Ardelle Matthews, longtime community activist with her late husband (Bob Matthews), is the grand marshal in this year's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, which she and her husband have been instrumental in the continued growth and development of, celebrating the life and work of Dr. King.
“When you’re out in the public, people might say, ‘Oh, she thinks she’s better because she’s up there.’ That’s not the way I think of it,” she says. “I think of doing a duty as a human being to let others know that they are loved, that they represent themselves and humanity, and that they should be treated with respect while also treating others with respect.”
Since their arrival in 1955, the Matthews quickly became committed to the work of equality and racial justice in their new community. They joined and led a number of local organizations, including the Urban League, the NAACP, Christ United Presbyterian Church, the Kiwanis Club, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. They were also a big part of the work to bring the Jackie Robinson YMCA to their community, and in the evolution of this weekend’s parade .
The word “grand marshal” sounds so grand and elegant, eloquent and beautiful, so I want to represent that beauty that I know is in us as human beings, in humanity. I like to represent that. As grand marshal of the parade, I hope that’s what people see. That’s the idea Bob continued on the committee he was on, and he continued it through his coordinating of the parade with the support of his fraternity.
One of the things we felt it needed was a YMCA, so we worked with a group on establishing a building and getting a new executive director. At that time, we were talking about injustices in San Diego and we felt that we could talk about it because we had laws and people who supported the laws of the city. At that time, the US Grant was not allowing African Americans into their bar and restaurant, so we worked on that.
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