Shirley Hawkins

Legendary Photographer Bill Jones Memoralized

Legendary photographer Dr. William Benjamin “Bill” Jones, who captured Hollywood’s most iconic and luminous African American celebrities for decades, was memorialized on July 14, 2016 at Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.

Compton Holds Rally to Protest Rash of Shootings

Due to a spate of shootings in Compton that have left 19 dead so far this year, a “Compton Watch: Take Back Our City” rally was held on May 26 in Gonzalez Park to address the recent rash of shootings.

35th Annual Black Doll Show Shines Light on the War against HIV/AIDS

On Dec. 12th, The William Grant Still Arts Center hosted a grand opening exhibit for “Trench Art Retrospective: The War Against HIV/AIDS-Women of the African Diaspora in the Trenches”, the theme of the 35th Annual Black Doll Show currently running from Dec. 12, 2015 to Feb. 13, 2016. Curated by Dr. Cynthia Davis, doll maker and assistant professor in the College of Medicine and College of Science and Health at Charles R. Drew University, the exhibit’s goal is to artistically depict the negative impact the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to have on women and girls of the African Diaspora. The exhibit

Summit on Educational Excellence for African Americans Held at Loyola Marymount University

President Obama’s recently approved Educational Excellence for African Americans Initiative held a summit on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Loyola Marymount University to address issues impacting the academic success of African Americans. The initiative outlined that over one-third of African American students do not graduate with a high school diploma, and only four percent of African American high school graduates are college ready. An even greater number of African American males do not graduate with a high school diploma, and African American males also experience disparate rates of incarceration. The Educational Excellence initiative’s goal is to significantly improve the educational outcomes

Smart and Final Holds Grand Opening in Compton

  The air was filled with excitement during the ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 1 at the new Smart and Final Extra store located at 280 S. Compton Blvd. in Compton. As a lively band filled the air with music Compton residents, civic leaders and employees toured the spacious store, which features organic and natural foods, sugar free and gluten free entrees, dry goods, expanded frozen, deli and meat sections, a full produce section, bulk foods including nuts, grains and dried fruits, a large selection of beer and wine, party supplies and oven roasted chicken prepared on site. Located at

Kamala Harris Addresses Truancy in New Report

School truancy has reached a state of nationwide crisis and California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, along with members of The Center for American Progress (CAP) announced a “call to action” by announcing CAP’s recent report entitled “The High Cost of Truancy.” The CAP report, which outlines the many consequences of truancy, explores the students most at risk of chronic absenteeism, examines how and why students become disconnected from schools, and identifies state measures that have the potential for expansion across the country. “Truancy and absenteeism come at a high cost to children’s education, but also to the economy and