Hyundai Motor America in partnership with Taste of Soul (TOS) gave away a brand new 2018 Hyundai Sonata SEL as part of its Hyundai Better L.A. contest. Earlier last week, married couple, Daniel and La Mikia Castillo were announced the winners of the contest during a ceremonial check presentation at the L.A. Auto Show.
After receiving over 1,000 entries and reviewing 80 submission videos, selected judges were able to declare the top five videos which included entrant videos from Lonell Grimes, Venus Thomas and Marcus Anderson.
However, the judges fell in love with the Castillos and their mission to make the city of the Angels a better place to live. Recently, the Los Angeles Sentinel caught up with the winners to discuss their push to make the community better and to hear all about their love story.
Entering the Contest
The two have attended the TOS since the beginning of their marriage of ten years. Year after year, they continue to come out to the annual festival for vegan food and entertainment. The couple also shares the same vision as TOS creator Danny Bakewell Sr., which is community investment. The two are constantly thinking of ways they can help the community thrive. It just so happens, the vision they had for the community coincides with Hyundai’s competition.
The Castillos heard about the contest while they were attending this year’s TOS festival. The thing that drew them in was their niece’s attraction to the child-friendly photo booth stationed at the Hyundai tent.
After being approached by a staff member at the Hyundai tent about the car giveaway, like most contest participants, the couple was hesitant about being bombarded with emails and giving away their personal information. The Castillos and their family walked away from the Hyundai tent and decided to give it some thought.
Later, after being persuaded by family, friends, and falling in love with Hyundai’s concept for the contest, La Mikia and Daniel were ready to participate in the contest.
“Normally these type of competitions are blind competitions,” said Daniel Castillo. “You submit your name and it gets randomized and people just select a random name. In this case, there was an opportunity to showcase the work that we do and if they find it compelling enough, you will be able to get something out of it.”
And so, the preparation began. The two went home and began working on their video. Determining how they make the city better was the easy part. The more challenging issue was figuring out how to condense everything that they do into a 60 second video submission.
After countless attempts, the couple almost gave up.
“What you saw was our last effort,” Daniel said. “We thought maybe the video sounds too corny, they may not like this. We came to the conclusion that we put in the work, we were able to do it in the time limit so let’s just submit it. At this point, it’s not up to us. We articulated what we did, so, it is up to the selection committee.”
About two weeks later, Hyundai reached out to the Castillos to let them know they were selected as the winner’s for the Hyundai Better L.A. contest.
“[Once we found out we won], we were in shock. We really couldn’t wrap our minds around this idea that real people actually win these contests,” said Daniel.
“I read the email at least ten times trying to find the fine print saying ‘you’re actually not the winner’ but we just couldn’t find it.”
Prior to winning the car, the two owned a 2012 Hyundai Tucson.
Now that the Castillos have been gifted a new car, the reoccurring question is how are they going to share it?
“The saying goes, ‘happy wife, happy life.’ My wife will have full access to the vehicle so whenever she feels like allowing me to drive it, I will drive it,” said Daniel.
“For me, I love seeing her in it. She believed in the opportunity during the moment, I think she deserves it.”
Meet the Castillos
Both Daniel and La Mikia are Los Angeles residents. Daniel is the oldest child of nine and La Mikia is the oldest child of eleven. The two met at a local middle school in Los Angeles, however, they were also neighbors. Fast forward years later, the two began dating and as of August 25 of this year, they have been married for ten years. While the pair does not have any biological children, they are fostering a child.
Taking part in the foster care system is vital to the Castillos. La Mikia grew up with and around foster children. Her grandmother, who is a foster parent, has raised many foster children and adopted three children through foster care.
“We decided we wanted to go through the formal process of being able to care for kids in the foster care system because it is such a personal thing for us. It is important for kids who cannot be with their birth parents to be with a family that can help them navigate the system and provide them with the resources and love that they need,” said La Mikia Castillo.
The couple has no plans for adoption anytime soon; however, if an opportunity arises and a child comes into their care and reunification is not an option, the pair would consider adoption.
