Community Coalition

Stanley O. Williford  |   OW Editor
Mar 8 2012

Crisis situation leading to criminal justice system

Perhaps Manual Arts student Joshua Ham said it best when he attempted to walk the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California through a day in his school life. 

He talked of the police cars around the campus, the helicopter flying overhead, the gates around the campus, searches by school security guards and cops patrolling the grounds. . . .

“How can we truly be expected to achieve at a high academic level when we’re treated more like we’re in prison than in school?” he asked.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jan 19 2012
Empowerment Congress turns 20

Perhaps more than at any time in recent history, this year’s recognition and celebration of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is paying homage to his legacy of social justice for all.

One element of this locally was the 20th anniversary celebration of the Empowerment Congress, marked on Saturday at USC. The event featured the Rev. Al Sharpton as the keynote speaker, and he challenged the audience of thousands to maintain and protect the hard-won civil rights that Dr. King and his generation fought to achieve.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Sep 29 2011

Number of grandmother parents grows

She’s a praying woman who faithfully attends Sunday school and morning service every week, along with Tuesday night prayer and Bible study. She wakes up every morning and prays for the family and prepares breakfast for her household full of grandbabies. She struggles to make ends meet on her measly Social Security check and government funds. Not to mention her health isn’t the best.

She’s that grandmother who has paid her dues, raised her own children and is now raising her children’s children.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Aug 4 2011

New maps still pose problems

The process of redrawing the political lines for congressional, as well as the state assembly, senate and Board of Equalization districts is winding down, and the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) now awaits comments from the public on the final preliminary maps.

CRC will vote on the maps Aug. 15.

The African American Redistricting Collaborative will hold a meeting this evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the West Angeles Villas to discuss the maps, answer questions and provide direction on what comments residents should forward to the commission.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jul 28 2011

Leaders still alert to efforts to change districts

It is down to the wire and leaders in the African American community continue to remain vigilant about the redistricting effort being conducted by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC).

In fact, this past weekend, a pitched battle ensued as some of the commissioners attempted to condense all of the African American districts into one.

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.