Issa Rae Receives the First Key to Inglewood
24 hours before Super Bowl LVI, superstar Issa Rae, became the first person to ever receive the key to her city. The actress, producer, and writer was recognized at the Taste of Inglewood on February 12. For five seasons, Rae highlighted the city in her award-winning HBO television show, “Insecure.” Manifesting at its finest; the final episode of the series shows her character Issa Dee, receiving the key to Inglewood from the mayor, played by Tyra Banks. The city’s current mayor, James Butts, presented her the key at the festival. This year, she won two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writer in a Comedy Series. Although the show has ended, Issa Rae is forever an Inglewood hometown hero.
Los Angeles Rams Win Super Bowl LVI
The champs are here! The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, February 13, in Inglewood, CA at the illustrious SoFi Stadium. Head coach Sean McVay and his team won 23-20 beating the Cincinnati Bengals. After their victory, the Rams took over Los Angeles during their Super Bowl Parade that following Wednesday. The 1.1-mile route began at the Shrine Auditorium and ended at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Thousands of fans flooded the streets to celebrate with the winning team. For their final hooray, the iconic Hollywood sign was briefly changed to read “Rams House.”
Windsor Hills Crash on La Brea and Slauson
Tragedy struck in Windsor Hills on August 4 when Nicole Linton crashed her car into a United Oil gas station. The fatal incident took the lives of six people and eight were severely injured. She sped through the intersection at 100 miles per hour around 1:40 p.m. that afternoon, causing a chain reaction of explosions and fires. The 37-year-old traveling nurse from Houston, TX survived, and was charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. Linton has been sentenced to 90 years to life in prison.
The Marathon Continues: Nipsey Hussle Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and L.A. Metro K-Line Dedication
The late rapper Nipsey Hussle received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, August 15. The posthumous honor was unveiled in front of Amoeba Music on Hollywood Boulevard, on his 37th birthday. Among supportive friends and fans, his grandmother Margaret Boutte, life partner Lauren London, father Dawit Asghedom, and siblings Samiel Asghedom and Samantha Smith, all attended the celebration and spoke beautiful words about the departed. On this same day, Hussle was acknowledged with a dedication at the new L.A. Metro K-Line located in Hyde Park at Nipsey Hussle Square. During the presentation, City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson recalled Hussle’s passion, along with his involvement and investment in the station. He was a staple in the Black community as an artist, entrepreneur, leader, and philanthropist. He owned several successful businesses like The Marathon Clothing Store, The Marathon Agency, All Money In Record Label, and launched The Neighborhood Nip Foundation in 2018. Since his passing, his loved ones continue to uplift his legacy.
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L.A. Metro Opens New K-Line
Crenshaw Boulevard hasn’t had a rail service as means of transportation in nearly 70 years. The new K-Line opened October 7 at the intersection of Crenshaw and 48th Street. The line is Metro’s single largest transportation investment from the Crenshaw District to Hyde Park, Leimert Park, Fairview Heights, Inglewood, and Westchester, designed to provide a faster, reliable, and more convenient way for Angelenos to travel to work, school, and surrounding neighborhoods. Metro is expected to complete a connecting station at LAX by 2024 and anticipates the line will carry more than 32,000 daily passengers by 2035. Residents can sign-up for a free 90-day Metro pass or apply online for the Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) Program for fare discounts that can be applied toward purchases of weekly/ monthly transit passes.
Racist L.A. City Council Recordings Leaked
A year-old recording was made public online Monday, October 10, of Latino City Council members making crude and disturbing racist comments during a Los Angeles redistricting meeting. The conversation was centered around protecting and advancing Latino political power by decentralizing Black voices in underrepresented areas. Since being exposed, former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez and former L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, have resigned. Other council members who participated in the meeting, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, are still holding their seats despite public outrage. The leaked audio has now prompted a Sate investigation.
The Taste of Soul Returns to Crenshaw Boulevard
The biggest block party in Southern California returned to the streets after a two-year hiatus. On October 15, over 300 food and merchandising vendors came out for the 17th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival. The festivities included a vast variety of food from local and international vendors, a virtual reality center, high levels of entertainment, and an overall celebration of the Black experience. Every year its free to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Crenshaw Blvd., between Barack Obama Blvd. and Stocker Street.
Department of Public Social Services Employee Awarded $3.5 Million in Lawsuit
On October 27, the Los Angeles Superior Court deliberated in favor of former County employee, Lorna Young, who was experiencing intentional segregation in the workplace. Young was employed for almost 20 years before she was forced to resign in 2014 from DPSS. Her district office failed to act when she spoke out about her supervisor purposefully racially separating the unit by race. After no resolve with the Board of Supervisors, Young then sued L.A. County and was awarded $3.5 million in a settlement.
April Tardy is L.A. County’s First Black Woman Undersheriff
On November 30, Sheriff-Elect Robert Luna appointed April Tardy as his interim undersheriff, making her the first and only Black woman to hold the position in the department’s history. The 28-year sheriff veteran now holds the position of Captain and second-in-command. Given the long history of racial bias, Luna’s selection purposes some change in leadership and representation among the department.
New Year, New Mayor: Karen Bass Elected the First Woman to Lead Los Angeles
The nation’s second-largest city has elected Karen Bass as their 43rd Mayor. The first Black woman in its entire 241-year history, is leading City Hall into the new year. As the historical moments continued during her inauguration, the former Congresswoman was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, December 11, in downtown Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theatre. Bass was victorious over real-estate developer Rick Caruso, with more than 53% percent of votes at the end of the election. On her first day as Mayor, she declared a state of emergency on homeless as Los Angeles has the highest number of unhoused individuals with almost 42,000 people living on the streets.
