Tina Knowles-Lawson and Essence joined forces with Solange Knowles and Kelly Rowland, with support from Beyoncé and BeyGOOD, to host Love on Louisiana: An Essence Hometown Heroes Tribute celebrating the resilience of the Baton Rouge community on Sunday, November 20, and the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, LA.
The holiday dinner and awards ceremony honored five standout students and teachers for their commitment to serving and rebuilding their communities. Essence President Michelle Ebanks, Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca, Knowles-Lawson, Knowles and Rowland gave remarks, along with Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden who declared November 20th ‘Love On Louisiana Day.’
In addition to the award recognition, NIKE Jordan footwear and holiday turkeys were distributed to 800 students, teachers and families who are still largely affected by the severe flooding, courtesy of NIKE’s Brand Jordan and GUCCI.
With support from the City of Baton Rouge and the State of Louisiana, the event also served as a call to action to raise $1 million to help families recover in the wake of this summer’s catastrophic flooding, which produced 7 trillion gallons of water—three times the rainfall total of Hurricane Katrina.
Other event sponsors and partners included Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, BeyGOOD, Sam’s Club, Project 70805 and AmeriGroup.
RIVERSIDE, CA- Twelve African-American middle schoolers from Building Resilience in African American Families Rites of Passage (BRAFF) program in Perris took to the track this weekend.
The men of the Cochér Car Club of Riverside in collaboration with the staff at Adams Race Track sponsored a racing day for the African-American boys receiving guidance and support in leadership, self-awareness, and coming of age through the program. The BRAFF ROP has a strong history across the country and anticipates great successes in the Perris and the greater Inland Empire area.
For more information on the Building Resilience in the African American Families Rites of Passage program, contact Pepi Jackson, President of Riverside Chamber of Commerce, at (951) 310-2325 or James Woods, Director of BRAAF, at (951) 823-0175.
Gwen Ifill, The co-anchor of PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff has died at the age of 61. The award-winning veteran journalist, who moderated two vice presidential debates in 2004 and 2008, died of endometrial cancer and apparently did not tell others about her illness.
Sara Just, the executive producer of PBS NewsHour and WETA SVP, released a statement saying: “Gwen was a standard bearer for courage, fairness and integrity in an industry going through seismic change. She was a mentor to so many across the industry and her professionalism was respected across the political spectrum. She was a journalist’s journalist and set an example for all around her.”
She continued, “So many people in the audience felt that they knew and adored her. She had a tremendous combination of warmth and authority. She was stopped on the street routinely by people who just wanted to give her a hug and considered her a friend after years of seeing her on TV. We will forever miss her terribly.”
Gwen was a former reporter for both the New York Times and the Washington Post. She switched to television in the 1990’s and covered politics and Congress for NBC News. In 1999, she moved to PBS as host of Washington Week, which later led to her becoming the co-host ofNewHour.
In 2009, she also authored a book entitled, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.
She will be remembered as a pioneer for women and for African Americans in journalism, becoming the first African American woman to host a major political talk show.
Watch one of her last interviews (with President Obama):
President-elect Donald Trump has already revealed his plan of action for his first 100 days in the White House. His plan, which he mentioned during a speech last month in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, outlines three main areas of focus: cleaning up Washington, including by imposing term limits on Congress; protecting American workers; and restoring rule of law.
He also revealed his plan for working with Congress to introduce 10 pieces of legislation that would repeal Obamacare, to fund the construction of a wall at the Mexican border, to encourage infrastructure investment, to rebuild military bases, and to promote school choice.
He calls his plan “Donald Trump’s Contract With The American Voter,” and here’s specifically what he said during his speech:
On the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue the following six measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC:
* FIRST, propose a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress;
* SECOND, a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health);
* THIRD, a requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated;
* FOURTH, a 5 year-ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service;
* FIFTH, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government;
* SIXTH, a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.
On the same day, I will begin taking the following 7 actions to protect American workers:
* FIRST, I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205
* SECOND, I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
* THIRD, I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
* FOURTH, I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately
* FIFTH, I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
* SIXTH, lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward
* SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure
Additionally, on the first day, I will take the following five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law:
* FIRST, cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama
* SECOND, begin the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Scalia from one of the 20 judges on my list, who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States
* THIRD, cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities
* FOURTH, begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won’t take them back
* FIFTH, suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered extreme vetting.
We, a group of diverse journalism associations representing thousands of journalists from the nation’s capital to every corner of the country, begin this letter on a hopeful note. Your administration is a blank slate and we are eager to work with you to perpetuate one of this nation’s great strengths: our freedom of the press.
As the new leader of the free world, we expect that you will preserve longstanding traditions that ensure coverage of the Trump presidency. The idea of a press pool that covers all of the president’s movements is one that dates back to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. Every president of both parties has treated this important tradition with respect. The role of the press pool is critically important to our country, whose citizens depend on and deserve to know what the president is doing. This isn’t about access for the press itself, it’s about access for Americans in diverse communities across the country. Your constituents receive information from a variety of platforms to learn about what our president is doing.
