Features

May 1 2008

A conversation about the economy sparks interest with most Americans.

As gas prices soar and foreclosures still climb, entrepreneurs and consumers alike are worried about their financial futures. 

Earl Ofari Hutchinson  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 1 2008

On September 4, 21 year old Joshua Pomier will have served nearly four years in a detention center near San Bernardino, California.

  Pomier is charged with multiple counts of car theft and robbery. There are two deeply troubling problems with the amount of time he has spent behind bars. One, he has not been convicted of any of the crimes he’s charged with. He had barely turned 18 years old when he and another juvenile were arrested for the crimes in September 2004. Pomier and family members vehemently protest his innocence.

May 1 2008

HELP FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSERS

The following numbers can be contacted for drug and alcohol assistance. Alcoholics Anonymous (323) 936-4343, Cocaine Anonymous (310) 216-4444, Narcotics Anonymous (323) 933-5395

May 1 2008

May 1
Roundtable.

The Weekly Obama Watch Roundtable will provide a friendly discussion forum featuring speakers and community input. Lucy Florence Coffeehouse, 3351 W. 43 St., L.A. 7 to 8 p.m. (310) 672-2542. 

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
May 1 2008

Everybody say ‘Amen!’

Get ready to clap your hands, Praise the Lord, and shout Hallelujah as gospel music superstars take the stage in a magnificent celebration of song. BET’s eighth annual celebration hosts such personalities as Grammy Award® winners Kirk Franklin, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Dr. Bobby Jones and Pastor Shirley Caesar. 

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.