african american

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Aug 12 2010

Summer literacy programs keep kids on track

The Culver City Freedom School recently held a celebration to commemorate its last day of the summer literacy program, which teaches children the love of reading by using creative storytelling, social action, and high parental involvement.

The program also stresses the importance of civic engagement, and teaches children aspects of their history that, most do not receive as a part of their regular curriculum.

Aug 12 2010

Two African Americans among the seven

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Two African Americans are among the seven people—including healthcare and business experts and an attorney—recently approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to serve on the board of directors of the nonprofit entity being created to oversee operation of the new Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Hospital in Willowbrook. The prospective panelists last week were jointly nominated by Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer William T. Fujioka and Dr. John D.

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Jul 8 2010

Grim Sleeper arrest wraps up decade’s-long investigation

After killing 10 Black women and at least one Black man in South Central Los Angeles for almost 25 years,  a man suspected of being the so-called “Grim Sleeper” was arrested yesterday by the Los Angeles Police Department.
 
The Robbery-Homicide Division of the LAPD took 57-year-old Lonnie David Franklin Jr. into custody at his home on 81st Street near Western Avenue. His arrest is the culmination of an investigation that began more than two decades ago.
 

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Feb 18 2010

A medley of notable Black figures

When Black history month comes up each year, there seems to be a lot of whispering, questioning why Black folks need to have a month to themselves. Jamaal Brown, a young scholar and lecturer of African American history, believes a month is not long enough.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Feb 18 2010

Black presence in winter Olympics grows

On February 12 when the Olympic athletes marched into Vancouver’s BC Place proudly displaying their country’s colors, there were probably not many Black folks in the viewing audience.
That absence just might be a mistake, because during the 2010 Olympics in Canada, athletes of African descent will represent at least 10 countries from around the globe.

Across Black America

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

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.