Being president is an enormous responsibility and working with the White House Correspondents’ Association to ensure journalists’ access is one small but important part of that. We call on you to commit to a protective press pool from now until the final day of your presidency. We respectfully ask you to instill a spirit of openness and transparency in your administration in many ways but first and foremost via the press pool.
We also call for access to you via regular press conferences and pool sprays and to your key decision-makers. You have an opportunity as incoming president to set the tone for your staff speaking on the record for the sake of transparency. We also hope your administration will improve response rates to FOIA requests as a way to show the American people, and the world, that the republic belongs to the people.
A great America depends on having sunlight on its leaders. We expect the traditions of White House press coverage to be upheld whether in Washington or elsewhere. Again we, a joint group of diverse journalism associations, speak as one as we respectfully ask that you take these steps to ensure access to our members covering your administration.
Thomas Burr President The National Press Club
Barbara Cochran President National Press Club Journalism Institute
Lynn Walsh President Society of Professional Journalists
Mizell Stewart III President American Society of News Editors
Mike Cavender Executive Director Radio Television Digital News Association and Foundation
Delphine Halgand US Director Reporters Without Borders/RSF
Courtney Radsch Advocacy Director Committee to Protect Journalists
Sandy K. Johnson President National Press Foundation
Sarah Glover President National Association of Black Journalists
Brandon Benavides President, Board of Directors National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Bryan Pollard President Native American Journalists Association
Paul Cheung President Asian American Journalists Association
Jen Christensen President National Association of LGBTQ Journalists
Elisa Lees Munoz Executive Director The International Women’s Media Foundation
Allison Sherry President Regional Reporters Association
FONTANA, CA- Fontana High School has been re-designated as an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) National Demonstration School, retaining the status it has held since 2006 as a high- achieving academic organization and exemplary learning center for other schools and districts across the nation to model after.
Fontana High is one of about 5,600 AVID schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia and 16 countries and U.S. territories to achieve the elite status, demonstrating its proven ability to employ AVID tools school-wide to boost the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities.
“It is a tremendous honor to be re-selected as a National Demonstration School and sustain a strong program that has helped catapult our students to post-secondary success and opened up a wealth of opportunities,” Fohi Principal Ofelia Hinojosa said. “We are proud of our teachers, counselors and staff who constantly work to engage and empower our students and are committed to ensuring a college- ready student body.”
Fohi was among 75 schools in the nation to be recognized earlier this year as a Schoolwide Site of Distinction, a new honor given to a select few AVID schools for their extensive commitment to providing students with college preparation resources. The distinction put Fohi’s college and career readiness program in the top 2 percent of all AVID programs in the nation.
“This re-designation is a testament to the flourishing culture of continued support Fohi nurtures to ensure our students are well-prepared for collegiate life,” Fontana Unified Interim Superintendent Randal Bassett said. “From guiding our teachers and staff with professional development to helping them refine AVID strategies in the classroom, Fohi continues to be a premier institution that positively influences our students’ dreams to pursue higher education. Congratulations to the Fohi team.”
The AVID program is designed to narrow the achievement gap between the lowest- and highest- performing students and increase the number who enroll in four-year colleges. At Fohi, 26.2 percent of students are in the AVID program, 50.3 percent of AVID students make up the total enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, 100 percent of AVID students apply to four-year universities and 98.6 percent are accepted. Additionally, all AVID tutors at the school are Fohi graduates.
Fohi puts AVID principles into practice in every class, implementing collaborative study groups, tutorials, self-assessments and focused note-taking techniques that promote quality reading strategies.
The school has implemented a college-going culture through rigor and high expectations for all students, all while providing motivation, guidance and support to students as they pursue post-secondary opportunities.
“Fohi’s AVID program effectively demonstrates the dedication our teachers and staff have to supporting all students, increasing access to high-quality educational programs and rigorous coursework, and providing our students an environment that is conducive to their academic growth,” Fontana Unified Co- Interim Superintendent Dr. John Porter said. “We are proud that one of our schools can continue to serve as a model of exemplary leadership.”
RIALTO, CA.– The West Valley Water District (WVWD) recently announced the modification of its recruitment practices to include a Veterans’ Preference component.
The program, modeled after the State of California’s program, will automatically place eligible veterans applying for WVWD jobs in the top ranking for consideration for employment with the agency.
“This is something that has long been a goal of mine personally,” stated WVWD Board Member Rafael Trujillo, “Helping our veterans find gainful employment when they return home is the least we can do as a grateful nation.”
Veterans will be granted preference under the program as follows: Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an entrance examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list.
All open exams/eligibility lists will award Veterans’ Preference, regardless of the classification.
Any veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for Veterans’ Preference.
Veterans’ Preference is not granted once a person achieves permanent status.
WVWD Board President Dr. Clifford O. Young, Sr. noted, “The Board of Directors is pleased to partner with our veterans and honor their sacrifices for our country.”
