Exceptional character and special talent make for an extraordinary person. Martha Blanding is the first Black woman to retire with 50 years of service to The Walt Disney Company.
The South-Central native became a Disney Legend at D23 2024, among stars like Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. Blanding is the very definition of a trailblazer who defied the odds to become Disney’s first Black VIP Tour Guide in the early 1970s. On October 1, her new book, “Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth,” will explore her personal journey through a changing America.
Blanding grew up in the Compton/ Watts area with her twin sister and two brothers. She is the oldest of four. In 1971, she studied at Cal State Fullerton to become an elementary school teacher. Blanding was hired as a tour guide and soon after, became a VIP hostess touring guests like Diana Ross, Cher, Elton John, Cary Grant, and Rock Hudson. She was promoted to VIP Tour Hostess in less than a year, touring legendary entertainment notables and numerous domestic and international dignitaries.
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Blanding soon became the first-ever Black female in management at Disneyland, eventually becoming the senior manager of Disneyland Resort Merchandise Special Events, where she worked with world-renowned artisans, celebrities, and Disney Legends. Along the way, she helped pioneer and produce the Official Disneyana Convention, a forerunner of today’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience.
After a few years, Blanding was asked to enter a program to help promote employees, which launched a long portion of her career as a merchandise buyer for the park. She exceled to Senior Manager of Merchandise Special Events, overseeing everything from book signings to multi-million dollar generating events. After school her goals were to work and save money to help her parents pay for college, and then return to get her teaching credentials, but the Disneyland career took off, and as she describes it, “the rest is history.” From her unique vantage point, Blanding set out to make as many positive changes as possible.
When asked about how she navigates work-life balance, Blanding shared, “to be honest, it was hard because I loved what I was doing. I stayed involved in my church, and family is very important to me, so those two areas of my life kept me grounded and balanced.”
“My advice for young Black professionals, especially women, I tell them what my mother told me, ‘Don’t let other people determine your future; that’s your job. Be positive in your thinking, look for a career that you love, listen, and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to try something new, and if you don’t like what you’re doing, walk away and try something else.’ Always put your best foot forward, you never know who is watching you.”
Blanding became the first Black American to retire with a half-century-long career with The Walt Disney Company and was named a Disney Legend in 2024, the first full-time Black tour guide at Disneyland Resort, the first full-time Black VIP Hostess at Disneyland Resort, the first Black female in management at Disneyland Resort overseeing multi-million dollar-generating merchandise-based special events, many featuring globally acclaimed artists, authors, and celebrities, including Thomas Kincade, Shag, Noah, Mickey Mantle, Kurt Russell, Annette Funicello, James Earl Jones, Marie Osmond, and Julie Andrews. The first Black female merchandise buyer at Disneyland Resort, which also made her the first Black female merchandise buyer in the Disney Parks division of The Walt Disney Company, and the co-founder of the first Black diversity group, called PULSE, at the Disneyland Resort, along with being its first chair/co-chair of PULSE for its inaugural six years with Freda Hardison.
Amongst all her inaugural accomplishments, Blanding co-founded PULSE, a Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) for Black cast members and employees. PULSE stands for People United to Lead Serve and Excel and started as a Disneyland Resort diversity resource group, now it is known as a BERG. PULSE was created as an in-company community, where cast members and salaried staff of color could freely embrace their culture and exchange experiences while positively contributing to the success of Disneyland Resort as a sounding board, advocacy group, and advisement resource.
Blanding has been instrumental in opening doors for other young Black professionals to thrive at Disney. She wants to continue to inspire those looking to break barriers and extend their reach in the industry. While explaining her excitement and reminiscing about her credentials, Blanding said “I feel excited; the whole experience is amazing, and I am honored. Looking back over 50 years, I had no idea I was the first of anything! Somebody must have been keeping tabs because the next thing I knew was that I was told I had been the first permanent Black tour guide and VIP Hostess at Disneyland, along with being the first Black female buyer, the first Black woman in management at the park (and of the first in the entire Walt Disney Company), and the first Black employee in the entire company to retire with a half-century of service.”
“My journey is a great American success story, not just for me but for my family as well. My parents were good, hardworking high school sweethearts who grew up in North Carolina during the Great Depression. Eventually, they came to California, hoping for a better life, and started a family. This was during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, so the book reflects much of what we experienced here in LA (lots of good and bad). And, of course, there is my unbelievable Disney career that includes lots of fun and misadventures with celebrities, artists, authors, and athletes. Now, after being designated a Disney Legend, I want people to be inspired by my story. If a little girl from Watts (who was told by her high school counselor that I would never make it in corporate America) can indeed make it, so can you! You’ll laugh, cry, and be reminded that you have the magic to make your own dream come true.”
Upon her retirement in 2022, Blanding has been honored by Disney and her story will be told all over the nation with “GROUNDBREAKING MAGIC: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth,” available in stores and online on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
