April 29, 2010 

Student President Stabbed in Racist Attack

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Chico State University’s student body president was recovering after police say he was stabbed repeatedly by a man yelling racist slurs. 

Chico police said 23-year-old Joseph Igbineweka was walking near the campus the morning of April 18 when he was attacked. He suffered wounds to his neck, chest, abdomen and arm and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police said officers arrested 19-year-old Barry Sayavong of Chico about a block from the scene of the attack after witnesses identified him as the alleged culprit. He was being held in Butte County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and a hate crime.

In his biography on the Chico State Associated Students Web site, Igbineweka identifies himself as a senior majoring in political science who moved to the United States from Nigeria at age 15.

Gov. Seeks Law to Curb Inner-City School Layoffs

 (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants a state law that would help prevent massive teacher layoffs at inner-city schools.

Schwarzenegger appeared April 20 in Los Angeles to endorse a bill that would give school districts flexibility in how they lay off teachers.

The issue drew attention in February when the ACLU sued the Los Angeles school district over the dismissal of 2,100 teachers based on seniority.

The lawsuit charges that more than half the teachers at three of the city’s most deprived schools were laid off because they were the district’s newest teachers. The lawsuit says students have been left with a bewildering succession of substitute teachers and are being deprived of their right to a quality education.

Schwarzenegger says he supports the lawsuit.

Harry Edwards to be Featured Speaker at Local Lecture

(UCLA) — The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles will present the 2010 Thurgood Marshall Lecture by Harry Edwards, professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, April 29, with a 5:30 p.m. reception on the Covel Commons Terrace and a 7 p.m. lecture in the Grand Horizon Room in Covel Commons.

The combination of Edwards’ experiences as an athlete and his training in the discipline of sociology led him to the conclusion that, by the late 1960s, America had become complacent, even cynical about the issue of race in sports.

As a leader of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), he and others initially advocated a black athlete boycott of the 1968 Olympics. The boycott was called off, however, and athletes were encouraged to protest at the games. 

Edwards is now considered the leading authority on developments at the interface of race, sport and society, and a pioneer in the development of the sociology of sport as an academic discipline in America.

The event is free and open to the public.

Information: www.bunchecenter.ucla.edu, (310) 206-8267, (310) 825-7403.

Concerned Black Men Present ‘Welcome to Manhood’

(CBM) — Concerned Black Men of Los Angeles will present the “Welcome to Manhood” program, a series of workshops and activities designed to help young males (ages 11 to 19) gain life skills.

Areas of focus include computer skills, business etiquette, hygiene, resume building, career guidance, what it means to be a man and more. Incentives include: gift cards, field trips, clothing, games and more.

The next workshop takes place May 1, 1 to 3 p.m., at Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Library, 2205 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles.

                Information:www.cbmla.org, (323) 750-7241.

BPC, Alliance and Chuck Woolery

Team Up to Help Needy Children

(ACR) — Bicycle Playing Cards, the Alliance for Children’s Rights and game show host Chuck Woolery invite the public to play in the largest-ever hearts tournament May 6, 6 to 7 p.m., at Universal Hotel, Universal City.

Doors open at 4 p.m. The event will benefit the alliance for children’s rights, a free legal services agency dedicated to helping impoverished and abused children and youth.

The alliance seeks 1,025 people to break the Guinness World Record for the number of people playing hearts at one time. No experience is necessary. Invite family and friends. Snacks and parking will be provided.

Information: www.kids-alliance.org, (213) 368-6010, ext. 115.

Association Announces Scholarship for High School Musicians

(NANM) — The National Association of Negro Musicians will have their annual scholarship competition for high school musicians.

The event offers talented musicians an opportunity to compete for scholarship awards. It will take place May 8, 1:30 p.m., at the Church of Christian Fellowship, 2085 S. Hobart Ave., Los Angeles.

Information: (323) 292-6556.