Deborah Santana to Receive the Marin County Human Rights Commission's 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award at a Jan. 18 Ceremony

Deborah Santana to Receive the Marin County Human Rights Commission's 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award at a Jan. 18 Ceremony

Honor Recognizes Ms. Santana's Outstanding Contributions in the Areas of Human and Civil Rights Including the Milagro Foundation, Established in 1998

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Author, philanthropist and business executive Deborah Santana has been selected as one of the Marin County Human Rights Commission's recipients of the 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards. The honor, which includes a Marin Community Foundation stipend to be given in Ms. Santana's name to a non-profit organization of her choice, cites Santana's "exceptional contribution" and "outstanding efforts in the area of human and civil rights" and will be awarded tonight Thursday, January 18, 2007 at a dinner and ceremony at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in San Rafael.

Upon learning of her selection for the Award, Ms. Santana commented, "The deepest meaning and joy in life is to serve people and advocate for the rights of those who are marginalized in society, especially children. I am honored to receive this recognition."

A longtime Marin County resident, Deborah Santana established the Milagro Foundation with her husband, musician Carlos Santana, in 1998. A non-profit organization serving children and youth in the areas of health, education and the arts, Milagro -- which means "miracle" -- has disbursed over $2 million to agencies and programs worldwide since its inception. More than 50% of Milagro grants target Marin County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with beneficiaries including: Marin Community Clinic, Performing Stars Of Marin, Home Away From Homelessness, Marin Interfaith Youth Outreach, Marin Literacy Program, Parent Services Project, Youth In Arts, KIPP SF Bay Academy, and Jeannette Prandi Children's Center, to name just a few.

In addition to guiding Milagro, Deborah has been recognized, along with Carlos Santana, for her long-term work on behalf of Artists For A New South Africa's (ANSA) pioneering initiatives battling the AIDS crisis in South Africa and at-risk communities in the U.S. In 2003, Deborah and Carlos donated 100% of the proceeds from Santana's North American summer tour to ANSA's Amandla AIDS Fund. In 2006, Ms. Santana was an event chair for ANSA's 75th birthday tribute for Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Los Angeles, and she traveled to South Africa with an ANSA delegation to be part of the official celebration there -- and to witness the impact of ANSA's work throughout the country and specifically with the Ingwavuma Orphan Care program in Kwazulu-Natal.

Deborah's contributions also include serving on the Awards Committee for the San Francisco Foundation's Community Leadership Awards and the Board of Directors for S.F.'s Museum of the African Diaspora. She mentors girls and young women through various activities, and is a major voice advocating support for Hurricane Katrina victims and the rebuilding of New Orleans. In early '06, she visited the city to see first-hand the devastation and determine how to best make a difference. After meeting with Marian Wright Edelman and observing the Children's Defense Fund's New Freedom Schools there, the Santanas made a significant personal donation with a matching grant from Milagro.

As an author, Deborah Santana has won acclaim for her first book, Space Between The Stars: My Journey To An Open Heart, a powerful tale of personal metamorphosis set against a backdrop of bold cultural transition. Mark Bryan, co-author of The Artist's Way at Work, called the book -- published in hardcover and audio editions by Random House in 2005 and paperback in 2006 -- "A beautiful memoir ... Santana has the courage to candidly discuss her life at the center of rock and roll history including its glamour, excesses, and its glories -- and show us a much bigger truth -- the power of the human spirit to prevail over the shadows of the human mind."

Space Between The Stars also recounts Deborah's upbringing in a biracial family in 1950s San Francisco -- her father, famed African-American blues guitarist and singer Saunders King, and her mother, Irish/British-American career woman Jo Frances King, married before interracial unions were legal in many states. Raised in a colorblind household where it was believed all dreams were possible, Deborah came of age listening to the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. She developed her sense of equality and social justice within this context of historic change.

Ms. Santana has said, "What I care about is transformation. Life happens to all of us, and we make choices. Sometimes those choices are fabulous and sometimes they give us hard lessons. But we can grow to be strong and beautiful people who have love at the core of our beings."

That spirit and the courage, wisdom and strength behind it come through clearly in Deborah Santana's written words, her outspoken voice advocating human and civil rights and in her actions, including her stewardship of the Milagro Foundation and support for ANSA and other organizations. Married since 1973 to Carlos Santana -- with whom she has three children -- Deborah also serves as Vice President/COO of the New Santana Band, Inc. Her life is an affirmation of the principles behind the Marin County Human Rights Commission's Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards.

For more information, log on to www.deborahsantana.com

Source: Santana Management

CONTACT: Michael Jensen, +1-626-585-9575, info@jensencom.com, for
Santana Management

Web site: http://www.deborahsantana.com/

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