USC

Aug 12 2010

New York native was 82

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Private funeral services were pending Wednesday for David L. Wolper, the Emmy-winning producer of the miniseries “Roots” and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Wolper, 82, died Tuesday night at his Beverly Hills home of heart disease and complications of Parkinson’s disease.

He was introduced to “Roots,” after meeting actress Ruby Dee at the Moscow Film Festival.

Jun 11 2009

Black males hardest hit by recession

Los Angeles, CA -- Despite their apparent differences, Leslie Dugger and Bjorn Biggles have quite a bit in common.

Dugger, 59, has a graduate degree from USC in policy, planning and development as well as an undergraduate business degree from Shaw University. He is an experienced business executive whose credits include serving as controller of an Internet technology company that did more than $800 million in business, as well as with growing a firm from $2 to $32 million in revenue in about 24 months.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 5 2009

Medical pipeline prepares thousands of minority students

John A. Davis is not a medical doctor but in 1970, he made diagnosis about a problem he saw.

“I was working on a behavior science module here (at USC) with medical students to get them to be culturally sensitive to their patients. My secondary job was to recruit black students for the medical school. But what I found was there were not enough students out there interested, so I hit upon the idea of developing our own,” explained Davis.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 4 2009

USC co-eds nurture younger girls

Los Angeles, CA -- Successfully navigating four years of college at one of the nation’s most well-known universities can be a challenge. Now imagine adding mentoring at-risk and other girls to the juggle of classes and studying.

That is exactly what Ashly Davis and 39 of her contemporaries at USC have done through an organization created 12 years ago called Rites of Sisterhood (ROS).

May 29 2009

The African Americn church on the move

In the heart of Los Angeles, USC’s Center of Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) is harvesting revolutionary African American church leaders. Passing the Mantle (PTM) is a three year old program, cultivated by the Rev. Eugene Williams, founder of Regional Congregations and Neighborhood Organizations, and Donald Miller who is the executive director of CRCC.

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.”