January 19, 2017
By Brian W. Carter
Contributing Writer
We have watched them grow up in front of our eyes over the past eight years. They have been our first daughters living their lives under a microscope without incident, scandal or headaches for the White House. Now, they stand poised to start their own futures, which is no doubt bright and full of promise. We remember, love and salute Malia and Sasha Obama.
Here are some interesting tidbits about our first daughters:
–Before the family moved to Washington in 2009, both girls attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory School.
–Aside from school, the two girls had a daily routine of piano and tennis lessons. Malia played soccer and participated in dance and drama while Sasha, practiced tap dance and gymnastics.
–Malia and Sasha named the First Dog, Bo. The family would later adopt a second Portuguese Water Dog named Sunny
–Their favorite foods are fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.
–Malia and Sasha attended Sidwell Friends school in the District of Columbia
–Malia took a year off after graduating high school before enrolling at Harvard
–Malia is headed to Harvard University this year
–Malia spent the summer of 2016 working as an intern in the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain.
–Malia interned on the set of HBO’s “Girls” and on a now-canceled network TV sci-fi drama that starred Halle Berry.
–Malia has also had internships at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington.
–Sasha was the youngest child to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. arrived as an infant in 1961.
–Sasha started working at Nancy’s, a seafood restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
All the best to our FDFs!
We love you Malia and Sasha!
January 12, 2017
LAWT News Service
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas thanked legendary filmmaker George Lucas for bringing his $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to Exposition Park, where it is expected to create thousands of employment opportunities for people in South Los Angeles and beyond.
“It is a momentous day for the people of Los Angeles County as we celebrate the decision to build the Lucas Museum in Exposition Park,” Supervisor Ridley- Thomas said. “The Lucas Museum will bring thousands of jobs to the County, not only in the construction industry but in the art, education and hospitality industries as well.”
“Exposition Park is the ideal site for the Lucas Museum, as it is already a destination hub in the County, with ample and consistent public transportation and convenient access to multiple freeways,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas added. “Its proximity to USC, along with dozens of elementary, middle and high schools, will help boost the learning experience of thousands of children each year, and provide an understanding of the science and technological skills needed for a career in the film, animation and design industries.”
In a statement, the Museum’s Board of Directors said they picked Exposition Park because “South Los Angeles’ Promise Zone best positions the museum to have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship.”
Acting on a motion by Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in November toissue a resolution declaring Exposition Park as the ideal location for the Lucas Museum. They also heard testimony from several leading proponents of the arts and the entertainment industry.
DreamWorks Animation co-founder and former CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said in November, “This museum is a $1.5-billion philanthropic gift. For Los Angeles to become its home would be a game changer – its impact on our culture, on our children, on tourism, on commerce would be incredible.” Natural History Museum president and director Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga added, “The Lucas Museum would take Exposition Park to a new level as a local and national destination.”
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson was also at the November hearing, and said Lucas has long been a passionate supporter of arts education for children. “I think this museum is an extension of that desire to communicate his love of art, his love of storytelling, to a much broader audience.” And California Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rudolph said a new museum by the creator of Star Wars would complement the permanent home of the space shuttle Endeavor.
Also during that November meeting, Faye Washington, representing both the YCWA of Greater Los Angeles and the Promise Zone of South Central Los Angeles, expresed hope that the museum would improve the community’s economic prospects. “It’s going to lower the unemployment rate – that 12 percent rate in South Central will go down,” she said. Meanwhile, LA Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Gary Toebben pledged support from the business community.
The Lucas Museum will exhibit paintings by Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer and Pierre-Auguste Renoir; as well as illustrations, comic art and photography by such artists as Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish and N.C. Wyeth.
It would also provide an insider’s perspective on the cinematic creative process, featuring concept art, storyboards, set design, props, costume and fashion, animation and visual effects. There would be public lectures and classes for all ages, hands-on workshops, after-school programs and camps, and a wide variety of additional educational opportunities.
January 05, 2017
Staff and Wire Report
Clinical psychologist and expert on the mental health of African American children, Dr. Umar Johnson will speak in Los Angeles on Saturday January 7, on Black politics during the Donald Trump presidency. His presentation, titled “Making America White Again: Black Power Politics in the age of Donald Trump”, will take place at Ward AME Church, located at 1177 W. 25th St. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. however, doors will open at 3:00.
One of the most recognized social scientists & Pan-Afrikanists of the 21st Century, Johnson’s book, articles and lectures are included by college and university professors across the country within their required course materials. He is said to be one of the most requested speakers in the world, and has lectured in North America, South America, The Caribbean, Europe and Africa. Johnson has been featured on"News One Now" with Roland Martin, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the Bev Smith Show, The Breakfast Club, and has appeared as a special guest life coach on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
As a child therapist, he works with depressed and behaviorally-challenged males. He also authored the book "Psycho-Academic Holocaust: The Special Education and ADHD Wars Against Black Boys," the 1st book ever written by a African-American male school psychologist to Black parents with specific strategies on how to fight back against special education and ADHD misdiagnoses.
