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Melina Abdullah

Black Lives Matter at 7 Years and the Meaning of this Movement-Moment
LocalOp-Ed

Black Lives Matter at 7 Years and the Meaning of this Movement-Moment

Melina Abdullah, Contributing WriterJuly 9, 2020

“We are the diviners of change!” proclaims Janaya “Future” Khan. Three thousand people … significantly young and Black … fill the massive concrete steps at Los Angeles City Hall, pouring out onto the sidewalk, into the street, extending the length of the block and into Grand Park. The hotter-than-July sun shines on the faces of Youth Vanguard members who just finished speaking about their recent victory in LAUSD – ousting police from school campuses and cutting their budget by 35%.

Community Marches on Sheriff’s Station to Issue Demands in the Name of #RyanTwyman
LocalNationalNews

Community Marches on Sheriff’s Station to Issue Demands in the Name of #RyanTwyman

Melina Abdullah, Special to the SentinelAugust 1, 2019

On Sunday, June 28, almost a thousand people gathered at Southwest College. Rhythms played by master drummers and chants of “Justice for Ryan,” called the crowd together as libations were poured and prayers were offered. People gathered in t-shirts donning the hashtags, #JusticeForRyanTwyman and #ItCouldHaveBeenMe. There was a huge banner with Ryan’s name and cardboard cutouts of his face. Mike Twyman, Ryan’s uncle, served as opening speaker, reminding people of who Ryan was, “a good father, a son, a special young man.”

Why Dem. Senators Richard Pan and Steven Glazer Are Holding Out Their Votes on Ethnic Studies Bill
EducationLocalNewsPolitical

Why Dem. Senators Richard Pan and Steven Glazer Are Holding Out Their Votes on Ethnic Studies Bill

Tanu Henry, California Black MediaJuly 11, 2019

In April 1992, violent riots broke out in Los Angeles after an almost all-White jury (one juror later “came out” as biracial 10 years later) handed down a not guilty verdict in the case of Rodney King, an African American man who four LAPD police officers tasered, subdued and beat severely with batons. During the unrest that followed, low-boiling tensions between African American residents in the neighborhood and immigrant Korean business owners heated up to an explosive six-day period of burning, looting and killings that left more than 50 people dead, about 1,000 more injured and over a $1 billion

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Team With Independent Lens to Discuss Solution to Save The Community
Crenshaw & AroundEntertainmentLocalMoviesNews (Entertainment)

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Team With Independent Lens to Discuss Solution to Save The Community

Saybin RobersonMay 9, 2019

Pan African Film and Arts Festival joined teams with Independent Lens to host an intense conversation searching for solutions to fight violence in marginalized communities. Inspired by a documentary film based in Baltimore, M.D., Charm City tells a story of various community members who are working to end senseless acts of crime in their own backyard. The film by Marilyn Mess speaks to the truth and pain felt across the country, which led the groups to create a space to discuss violence here in Los Angeles.

Confronting Jackie Lacey: The Mamas of Those Slain by Police Demand Justice during Black History Month
Opinion

Confronting Jackie Lacey: The Mamas of Those Slain by Police Demand Justice during Black History Month

Sheila Hines-Brim and Melina AbdullahFebruary 21, 2019

Jackie Lacey this past Sunday, February 17 for their 35th Annual Black History Month program. The same DA Lacey who has been charged with prosecuting crimes in the County of Los Angeles since January 2012, over which time more than 450 killings of community members by police have occurred and only one prosecution of an officer has been filed.  It is imperative that we remember that each of these 450 “cases” are real people: sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and community members. When people are murdered by police, it leaves unimaginable pain for the hearts of their loved ones…especially their mothers. On Sunday evening, a cadre of five mothers, family members and supporters refused to allow Lacey to smile, wave, invoke God, and dishonor the Spirits of their slain children. They confronted her in, what may be, the most appropriate of all places, church.

Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA celebrates 50 years
LocalNews

Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA celebrates 50 years

Jillian Beck, Cal State LA News ServiceNovember 2, 2018

More than 200 faculty, staff, students and supporters gathered in the Golden Eagle Ballroom on Oct. 29 for the Department of Pan-African Studies 5th Annual Black Community Honors Dinner, an evening that looked back on the department’s history and recognized the contributions of individuals who have committed their lives to the liberation and empowerment of the Black community.