“With our current foster care situation, the goal is reunification. Right now our goal is to help provide a safe, loving home for our foster child until she is able to be reunited with her biological parent,” said La Mikia.
Being involved in the foster care system is just one way the Castillos are giving back to their city. La Mikia’s turned her passion for fostering youth into an occupation and became a national organizing director for the National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI), where she has worked for the past two years.
According to the NFYI, its mission is to “transform the child welfare system and vastly improve outcomes for foster youth by empowering the youth and their families.”
When she isn’t working at NFYI, you can find her teaching classes on the social context of urban planning and social innovation as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC), where she also received her master’s degree.
Daniel is a devoted husband and humanitarian who has channeled his love for giving back to his neighborhood and youth through his job at the Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI). There, he works as the institute’s Creative Arts and Youth Empowerment programs director.
At the SJLI, they are committed to improving the education, health, and overall well-being for youth in communities of color by “empowering them to enact social change through research, training, and community mobilization.”
One of the first things the couple plans to do with their new Hyundai Sonata is drive their family around the block and back. After the couple’s weekly Thursday meeting with local foster youth in L.A., they let the youth take pictures in the car. Some even inquired about receiving driving lessons from the Castillos in the new car.
Check out the Castillos Hyundai Better L.A. submission video at www.lasentinel.net. See you next year at the 2018 Taste of Soul family festival!
(Photos by E. Mesiyah McGinnis)
The landscape of the American music industry seems to be constantly evolving, especially these days when things like being outrageous on Youtube can lead to fame. But R&B group The Whispers have remained steadfast through it all, with the same sound that has only improved with time. The Sentinel recently caught up with identical twins Wallace “Scotty” and Walter Scott, the group’s front faces, to talk about their experiences in the industry, staying humble and lessons learned.
“We’ve been around for 53 years and so we’ve seen a lot of how the music business has changed. It has changed completely,” said Walter. 
“We watched rhythm and blues come in, disco, rap… we watched it all. It evolved into where it is now. And the thing is, twenty five years or so ago, we were beginning to be called ‘old school’ so we thought our career was over. What we didn’t realize is that, that was the greatest thing that could have happened to us because it really contributed to our longevity…”
The twins were born in Fort Worth, Texas raised with Southern values, ones they brought with them when they arrived in Los Angeles in 1959.
“I think the success that we’ve had is really attuned to being humble, never taking ourselves for granted or acting like we were bigger than we really were,” said Walter.
“We were taught that if you didn’t work and earn it then you didn’t deserve it. We came from what we now know was a poor beginning. But back then we didn’t know. We were fine.If anybody had told me coming from Watts California that I would end up in Lagos, Nigeria, Tokyo, Paris France… We had no idea the world was as big as it is.
“When you come to California and you’ve been raised southern, when kids hear you yes ma’am and no ma’am they laugh,” Scotty explained.
“But we didn’t know any other way to be. Those [southern manners] have stayed with us and kept us. We brought those qualities to the other guys (in the group)…”
The twins met the other group members in Watts, where they lived in the Jordan Downs housing project.
“It all started at Jordan High School. There was a guy called Hunter Hancock that used to have talent shows… record hops, he called it,” Walter recalled.
“We ended up entering one of his talent shows. He put us on the radio, me and my brother. We were called the Scott twins. While we were doing one of his talent shows… we were entered in as the Scott Twins. And the group that my brother would later be in was called the Whispers, they were a trio. Back in those days, they’d have us back in the gym waiting to go on stage.
“While we were back there, we were singing the songs of the day… the Temptations, the Four Tops and harmonizing. We really liked the way we sounded with this trio, so we said ‘after this talent show we need to put this together’. That’s basically how the Whispers got started.”
That was in 1964. The original group members along with Walter and Scotty were Gordy Harmon, Marcus Hutson, and Nicholas Caldwell. In 1966 the group traveled north to the Bay area after being invited musician Sly Stone. There, the group began developing a reputation as a show-stopping live act. After Harmon injured his larynx in a driving accident in 1973, he was replaced by former Friends of Distinction member Leaveil Degree.
