More than 125 people gathered to support the Spring Luncheon sponsored by the Los Angeles-Lusaka Sister City Committee on May 25. Lusaka is the first and oldest African Sister City to the City of Los Angeles.
The advocacy/fundraising event, held at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, was presented in conjunction with the Los Angeles African American Women Political Action Committee. The two nonprofits united to solicit donations to purchase an X-ray machine for the Children’s Unit of the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Dr. Earnestine Thomas-Robertson is the chairperson of the Los Angeles-Lusaka Sister City Committee and Ingrid Palmer is the president of LAAAWPAC.
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Participants on the inspiring program included Mary Joiner, Kersten Malama, the Rev. Al Washington, and Dr. Mwelwa Mulenga. Also, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Aden Binyam of the Office of Mayor Karen Bass, and Sister Cities Executive director Yoomee Ha made special presentations during the event.
According to Dr. Thomas-Robertson, “The keynote address was presented to an engaging audience by Ms. Lorna K. Johnson, J.D., with a focus on the importance of the African continent to the United States and the diaspora in contexts such as trade, investment, resources, health care/ global wellness, culture and history, and the importance of the United States to the African continent.”
As the Principal at Global Linkages, Inc, Johnson represents a cross-section of organizations encompassing faith-based, nonprofits, businesses and municipalities. She also serves as the Africa representative for Sister Cities International (SCI) based in Washington, D.C. In addition, Johnson convened the SCI Africa Summit held in Cape Town in 2023 where more than 300 people attended from the continent of Africa and around the world.
