This Black History Month, we are highlighting some of the influences San Diego International Airport (SAN) has in the terminals.

Make your way to Sound Balance, an electronic retail store in SAN’s Terminal 2. Store manager Angie Johnson plays curated music such as R&B and hip hop with pride as customers browse the store’s offerings. 

“It’s all about personal experience. Our culture, we can understand it,” she said. Still, Johnson says the music has universal appeal and she sees people from all over the world dancing and singing along.

Next, walk over to the bookstore Warwick’s of La Jolla at Terminal 2 near Gate 47 and pick up books on Black literary and historical figures in the U.S. The store currently has books about Ruby Bridges, Maya Angelou, and Martin Luther King Jr. on display. They also have U.S. Representative Stacey Abrams’ children’s book, titled Stacey’s Remarkable Words, which was the recipient of an NAACP Image Award.

Finally, admire art from the SAN Arts Program’s temporary exhibition “A Necessary Departure” which examines the COVID-19 pandemic through an artist’s eye. Indulge and ponder local artist Christopher Lloyd Tucker’s digital images on exotic hardwoods in his exhibition titled The Long Years 2020 – 2022 located pre-security in Terminal 2 East. His artwork features portraits of Black and brown people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s the SAN Arts Program’s description: “Tucker’s work situates each character’s experience so they could be interpreted as near opposites: being restored by rest, or violently crushed. Dancing with joy or running in fear. A reflection of the extraordinary patience required of Black and brown people who struggle for meaningful change, he highlights the duality of feelings throughout the pandemic and having to reconcile living at the intense ends of the emotional spectrum.”

A Necessary Departure also features the work of Nigerian-based photographer Ismail Odetola. A description of his exhibition at Terminal 2 titled Humanity: “Odetola’s practice focuses on socioeconomic, political, and ecological justice issues. He has garnered awards from around the world, including from UNESCO. Odetola moved back to a small remote town on the outskirts of Lagos during the pandemic. Bracing for what felt like the end of the world, he gradually discovered a sense of wholeness by watching locals immerse themselves in the magic of an ordinary day. These images create highly saturated scenes intended to portray hope, happiness, work, family and love, hygiene, ecological knowledge, and feelings in an abstract and aesthetical form. They serve as a commentary on our responsibility to reevaluate our overlooked values.”

Small Business Opportunities

Since 2003, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) has ensured local and small companies, including all women- and minority-owned and service-disabled/veteran-owned small businesses in San Diego County, have every opportunity to do business with the airport. Our goal has been to create a level playing field that attracts businesses of all sizes, and that provides opportunities for workers of all genders and ethnicities.

The Airport Authority also holds small business outreach events on an ongoing basis to help local companies get involved in projects at the airport. As a result of this commitment, the Airport Authority has established a strong track record of inclusiveness. For more information on the Airport Authority’s small business development efforts and how you can get involved, please visit https://www.san.org/Business-Opportunities/Small-Business-Development. 

Come work at SAN

The Airport Authority is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all. If you are looking to discover a career in the airport industry or transition from the military to civilian work we have many career opportunities to choose from, check them out here: https://bit.ly/3IfJg47