“We had been singing for years and people in Los Angeles knew us well,” Scotty recalled.
“We went to a small label in Hollywood called Dore records. The guy who owned it, his name was Lou Bedell, Jewish guy. He liked R&B music. We went in to audition for him and he said he loved our sound, it sounded really soft. He said, ‘why don’t we call you guys the Whispers’? I said, Sir, as long as you give us our check, you can call us what ever you want!”
The group scored many hits on the R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and they hit #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1979/80 with "And the Beat Goes On / "Can You Do the Boogie" / "Out the Box". In 1987, they enjoyed a brief tenure in the Top 10 when "Rock Steady" became their first Top 10 success on the Hot 100, reaching #7, while also capturing the #1 spot on the R&B chart.
With all they had been accomplishing, it was a long time before they had stopped to think about the level of their success. The moment came during a performance in Louisiana.
“We were in Shreveport and we were doing our show and all of a sudden the band stops,” Walter remembered.
“Out walks Dick Griffey. And he has with him five gold albums framed. He stopped the show to tell (the audience) that, that week the Whispers album had gone gold. This was about 1980. And a gold album meant you had sold at least half a million copies. What we didn’t know is that we would go on to sell 2 million. Two months later the album went platinum.
“We knew by 1981, we didn’t think of it as made it, we thought of it as the validation from our peers and fans that they liked us.”
Added Scotty, “from that point on, up until 1988 everything we recorded was either gold or platinum.”
They never had the experience of being mega celebs but what they had, they have enjoyed immensely they said.
“We have seen so much change but our fans have been with us. When you look at music like ours or the Temptations or the Ojays, that music is still here,” Walter said.
“It’s all about being who you are…” and “being the hell out of that,” added Scotty.
“That’s what we have pretty much done throughout our career and it has lasted,” Walter said.
In January of this year, essence.com featured 19 Black Owned Hotels with a strong recommendation to add all of them to your very own “to do” list. The implications are that the collective “we” deserve to treat ourselves like the Queens and Kings that we are, and while doing so, to support black-owned and operated establishments.
On that list was the Brooklyn-based Akwabaa Mansion, which is one of four bed-and-breakfast establishments that are owned by former Essence Editor-In-Chief Monique Greenwood, her husband Glenn and daughter, Glynn. It’s an interesting fact to share that the Brooklyn location, is the only black-owned bed-and-breakfast in New York. The Akawabba empire is without question a family affair with other b&bs in Washington, DC (Akwaaba DC), Cape May, NJ (Buttonwood Manor aka The Mansion at Noble Lane) and in Bethany, PA (The Mansion at Noble Lane).
It’s a lot of hard work running a bed and breakfasts but the key to success says Monique Greenwood is that it’s a “labor of true love, family love” which has helped bring their dreams to life and, she says, “it's important to have the same goal; will help a business thrive”, a key component of building an empire.
“Our goal is to become a trusted and successful brand. And that people, all over the world, will be sleeping on Akwaaba sheets, drinking their beverage of choice inside Akwaaba glasses and coffee mugs, and much, more,” added Monique Greenwood.
In building the Akwaaba franchise Monique has admitted that it was the mistakes that often opened the door to the greatest success. Advice like this and the willingness to share with aspiring entrepreneurs is—I suspect—why the team at Oprah Winfrey OWN Networks decided to back “Checked Inn”.
To get the media's attention, the savvy marketing gurus at OWN Networks hosted a private media luncheon for the highly anticipated docu-series at the noteworthy Akwabaa Mansion, located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York.
Let’s rewind the clock. It's now 1995. Monique Greenwood took a leap of faith and decided to follow her heart, which told her, with clarity, to open her very first B&B in Brooklyn, NY. Mind you, Monique was still working as a magazine editor. Then, she blinked and five years passed and she landed her dream job, at Essence Magazine, and Monique quickly rose to become Editor-in-Chief—all this while running the growing B&B.