Johnson is a direct descendent of both abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) and the late Bishop Alexander Wayman (1821-1895), 7th Bishop of the AME Church, both from Maryland's Eastern Shore. He is currently working on building his new school, The Frederick Douglass & Marcus Garvey RBG International Leadership Academy for boys, America’s first residential academy for Black boys founded upon the principles of Pan-Afrikanism and International Economics. He is currently planning his regular annual “Unapologetically Afrikan” Group tour to the African continent, which takes place the last week in July and first week in August. The tour, which always includes stops in two different countries, is designed to help Afrikans in the west reestablish their psycho-spiritual connection to their ancestral homeland.
January 05, 2017
Special to the LAWT
Let Chicago’s loss be Los Angeles’ gain, in particular South LA’s gain.
Earlier this year, Chicago snubbed the opportunity to become the home of the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, forcing the prolific movie director George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson to consider other locations, namely, Treasure Island in the Bay Area and Exposition Park in South LA.
Lucas and Hobson, as well as their museum board of directors and staff, have met with numerous elected officials, park representatives, and University of Southern California leadership to explore the possibility of locating their museum in South LA. They also met with leaders of various community-serving agencies, many of them members of the newly formed South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) – a federally designated Promise Zone anchored by Los Angeles Trade Tech (LATTC).
Most recently, the SLATE-Z coalition joined the LA City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors in publically expressing their support for Lucas and Hobson to locate their museum at Exposition Park. The coalition has submitted a petition that includes more than 23 leaders’ signatures of endorsement. According to LATTC President Larry Frank, “The SLATE-Z coalition is enthusiastic about the potential of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to do good in our South LA community. We stand ready to partner with the museum and local community residents to ensure its success for all Los Angeles.”
The petition cites the potential of the museum to be a transit-friendly, community-oriented multi-billion dollar investment in South LA that will not only create an accessible place for residents and visitors to enjoy the vast collections of art in all forms but that will benefit children and families in the surrounding communities. The members look favorably on construction and operations of the museum that will generate economic opportunity through the potential of local hire agreements on temporary and permanent jobs. They also note that the proposed facility will carefully balance the construction of a modern museum, significant green space within and outside of the museum, and the conversion of two asphalt parking lots into 600 additional parking spaces underground. The museum would also add to the educational programming for LA children and youth - particularly those who attend the more than 100 elementary, middle, and high schools in the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone. Furthermore, the Lucas Museum is committed to providing opportunities and pathways for young people to pursue careers in art, design, film-making, and technology.
Nolan Rollins, President of the Los Angeles Urban League says, “Combined, the proposed museum would offer benefits with inestimable positive effects and value to the lives of residents – the most significant assets in South Los Angeles – and further elevate Exposition Park as the nucleus of culture, art, history, and science for the broader LA community.”
Lucas commissioned two sets of design plans by architect Ma Yangson in October. The museum represents a possible investment in excess of $1 billion when accounting for just the construction of the facility and the endowment. A decision is expected on which of the two locations will be selected in the coming weeks.
Below is a list of 23 stakeholders and leaders serving South Los Angeles residents that support the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art locating in South Los Angeles’ Exposition Park.
Jonathan Zeichner, Executive Director, A Place Called Home;
Charisse Bremond-Weaver, President & CEO, Brotherhood Crusade;
Benjamin Torres, President & CEO, CDTech;
Kimberly Ramsey, Interim President / CEO, Community Build, Inc.;
Alberto Retana, President & CEO, Community Coalition;
Paul Vandeventer, President & CEO, Community Partners;
Keshia Sexton, Director of Organizing, LA Neighborhood Land Trust;
Veronica Melvin, President & CEO, LA Promise Fund;
Gary Toebben, President / CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce;
Tamika Butler, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition;
Veronica Hahni, Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative;
Larry Frank, President, Los Angeles Trade Technical College;
Jill Lewis, Assistant Professor, Los Angeles Trade Technical College;
Nolan V. Rollins, President / CEO, Los Angeles Urban League;
Beth Steckler, Deputy Director, Move LA;
Derrick Mims, District Director, Office of Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer;
Anne Tremblay, Director, Gang Reduction & Youth Development, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti;
Cynthia Strathmann, Executive Director, SAJE;
Nathan Arias, President & CEO, Soledad Enrichment Action, Inc.;
Heddy Nam, Director, South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone;
Faye Washington, President & CEO, YWCA of Greater Los Angeles;
Cynthia Heard, Vice President of Business Development & Communications, YWCA of Greater Los Angeles;
Caroline Cho, Independent Consultant.