Rites of Passage program becomes a GIFT to young girls
Redirecting their energy might be key to their success
The GIFT (Girls Interested in Finding the Truth) Rites of Passage program was created by Queen Aminah Muhammad as a way to do something about the negative influences impacting youth in South Los Angeles. The mission of the organization is to improve the lives of young women ages 10-19 who have been adversely affected by illiteracy, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, gang violence and other social problems, and to create positive change in their lives.
“I used to own a clothing store in downtown Inglewood, and as the children would get out of school, they would walk past the store and they would be loud and cussing and fighting and kissing etc., and it always spurred up a conversation in the store about the state of our young people. But one day I realized that rather than just talking about it and doing nothing, instead of being part of the problem, I could be part of the solution,” Muhammad said.
Queen Aminah has, in the past, worked with the KJLH radio station’s Women’s Health Forum to help impact young girls and had started working with youth in schools during Black History Month. She recalls that the feedback from the students as well as the parents, teachers, and administrators was overwhelming.
“I had their support, but at the same time they only wanted me there during the month of February and I knew that they needed this type of mentorship and these lessons more than just during Black History Month, so I decided to launch the GIFT Rites of Passage program at my own store. Now I am able to do it my way, and I can get through to these young girls on a more consistent level.”
Queen Aminah says that she decided to target young girls because she believes that if she can teach them and help them to improve and maintain their self-esteem and self-respect, then the young men will follow. “Helping the girls will help the whole society,” she said.
One important aspect of the GIFT Rites of Passage program is teaching abstinence. Through the program the girls are taught African dance, poetry, sewing, knitting, crocheting, jewelry-making, etiquette, yoga, and learning these creative skills helps to focus their energies less on boys and sexual activity, believes Queen Aminah.
Secondly, with the state of the current job market, she realizes that as the young girls graduate from school, there aren’t going to be many jobs lined up and waiting for them. So, giving them these skills may enable them to have a small business of their own. “We need to bring something holistic back to the community,” she said.
Registration for the program begins July 12., which is also the first day of instruction and the program will run for six weeks through Aug. 23. Classes will be held Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. at Queen Aminah’s clothing store The Sister’s Marketplace at 4339 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles.
The cost is $10 per class and scholarships are available. No one will be turned away.
For more information, contact Queen Aminah at queenaminahclothing@yahoo.com or by telephone at (323) 772-6315.
Los Angeles police say two suspects have been arrested for the murder of 5-year-old Aaron Shannon, and are being held without bail. Leonard Hall Jr., 21, was taken into custody today (Friday) about at 2:10 a.m. at an apartment in the 200 block of West. 27th Str. Marcus Denson, 18, was arrested Thursday evening by Sheriff’s deputies in the 1100 block of East 83rd Street. Law enforcement officials say both suspects are active gang members.
The Crenshaw Subway Coalition is gearing up for a possible showdown over additional funding for the Crenshaw-to-LAX light rail line, including a Leimert Park Village Station, but may have to await a May 23 decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board on just how bruising—or necessary—a showdown will be.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Paramedics transported a 50-year-old man to the hospital in cardiac arrest after he was detained by officers for yelling, screaming and interfering with traffic at a South Los Angeles intersection, police said today.
The incident at the intersection of 51st Street and Wall, just east of Main Street, took place about 10:45 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. David Garland, watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Station.
Continuing the national call for more green urban landscapes, a unique recreation center in South Los Angeles will open soon with hopes of capturing the natural beauty of the Southland’s numerous watersheds. The nine-acre South Los Angeles Wetlands Park at the former Metropolitan Transit Association bus yard at 54th Street and Avalon Boulevard is scheduled to open at the end of the year and, said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, and will be a “transformative project” combining wildlife, park space and educational facilities.
In the latest developments involving accused “Grim Sleeper” suspect Lonnie David Franklin Jr., six additional murders have been attributed to the defendant, bringing the total number of alleged killings committed between 1985 and 2007 to 16.
These additional victims were linked via a combination of forensic research, specifically DNA, and circumstantial evidence.
