At this year’s D23, BGN had the opportunity to interview recently announced Disney Legend Martha Blanding as she promoted her new book Groundbreaking Magic. Ms. Blanding started as a young woman from South Central LA (Watts and Compton) who took a chance, defied the odds, and became the first-ever Black American to achieve a 50-year career with the Walt Disney Company.
Martha Blanding was the first full-time Black tour guide, the first Black woman in management, the first Black buyer in merchandise, the first Black female to retire from Disneyland after 50 years, and the first Black Disney Parks employee to become a Disney Legend. She was also one of the founders of PULSE (People United to Lead, Serve, & Excel), the diversity group for Black cast members and allies.
Her journey from an entry-level position to a VIP Tour Guide at Disneyland is chronicled in her new book and highlights the importance of determination and cultural representation. In this interview with BGN, Ms. Blanding’s resilience, dedication, and determination shine through as she acknowledges the challenges faced by people of color within the company and the significance of having role models and mentors, particularly in the face of adversity.
Black Girl Nerds: What did you want to be as a kid?
A school teacher. I ended up at Disney because I was going to Cal State Fullerton, and I’m a twin. Both of us were in college at the same time. So, you can imagine how expensive it is to have one child in college, and my parents had two. Plus, I had two other brothers. So, I wanted to help my parents with my tuition, and I needed a job. I heard about getting a job at Disneyland.
So I went and applied for a job. I was initially hired as a dish-up at the Plaza. I never made it there because I was talking to someone after my interview, and someone else came over and asked me if I wanted to be a tour guide. I looked at him and said, okay, whatever, I don’t know what that is. But I knew I didn’t want to work in the kitchen because my mother and grandmother were caterers, so I knew all about the food world. So I said okay. They set up interviews with the managers and everything. I went and interviewed and got the job.
A kind of “started from the bottom, now we’re here” moment — the first Black VIP tour guide, the first Black female leader at Disneyland Resort. Not an easy feat, I imagine, given the time you started and just how big Disneyland grew during that time. But someone had to be first, right? What guided you and kept pushing you forward to climb higher, keep going, and be the best of the best? What kept you going?
Me. My mother. My Aunt Ella. My Aunt Elise. They were amazing women in my life. I felt that if I could be just half of what they were, I’d be alright. And I just love helping people. I love creating magic for the cast and our guests. I just had this determination to do more, do better, continue to do more, and be a good example for my own culture and others. I just couldn’t stop.
You’re a Disney legend. Congratulations.
[Tears up.]Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you emotional!
That’s alright. I’m kind of a crybaby.
You’re in a class with Angela Bassett. Harrison Ford. What has this experience been like for you? When you found out, what were you thinking?
I saw the lineup, and the only two Black people in there were the beautiful, amazing Angela Bassett, who I am a fan of. When they made the announcement, it was like Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, and I’m like, holy shit. She’s gorgeous, okay! Then there’s me. Then Harrison Ford, I’m a fan of his also. I’m an Indiana Jones girl. It’s just amazing. I am speechless, and I’m never speechless. I always have something to say. I am trying to accept it and own it. I’ll own it, but I’ll have it by tomorrow.
After 50 years of Disney, is there anything that surprised you the most about the evolution of the company, how it’s grown over the years, and where it’s going for the future?
When we went through the COVID situation, a lot of us were laid off for a short period of time. Internally, we had some conversations with some of our executives. The first one that we had, Bob Iger spoke, and the words that he said that needed to be said, he had the guts to say them. That really struck me. But, you know what? We may not be exactly where we need to be as far as having enough Black executives or any other people of color executives, but we’re on our way.
It’s so much better than what it was when I first started working at Disneyland. Can they do better? Yes. Will they do better? Yes. Are they? Yes. And they work very hard to support Black Lives Matter, but they also support Hispanics, Asians, Black women, white women, everybody. They do a good job of support. That was such a big thing for us, and they lived up to my expectations.
