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COMMUNITY MEETINGS
WHAT'S GOING ON (03/11/2010) PDF Print E-mail

March 11, 2010

Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to activity. Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA90010.

REFELECTIONS — Dee Wallace of “E.T.” fame will be the featured speaker at Reflections, Write at the Speed of Change Writer’s Seminar March 27 at the LAX Radisson, 6225 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles. Wallace will lecture on “Staying True to the Spirit of Your Writing.”  She is the author of, “Conscious Creation,” “The Big E,” and “The Spiritual Lessons of an Actor’s Journey.” Admission is $20. RSVP information: (310) 695-9800, dabellis@ reflectionspublishings.net.

EXTENSION — The West Coast premiere of The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza will extend at The Fountain Theatre through April 25. Part history, part mystery and part ghost story, Bayeza’s integration of past, present, fact and legend turns the story of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till into a work of music, poetic language and theatricality. The show will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $28, with discounts for seniors and students. Information: (323) 663-1525, www.FountainTheatre. com.

WOMEN’S DAY — Radical Women will present an International Women’s Day celebration honoring local feminist Muffy Sunde on March 14, 2 p.m., at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Sunde has been a fixture in the Los Angeles feminist, labor and leftist movements. A Japanese dinner will be served at 5 p.m. after the program for $9. Information: (323) 732-6416, radicalwomenla@earthlink.net, www.radicalwomen.org.

USHERS DAY — The Ushers of First United Methodist Church will host their annual Ushers Days March 14, 3 p.m. The church, at 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, will acknowledge the work and contributions of ushers. There will be praise, music, fellowship and worship. Information: (310) 639-0775.

HOMECOMING — Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services will present the HomeComing and Annual Meeting March 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at 3926 Wilshire Blvd., suite 200, Los Angeles. The evening will feature stories from clients who have overcome challenges to preserve their homes or reach their goals of homeownership. Information: lanhsinfo@lanhsinfo.org.

TIDEPOOL WONDERS — The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is inviting people to explore low tides on the rocky shore March 13, 12:30 to 2 p.m., and March 14, 2 to 3:30 p.m. The aquarium is at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. Attendees will have the opportunity to see a slide show, which will be followed by a walk led by aquarium staff to the nearby Point Fermin State Marine Park. Information: (310) 548-7562, www. cabrillomarineaquairum.org.
 
COMMUNITY MEETINGS PDF Print E-mail
March 11, 2010

Construction to Close Blue Line from Washington to 7th/Metro Center

(Metro) — Metro Blue Line passengers will experience travel delays of up to 40 minutes through March 15 due to construction of the Expo light rail line, which will connect with the Metro Blue Line in downtown Los Angeles.

The Metro stations affected will be: San Pedro, Grand Avenue, Pico/Chick Hearn and 7th/Metro Center. Rail service from the Washington Station to Long Beach Transit Mall will not be affected.

Metro will implement a bus bridge to serve these stations from  the 7th/Metro Center to and from Washington Station. There also will be Metro personnel at the Washington and 7th/Metro Center stations to help direct patrons.

Further information: (213) 922-4999, www.metro.net.

 

Remember to Fill out Census Form and Mail Back by April 1

(Asian Pacific American Legal Center) — With Census Day approaching on April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to notify households of what to expect in the upcoming weeks, and communities could respond by carefully reading all Census-related materials sent to their households and seeking help if they have any questions about Census 2010.

Starting on March 15, Census forms will be mailed to all households.

The bureau is asking everyone to complete the forms and mail them back by April 1.

Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs) will be open in various locations from March 19 to April 19. Anyone who needs assistance or has questions about how to fill out the forms can go to a QAC.

More information: www.2010. census.gov.

 

‘Million Meals for Haiti’ Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteers are needed to help the Salvation Army pack a million meals in 24 hours for earthquake-ravaged Haitians March 12 to 13 at the Bell Shelter Warehouse, 5600 Rickenbacker Road, Building 1C and 1D, Bell.

Volunteers will receive an official confirmation from The Salvation Army.

Information: (213) 607-7314.
 
PBS Host Tavis Smiley Calls Meeting to Urge ‘Black Agenda’ PDF Print E-mail

March 11, 2010

BY JESSE WASHINGTON

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP) — About two months after ending his annual State of the Black Union conference, Tavis Smiley is gathering African American advocates to press the case for a “black agenda.”

The decision was motivated by what Smiley called recent statements from some black leaders downplaying the need for President Barack Obama to specifically help African Americans.

“I was compelled to do it because of this debate,” the activist and PBS talk show host said March 3.

The panel discussion will be March 20 at Chicago State University. Panelists include advertising pioneer Tom Burrell, professors Michael Eric Dyson and Cornel West, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux.

Some black politicians and activists have recently begun to question Obama’s longtime stance that helping the overall economy will improve the fortunes of blacks who are disproportionately poor and unemployed.

West, for example, gave Obama a grade of C minus on policies and priorities focused on poor and working people, saying, “He has really not come through in any substantial and significant way.”

Recently, Smiley and the Rev. Al Sharpton had an argument about the issue on Sharpton’s radio show, with Sharpton taking heated exception to Smiley’s claim that the reverend was giving Obama a pass on black issues.

When Smiley ended the State of the Black Union after 10 years, he said black issues were now being addressed elsewhere. Apparently, however, not enough to his liking.

He said that the Obama campaign and black leaders asked African Americans for help during the election, but that “now that he’s elected, what are black people being asked to do to hold him accountable to our agenda?”

Eric Deggans, who writes about the media and race for Florida’s St. Petersburg Times, said Smiley’s new event is consistent with his record of criticizing Obama’s race-neutral stance. But there is a perception that Smiley is personally invested in the issue, he said, because Obama declined to attend Smiley’s 2008 State of the Black Union event during the presidential campaign.

“It could be hard for people watching this to see Tavis as an honest broker,” Deggans said.

On the Net: Tavis Smiley: www.tavistalks.com.