The Museum of African American Art recently held its first public event since closing at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a return that was much anticipated and warmly welcomed by community members.
The two-part virtual event on March 18, featured the unveiling and dedication ceremony for the U.S. Postal Service’s 45th Black Heritage Forever Stamp recognizing renowned sculptor, Edmonia Lewis.
The event, which also saluted Women’s History Month, paid tribute to MAAA’s 45th year of operation.
Sean Andrews, plant manager for the USPS Los Angeles Network Distribution Center, along with the MAAA Executive Director Keasha Dumas Heath, participated in the ceremony.
Before unveiling the stamp, Andrews shared stories about Lewis’ amazing life with the virtual audience.
“Edmonia Lewis was celebrated in her lifetime, but it’s fair to say that many Americans of today do not know about this brilliant 19th century sculptor. We hope today that will change,” said Andrews.
Following the ceremony, Dr. Lizzetta LeFalle-Collins, curator and art historian, gave an educational presentation covering the life and art of Lewis.
“I first learned about Edmonia Lewis’ works in Dr. Samella Lewis and Ruth Waddy’s book, Black Artists on Art (1969), as an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara, and from Dr. Samella Lewis,’ Art: African American in 1978,” said LeFalle-Collins.
MAAA member Rose White called the virtual event, “very worthwhile and enjoyable.”
On March 19, the MAAA opened its main gallery for an in-person event where community members had the opportunity to purchase the newly-issued Edmonia Lewis stamp, other postage stamps in the Black Heritage series, and related USPS memorabilia.
Visitors also previewed the museum’s new exhibit of 40 oil paintings by unhoused artist, Leon Washington, who is seeking to use his artwork to help improve his circumstances and secure permanent housing.
During the museum’s events honoring Lewis, attendees were introduced to the new chairman of the MAAA Board of Directors, NAACP Image Award–winning artist David G. Brown.
An accomplished artist, educator, publisher, and producer of political cartoons, graphic novels, and comic books, Brown is a longtime member of the MAAA board and previously served on the board of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
“We were thrilled to open our doors to the public at our first in-person event since the pandemic,” said Brown.
In December, the MAAA marked its 45th year educating visitors of all ages and identities about the arts under the founding principle that “art can and should be part of our everyday lives.”
The museum will commemorate this milestone with a retrospective exhibit highlighting its legacy within the community later this year.
“As a nonprofit museum, we have been truly energized by the community’s response to our 45th anniversary membership campaign,” said Executive Director Heath. “We are here because our community believes we should be — and that’s powerful.”
The Museum of African American Art plans to reopen its main gallery soon for regular in-person hours.
The gift shop and event hall will remain closed while the museum completes special projects and upgrades to its facilities.
For now, the museum will continue hosting special events and will schedule tours of the main gallery by appointment.
For more information about MAAA’s featured artist or to subscribe to the museum’s email updates, visit www.maaala.org.
As an Inglewood native, Neesin Williams captures the narrative of his community and creates a space that shines light on how vast the road to success can be. “In a Session,” premieres on Revolt TV on March 18. The show is an invitation to join locally sourced artists on their journey to being discovered.
Neesin recalled the earlier stages of his career, he worked two jobs and then headed to the studio.
At the time he was honing his skills as a producer and musician. After working shifts at Urban Outfitters and the YMCA, he would enter the studio energized by the knowledge he would absorb from the session.
Neesin fully immersed himself in the moment and asked a generous amount of questions.
He later picked up the required social etiquette for the studio and respected the sacredness behind a creative workplace.
Deep conversations and pivotal moments are unlocked; this is where ideas became tangible.
“I think sessions in studios are so sacred.
And the idea came from being in studios with all these incredible artists--seeing the other side of them.” Neesin said.
He reflected on the various subjects that would be uncovered in a studio session, “We would talk about building communities, schools—we would talk about circuit boards and geometry.”
Neesin mentioned a talent that will be featured in the upcoming release of the show - a multidisciplined creator and noted painter - Ashlee Banxxs.
“We were talking about the formula to colors, learning the math behind blending,” said Neesin, who described these conversations as a beautiful space of vulnerability.
“In a Session” grew from hidden dialogue harvested during the hours of creativity; an energy shared among artistic hearts.
Although the process of creating a viable show was a long journey, Neesin wanted to amplify the construction zone where multifaceted artists built their pathway to discovery.
Reflecting on the purpose of the series and his job as the host, Neesin said, “I'm trying to be present with the artists and reveal as much of them as possible.”
