A community prayer vigil was recently held in Detroit for Aretha Franklin. The legendary queen of soul is reported to have undergone surgery last Thursday, which caused her to cancel all concert dates and personal appearances through May. City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson was one of the hundreds in attendance to offer support. Franklin wasn’t at the vigil, but in a statement she thanked the City Council, saying, “all prayers are good.”

Sixteen-year-old Los Angeles resident Diona Okunbo was selected to work in the prestigious U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Page Program in Washington, D.C., and is among a small group of students selected from across the country, who began participating in the program in the fall.

In addition to obtaining sponsorship from U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Okunbo had to complete a lengthy application which included several essay questions explaining why she wanted to participate in the page program and what her contribution would be.

Westside Neighborhood School’s (WNS) middle school girl’s varsity volleyball team recently won its fifth Pacific Basin League Championship, after a resounding set of victories against the Archer School for Girls volleyball team, 25-12 in the first game and 25-10 in the second game.

This special group of 12 girls, under the guidance of Chip Schulte, worked hard to become a cohesive team. Their work ethic, determination and coming together as a team over the course of the season, was a key to their win.

Long Beach-area Congresswoman Laura Richardson was recently elected to the House of Representatives’ Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and will serve as one of two regional whips in the upcoming 112th Congress.

Richardson will represent the 17 members of the Southern California area—districts 21 through 53—and will serve a two-year term beginning Jan. 5. There is also the option that she could be elected to another two-year term.