Business

Mar 19 2009

Sisters make history, friends

 Los Angeles, CA -- After Debra Smith and Vanessa Howard decided to start selling Obama items in late October, the two Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs discovered what they were doing was so much more than another way to increase revenue coming into Spin Studio, their clothing manufacturing company.

Mar 19 2009

Toffee Sensations offers affordable healthy menu

 Los Angeles, CA - With endless opinions on whether our economy will rebound this year, doubts that a stimulus package is the answer to the nation’s deficit problem, and thousands unemployed, it is no wonder families are continuing to scale back even more. Spending extra money for healthier meals versus picking up a quick, prepared dinner from Jack In The Box, McDonalds, KFC, etc., for a little over $10.00 is more appealing and financially manageable for most households.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Mar 13 2009

Task Force to address blight

Frustration and skepticism were the dominant emotions residents and business owners in Leimert Park expressed to a panel of city and county officials at a meeting last Wednesday of the Empowerment Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council.

They were frustrated about the lack of progress with the Marlton Square development and demanded that officials clean up the site immediately and eliminate what they said were serious hazards including suspected hazardous waste.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Mar 13 2009

NAWBO-LA honors women business leaders

Nine outstanding business women were recently honored for their contributions to business and the community in Los Angeles at the 22nd Annual Leadership and Legacy Awards luncheon given by the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Mar 13 2009

Secretary Jackson joins Villaraigosa and Operation HOPE in support of California homeowners

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson traveled to Los Angeles as part of the HOPE Now Alliance Initiative trumpeting several White House foreclosure prevention initiatives and announcing the FHA’s recent decision to more than double the lending limit for Los Angeles and Orange County. Hosted by global financial literacy organization Operation HOPE (HOPE), Secretary Jackson was greeted by several dignitaries, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. 

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.”