The award-winning director (A Wise Tale, 2021) elaborated on the truth behind the heart of an artist, there’s usually more than one passion.
Neesin held a torch towards every position in film, from showrunner, music composer, production assistant, to producer and director.
Outside of film, Neesin is deeply rooted into music, he has gone on tour as one of the main group members of YRF.
When describing the show and how he connected with the talent, Neesin stated that these artists are his friends. “I've been blessed to be around this business [entertainment industry], for quite some time.
And I've been honored to bump into such amazing people.”
He continued, “Honestly the simpler answer is they find me, I'm just blessed enough to be able to cultivate that and put them in front of a camera.”
The talk show takes studio conversation to the next level, by giving the artist the opportunity to speak their truth.
It holds space for talented people of color, who are multi-disciplined, and empower them to share their vulnerabilities, triumphs, and their version of reality.
The show stands for creating an opportunity, if one is not presented. Creatives reflect on the strength in building the life they want.
Neesin is a L.A. native. He has memories of growing up in the cities of Inglewood, Compton, and Long Beach.
His parents graduated from Morning Side High School and Inglewood High School. It was imperative that his love for the collective community was represented in every thread of this show. “Before I'm accepted by them [Mainstream Audience] I need to be accepted by us,” Neesin said.
In building the foundation for the series that is now streaming on the Revolt TV App, Neesin leaned heavily on his own community.
His core team to navigate through two seasons of “In a Session” consisted of co-creator and award-winning director Brianna Devons (“On the Line, 2022”), audio engineer Ish, and hands-on producer Ricardo Cisneros.
They offered their diverse ability to produce and captivate the vision of the series.
There is rarity in birthing a dream - it takes support.
In making this series, iconic rapper Olskool Ice-Gre (Jeen Yuhs) carved out energy to be a producer of the show.
Other important members of the “In a Session family included a strong production team, Mark Mason, Jessie Weseloh, Lamar Usher and the series intern Ariyah Nicole Brown.
Considering the legacy of the show, representing Black artists from different walks of life, Neesin said, “It means a lot to me, because I'm giving back to the culture and I'm setting up for somebody blindly--that I will never see.
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Be a part of the studio conversation, follow @inasession on your favorite social media platform and watch “In a Session, "on the Revolt TV App.
Marc Morial has been traveling the country as the president and CEO of the National Urban League, fighting to enhance and better the lives of Black people, as well as those surviving in underserved communities and struggling with injustice on a day-to-day basis.
During his visit to Los Angeles, Morial took time out of a very busy schedule to talk one-on-one with The Los Angeles Sentinel to discuss the NFL, the state of the nation and the variety of initiatives that the Urban League is bringing forward to better serve our community. 
Morial visited and networked in Los Angeles as part of NFL Week but is not shy about addressing the many issues facing the NFL, and in particular, the recent lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores.
“When the Brian Flores matter first arose, our coalition of legacy civil rights organizations, including myself as the president of the Urban League, Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, Derrick Johnson from the National NAACP Office, Melanie Campbell, who leads the Black Women’s Round Table, and Dr. Barbara William-Skinner, who runs the African American and Black Clergy Alliance, immediately called out the need for meaningful change and demanded a meeting with Roger Goodell.
“That meeting recently took place during Super Bowl Week and we made it absolutely clear that the NFL must change, and that lip service and fast feet and rhetoric around the lack of Black coaches and Black owners in the National Football League is UNACCEPTABLE in 21st Century America.”
Morial said that as a football fan, he believes that there was no reason for Brian Flores to have been fired from the Dolphins and that his dismissal undercuts the very intent that the Rooney Rule was put in place to do.
Morial was emphatic about his view of the Flores issue, but more importantly, it appears many teams are now conducting “sham or charade” interviews where they have previously made a decision on hiring a head coach, and are only going through the perfunctory motions of interviewing a Black or a person of color in order to check a box in fulfilling the requirement of the Rooney Rule.
While the NFL's hiring inequality is a serious issue that the Urban League is leading the fight for inclusion on, under Morial’s leadership, the organization is doing so much more, both here in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
Morial says that it is important that we first and foremost remember the mission of the Urban League which is now 112 years strong. "We do our work through a network of 92 affiliates throughout the country including here in Los Angeles," said Morial.
Collectively, the Urban League and their 92 affiliates provide direct services to over 2,000,000 people a year. Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of people find work or obtain skills to become gainfully employed through the work of the Urban League and its 92 affiliates.
