Honor Roll

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
May 31 2012

Actor Larenz Tate steps up as spokesman

California Community Foundation (CCF), the public foundation for all of Los Angeles County, recently announced a five-year, multimillion-dollar investment in the future of Black male youth, in partnership with several private foundations and local nonprofit organizations. The goal of the initiative, called BLOOM, which stands for Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Black Men, is redirecting teens who are or have been in the county probation system away from adult incarceration and onto a path of educational and employment opportunities.

May 24 2012

Four African Americans will be inducted into their tribes

Los Angeles will join other U.S. cities and African countries in commemorating the 39th Africa Day with a free one-day cultural festival on Saturday, May 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Carson at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
May 17 2012

Organization gears up for Museum Day

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Pacific Region, South District, in conjunction with the C3 Foundation and Pressline Entertainment recently held the “Invention to Innovation, See Yourself—See the Future” Urban Youth Technology Fair 2012 at St. Andrews Park, 8701 St. Andrews Place.

May 10 2012

Sister Circle and JAAMAL celebrate at CAAM

Thomas Jefferson High School administration, teachers, and students gathered at the California African American Museum recently to celebrate its first awards banquet for student groups Sister Circle and Jefferson African American Male Academy of Leadership (JAAMAL).

Founded by Bobbi McDaniel, after a riot between Black and Latino students erupted on campus at Santee High School in 2005, Sister Circle was formed as support group for the Black female students who felt that their voices and concerns we not being heard or addressed.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 26 2012

Free touring, boating and submarine ride

The Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy (CECE) recently established a partnership with the Greater Union Baptist Church to operate an environmental tour called the “Compton to Catalina Program,” which takes students and other young people from Compton to Catalina Island.

The CECE and the California Center for Economic Initiatives (CCFEI) are also partnering under the Compton to Catalina program to expose Compton youth to boating and to provide young adults with technical training in boat repair and maintenance.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 5 2012

Group seeks to aid at-risk youth

In 2006, the United Job Creation Council (UJCC) was organized under the leadership of Bishop Noel Jones, senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church, and Bard Carson of Jobs Create Peace, to impact the economic needs of underserved communities by creating greater access to employment through construction and other jobs.

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.”