Reverend Floyd Lofton

Reverend Floyd Lofton  who was born on June 2, 1935, in Crystal Springs, Mississippi to Louis and Eliza Lofton. He was the youngest of eleven children. After graduating from high school in 1954, he entered the United States Air Force where he proudly served 30 years as a Security Police Officer.

He received many outstanding awards, one of which was the Outstanding Security Police Officer of the Year. He retired as a Senior Master Sergeant. After his separation from the USAF, he was employed as a Classified Destruction Manager with Northrop-Grumman for 15 years.

In 1968, while station at March Air Force Base, he met Betty, the love of his life. They were united in Holy Matrimony in 1971. With this union, he also married Kenneth, DeJuan and Esther (Betty’s sister). Rev. Lofton and Betty have had a happy and blessed union for 45 years.

He accepted his call to the ministry in 1989 under the late Bishop Dr. Herman Hubbard. in 1994.  He united with New Hope Missionary Baptist Church where it was evident he had a passion for praying, worshipping, visiting and praying for the sick and shut-ins.  His favorite declaration was, “…God will never leave you, no forsake you” Hebrews 13:5. He was appointed the Assistant Pastor at New Hope MBC in 1998, and served faithfully until his retirement in November 2015. 

On September 6, 2016, Rev. Lofton became ill and was hospitalized.  On October 17, 2016, God, in His infinite wisdom, gently and peaceably called him home from his journey as a preacher, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, godfather and friend, to his eternal rest.

He was preceded in death by his parents ,Louis and Eliza Lofton, and all his siblings.

He leaves to cherish his memory his loving and devoted wife, Betty, sons: Kenneth (Wynolia) and DeJuan; six grandchildren: Stephanie (Kenneth), Tanya (Dewaan), Phylicia, Destiny (Edward), Mark (Leslye), and Jol (Bracchell); 11 great-grandchildren: Aaliya, Troy, Josiah, Mycah, Lexi, Angelique, Mya, Kolby, Kylee, Amiah, and Markie; 6 goddaughters: Joi, Tammy, “Starr” (Leon), Krystal, DeNae and DeJahna; 3 sisters-in-lw: Alice Jaqueline and Esther (John); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and church family.

God sent His Son into the world; God didn’t tell Jesus to be partially committed to His will. God didn’t have His Son embrace only part of the cross or only go part way up Calvary’s hill.  When Jesus came to earth, He gave His life completely for you. There was no holding back, no turning back and no going back in Gods plan or in the obedience of Jesus. Reverend Lofton was obedient to these teachings and faithfully followed Jesus’ example fully in his dedication to preaching, helping and being a true reflection of God’s grace and love.

By Michael H. Cottman, Urban News Service

Negest Dawit, a savvy businesswoman from Ethiopia, steered her 1998 Mercedes Benz past a vacant building on 9th Street near downtown Washington, D.C. and gazed into her future.

“I looked at the building and said ‘This will be my store,’” Dawit told Urban News Service.

That was 10 years ago. Today, Dawit — affectionately called TG — owns a cigar store. TG Cigar Lounge is at 1118 9th Street, NW.

But her journey from Ethiopia to entrepreneurship was not easy.

She moved from that East African nation to Canada in 1996 and worked as a housekeeper. That job paid the bills, she said, but not one she wanted for long.

“I only had $50 when I got to Canada,” she said. “My mother gave me the money.” Dawit sat in her modest apartment, talked to her sister, and, during meals, discussed her future.

In 2000, Dawit packed her bags and moved to Washington, D.C. seeking better opportunities. She spent four years at an Ethiopian restaurant on U Street.

Even as she waited tables there, she planned her next move, next job, and next challenge.

“It was very hard moving here,” she said. “I had to learn the streets, the Metro, driving. It was a lot to learn. I moved here and started from scratch.” 

And there also was the language: Dawit learned English at school in Ethiopia and speaks it well. But her thick accent reveals her African heritage.

Dawit took a job at Presidential Cigars at Union Station in 2004, and it changed her life.

“They taught me everything I know about cigars,” she said. “I worked in sales, and I learned the business. And the owner encouraged me to open my own business.”

And that’s just what she did.

