By Jorge Casuso

December 18, 2024 -- The City on Saturday will hold a special ceremony honoring Lloyd C. Allen, a longtime civic leader and champion of civil rights who became Santa Monica's first black millionaire.

The ceremony for Allen, who celebrated his 103rd birthday in August, includes the unveiling of a plaque recognizing "his legacy of advocacy and public service in Santa Monica," City officials said.

The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, near the roundabout entrance by the Thelma Terry building.

The event -- which features speeches by Mayor Lana Negrete and Allen -- is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Allen was the first Black member of the Recreation and Parks Commission, where he served in the 1960s and early 1970s and played a pivotal role in the creation of the 9.5-acre park at Virginia Avenue that opened in 1975.

He became Santa Monica's first black millionaire with the janitorial supply store that opened in 1949 at the corner of Fourth Street and Pico Boulevard, then the heart of a thriving Black community that numbered some 2,000 residents.

A pioneering Black entrepreneur, Allen established multiple businesses in the late 1950s "that significantly enriched the community," City officials said.

Over 56 years he established ventures that included Allen Maintenance, Allen Janitorial Supplies and Equipment and Allen Vacuum Repairs at the Pico location.

"My commitment has always been to create spaces and opportunities where everyone regardless of background can come together, thrive and feel a sense of belonging,” Allen said.

A civil rights activist, Allen pushed -- and picketed -- for businesses to hire more Black employees and arranged for Dr. Martin Luther King to speak at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

“Mr. Allen’s legacy is seen and felt every day in Santa Monica and it is truly an honor to acknowledge his decades of service and contributions to our community,” Negrete said.

To learn more about Mr. Allen’s many accomplishments, watch the YouTube video of the council proclamation declaring Aug. 28, Mr. Allen’s birthday, as Lloyd C. Allen Day. The proclamation can be found here.