Football

Apr 3 2013

Signs with Atlanta Falcons

LONG BEACH, Calif. — A former Long Beach high school football star who spent more than five years behind bars for rape but was exonerated after his accuser recanted her story came closer to his dream of playing in the National Football League today when he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons.

Brian Banks, 27, gushed thanks on his Twitter page to the team’s management and players, saying, “Thank you for accepting me into the family.”

Dec 29 2011

Stadium to bring jobs

Area African American leaders called on state lawmakers to support a bill that would help bring a long-sought-after football team and the jobs connected to such an enterprise back to Los Angeles.

The leaders urged at a press conference that lawmakers approve SB 292, a bill calling for an environmental impact report and expedited review of any lawsuits connected to Farmers Field, the land where the proposed L.A. stadium would be built.

Nov 21 2011

First MLS Cup win for David Beckham

CARSON, Calif.—The Los Angeles Galaxy won the 2011 MLS Cup Sunday night, defeating the Houston Dynamo, 1-0, on a 72nd-minute goal by Landon Donovan off assists by David Beckham and Robbie Keane.

Beckham began the scoring sequence by heading the ball to Keane, who passed to Donovan, who put a right-footed shot from about nine yards out diagonally past goalkeeper Tally Hall just inside the right goalpost.

The 36-year-old Beckham played all 90 minutes, despite a previously undisclosed torn hamstring, sustained in practice Tuesday.

Jul 28 2011

Jobs-generating project

One of the greatest strengths of Los Angeles is our incredible diversity. We are the new melting pot of the United States, and L.A. is a true rainbow of cultures and ethnicities.

Just to pick a few examples, we have the largest Korean and Filipino populations outside Korea and the Philippines and the largest Latino population outside Latin America. The storied history and continued vibrancy of our African American community is often the inspiration for novels and movies.

Jerriel Xavier Biggles  |   OW High School Intern
Jul 21 2011

Hidden in the hills, region

One young group of soccer-mined Angelenos may have had more than a passing interest in the Women’s World Cup matches held in Frankfurt, Germany.

This would be Region 1031 South Los Angeles Chapter of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), which covers Baldwin Hills to Windsor Hills. The region has been in existence for nearly eight years and is home to a league that is half African American and half Latino and was definitely impacted by the World Cup finals, which the United States lost to Japan in penalty kicks.

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.”