Morial points out that tens of thousands of people are also provided with assistance to find a pathway to homeownership and hundreds of thousands rely on the Urban League to help provide resources to make their lives and communities better and stronger.
When asked about the organization's role for the people, Morial stated, "On the advocacy front, we're working on social and economic justice.
Whether it is African Americans being appointed to the Supreme Court, to the federal reserve board, or to the cabinets."Whether it's police misconduct in Minnesota, whether it is the issue of economic justice concerning including fair pay, minimum wage increases, or Black businesses participating in the stimulus bill.
Morial says making corporate America’s boards of directors or their C-Suites more diversified and ending digital redlining is key to financial equality. “We have a significant focus on the issues that impact our community. And we think that what we are fighting for what is in the best interest of Black America, but we are fighting for the best interest of everyone. Because as Black America goes, so goes the nation.”
Marc Morial says, “Post George Floyd murder, there has been a reckoning, we have to keep that fire alive, that fire to social commitment.”
Morial has now been the president of the organization for almost 18 years. Prior to becoming the president of the Urban League, Morial was the mayor of New Orleans. He was an extremely popular mayor whose time ended, not because his popularity waned, but because of the city’s term limits. Many believe Morial would have remained the mayor. Morial’s leadership qualities, however, have not been forsaken, as he transitioned from his role as mayor to the leader of one of the nation's most influential civil rights organizations.
Under his leadership, the Urban League is now five times larger than they were when Morial stepped into the top role.
He says that the League’s endowments have also grown significantly. “The number of people we serve has surged and we now have an entire new generation in many communities of local leaders who are dynamic; more young people than ever, more women involved in ‘The League’ than ever.”
One of the initiatives Morial and the Urban League are extremely proud of is their Young Professional Auxiliary League, "which now has over 10,000 members across the country. This group is powerful. This is the central piece of the future for the Urban League," Morial said.
Morial says it's important to share that the Urban League is one of many historic civil rights organizations throughout the nation.
“We all do important work throughout the country. We, at the Urban League, partner with a variety of organizations to uplift our communities.” He speaks of the significant alliances he has formed with the NNPA (The Black Press of America), the National Action Network, and the NAACP.
'The Urban League works across cultural lines and collaborates with Latino organizations like Unido U.S. and LULAC; we work with our Asian American organizations; we work with business and labor organizations when we can. We are trying to forge ahead but also build coalitions in order to bring about change," said Morial.
Morial believes that there are two central issues that the community must unite to address. The first he says is, “There is an absolute assault on democracy. January 6th, Charlottesville [VA], voter suppression in Georgia, Texas, and many other states. Voter ID laws, racial gerrymandering, efforts to overturn elections with violence. Democracy is something we are going to all have to fight to protect."
The second issue Morial wants the community to focus on is the racial wealth gap. Morial says this is the largest barrier and quite candidly said that such a wealth gap has not materially changed since the civil rights days. "The differential in ownership between Black and White Americans, the differential in income between Black Americans and White Americans remains stubborn, persistent, and is an issue that needs a lot more work."
As president of the National Urban League, Morial is particularly complimentary of the work done here in Los Angeles by now Los Angeles Urban League President Michael Lawson.
“Michael stepped in at a challenging time in the history of the Los Angeles Urban League. Michael didn’t need this position; the truth is, we needed him.
He is a former partner at the law offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and is a distinguished lawyer, distinguished ambassador (Obama administration), and distinguished civic leader.
He didn’t need this job but he stepped up and took on the mantel of leadership out of a dedication to the Urban League, and more importantly, out of service and dedication to this community.
He has done a remarkable job of helping stabilize and sustain the Los Angeles Urban League to drive us into the future,” Morial said.
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to Michael and his lovely wife Mattie for sacrificing the personal time out of a dedication to our community.
“It was the late, great John Mack when I first became president of the Urban League who got me to understand the power of having a dynamic local leader, and Michael certainly has demonstrated the ability to be that dynamic leader here in Los Angeles.”
Marc Morial has now been the president of the Urban League for 18 years, much longer than he was the mayor of New Orleans.
So, when asked that between being the head of a national civil rights organization or the mayor of New Orleans, which job was more challenging, Morial immediately responded.
“There is no job like being the mayor of a major urban city.
You don’t know if your phone will ring at 3:00 a.m. and there is a raging fire where some of your citizens have been killed.
