African Americans

Dec 6 2012

Hosts exhibit highlighting 90 people of note

In 1921, Los Angeles was a young city trying to carve out its place in a world that was rapidly industrializing. It was also a mecca for people of different races, ethnicities and visions.

That included African Americans who left the South in droves seeking a life free of segregation, racism and bigotry. Unfortunately, some of the Whites who perpetuated those ideas and practices also moved West, and Blacks formed organizations in order to fight for their rights.

Nov 22 2012

Policies may discriminate against Blacks, Latinos

In a petition filed Monday with the California Public Utilities Commission, The Greenlining Institute asked the CPUC to hold a proceeding before the end of 2012 to consider policies regarding background checks for workers in CPUC-funded energy efficiency programs. Greenlining expressed concern that without CPUC guidance, utility companies could unilaterally implement policies that exclude qualified, responsible workers and discriminate against Latino and African American job-seekers.

Nov 22 2012

Region dictates preference

Turkey and stuffing are Thanksgiving Day must-haves, but not everyone makes them the same way. When it comes to stuffing, where you live might make a difference in how you make it.

According to a new survey by Mrs. Cubbison’s Kitchen in Los Angeles, celery and onions top the ingredients list, then its regional differences:

• People in the Northeast and West are more likely to add carrots and sausage.

Nov 15 2012

Prisoners believe they have the potential for good with proper help

Trevon seemed to almost peep over the back row of the pew in the chapel at the Norco Correctional Facility. Slight of frame, he didn’t look much older than 16 years with neatly cut dreadlocks and wide, dark eyes. His voice was a bit unsteady, but definitive about the matter at hand: “Prison can be a black box,” he declared. “It’s designed to make you oblivious to real life.”

Nov 1 2012

Less than 2 percent were African Americans

In Fall 2006, the enrollment of African American freshmen at UCLA fell to less than 100 students out of 5,000, or about 2 percent of the class. In a county in which Blacks make up nearly 10 percent of the population, this outrageous statistic led to a groundswell of protest, concern and activism.

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.”