Tournament of Roses president, Gerald Freeny, headed the distinguished list of Blacks in his role as the top executive of the 130th parade and the fabled Rose Bowl. Following behind him was 10-time Grammy Award-winner, Chaka Khan, who served both as the grand marshal and featured performer. The parade’s 40 floral-covered floats, 18 equestrian groups and 20 marching bands from around the world included African Americans reflecting “The Melody of Life” theme. Among the performers were the LAUSD All District High School Honor Band, Alabama State University Mighty Marching Hornets (which included Pasadena native Robert Esaias Jones, Jr. as one of the drum majors), and the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Incomparable Marching “100.” Music and “The Melody of Life” theme struck a positive chord with organizers, participants, attendees and TV viewers, said Freeny, who is the first African American president of the Tournament of Roses.
“Rise Up!” for the 66th year Los Angeles Links transformed the debutante ball, an annual social event into another magical evening. Upon entering the venue, guests were immediately enraptured by the elegant setting of the event—awe struck by the beautiful table centerpieces and stage décor that glowed with golden hues of a spectacular sunrise, which reflected the evening’s theme, “Rise Up.” Since 1952, Los Angeles Chapter, The Links, Incorporated has presented over 1000 young women to society. This year, the Los Angeles Chapter Charitable Trust (LACCT) and the Los Angeles (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated held the 66th Debutante Cotillion at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The program was structured around the Leadership Institute where Debutantes, also known as Cotillionettes, were introduced to the intricacies of the Cotillion Program as they participated in a series of purposeful events aimed at social and personal enrichment.
Considering that DeAndre had recently broken into the congregation’s new church home, the scene was pretty remarkable. DeAndre didn’t wake up that day with the intent of burglarizing a church. But by nightfall, there he was. Breaking into the building only days before the Living Life in Victory congregation was scheduled to move. He knew Pastor Lavender had seen the report by now. And so, the remorseful, unlikely thief calls the church. He leaves message after message on the answering machine. It was Sunday, and like most pastors, Rev. Lavender waits for Monday to check any messages that had been left. He’s there and the phone rings again. “Hello, this is Pastor Henry. How may I help you?” “My name is DeAndre Bramlett.” “Okay. Make me know who you are.” “I’m the guy that was caught in your church. I just want to apologize and ask your forgiveness. And I want to do everything in my power to help repair the damage that was done.” Pastor Lavender was stunned into silence. DeAndre promised to come to church. Pastor Lavender tells him, “If I don’t hear from you in a few weeks, I am going to reach out to you. Jesus taught forgiveness, and “we have the ministry of reconciliation,” Rev. Lavender says. A loving response to a confused, young man is required. “This is not an ordinary church. We are a family church. We are the village. Mr. Bramlett promised to come, and he did just that. He brought his family, too, and here we are.”
The Los Angeles Generation Xchange (GenX) program is an intergenerational, academic-community partnership between the Division of Geriatrics in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Gen X program is currently in four elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District; 54th, 59th, 74th and Windsor Hills Elementary Street Schools. The GenX Program trains and places older volunteers in K-3rd grade classrooms where they work with students to improve academic skills (reading and math) and address behavioral issues (e.g., inability to focus during class sessions, behaviors that disrupt class activities). For the older adults, participation in GenX as a trained classroom volunteer offers the opportunity to engage in a meaningful and important role helping younger generations while simultaneously gaining health benefits from the social, psychological, cognitive, and physical engagement associated with their GenX role.
A June 2019 study conducted by the Journal of Community Health revealed that suicide deaths among Black females aged 13 to 19 rose 182 percent between 2001 and 2017, while the rate among Black teen males rose 60 percent during that same period. From 2015 to 2017, 52 percent of Black teen males who died from suicide used firearms, a method with a fatality rate of nearly 90 percent. Another 34 percent used strangulation or suffocation, which has a fatality rate of about 60 percent. Among the 204 Black teen females who died by suicide from 2015 to 2017, 56 percent used strangulation or suffocation and 21 percent used firearms, according to the study. Experts and others have tried to determine why African Americans increasingly are choosing to end their lives. Theories have run the gamut – from the lack of strong father-figures to racism and social media and even the increase in Black wealth. Whatever the reason, the CDC said it’s important to note that suicidal thoughts or behaviors are both damaging and dangerous and should be treated as a psychiatric emergency.
Watts-Willowbrook Conservatory, or WWC, entered its tenth year of providing free music classes to youth, ages 6-18. WWC was established in early 2010 at the Watts-Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club in partnership with the Scholarship Performance Preparatory Academy, also known as SAPPA. The program offers high quality music education and exposure into the world of arts which builds self-esteem, discipline and creativity amongst its youth participants. Participants attend one-hour classes after school, twice a week. They learn to read music and play symphonic string instruments — violin, viola, cello and bass. These satellite programs are designed to be the network that forms the core of the Watts-Willowbrook Youth Symphony, made up of young people from the South Central L.A. and the Watts/Compton communities. Classes are offered at three locations in the Watts/Compton area, including the WLCAC campus on Central Avenue. Classes are completely free with the exception of a $10 registration fee.
The 6th Annual Mothers In Action Community Recycling Clean Up was held in the Crenshaw Square, on the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Coliseum Street. The free drive-thru, organized collection event arrived just in time for local residents to begin their spring cleaning. Cars circled the block as early as 6:30a.m. to drop off their recyclables. Each car was systematically assigned to either a hot zone, shredding or both. The hot zone is for items such as, medications, syringes, motor oil, paint, tires, aerosol cans, pesticides, mercury thermometers, fire extinguishers, propane tanks and electronics. For confidential and safe shredding, each participant could shred up to two, thirty-three gallon trash bags of documents. Electronic Waste (a.k.a. “e-waste”), such as batteries, monitors, remote controls, computers, monitors, keyboards, telephones and radios were popular recyclables.
During the Summer, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture announced that it’s received up to $5.5 million in funding for the arts in 2019. The grants will be distributed in two ways, one being a two -year funding of $4,518,000 for 213 nonprofit arts organizations through the county-funded Organizational Grant Program (OGP) and $922,300 will go towards 47 Los Angeles County school districts, which is funded by the Arts Education Collective Advancement Grant Program.
Sarah Harris, founder and publisher of Suite Life SoCal Magazine, was proud to announce the Inaugural Issue Release Party of her magazine, as Ryan and Jessica Legaux celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Harold and Belle’s Restaurant. This premiere event was held at Harold & Belle’s in the Peacock Lounge to a packed house of friends, family and distinguished community members, who were treated to a delicious, tray-passed Creole cuisine, along with a buffet table of food catered by Harold & Belle’s. The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the premiere edition with a cover featuring Ryan and Jessica Legaux, third-generation owners of Harold & Belle’s Restaurant in celebration of the restaurant’s 50th anniversary and in recognition of their decades of service to the community and entrepreneurship in the city of Los Angeles.
