Lisa Olivia Fitch
OW Contributor
Why ‘Red Tails’ flew high
Jan 26 2012

The movie rode a jet stream of national activism

Clapping and yelling at the sights of African American heroes on the screen, viewers on the opening night for “Red Tails” did not hesitate to voice pride in the movie at a local Baldwin Hills theater.

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A shopper’s holiday
Dec 15 2011

Local retailers dream of big yuletide sales

Recycling Black dollars is not a new idea in Los Angeles. From the 1920s through the ’50s, Blacks in the city had Central Avenue as their core shopping district, where the street was lined with small shops, jazz clubs and “colored” hotels. Nowadays, in a more integrated city, scattered pockets of Black businesses are desperately looking for patrons to walk in their doors this holiday season.

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Families finding life support
Jul 6 2011

Programs available to aid babies, mothers, fathers

Family. We’re not what we used to be.

Today as we celebrate National Black Family month, our families are scattered near and far and have many faces—single mothers, single fathers, foster parents, grandparents, gay couples, mixed races —all doing their best to raise the future of our community. And, thankfully, help is there—in the form of good ol’ fashioned family support, government assistance and grassroots community organizations.

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Foster care: OK but improvements needed
May 18 2011

Blacks comprise nearly one-third of children in care

“I consider myself a professional mother,” said Annie Hall, who is currently caring for five foster children. “I enjoyed raising my kids, and I’m enjoying it again.”

Hall and her husband, Elisha, a retired Marine, nurtured three of their own children, who now are 28, 30 and 33. She used to visit with her sister in Palmdale, and helped her with the five children she adopted out of the foster care system.

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Putting Black females in the executive pipeline
Mar 30 2011

Moving from ‘double outsider’ to CEO

In the corporate world—the land of office supplies, paper cuts and ink stains—there has long existed a glass ceiling. At first glance, the mailroom clerk sees the CEO chair within her grasp, just up the ladder of success. But, alas, there is an invisible barrier. Maybe they are not the “right” race or sex. Or both.

Many Black women who aspire to one day furnish an executive corner office are faced with a “double outsiders” status in today’s organizations.

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'The New Jim Crow'
Mar 23 2011

Author contends legal system is most pressing racial issue

We’ve all heard the sad statistics before and wondered about the future of our community; with so many men and women incarcerated. For years, conspiracy theorists have pointed to the same statistics and claimed that people of color are purposefully targeted and how the prison system is akin to the old Jim Crow system.

“For a long time I resisted the comparison,” author Michelle Alexander said. “I thought people who made those kinds of claims were doing more harm than good. 

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Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Arkansas
Walmart Stores Inc. recently announced the promotion of Rosalind G. Brewer, 49, to president and CEO of Sam’s Club. She will replace current Sam’s Club President and CEO Brian Cornell, who informed the company that he would move back to the Northeast for family reasons. Brewer was most recently president of the Walmart U.S. east business unit, where she was responsible for more than $100 billion in annual revenue, representing almost 1,600 stores and more than 500,000 associates. Brewer was also the first chairperson of the Walmart President’s Council of Global Women Leaders. “Roz came to us with an outstanding background in consumer packaged goods more than five years ago,” said Mike Duke, Walmart president and CEO. “During that time I have seen her develop into a talented merchant and retailer. She has strong strategic, analytical and operational skills and has successfully managed a large and complex business. I’ve also been struck by Roz’s servant leadership when I have visited stores with her. She always lets her team do the talking, with her focus being on how to better support their needs.”
 

California
Essence magazine recently announced the fifth annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon honoring the industry’s most exciting African American talent, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in Hollywood. The event will take place on Feb. 23 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Essence will celebrate five extraordinary women who have left an indelible impression with their work within the film and television industries: Kerry Washington (Vanguard Award), Octavia Spencer (Breakthrough Performance), Pam Grier (Legend Award), Paula Patton (Shining Star Award) and Shonda Rhimes (Visionary Award). This star-studded event commemorates Essence magazine’s annual Hollywood issue and in honor of the fifth anniversary, Essence.com is giving fans exclusive access to all the red-carpet interviews via live stream from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and re-airing that evening at 9 p.m. EST.

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