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The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
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As a Black man living in America, Samuel Starks said seeking justice is a part of his dynamic, a part of who he is. Starks said he can’t walk into a room without thinking about how to empower his community and other marginalized groups.
“The through line of what I’ve done has never been about me,” Starks said. “It’s always been about empowering people, so that they can make the change that they need … that they would like to see in the world.”
As part of that advocacy, Starks once worked for SMUD as a community engagement representative, creating multiple diverse employee resource groups for the organization.
He brought the notion of solidarity and community to the nonprofit organization MLK365, which Starks founded and currently serves as executive director. The nonprofit was created to honor the mission of Martin Luther King Jr. year-round, he said.
Starks uses the nonprofit to spearhead critical conversations in Sacramento’s Black community. Starks works with California Forum Crossroads, a nonprofit that encourages “intracultural” discourse to strengthen Sacramento’s African American institutions.
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For the past 25 years, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Starks has led the six-mile “March for the Dream” from Sacramento City College in honor of the civil rights leader.
When he first took over, the march was a small 250-person event at the former Florin Mall.
In the two decades since, Starks has transformed it into one of Sacramento’s largest events with thousands of people participating.
And, Starks said, he has seen the march become more diverse. He’s seen Sacramento evolve.
“(Seeing) people come together mentally, emotionally, physically,” Starks said. “You see generations: people who are now grandparents whose grandchildren are now marching … I’ve seen America grow. I’ve seen Sacramento grow.”
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