Notable Deaths of 2020
December 31, 2020
This year, we said goodbye to amazing men and women, who left lasting legacies with their work, talents and life.
Breaking News
- LACMA Showcases ‘Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st-Century Art and Poetics’ Exhibit
- Sheenway School and Culture Center — Educating Youth to Lead the Future Over 50 Years
- Record-Breaking Hate Crimes Against Black Angelenos on the Rise
- Los Angeles Rams and LAPD Spread Holiday Cheer with Annual Sleigh Ride
- Heather Hutt Sworn-in as Councilwoman for L.A.’s 10th District
- Visit Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza for Holiday Photos with Santa
- Homeless and Their Advocates Speak Out in New Film, ‘WE, the Vulnerable of LA’
- The Congressman Wore Sneakers: An Evening With Hakeem Jeffries
- Brotherhood Crusade Honors SEIU President April Verrett at 2024 Pioneer of African American Achievement Award Dinner
- Athletes in $2.8 billion college lawsuit tell judge they want to create a players’ association
- Cal, UNLV Inspire La Tijera Students at Day of Play
- Student Athlete of the Week: Koa Seymour
- Where Art Meets Purpose: The Dancing Odyssey of Dwight Rhoden
Larry Aubry
LAPD Chief Michel Moore on The Passing of Larry Aubry
May 22, 2020
It is with great sadness that I heard the news of the passing of Mr. Larry Aubry. Mr. Aubry and I have met on several occasions throughout my law enforcement career. Since becoming LAPD’s Chief-nearly two years ago-Larry attended several community meetings and he would challenge many decisions and policies of the LAPD.
Requiem for a Warrior, Lawrence “Larry” Aubry – A Champion of the People
May 21, 2020
On May 16, 2020, Larry Aubry passed away, and left a legacy that few can equal, but to which many should aspire. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in the time of southern segregation and came to Los Angeles at an early age, attending Jefferson High School.
Larry Aubry, Lying Down Like a Hill: Still Having Height, Always Pointing Upward
May 21, 2020
It is the sacred wisdom of our ancestors that a great person lies down in death like a hill, still having height and always pointing the way upward, constantly calling us to the upward paths of our best ideas, values and practices as persons and a people. And so it is with our beloved and honored brother, Larry Aubry, an all-seasons soldier and uncompromising servant of his people, who made transition and ascension, Saturday, May 16, 2020 (6260), and now sits in the sacred circle of the ancestors, among the doers of good, the righteous and the rightfully rewarded.
Larry Aubry: Reflections on a Purposeful Life
May 21, 2020
Larry Aubry was a consummate journalist and a dedicated activist. His columns were perfect storms of passion and facts. He had an ability to seamlessly merge institutional knowledge with current affairs. When he put pen to paper, it was to expose injustice and systemic racism. Larry took no hostages.
Larry Aubry: A Social Justice Warrior Remembered
May 21, 2020
LA Sentinel veteran columnist, Larry Aubry has passed. No one can deny that Larry was an uncompromising, relentless, no-holds-barred warrior for social justice. For decades, he fought to improve conditions for African Americans in Los Angeles, but other minorities – such as Latinos and Koreans – also benefitted from his strident advocacy for equal rights.
Never A Dull Moment with Larry Aubry
May 21, 2020
You never wanted to get on Larry’s bad list. It didn’t matter whether you were Black, White, an elected official, or dirty police officer, he’d call you out in hot minute. But Larry would never call you out without speaking to you first.
A Kind of Farewell, Looking Back and Forward
April 25, 2019
After enjoying writing this column thirty-three (33) years for the Sentinel, this will be my final submission of over 1,700 columns. Stepping away from this gratifying and engaging weekly task and challenge is not easy. But I know that everything, even good things, eventually run their course and a new course begins. And recent health issues, as well as the long record of daily activism I have achieved, tell me it’s time. Some might wonder why I’m stopping now, but others might wonder how and why I kept on going so long?
A HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS IN AMERICA
April 4, 2019
Black people consider themselves American, not because national status was conferred upon them gratuitously, but because they were here in the beginning
Post-Racial Myth Perpetuates Racism and White Privilege
March 28, 2019
Those who feel America is a post-racial society tend to be either die-hard conservatives or so naïve, they might believe there are snow-capped mountains in Florida. But by any measure, public education, the criminal injustice system, poverty, etc., White privilege and its cohort racism, remain the prime barriers to Blacks receiving actual justice and equality.
Black Workers, Labor Unions and Justice
March 21, 2019
For Black unionists, labor reforms, like those in education, law enforcement and politics, are more rhetoric than reality.
Rescuing Black Males: Rhetoric vs. Reality
March 7, 2019
Despite added focus on Black males in recent years, fundamentally, their plight is unchanged and they remain largely a rhetorical priority. Seemingly endless research and publicly proclaimed concern, few, if any, sustainable programs specifically intended and/or designed to benefit Black males exist.
Confronting Academia’s Ties to Slavery and Reparations
February 28, 2019
Reparations for the descendants of African slaves has been talked about ad infinitum, yet there has been virtually no legislative action taken to make this happen. (Congressman John Conyers could not even to get a reparations bill out of committee for more than twenty years—to simply do a study on reparations.) Today’s column summarizes a “major” conference at Harvard University about slavery, universities and reparations. A New York Times article by Jennifer Schussler, Confronting Academia’s Ties to Slavery, recaps the conference.
A. Philip Randolph: Cultural Grounding Key to His Success
February 21, 2019
Randolph’s grounding in his own culture enabled him to successfully collaborate with others, including Whites, other labor unions, government officials and politicians. Racial and cultural grounding are prerequisites for effectively working with others and must become part of conversations and strategies to reverse Blacks’ current self-denigrating mindsets and ineffective leadership. That said, the following are highlights in A. Philip Randolph’s quest to improve the quality of life for Blacks and other oppressed people.
Reducing Impact of Violence Among Children
February 14, 2019
For years, research has shown that violence is learned behavior. A decade ago, the Howard University Violence Prevention Project (HUVPP) found that children’s exposure to community violence can predict their social and emotional behavior, both in school and at home. In other words, the more elementary school children are exposed to community violence, the more likely they will have adjustment problems. Unfortunately, while this probably not a revelation to most people, the HUVPP findings are just as valid today, chiefly because the underlying causes for violence have not changed.