Superwoman Monique Greenwood, to everyone’s shock, decided to walk away from her high-profile job at Essence because she was exhausted. After two years of juggling two professions, she just wanted to focus on building the B&B business.
“It takes great focus to get a dream up and running,” Monica adds, “but in the end, it’s worth it.”
The Greenwood family is committed to each other’s success like white is painted on rice. These smart working parents have made it clear that they are building a legacy for their daughter and those that will follow.
OWN’s “Checked Inn” for the Greenwood family brings them one step closer to their legacy with the series focusing on the Akwaaba’s Mansion at Noble Lane in the Poconos, Pennsylvania, a former Woolworth estate.
Here is where couples go to push back the world, re-ignite passion and celebrate life’s most exciting events.
Things may not always go smoothly at Akwaaba’s Mansion at Noble Lane but Monique-with Glynn under her wing and the hard-working staff, make sure their guests have an experience they’ll never forget. Celebrity guests include two-time Grammy® Award-winning singer/ songwriter Peabo Bryson, black hair care entrepreneur Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter and Pastor John Gray and his wife Aventer.
Here is a very brief excerpt from an interview with Monique Greenwood, one of the owners of the Akawabba empire, and co-star of OWN’s “Checked Inn.”
L.A. Watts Times: What does it take to turn a successful bed and breakfast into a business model? Right now your family has four bed-and-breakfast establishments in different states and “Checked Inn” only focuses on the Pennsylvania property, Mansion at Noble Lane. Can you share your insight into the industry?
Monique Greenwood: I like to call myself an innkeeper and I am, but the bed-and-breakfast industry is [a] lifestyle industry. Our goal is to figure out a way to scale it so it becomes a business industry, one that can pay handsome returns. To this end, we took on more properties and that allows us to take advantage of economies of scale and try to, at the end of it all, have a decent profit. Our family also lives in each of them, so it’s a feeling of home for everyone involved. We also choose our staff very carefully because, again, it's our home as well.
LAWT: How did the Akawabba empire begin?
MG: My husband, and I [Glenn] made a plan early. We wanted to be retired at the age of 50. That was always our goal. Our parents worked until they couldn’t work anymore and they could not enjoy the fruits of their labor. So, we said, ‘that’s not going to be us!’ Glenn left his job. He was a Broadcast engineer. He put in his resignation [at 50 years old] and he was like ‘ok’ — I am ready but I was still working.
LAWT: You were still working at Essence, running the B&B and raising your daughter. That’s a lot of hard work.
MG: Yes it is. I didn’t have any hospitality experience but I enjoyed going to B&B’s myself, and so that’s where the seed of the dream was planted.
LAWT: You are a role model to many women. I suspect after the first season of “Checked Inn” on OWN that you will become even more popular. Who is a role model for you?
MG: Great question. Oprah Winfrey definitely, but the young woman sitting right here, next to me, is my daughter. She is my role model. It gives me faith that we are going to be alright. We have wonderful young people who are the next generation, like her. I see her determination and her passion and that fuels me. We feed off each other.
LAWT: And why or how did you choose the name Akwabaa? 
MG: Akwabaa is an African word and it means welcome. I learned that later. At first, I just loved the sound of the word and the fact that because it begins with the letter “a” it would be first in most listings.
LAWT: Has your family visited Africa?
MG: Sadly, no. I’ve not been to Africa yet, but it’s on the list. As a family, we did plan a trip there to mark key milestones in our lives. We first planned it when our daughter turned 16, and then 18. Then to celebrate 20 years of marriage, and then 25. And it just hasn’t happened.
LAWT: How about marking the fact that “Checked In” is on OWN and that it will have its network premiere on Tuesday, November 21 at 10 p.m.
MG: That is a milestone.
“CHECKED INN” premieres Tuesday, November 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN
http://www.oprah.com/own-checkedinn/checked-inn-first-look-welcome-to-the-mansion-at-noble-lane-video “Checked In” will air regularly on Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, beginning on November 25.