You may find yourself dealing with a weather emergency like Katrina.
There is no tougher job than running a major city like New Orleans.”
Morial says he has never regretted a single day in his role as mayor of New Orleans and says like any job, there were tough days, but no regrets.
He also says that being the mayor of New Orleans prepared him for the job of running the Urban League, and that while being president of the Urban League also has its challenges, he loves the work he is doing and is confident that "because of the work the 'League' is doing across the nation, we are on a path towards a better tomorrow."
Three times the Senate has confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson – twice unanimously.
Now, an evenly divided Senate will face the task of confirming Judge Jackson to the highest court in America and, in the process, make her the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Friday, February 25, President Joe Biden made Judge Jackson his choice to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced his retirement in January.
“It’s because of Judge Brown Jackson’s experience in roles at all levels of the justice system, her character, and her legal brilliance that President Biden nominated her to the D.C. Circuit Court, after which she earned her third Senate confirmation,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in an earlier statement.
Judge Jackson’s experience and the three previous Senate confirmations made her nearly a no-brainer for a President who desperately needs a victory in a divided country.
More than 170 Black Harvard alumni recently submitted a letter to the White House asking that President Biden select Judge Jackson.
Additionally, the prominent Florida-based Cuban American Bar Association, its board members, and past presidents sent a note to the White House supporting Judge Jackson’s nomination.
Born in D.C., the 51-year-old jurist grew up in Florida and went to high school in Miami.
“Judge Brown Jackson spent her formative years in Miami-Dade County, still has family in Miami, and is a testament to the outstanding capacity of the Miami-Dade County public schools,” read a letter signed by more than 30 current and past leaders from the association.
“She is plainly exceedingly well qualified to assume the awesome responsibilities of a Supreme Court Justice, and her Miami roots will afford her a valuable perspective on the rights and lives of the people who come before the court.”
The letter added that Biden’s selection of Jackson “would be a lasting honor to this community and a powerful example of the value of diversity in the American justice system.”
Comparatively, the Harvard letter also expounded the virtues of Judge Brown Jackson.
“We are Black alumni of Harvard University, and we write to urge you to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” the letter stated.
“We represent a broad cross-section of America. We are civic and corporate leaders, scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, public school teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, and stay-at-home parents, among others.” 
Judge Brown Jackson ascended to her current position in June 2021. She served as a United States District Judge, vice-chair, and commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission.
The 51-year-old District native, who shares two children with her husband Patrick Jackson, worked in civil and criminal appellate litigation in both state and federal courts for Morrison & Foerster LLP.
Judge Brown Jackson also served as an assistant federal public defender in the appeals division of the Office of the Public Defender in D.C.
She served as a law clerk for three federal judges – Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Judge Bruce Selya, and Judge Patti Saris.
Though the selection represents a historic moment in American history, the court will maintain its 6-3 conservative edge as it tackles high-profile and controversial cases, including gun rights, religious liberty, and abortion.
“Judge Katanji Brown Jackson will fight for African Americans and other communities of color. We haven’t had this on the Supreme Court since Justice Thurgood Marshall,” said National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
“This is a great day for African American women and for all others who believe in equality and justice,” added NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards. “Judge Katanji Brown Jackson is not only the best-qualified candidate, but she also brings a perspective that is not present currently on the Supreme Court. The NNPA salutes President Biden for this historic nomination.”
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has a spectacular record impeccable credentials, and her perspective will be a breath of fresh air on the court. She is exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court,” said Congresswoman Val Demings (D-Fla.).
“In the coming years, the Supreme Court is likely to hear cases that may determine the long-term direction of American life and the safety and constitutional rights of every American.
Judge Jackson has demonstrated throughout her career that she will be impartial, meticulous, and will put the law and Constitution first in every case,” Congresswoman Demings continued.
“In less partisan times, she is the kind of nominee who might have been confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.
I expect every member of the Senate to give Judge Jackson full and fair consideration. This remarkable Floridian should be confirmed without delay.”
Marcella Howell, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Reproductive Justice Agenda, called Judge Jackson highly qualified with a proven record of fighting for human and civil rights.
“The U.S. Supreme Court should reflect the values and lived experiences of all Americans, not just the politics of a few,” Howell stated.
“This historic nomination is an important step in that direction. Ketanji Brown Jackson can make that a reality, and we urge the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to immediately hold hearings. We call on the U.S. Senate to bring the nomination to a vote without delay.”