“I was a housekeeper, a waitress, a cigar saleswoman, and then I opened my own cigar store,” Dawit said. She now is Washington’s only female cigar store owner. 

“Customers ask if they can speak with the owner, and they are surprised when I tell them I’m the owner,” Dawit said.

Dawit opened her business in 2006 after standing inside the dusty storefront building and imagining what how her operation would look after she renovated. 

“It was formerly a T-Mobile store,” Dawit said. “It was dirty, and it needed a lot of work. But it was mine.” 

Mark Jackson, Dawit’s store manager, recalls meeting Dawit as he strolled through Presidential Cigars.

“I was checking out local cigar shops, doing research to launch my own line of cigars, ‘Blacksmoke,’ which I eventually did,” he said.

Jackson said he was immediately drawn to Dawit.

“She was absolutely beautiful and very knowledgeable about cigars,” Jackson said.

But opening her own store had its unique challenges, Dawit said. She required inventory — $30,000 to start — and needed people to vouch for her, tough things for someone just getting started. 

“They were asking me for referrals, but I didn’t have any,” Dawit said. “It was a challenge. I built relationships with sales people and wholesalers, and they helped me build my inventory, and some gave me credit.”

Dawit now has a $500,000 inventory and is arranging to buy the property, which she now leases. She has more than 3,500 customers, some of whom pack into the shop seven days a week to smoke cigars, sip Scotch, and network with other smokers.

“My customers include businessmen, politicians, and cigar club members,” Dawit said. “One third of my customers are women.”

She said the three cigar clubs that loyally meet at her store help her business flourish.

“They feel like they are at home,” she said. 

Dawit proudly points to the 2,000 cigar brands for sale inside her state-of-the-art glass-case humidors

The aroma of cigar smoke fills Dawit’s spacious location. Next to the well-stocked bar is a roomy lounge with comfortable seats and a large flat-screen TV.
While nearly 13 billion cigars were sold in America in 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control, Dawit is not the typical cigar store owner: She doesn’t smoke.

“I don’t smoke cigars, and I don’t drink,” Dawit said as she walks through her stylish venue, and cigar smoke hangs in the air. “But I do offer my customers a great deal of knowledge about cigars.”

Dawit is friendly, attractive and formidable. She has a sly smile, long black hair that flows over her shoulders, and a sultry accent that hints of mystery.

“TG’s gift is certainly her personality,” said Jackson. “She hugs people, shakes hands, it’s a genuine passion for her business and it brings folks back.” 

Dawit agreed.

“I haven’t had a vacation in 10 years,” she said. “I work seven days a week; I’m always here.”

Dawit says her store also offers a full-service tobacco shop with house-blended tobaccos, cigar lighters, novel ashtrays, vaporizers and hookah pipes. 

And she drives to work in her 2017 Range Rover.

“I know everything there is to know about cigars,” Dawit said. “I can smell cigars, roll them, merchandise them, and sell them. I just don’t smoke them.”

By Frank Kineavy 

Black and Hispanic minors in New Jersey are far more likely to be prosecuted as adults than those in other groups, according to a new analysis of court records by WNYC. Further, far more Black and Hispanic youths are given adult sentences or, in some cases, sent to adult prisons.

Over the past five years, state prosecutors were asked to try 1,251 minors as adults. According to the data, 87.6 percent of those minors were Black or Hispanic.

Roughly half — 692 — of those requests were granted, and those minors were all tried as adults. Of those minors, 87.4 percent were Black or Hispanic.

According to the U.S. Census’ QuickFacts, New Jersey is 56.2 percent white, 14.8 percent Black, 19.7 percent Hispanic, 9.7 percent Asian, 2.1 percent two or more races and less than one percent American Indian and Native Hawaiian.

WNYC went through New Jersey prison records for everyone currently incarcerated who was a minor at the time they committed a crime and found:

“• At least 152 inmates are still in prison today for crimes they committed as kids in the past five years

• 93 percent of them are Black or Latino

• The most common crime they committed was robbery

• 20 percent of them have sentences of 10 or more years

• 2 are female inmates”

If a minor is convicted as an adult, they are subjected to adult sentences, which are longer than juvenile sentences. Adult sentences also give the minor a permanent record, rather than juvenile records that usually end up sealed. The minors are also sent to adult prisons. A minor is only tried as an adult if a prosecutor makes a special request, and then the judge either accepts or denies that request.

