Disney Legend Martha Blanding will be speaking to the graduates of the Cal State Fullerton College of Humanities and Social Sciences on May 21 at Titan Stadium. Along with speaking to the 2025 graduates, Blanding will also be given a Doctor of Humane Letters degree. This will be taking place at the 8:00 AM ceremony, one of 12 ceremonies that will be taking place.
“I’m incredibly humbled and so very proud of this honor from my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton,” Blanding said in a statement. “In addition to so many fond memories of my days living in the CSUF dorms and taking classes that served me well in my professional life, it’s also where my Disney career was launched when Disneyland was on campus to recruit students to be cast members. It’s hard for me to convey how much this honor means to me, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to return to CSUF on such a special occasion for me and all the graduates.”
Martha Blanding was honored as a Disney Legend during the 2024 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. She worked at Disneyland for 50 years. She came to The Happiest Place on Earth! after being told by a high school guidance counselor that she should learn to work with her hands because she’d never make it in corporate America. However, as she said in her acceptance speech at D23, her mother told her, “Never to let other people determine your future.”
Martha Blanding was hired at Disneyland in 1971 as a part-time tour guide. Within a year, she would be promoted to a full-time tour guide at Disneyland. This made her the first-ever Black tour guide for Disneyland. In this role and eventually, as a VIP hostess, she showed incredible hospitality and courtesy and continued the legacy of Walt Disney’s dream. She hosted guests like Diana Ross, Elton John, Cher, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and Bob Hope. She was also the hostess for U.S. governmental officials and international delegates.
She shared about the role, saying, “It was very important to me that every guest experience was special. As cast members, our job is to create happiness and that’s what I strove for every day.” She credited her welcoming personality, which was a core to every tour that she led, to her upbringing. It gave her the tools she needed to interact with all types of people.
Throughout her career, she worked her way up through different roles at Disneyland, particularly within Disneyland merchandise management. She was the first-ever Black woman in this role at Disneyland and one of the first Black cast members in management across the company as a whole. Eventually, she became a Senior Manager of Disneyland Resort merchandise special events. In this role, she produced events for people like Julie Andrews, James Earl Jones, Kurt Russell, Annette Funicello, Walt Disney Imagineers, and animators.
Throughout her career, she led and cared for cast members at Disneyland. She became a mentor to many and co-founded PULSE (People United to Lead, Serve and Excel), a business employee resource group for cast members of African and Caribbean descent and backgrounds, as well as allies. She retired in 2022. In 2024, she was honored as a Disney Legend.
Martha Blanding also recently released her new book with co-author Tim O’Day. Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth. This book tells her story.
“Martha Blanding is a trailblazer who has broken barriers and built bridges throughout her distinguished career,” said CSUF President Ronald S. Rochon. “From a tour guide to an executive leader at Disney, Martha’s journey is a powerful story of perseverance, brilliance and bold ambition. Her career and leadership exemplify the very best of our Titan spirit and values.”
