OpEd

Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Oct 27 2011

$1.5 trillion in cuts by Nov. 23

When President Barack Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011, he committed our nation to a budget-cutting process that may well be cumbersome.

The “Supercommittee,” or the Joint Select Committee on Budget Reduction, has a hard timeline of proposing some $1.5 trillion in cuts by Nov. 23. If Congress does not pass the Supercommittee proposals, then an automatic trigger will cut the budget across the board by about 9 percent.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Oct 20 2011

Between the Lines

The monument to 20th-century social change leader—and some say 20th-century prophet—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was finally dedicated this weekend on the National Mall.

David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Oct 20 2011

Practical Politics

OK, dear readers and listeners, here are three quick, straightforward points: two new and one fleshed out more.

First, Claud Anderson, Ed.D., is coming back to Los Angeles on Saturday. The primary theme for his lecture will be, “An Emergency Call to Action: What Black America Must Know and Do to Thrive Versus Merely Survive. Get the Nuts and Bolts Necessary to Save Yourself and the Next Generation.” He will present from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. at Crenshaw Christian Center, 7901 S. Vermont.

Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Oct 20 2011

Where is the list of demands?

The Occupy Wall Street movement is now one month old. The protests have spilled over from their initial Wall Street site to Washington, D.C., Miami, and, according to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) website, into approximately 1,500 cities around the globe.

David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Oct 13 2011

Practical Politics

Ahhh, Los Angeles. The city that does eventually sleep, although fitfully and always jumpy to start back up again and get back into it—another balmy day to play.

One thing about L.A. is that there is always a wide diversity of things to do and get into, good or bad. October is one of those exhausting, breathless months when everyday there just seems to be so much stuff going on, too much for one tired body and soul.

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.”