The study also showed that some county prosecutors are more likely than others to make special requests, and some counties are more likely to accept these requests for Black minors to be tried as adults compared to their white counterparts. Hunterdon County’s prosecutor has not requested to have a minor tried as an adult in the last five years, and their minor population is 80 percent white.

“Controlling for nature of offense, controlling for family background, controlling for educational history — all of the things that go into a prosecutor’s decision, there are still disparities, significant disparities, that cannot be explained by anything other than race,” says Laura Cohen, the director of the Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law School.

The data from New Jersey matches up with trends nationally, as an estimated 60 percent of those under 18 serving life sentences without parole are Black.

Psychological research also supports these statistics. In 2014, the American Psychological Association published a study, “The Essence of Innocence: Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children.” The study concluded that Black children are less likely to be seen as children or “childlike” than white children:

“We find converging evidence that Black boys are seen as older and less innocent and that they prompt a less essential conception of childhood than do their White same-age peers. Further, our findings demonstrate that the Black/ape association predicted actual racial disparities in police violence toward children. These data represent the first attitude/behavior matching of its kind in a policing context. Taken together, this research suggests that dehumanization is a uniquely dangerous intergroup attitude, that intergroup perception of children is underexplored, and that both topics should be research priorities.”

According to the study’s authors, white children are more often perceived as innocent than Black children.

“The evidence shows that perceptions of the essential nature of children can be affected by race, and for Black children, this can mean they lose the protection afforded by assumed childhood innocence well before they become adults,” said co-author Matthew Jackson, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles. “With the average age overestimation for Black boys exceeding four-and-a-half years, in some cases, Black children may be viewed as adults when they are just 13 years old.”

“Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics such as innocence and the need for protection. Our research found that Black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when white boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent,” noted author Phillip Atiba Goff, PhD, also from UCLA.

In March of 2016 New Jersey signed into law that minors who are tried as adults will no longer be sent directly to adult prisons until they are the appropriate age. However, this law is not retroactive, meaning minors already serving sentences in adult prisons will not be moved to a juvenile facility.

Read more @ DiversityInc.com

LOS ANGELES, CA- Autistic teen chef Chase Bailey from Orange County, CA, who hosts his own hit cooking show www.chasenyurface.com launches his first cookbook this autumn to raise money to enable other people with autism to follow their dreams.

The official launch takes place at Santa Monica’s popular and award-winning Upper West restaurant in Santa Monica, CA. on November 10. Executive Chef Nick Shipp has been a huge fan of Chase since they cooked together at Autism Speaks’ Hollywood Celebrity Chef Gala in 2015. Between them they will be creating a five-course tasting menu based on The Official Chase ‘N Yur Face Cookbook. On hand to film the event will be Joey Travolta with a crew from his Inclusion Films company. The company teaches adults with developmental disabilities the practicalities to film making and many go on to work in major entertainment organizations.

Featuring over 75 recipes 15-year old Chase has developed, supported by mouthwatering photography, fun facts and anecdotes, The Official Chase ‘N Yur Face Cookbook (Chase ‘N Yur Face Media LLC, $24.95) includes an endorsement from Chef Mario Batali, who Chase appeared with on ABC’s top cooking program The Chew.

Using part of the book’s proceeds, Chase has decided to set up his own foundation www.chaseyurdreams.org  to assist people with autism who are working towards their dreams of living independently. 

“When Chase was little, he had some serious food aversions, which is common among people with an autism diagnosis.  One day I noticed how drawn he was to TV cooking programs.  Soon food became his world – he started overcoming his aversions and even started trying exotic foods,” Mary, Chase’s mom states. “The show began simply enough with me filming Chase cooking at home and posting the results on YouTube.  People loved it! Chase started inviting chefs and foodies to join him – Roy Choi, Becky Reams, Galia Orme, Anne Scioscia, Fuschia Sumner, and famed chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are just some of the stars who’ve shared their recipes with him on Chase ‘N Yur Face.”

