Mayor R. Rex Parris

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
May 12 2011

Great ideas meet city resources

LANCASTER, Calif.—After last year’s success with the UNITE (Uniting Neighbors in a Team Effort) Lancaster program, the city of Lancaster is ready to usher in the second annual season of service.

Residents, neighborhood and community groups are encouraged to participate by submitting proposals to help improve the lives of Antelope Valley residents in addition to beautifying neighborhoods and establishing a stronger community bond.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Mar 31 2011

Thousands come to see flowers, attractions

LANCASTER, Calif.—It’s that time of year when California’s favorite flower is in bloom, and that means festival time. The city will host its 20th annual California Poppy Festival on April 16 and 17 at Lancaster City Park.

Mayor R. Rex Parris and several city council members joined city workers to preview a few of the new attractions and consider the expected fanfare at this year’s springtime celebration.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Feb 3 2011

Panel studies way to handle truancy

LANCASTER, Calif.—The Lancaster Neighborhood Vitalization Commission (LNVC), an advisory committee dedicated to addressing housing issues in the city, has organized a subcommittee to address the issue of truancy in Section 8 housing.

The Lancaster City Council and the LNVC came to the conclusion that such truancy is a problem as 2010 came to an end.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Nov 18 2010

Section 8 residents targeted

LANCASTER, Calif.—A few weeks ago Mayor R. Rex Parris said something at a Lancaster City Council meeting that rubbed some residents the wrong way. He asked a representative of the Department of Housing, if there is or could be a law instituted that would revoke Section 8 vouchers from parents whose minor children are not attending school. From there the backlash began.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Nov 4 2010

Defend yourself in public housing

LANCASTER, Calif.—At last week’s Lancaster City Council meeting, Mayor R. Rex Parris asked Dorian Jenkins, deputy executive director of housing programs with the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, if there was a way to confiscate Section 8 vouchers from tenants who did not enroll their children in school. He asked Jenkins if he would look into federal enforcement of state laws requiring children to attend school. Parris said that it would be beneficial for the whole community. 
 

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.”