Features

Apr 25 2013

An angel watching over me

How many times have you heard, “Ask and it shall be given …?”

For far too many of us they are just words from the Bible we recite mindlessly or that we don’t take seriously. But for the very wise, the phrase is freedom. I’ve read the Bible off and on all of my life, but I never really thought about putting the words into action, putting real, directed faith in the Word of God. I just wasn’t consistent in my beliefs; anything could derail me.

Gregg Reese  |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 25 2013

She draws big crowd to Urban Issues Forum

Of all the provocative images that emerged from the counterculture era of the 1960s and 1970s, none was as compelling as that of a striking young philosophy professor, her hair fashioned in a perfectly coiffed Afro, with clenched fist held high in perhaps the ultimate symbol of Black militancy.

Apr 24 2013

Passengers can send cocktails and chat with strangers

The best thing about flying? Gawking at good-looking strangers.

Maybe you spotted a Ryan Gosling clone in the departure lounge who set your heart aflutter. Or perhaps that mysterious tattooed woman who set off the metal detectors with all her piercings caught your fancy.

There’s just one problem. Serendipity fails to strike. You board the plane and find your dream girl/guy isn’t seated anywhere near you.

But there’s good news for helpless romantics.

Apr 23 2013

The Brooklyn native gained attention at Woodstock

Famed folk singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, died Monday of a sudden heart attack, his publicist said. He was 72.

Havens, who retired three years ago, toured for more than 30 years and recorded 30 albums.

Havens told Billboard that his breakthrough at Woodstock came after another artist’s equipment got stuck in traffic. He was supposed to be the fifth act.

Apr 23 2013

Fashion photographer turned actor

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — Allan Arbus, a one-time fashion photographer who turned to acting and gained fame portraying quick-witted, liberal-leaning psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman on the hit television series “M*A*S*H,” has died at his Los Angeles home.

Arbus died Friday at age 95, his daughter, Amy, told the New York Times.

Across Black America

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

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”