Honor Roll

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
May 19 2011

Non-profits assistance spans continents

Two Los Angeles-based organizations are working to improve the quality of life in the Motherland, specifically Cameroon, where the rates of HIV infection, maternal mortality and lack of access to healthcare and education are major issues. Additionally, about half of Cameroonians lack sustainable access to safe sanitation while over one-third lacks sustainable access to safe water.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
May 12 2011

Having suffered, he reaches out to others who suffer

The HIV rate continues to climb at terrifying rates for African Americans, and suicides continue to soar for teens and young adults around the world. According to the Centers of Disease Control, in 2007, African Americans accounted for 46 percent of people living with HIV infection, and approximately 233,624 Blacks died from AIDS.

AIDS is the third leading cause of death for both Black men and women ages 35-44.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
May 5 2011

Keeping our kids on horses and off the streets

The Compton Jr. Posse (CJP) was developed to provide inner-city youth with year round, after school alternatives to the lure of the gang and drug lifestyles.

For more than 20 years, the Compton Jr. Posse has given inner city kids hope by teaming them with horses, and through equestrian activities, youth develop responsibility, discipline and self-esteem. They also learn to set and achieve both academic and career goals.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 28 2011

New website expands organization’s efforts

Educating Young Minds (EYM), a nonprofit corporation, is also a multicultural learning environment where at-risk students are nurtured to help them grow academically, emotionally and socially. The organization’s mission is to empower young people with the skills, ability and confidence to enroll in, succeed at, and graduate from college.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 21 2011

Sonsonate Grill denied license

For decades, residents of South Los Angeles have suffered from an over-concentration of stores that sell liquor. While many community-based organizations have sought to address the problem, few have been successful.

This history, however, did not discourage local resident Bruce Patton from fighting the attempt by Sonsonate Grill—a restaurant in close proximity to his home—to secure a liquor license that would allow them to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages.

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.”