Senator Anderson receives Bridge Builder Award

SAN DIEGO - California State Senator Joel Anderson (38th District) received the Chuck Nichols & Pierre Frazier Bridge Builder Award from the USS Midway Museum's Diversity & Inclusion Committee Jan. 12 at the sixth annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Luncheon.

Committee chair Gabe Cruz stated, "Senator Anderson has been a tireless advocate on behalf of all San Diegans. He was responsible for renaming a portion of I-15 the 'Tuskegee Airmen Highway' in honor of the African-American WWII Army Air Force air group, and he is widely recognized as a tireless advocate for veterans of all ethnicities."

While accepting the award, Anderson shared with luncheon attendees that working with members of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee to pass Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 90 and meeting former Tuskegee Airman at the highway dedication ceremony was one of the greatest honors of his legislative career.

"While I don't pretend to fully understand the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen, I do believe that what we can learn from them is this: over the course of its history, America has often failed to live up to its promise," said Anderson. "But that promise is still worth fighting for – whether it's in the skies of Europe, or on a bridge in Selma – the idea of America is worth the fight."

According to the committee, the award is given "to a community leader who embodies the spirit of the committee's mission and who works to improve relationships, understanding, cooperation and inclusion among the various ethnic communities living and working in the San Diego area (or whose work and inclusion efforts significantly impact San Diegans even though that work may occur or have occurred elsewhere)."