Twitter: Monique Greenwood (@MoniqueAkwaaba)
David S. Cunningham, Jr. (Dave), was born on June 24, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, the second of three children, to David, Sr., and Eula Mae (Lawson) Cunningham. David, Sr.’s first-born child from a previous marriage, Elnora, was a loving older sister to both Nancy and David, Jr., and a sweet stepdaughter to Eula Mae, but the precocious namesake son was outnumbered and outmaneuvered by the powerful female caucus. 
The birth of his younger brother, Ronald (Ron), in 1936, provided a welcome respite from the dollhouse brigade, and a much-needed ally, forging a lasting bond of brotherhood which cemented the tightknit family through several relocations resulting from David, Sr.’s calling to a career as an ordained minister in the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church.
Life as a Preacher’s Kid- or ‘PK’ for short- presented young Dave with several interesting challenges: a strict upbringing, rigorous household chores, disciplined school lessons and constant moves to new hometowns. By the time Dave graduated in 1952 from Sumner High School in St. Louis, MO, the Cunningham Family had lived in Freeport, IL, for four years beginning in 1939, followed by a three-year stint in Decatur, IL which began in 1943, and finally, the sojourn to St. Louis, beginning in 1949. Along the way, Dave collected fond memories of his days attending E>A> Gatsman Elementary School while studying piano and bass fiddle at the Conservatory of Music at Millikin University, developing a lifelong passion for jazz and classic music.
Later, Dave would often speak of his pride growing up as a PK, remembering how his mother kept him nattily dressed, how his mother gave him a love of singing hymns, watching his father eloquently orate before his parishioners, joining his parents in service to the congregation and the community, inspired by his parents’ courage and commitment to civil rights and economic justice. As a result, Dave was honored with a prestigious Danforth Scholars Award in 1952, enabling him to briefly study at Washington University.
Completing an Associate of Arts Degree from Stowe Teachers College in 1954, Dave served in the United States Air Reserve, later joining the United States Air Force, deploying to England, serving as a cartographer. Not wanting his tall, nearly 6’4” frame to go to waste, the US Air Force quickly recruited Dave to play basketball for the West Drayton Wildcats. A frequent fixture in the Stars & Stripes sports section, Dave consistently averaged 29 points per game, leading his team to frequent tournaments. He remained an avid basketball fan, often heard yelling above the din at frequent LA Lakers games during his tenure as a Los Angeles City Councilman.
In 1954, Dave met a comely, charming young lady, the former Bessie M. Cosey (Tiki). The couple soon married and in 1955, became first- time parents to a son, David S. Cunningham, III. 
While Dave and Tiki began adjusting to military life at March AFB in Riverside, CA, Dave joined a band, playing bass fiddle and occasional jazz piano at popular venues around Southern California. Life as a touring band musician and military specialist left the young husband and father stretched beyond the needs of his fledgling family. Tiki returned with her toddler son to live in St. Louis with David, Sr., and Eula Mae, embarking on what turned out to be a long and successful career in Early Childhood Education.
Newly single, Dave threw himself into his music and military careers. Encouraged by his parents, Dave returned to his love of active community service, quickly immersing himself into Civil Rights activities with the local NAACP. A change in bandmates brought Dave into frequent contact with their older sister, a cute and effervescent school teacher named La Fern R. Harris (fern).
The couple married in 1960 and produced two daughters, Leslie and Robyn. That same year, Dave was selected for the first time as a delegate to the historic 1960 Democratic National Convention, inspiring him to pursue a later career in politics. He decided to enroll at the University of California at Riverside, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science. Following completion of a Coro Foundation Fellows Program in Public Affairs in 1963, Dave moved with his family to Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa as the West African Regional Manager for the DuKane Corporation.
The Nigerian Civil War forced DuKane employees to leave Lagos. Nigeria in 1967. Dave traveled through Europe with his family, returning to Los Angeles, taking a position as a Manager of Community Relations with the Hughes Corporation. In 1968, Dave founded Cunningham, Short and Berryman and Associates, providing management consulting services to government and small business entities. Dave went on to earn a Master of Arts degree from Occidental College in Urban Studies in 1973.
