Overview: Caramel Connections Foundation (CCF) hosted their third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Fair on January 19, 2025, at the Anthony Munoz Community Center in Ontario. The event offered free lunch, financial literacy and mental wellness presentations, and several vaccinations for COVID-19 and the flu. CCF, founded by Executive Director Elizabeth Pinder-McSwain in 2016, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to resolving the health issues that plague many families in the Inland Empire. The event was themed “Faith Over Fear” and brought together many friends, families, associates, and community leaders of all backgrounds to celebrate the legacy of MLK Jr.
Alyssah Hall
Caramel Connections Foundation (CCF) hosted their third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Fair on Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Anthony Munoz Community Center in Ontario. This year’s Unity Celebration theme was “Faith Over Fear” and brought together many friends, families, associates and community leaders of all backgrounds to celebrate the legacy of MLK Jr.
The event offered free lunch, financial literacy and mental wellness presentations, as well as several vaccinations for COVID-19 and the flu. Attendees were also able to access on-site health screenings for blood sugar, blood pressure, and Narcan, in addition to “Hands Only” CPR Training.
CCF, founded by Executive Director Elizabeth Pinder-McSwain in 2016, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to resolving the health issues that plague many families in the Inland Empire. Their mission is to help underserved communities in SoCal make better food choices. It teaches them how to access healthier options in order to prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, childhood obesity and heart disease.
CCF hosts community wellness events, and encourages “healthy hydration,” cooking and gardening initiatives with programs such as “Patriots Corner,” “Whole You Wellness Program” and “Seeds of Joy.” Under these programs, CCF has served 4,500 families and 15,024 meals to seniors impacted by COVID-19, according to their website.
“A lot of [the] time, we forget about our neighbors…Today’s event exemplifies [that] Martin Luther King wanted us to work together. He wanted us to be able to break through barriers, not be judged by our skin,” Pinder-McSwain said. “And as a Black woman, I know that I’m not supposed to be in a position of leadership, and I don’t take it lightly, so I choose intentionally to make sure that I uplift the next generation.”
The event began with opening remarks from Executive Board Member Willie W. Williams, Esq. and an opening prayer by Adrienne Clay from the Pomona Valley Alumnae Chapter Chaplain’s Council of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. These remarks were followed by an MLK Jr. video tribute featuring his prominent “I Have a Dream” speech historically delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C..
CCF also enlisted community leaders to speak, including Senator Susan Rubio of the 22nd District, first term, 4th District Ontario City Councilmember Daisy Macias and Field Representative Sophia Siqueiros who read a statement on behalf of Congresswoman Norma J. Torres.
Sen. Rubio recognized all the sponsors, volunteers and participants at the event and handed out certificates as an acknowledgment of their “continued tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
“Dr. King believed that life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ As we reflect on his life, we are reminded that service is not just an act, but a calling; a calling to fight for what is right, to lift one another up and to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect,” Macias said.
The last item on the agenda was an announcement of who won the raffle ticket prizes. They had children’s books and mini bikes for kids of which an attendee said they would donate to a charity for those affected by the Southern California wildfires. “Our intent is to be able to just service the marginalized that don’t have the same access as everyone, and with the fires right now — some of the raffle prizes were re-donated, so that we can get those to the families that need it. When we can, we’ll try to do our best to get more resources out there. But we are a small nonprofit, so we know that we’re trying our best to make a big impact,” Pinder-McSwain said.
A few of the many guests to the CCF event were first-time attendees and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. sisters and friends like Judy Frazier and Tiffany Bailey. Frazier heard word about the event and decided to check it out since it was in honor of Dr. King. She decided to celebrate MLK Jr. a day early at the event as she wasn’t too thrilled about newly sworn in President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term back in the Whitehouse falling on MLK Jr. day.
“I’m not supporting that idiot, and I’m not watching the inauguration — no. They probably should have put it on a different day, but I think traditionally, it’s always on the 20th, which happens to fall when we celebrate Dr. King. I’m here instead of at home, watching that guy do whatever he’s doing. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to hear the keynote and I’m here to get uplifted,” Frazier said.
The controversial Trump reelection and Inauguration Day was something Pinder-McSwain said she took into consideration while planning the third annual CCF MLK Jr. event. This is why CCF chose the theme “Faith Over Fear,” because a lot of folks are fearful of what’s going to transpire on and after Inauguration Day, according to Pinder-McSwain.
“Most of us right now recognize that his power is not unchecked, so therefore we’re hoping that everyone else does their job to keep him in check. But ‘Faith Over Fear’ was not chosen just arbitrarily. It was literally chosen because of that specific fact that Monday is the inauguration,” Pinder-McSwain said.
