Spiritual Living

Apr 1 2013

One of the founders of the Soul vocal group

Bobbie Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as “I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” has died. He was 76.

Smith died Saturday of complications of pneumonia and the H1N1 flu virus, according to a statement from Nat Burgess, the Spinners’ manager.

Mar 29 2013

Only day Mass is not normally celebrated

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Archbishop Jose H. Gomez will celebrate the Good Friday liturgy at noon today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

In the simplest liturgy of the church year, the account of the Passion and Death of Christ is proclaimed from the Gospel of John. As part of the liturgy, Gomez will carry a cross into the cathedral, recalling how Jesus carried a cross along the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Suffering,” on his way to being crucified.

Mar 28 2013

Mass, crafts and blessing

March 28
Second Baptist Church will hold Holy Week services that feature a 6 p.m. Bible study followed by worship at 7 p.m. Church: 2412 Griffith Ave., Los Angeles.
 
St. Brigid Catholic Church will hold a washing of the feet service featuring choir music beginning at 7 p.m. on Holy Thursday, 5214 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles.
 

Jan 24 2013

Born in Nazi Germany but became an ex-patriate in the U.S.

It’s unusual to find a Black man who grew up in and survived Nazi Germany, but that is exactly what happened to Hans Massaquoi, who later moved to the United States and became the managing editor at Ebony magazine. Memorial services have not been announced.

Massaquoi, 87, died Saturday, Jan. 19, his birthday, in Jacksonville, Fla., said his son, Hans Massaquoi Jr. His father, he said, had been hospitalized over the Christmas holidays.

Jul 12 2012

Played for Rams, Colts

John McKay Williams, a National Football League offensive lineman from 1968 through 1979, died on July 8, in Minneapolis at age 64. He had recently been the recipient of a kidney transplant.

Born in Jackson, Miss., Williams began his athletic career as a stand-out football star in Toledo, Ohio. He received his bachelor’s in education from the University of Minnesota in 1969.

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.”