Lexington, KY—University Press of Kentucky author Bernard LaFayette Jr., whose memoir In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma was released in paperback earlier this year, has been awarded the 2016 Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace. He is also co-editor of The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Activism in the North. The award is presented by theGandhi Development Trust. The GDT was founded in 2002 by Ela Gandhi, the social activist granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhi Development Trust’s mission is to promote a culture of peace, justice, non-violence, and ubuntu (human kindness); promoting Gandhian values of ahisma (non-violence), self-sufficiency, love, sarvodaya (good of all), compassion, and universality in order to reach their core vision of a peaceful, just, and non-violent world.
The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace was established in 2003 to honor people who have surmounted religious and ethnic obstacles to promote democracy, peace, and justice through non-violent measures. GDT believes that the award should not merely be seen as an annual event, but rather a catalyst for initiating non-violence, ubuntu, and nation building under the influence of non-violent leaders. LaFayette was chosen as this year’s winner in recognition of his outstanding work towards the promotion of peace, reconciliation, and justice both locally and internationally in his capacity as a civil rights activist.
LaFayette’s memoir, In Peace and Freedom, recounts that career as an activist. He was a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a leader in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, a Freedom Rider, an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the national coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign. At the age of twenty-two, he assumed the directorship of the Alabama Voter Registration Project in Selma—a city that had previously been removed from the organization’s list due to the dangers of operating there.
LaFayette was one of the primary organizers of the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and his memoir, written with Kathryn Lee Johnson, shares the inspiring story of his struggles there. When he arrived in 1963, Selma was a small, quiet, rural town. By 1965, it had made its mark in history and was nationally recognized as a battleground in the fight for racial equality and the site of one of the most important victories for social change in our nation.
The award was presented on November 7, 2016, in Durban, South Africa.
LOS ANGELES, CA- A Gospel Stage Explosion that will keep you on the edge of your seats from beginning to end is coming to Los Angeles Thanksgiving Weekend. On Saturday, November 26, Unsung Reporter Tyrone DuBose will be bringing his talents to the stage along with special guest Ernest Thomas from “What’s Happing Now.” The show will kick off at 7 p.m. at the beautiful West Angeles Theater located at 3020 Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles. There will also be a red carpet arrival is about one hour before the show.
Tickets can be purchased at Box office or by phone at (323) 733-8707 (With Credit Card). For more information on tickets, please call (310) 665-0125.
This Production is produced, directed, and written by veteran of stage/films, Johnny Cox Jr.
The Queen of L.P. SEXY BBW Model – Dianna “Dee” Dela Cruz is WHAT IT DO! This Plus Size model has the coldest walk ever! She slay’s the audience and the runway every time.
She was born on December 27 in the Philippines as a little girl she always wanted to be a Nurse and a Fashion Model. Now doing both this DIVA is making a name for herself. Raised in Orange County, Dee recently moved to San Bernardino. Yep the IE! Graduating from Rancho Alamitos High school in Garden Grove, CA and receiving her AA degree in Nursing from Pacific College in 2006, she became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Soon she will be taking classes to be a Physician Assistant Certified at Western University of Health Sciences. Can you say Brains & Beauty!
It was a struggle starting off her modeling career. Her busy schedule from nursing and taking care of her mom and dad financially really took a toll on her. Being turned away and told that she was ugly, short, and fat by so many agencies did not stop this beauty. Her dedication and determination to make it as a plus size model made her STRONG. Discovered by Timmy T of Fashion Overdose as a print model in 2006 to 2009 her modeling career began to take flight.
“I will work on helping young women out there to love and accept themselves and love every curve they have,” she stated.
She continues, “And I have a big heart from young girls and women who are being or got bullied because I was bullied when I was a young girl and being a young woman because of my weight.”
LUE Productions is happy and honored to have her as our 1st B.B.W. Queen. Dee is available for booking. The next time you need a host, speaker, or a diva to rock your runway please hit us up at (909) 567-1000 or email Lue.info@yahoo.com. Love the skin that you’re in BIG or SMALL! Until next week L’zzz!
More about DEE DELA CRUZ:
Model for Plush cat Club and Big on Batik 2008 to 2010 2013 Rock your curvy style model (1st Asian Plus size Runway Model)
2014 Model for Dede Allure ( 1st Asian Plus Size Runway Model)
2014 1st Asian Plus Size Runway Model to walk for LAstyle fasion Week ( 1st plus size models to walk that runaway ever) we made history!
2014 Walk for New York Fashion Week
2nd Runner for Miss Plus Top Model 2015 Competition.
Ms. Anaheim Plus America 2015. She helped out with low income senior for free nurse wellness checkup, and assisted with Children’s Hospital of Orange County & Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
2015 signed to Maverick Artist Agency for Fit Modeling!
3rd Runner up for Ms. California Plus America 2015!
Miss Congeniality – Plus America 2015!
Miss Rock your Curve 2016!
2016 Lue Productions 1st Big Beautiful Woman Queen!
2016 guest speaker for young women empowerment For Diabetes Awareness and got awarded by City of San Bernardino, Mayor, Congressman, State Assembly and Senate!
Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
