She looks at the past as a way to find and share strength

It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but Sheryl Mallory-Johnson and her team decided to keep going. When she had first learned that 1619 marked the year that the first enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown, Va., the 400-year anniversary was fast approaching, and she wanted to do something to commemorate it. She got some friends together and created the 1619 National Celebration of Black Women.

The organization grew from an initial celebration in 2019, to a nonprofit focused on affirming and uplifting Black women and girls through education and community events. This year, the organization is hosting its annual All About Black Women symposium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 7 at the Bayview Baptist Church MLK Center; and their Women’s Empowerment March & Celebration at 11 a.m. March 8, which is International Women’s Day, at the Encanto/62nd Street trolley station, followed by a community celebration at Marie Widman Neighborhood Park.

“I really wanted to take this opportunity to focus in on African American women and our contributions to building America. I wanted to focus on Black women because, often, we are kind of relegated to the back of the line when it comes to what we have done in history,” she says.

Mallory-Johnson, 62, is the founder, CEO, and executive chair of the organization and lives in Chula Vista with her husband, Rudolph Johnson. She’s also a retired child prote...