Tickets for the event, which starts at 7pm, cost $70 (plus tax & tip), and includes a signed copy of Chase’s cookbook plus a gastronomic goody bag. Tickets are available from www.upperwest.com or by calling the restaurant direct on 310-586-1111

DCOFFXTOP

By Lue Dowdy

We like the cars, the cars that go boom with a dope beat that is! This week producer DCOFFXTOP is What It Do! The beat is everything some artist would say. It sets the stage for the right lyrics to come forth; a mixture of the right beat and lyrics can make for a hit record.

Born right here in San Bernardino, CA, DCOFFXTOP first started rapping around 2008/2009 in a home-based recording studio (now Defunct Blaqhouse ENT). As he mastered his craft of rapping over industry beats, he ventured into making his own beats, full blown production.         Making major moves he’s now currently a member of J.A.N.K MOBB, who’s acronym stands for, Just Aktive No Kuts Money Over Banging Boundaries. Just recently he attended the art institute where he majored in Music Arts.

Still mastering his craft, this producer is an active member of the j.a.n.k mobb(jme). The team has utilized his beats and has set the stage on fire with their performances. His beats are featured on many artists’ compilations and singles being distributed on the Hip-hop circuit. Make sure you check out this talented King. Hit him up for your next slapper.

Until next week L’zzzzzz!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On October 14, the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) Foundation’s 90th Anniversary Gala brought hundreds of alumni, dignitaries and philanthropists to campus to celebrate SBVC’s 90th anniversary and to raise funds for student scholarships. At the end of the night, donors had contributed over $135,000 to help support programs ranging from athletics to music, as well as to provide low-income students with textbook vouchers.

“We disburse around $200,000 in scholarships to our students each year,” said Karen Childers, the foundation’s director. “The amount we have raised tonight has significantly exceeded our goal, so we are very excited.”

Augmenting the support raised by donors in attendance were two larger donations: $25,000 from Kitchell / BRJ and Associates and $300,000 from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The latter contribution was earmarked for Valley-Bound Commitment, a unique SBVC program which grants thousands of local high-school graduates a free first year of college, and which the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has supported since the program’s inception in 2008.

“I am proud to be affiliated with this community treasure,” said Emmy Award-winning actress Lindsay Wagner, a former SBVC professor who was the guest emcee for the event.

The gala was held in SBVC’s newest and biggest building: its 3-story, 108,000 square foot Kinesiology and Athletics Complex, which first opened to students in August 2016.

For more information and pictures, visit www.facebook.com/sbvalleycollege.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-One of the largest marches and rallies in the history of San Bernardino will be led by faith-based, political, business and community leaders on October 22, 2016 in the wake of an unprecedented year of crime and an alarming increase in homicides.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You got to be kidding right? Even little children understand that there are some things you had better get right and understand to be true, or you can get yourself into big trouble. There are some things you had better get right if you’re going to be rightly related to God, both in this life and in the life to come. To know God and to choose to think, act, or behave outside of the Word, Will, and Way of God is very dangerous. The challenge; getting it right simply means getting right with God. Listen, you are old enough to know right from wrong. You are old enough to learn, old enough to love, old enough to really live. If you could ask the Lord how to make the rest of your life the best of your life, what do you think He would say? I don’t think we have to wonder, I think I know. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” [Mt. 6:33] I think we can summarize what Jesus said here in three words: “First things first!”

Now I know that sounds simple, but I want to tell you that if you, beginning today, would consciously, continuously, constantly, and consistently put first things first, it would absolutely transform your life. Everything rises and falls right here. You see, if your priorities are not in order, your life will not be in order. It will be all wrong. Therefore, it is imperative that you prioritize your life. And the beauty of it all is that you don’t have to pray about what your number one priority in life ought to be. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to discuss it. You don’t have to look for it. You just have to do it. Because Jesus has already told us what our first priority ought to be, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Your problem is that there is a part of you that is still under bondage to sin! The old nature, that is to be reckoned dead indeed unto sin, is in fact alive and well! Tell me I’m wrong….. You can’t eat, you can barely sleep. You have new acquaintances, Jimmy Bean, Johnny Walker Red and his cousin Johnny Walker Black. Ronnie Bacardi; Mr. Vodka & Orange. Miller, Buddy Weiser. Mic E Lobe or maybe Dr. Gin & Tonic. Or how about Mary J Juana, Prozac, Valium and a host of other friends that help you to temporarily escape from the reality of your pain. The problem is when you sober up you are still broken, battered, bruised and bent over, that’s why you “Kant get right!

