NBA star Russell Westbrook continues to assist the youth throughout Los Angeles with his Why Not Foundation. In September, Westbrook held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for his newly renovated Westbrook Academy campus.
On Friday, January 27, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the Department of Economic Opportunity, business and community leaders launched the Fair Chance Hiring Program designed to create hiring practices with the goal of getting 200 local businesses to commit to employing system-impacted individuals this year.
Jeffery T.D. Wallace of LeadersUp has been appointed as a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board.
In the age of coronavirus, social distancing has necessitated Internet connectivity. Those who have it can go on learning, attending virtual meetings and accessing employment opportunities online. But as the curve rises, inequalities have deepened for African American young adults living in poor communities who lack devices and wifi access at home.
While President Franklin Roosevelt and a Democratic-led Congress were crafting the New Deal in the 1930s, and defending its Depression-era social programs against Republican opposition, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt amplified the voices of America’s youth when she expressed that she was terrified of losing an entire generation. America’s youngest workers, predominately in low-wage, low-skilled jobs, were most severely impacted then and during every major economic downturn since. The New Deal operationalized the most comprehensive relief, reform and recovery effort in U.S. history. It was inclusive of youth, providing young men and women with access to employment opportunities and financial assistance, though not equitably. Because of segregation, African Americans received less financial support than their white counterparts, even when they applied for it.
We’re already in a global recession that will inform a national recession. An estimated 80 million U.S. jobs are at risk. More than 75 percent of 16–-24-year-olds are hourly employees who are at greater risk of being laid off.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon, in a recent opinion article on CNN.com, issued a call to action for businesses, communities and local governments to break down the silos that prevent them from working together to create Opportunity Markets and ensure that the most disparate members of their communities aren’t left behind.
The legacy of Harriet Tubman needs to continue
Social entrepreneurship is in my DNA. After finishing graduate school, I wanted to give back to my community, but I needed to earn a living. After a few months of job searching, I reached out to my mentor Angela Reddock Wright for job leads and advice. Although my previous work history with Angela as a student was spotty, she believed in me and offered me a position on a project team she was leading for the Los Angeles Urban League.
Local news and stories of 2019
A trusted advisor once told me, “Never reach over a dollar to pick up a dime.” It’s a metaphor I’ve lived by as a social entrepreneur and president and CEO of talent development accelerator LeadersUp for the last five years. It reminds me not to play small if I want to make transformative impact, which leads me to ask: Why can’t South L.A. be 100 percent employed?
LeadersUp not only recruits, trains and advocates for inclusive hiring practices but it partners with employers who are looking to hire diverse talent NOW! And its growing its Fair Chance Coalition of employers adopting hiring practices inclusive of jobseekers with prior arrests and convictions.
Since its inception in 2006, The Hale Foundation has donated tens of thousands of dollars to provide a helping hand to low-income families, children and young adults. In addition to providing money for educational scholarship donations, The Hale Foundation has donated to organizations that give assistance to children affected by homelessness and malnutrition. Other beneficiaries of The Hale Foundation include: the United Negro College Fund, the L.A. Southwest College Education Foundation, Inner City Arts, Parents of Watts, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and L.A. Child Guidance Clinic.
Bakewell Media, owner of the Los Angeles Sentinel and LA Watts Times, in partnership with LeadersUp, a proven talent development accelerator, are teaming up to tackle the staggeringly high unemployment rate among mid-career African Americans, young adults and other people of color in South Los Angeles.
The black-tie affair honored African American, trailblazing men and women whose personal and professional accomplishments have positively impacted the perception and image of the Black LGBTQ+ community. The Truth Awards embodies the belief that members of the Black LGBTQ+ community and its allies who embrace and live their truth should be recognized and honored. In addition, BBLA awarded $13,000 in scholarships to college-bound students Julian Roberson, Algernon Jackson, and Moses Hinton.