Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
California
The Broadway Arts Center, an ambitious project proposing a mixed-use development containing a black box theater, art gallery, creative commercial space, and affordable housing for artists along the Historic Broadway Corridor will receive a $470,000 grant–the largest national grant to be awarded from the ArtPlace collaboration. Broadway Arts Center partners include Councilmember José Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway, the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Actors Fund, ArtSpace, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and Pritzker prize winning architect Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects. ArtPlace is a new national collaboration of 11 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation’s largest banks, and eight federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, dedicated to transforming communities with strategic investments in the arts.
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The Ford Amphitheatre is offering a leg up to Los Angeles County-based arts organizations who are interested in producing live performing arts events at the historic, open-air theater in the Hollywood Hills in summer 2013. “We know that producing in L.A. is expensive,” said Adam Davis, Ford Theatre’s managing director. “Groups who are accepted into the Ford’s Summer Partnership Program receive significant presentation support and assistance for their productions.” Applications are now available for the 2013 summer season. The deadline is Aug. 29. Proposals are being accepted electronically through the Ford’s website at http://www.fordtheatres.org/en/opportunity/summerpartnership.
District of Columbia
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has selected DuPont and its Chair and Chief Executive Officer Ellen Kullman to receive the 13th annual A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award for exemplary corporate leadership in advancing diversity in the workplace and fostering economic opportunity. The gala black-tie dinner, themed “Together, We Can Accomplish What No One Can Do Alone,” will be held at the Grand Hyatt New York on June 28, with a 6:30 p.m. reception and 7:30 p.m. dinner. CNN anchor and correspondent Don Lemon will serve as emcee. DuPont is a market-driven science company with 70,000 employees working in more than 90 countries.
Florida
The 2012 International Women’s Success Conference will be held begin July 12-14 in Orlando, Fla., at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The conference is for women looking for new directions, whether it is expanding an already booming business or beginning a small at- home setup. Stacia Pierce, founder of the event, will seek to empower this year’s participants with the business blueprint needed to attract the success they’ve sought through uplifting workshops, panels, luncheons and networking events. These sessions will be led by some of the country’s most renowned and dynamic speakers, authors and business luminaries.
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Florida Memorial University (FMU), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently held an Affordable Care Act roundtable discussion with SAMHSA Administrator Pam Hyde. “Too many families and children are dying from preventable diseases,” said Henry Lewis III, Ph.D., FMU’s president. “We (invited) the entire community to our campus to join in this critical discussion about access to healthcare and making it affordable.” Hyde gathered with community stakeholders to talk about healthcare reform initiatives and SAMHSA-related programs.
Massachusetts
The Harlem Fine Arts Show Art Festival comes to Martha’s Vineyard Island for four days in August. The HFAS has become the premiere showcase for exhibiting modern and contemporary art that reflects the breadth of the African Diaspora. The exhibit will bring together a diverse group of collectors, art power brokers and enthusiasts to celebrate the imagination and spirit of the visual community. The HFAS will be held under an 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art tent with hardwood floors, located at Hooked Restaurant and Club in Oak Bluffs. The scheduled dates are Aug. 9-12, from noon to midnight. The show will feature the work of more than 30 established and emerging artists from multicultural backgrounds.
New York
One man’s two-year legal case to integrate the upcoming 34th America’s Cup will now be heard in oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the State of New York on June 27. Charles M. Kithcart, executive director of African Diaspora Maritime (ADM), filed suit against The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), current trustee of the America’s Cup. “The America’s Cup is the premiere sailing competition in the world, and what we will do is crew a predominantly African American/African heritage team of experienced, international sailors to compete in an upcoming Defender Selection Series,” says Kithcart a veteran mariner. “GGYC was obligated to do two things: review and accept applicants that have the necessary resources and experience to have a reasonable chance of winning,” the lawsuit alleges “They breached those obligations by rejecting ADM’s application for purely pretextual and ever-shifting reasons.” ADM sought to compete in a Defender Selection Series against GGYC’s preferred representative; Team Oracle Racing led by Larry Ellison, billionaire CEO/Founder Oracle Corp. ADM is the only team from the United States that applied to compete against Team Oracle Racing for the right to become Defender.
Texas
Dignitaries, celebrities and leaders from around the world gathered in the Arts District near downtown Dallas recently to attend an event honoring global humanitarian and faith-based entertainment mogul Bishop T.D. Jakes’ 35 years of spiritual leadership and service. The three-hour, black-tie celebration titled “A Triumphant Journey,” was hosted by director/writer/producer Tyler Perry and CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien at the state-of-the-art AT&T Winspear Opera House. The evening was a surprise for Bishop Jakes and featured an unexpected appearance by entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey. Jakes is senior pastor of the 30,000-member, Dallas-based church The Potter’s House.
National
Cuisine Noir magazine’s cultural culinary movement continues with the release of their second print edition. Gracing the cover is chef and restaurateur Robbie Montgomery (“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” OWN-TV), who is also the featured story. Actress Tamala Jones assists in cooking up great story lines as medical examiner Dr. Lanie Parish on ABC’s “Castle,” but readers will be pleased to learn that she is an avowed foodie and gifted home culinarian. Publisher Sheree Williams sits down with food justice activist Bryant Terry in the magazine’s new column Serving Our Community to talk about his new cookbook and how communities can rebuild themselves to help fight food insecurities. Chef Terry also talks about the person who inspired his activism and culinary philosophies–the late chef Edna Lewis.
COMPILED BY JULIANA NORWOOD
