Brittney M. Walker
OW Staff Writer
Apr 1 2010

Midnight basketball keeps youth off the streets

Lancaster, CA - For more than four years, Rossie Johnson has been an anchor in the community, a role model for youth, and a beacon of light for at-risk teens. Though Antelope Valley offers  a favorable environment to raise families and services are exceptional, many migrants from Los Angeles and other typically active communities know that the drive down the 14 freeway is like traveling to a far away land with little to do, especially for young, active minds.

Apr 1 2010

A three part celebration of Salvation

Each year, church pews fill up around three major holidays: Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter. There is just something sacred and necessary about celebrating these special moments in the Christian church that cannot go unnoticed. The birth of Jesus Christ, aka the Messiah, is the reason Christians are called Christians. Mom is the reason most of Christians know Christ. Easter is the reason Christians can rest easy and live life peacefully.

Mar 25 2010

Yoruba spirituality continued

The Yoruba people are deeply connected to oral tradition, their ancestors and nature. In the Yoruba religion, these elements play significant roles and contribute to overall spiritual wealth and understanding. Being in tune with the Creator and the orisa is a natural way of life.
The Creator, or God, is called Olodumare. He is unique, immortal, omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent as well as king and judge of all. The Creator is the ultimate life source and is all-powerful.

Mar 25 2010

Cutting crime in Lancaster

Lancaster, CA - City officials and community members are joining forces to combat crime in the City of Lancaster through the Weed and Seed Program. In collaboration with the Paving the Way Foundation, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department has officially instituted a crime-cleansing action that will “weed” out gang and drug-related crime. Paving the Way Foundation will plant new crime preventative programs within the neighborhoods.

Mar 25 2010

Exploring your options

Some of us have had that moment in our lives when we take a good look at ourselves in the mirror, grab our fat back, extra belly fat, and rubbing thighs and say, “I wish I could just cut it off!” Even if you really did decide to get it cut off, melt it, or suck it out, with all the horror stories we have heard, lipo just won’t cut it. No pun intended. When dieting and exercise has not been a consistent pursuit or has not reaped the desired results, other options start to look appealing.

Mar 18 2010

Returning to the God of our ancestors

Christianity in the Black community is one of those confusing pieces of history no one really likes to talk about. The religious institution rests at the heart of the Black community, where movements were mobilized, families saved, and children raised. So, questioning the ‘new to us,’ Westernized religious practices of Christianity would be like shifting the foundations of a treasured 500-year-old building.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”