Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

Mar 30 2011

NBA>Greater Than AIDS public service message

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Information about HIV and AIDS will be distributed at the Los Angeles Clippers game at Staples Center tonight in an attempt to reduce stigma surrounding the disease.

Staff and volunteers from the Black AIDS Institute and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will distribute custom informational materials and connect fans with local services at what has been dubbed LOS ANGELES>AIDS game night.

Nov 4 2010

Finding ways to protect children from neglect

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors said Wednesday it would designate one agency to track information on child deaths from abuse or neglect, and raised new questions about historical data.

The board directed the Department of Children and Family Services on Oct. 12 to provide 30 years worth of information on child fatalities. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who made the proposal, said the information was an important element in setting policy for the agency.  

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Aug 12 2010

Summer literacy programs keep kids on track

The Culver City Freedom School recently held a celebration to commemorate its last day of the summer literacy program, which teaches children the love of reading by using creative storytelling, social action, and high parental involvement.

The program also stresses the importance of civic engagement, and teaches children aspects of their history that, most do not receive as a part of their regular curriculum.

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.