In 1973, Dave campaigned against a large field of candidates, succeeding Tom Bradley as Councilman of the 10th District. Newly single, Dave transformed the landscape of the 10th Council District, mentoring young politicians and consulting with states across the nation as a foremost authority on grantsmanship. Dave increased his international travel activities. Authoring several landmark pieces of legislation, Dave served as State Chairman of the California Delegation to the Democratic National Committee in 1976.
In 1977, Dave married his lovely wife, Sylvia A. Kapel, celebrating 40 years of marriage, producing three children, Amber, Sean and Brian. Following his retirement from the Los Angeles City Council in 1986, Dave joined Cranston Securities as Senior Vice President of Public Finance. From 1988 to 1991, Dave served as Senior Vice President of Community Housing Equity Corporation.
In 1991, Dave formed Dave Cunningham and Associates. Since then, he has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the UC Riverside Board of Trustees, Chair of BAPAC, Chair of Board of Governors of The City Club, member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and much more.
David S. Cunningham, Jr., passed away Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at the age of 82 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Nancy Jane (Cunningham) Freeman and Elnora (Cunningham) Hammond. He is survived by one brother, Ronald, his wife Sylvia, three sons, David Surmier III, Sean Kingsley and Brian Alexander, three daughters, Leslie June, Robyn Elaine and Amber Brittany, two grandchildren, Christiane Chanel and Surmier Telafaro, two great- grandchildren, Lola Elise and Lily Pearl Chanel, cousins, nieces, nephews and a host of loved ones.
(Photos: E. Mesiyah McGinnis & File)
Notable Quotes:
“David Cunningham was a great friend to my family and me. But more importantly, he was a friend to our community. Dave unapologetically always moved the agenda of Black people forward. Whether he was fighting for equality and access for African Americans in city hall or after he retired and was working as a businessman, lobbyist, or in his philanthropic works at UC Riverside, he always fought to insure African Americans were represented and had opportunities. He was a dedicated husband, father, grand-father, friend and mentor.
He is and will always be loved and truly missed.”
— Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
Chairman & Executive Publisher,
Los Angeles Sentinel & L.A. Watts Times Newspaper
“Los Angeles has lost a great leader. I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. David Cunningham, a champion for accessible, affordable housing and a true community leader. Among his major contributions to our city, Mr. Cunningham served on the Los Angeles City Council for 13 years in the 1970s and 1980s and represented many Angelenos, including myself, at that post. One of the first African American elected leaders in the city, Mr. Cunningham served his multiple terms in the City Council with distinguished honor and dignity, as he did as Chairman of the Black American Political Association of California. My thoughts are with Mr. Cunningham son, my friend Judge David S. Cunningham III, and the rest of Mr. Cunningham’s loving family and friends. The guidance and community wisdom will surely be missed by not only myself, but also those fortunate enough to cross paths with Dave on his journey.”
— Congresswoman Karen Bass
“Dave Cunningham served his community with passion and dedication — and never lost sight of why the people of the 10th District elected him to succeed Tom Bradley, and sent him to City Hall to represent them for more than a decade: to keep up the fight for equal justice, equal access, and equality in services. His strong advocacy made history in our city, and my thoughts today are with the councilmember’s family and all who loved and admired him.”
— Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
“Dave Cunningham was a lion on the Los Angeles City Council and a mentor to every up and coming elected official. There will never be another statesman of his stature.”
— Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer
“Councilmember David Cunningham Jr. left behind an enormous legacy as a giant for social justice. His tireless leadership, passion, and dedication on issues, like affordable housing and divestment for apartheid South Africa are still needed in today’s world. He will truly be missed.”
— Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson
“David Cunningham was a true gentleman in politics and life, and a mentor to me and many more. But what I remember most was the gentle grip of his large hand. It was a grip of a golfer. Gentle enough to control, but never overpowering! I will miss his sly grin and great stories”
— Senator Steve Bradford