As the Spirit gives utterance, there is something that you have experienced in your past that continues to haunt you in your present, “a spirit of infirmity” that has plagued your life for all of these years. You have fallen and this spirit has convinced you that you can’t get up. You are the victim of past abuse and you are still hurting because the sores in your spirit have become the scabs in your soul. You are now a walking zombie. There’s an outward appearance that says “I’m alive but on the inside I’m dead, battered and beaten by this life’s experiences and disappointments”. You are so demoralized by living a life and you continue to add to your own suffering by the choices that you make. No wonder you “Kant get right!” You can no longer even see or think straight. Because this spirit has affected and infected your thinking concerning the situation you find that you are so broken in your soul and bent over from the burden of the whole matter that you can’t even look up.

I want you to know that there’s always going to be a spirit that will come around you to usher your thinking into a situation. But thank God for Jesus. DO YOU KNOW HIM? He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick and cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. And He beautifies the meager. He’s able to bring you out! God has a prescription for your “Kant get right! Call Him up and tell him what you want…..

Milner Barbershop- Started by Frank Milner in 1911

By Angela M. Coggs

On Saturday, October 8, 2016 a group of students from the San Bernardino City Unified School District attended the Annual

Milner Barbershop- Actual equipment used in 1911

Rededication event at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Earlimart, California from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Established in 1908, Allensworth was the first town in California to be founded, financed, governed and populated by blacks.

The rededication ceremony is an opportunity for park users and supporters to renew their commitment to the park and its symbolic representation of African American self-determination. Events scheduled throughout the year bring the town to life and inspire a new interest in returning Allensworth to its glory days as a vibrant, successful town.

This was the first trip to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park for this group of chaperones, parents, and students from San Bernardino. “It was an enriching experience. One which I intend to repeat and share.” said Katella Coggs, one of the chaperones. “It was gratifying to see how much the youth absorbed the information. It illustrated how much this knowledge is craved and needed.”

The day consisted of tours given by docents (a person who is a knowledgeable guide, especially one who conducts visitors through a museum/historical site and delivers a commentary on the exhibitions), puppets shows, and square dancing, and entertainment, food and vendor booths. The short documentary about the town played on a loop in one of the old barns on the site.      

“I never heard of Allensworth until today,” said Yonathan Habtemariam, 10^th grade student at Cajon High School. “It was very interesting to hear the docents tell the history of the town and how people continue to preserve the history of this ethnically diverse contribution made in the development of California. My favorite parts were the barbershop and learning the true story about the Buffalo Soldiers.”                                

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, located 30 miles north of Bakersfield, is a modest but growing assemblage of restored and reconstructed buildings today. A schoolhouse, a Baptist

Allensworth’s Schoolhouse- In 1912, Allensworth became California’s first African American School District.

church, businesses, a hotel, a library, and various other structures symbolize the rebirth of one man’s dream of an independent, democratic town where African Americans could live in control of their own destiny. Allensworth traveled throughout the eastern and mid-western stated lecturing and promoting Booker T. Washington’s philosophy of African American self-reliance.

Colonel Allen Allensworth and Professor William Payne both firmly believed that, through education and hard work, African Americans could rise above the effects of slavery, attain greater social stature, and more fully realize their potential as a people. They had a mutual desire to live in an environment where African Americans could live free from discrimination, merge their values with those of other pioneers of like mind to establish an independent, self-sufficient colony.

“(I had a) wonderful day learning about our rich and prosperous history of resilience, survival, and entrepreneurialism at Allensworth State Historic Park. We enjoyed live music, dancing and food. We supported black businesses and toured historical sites,” said Trimonisha Singer. “Amazing is an understatement. I am so thankful to be able to share it with our youth.”

Before heading out to Allensworth, the students were given a brief history of Colonel Allen Allensworth and the town that was named in his honor. The trip was a success and the youth were exposed to history that is not taught in school or mentioned in text books. African-American parents, grandparent, and “the village” must be responsible and teach their children about their history. The group looks forward to returning to Allensworth for other events in the future. It certainly takes a village to raise future generations to come.

Allenstown- Water Company Documents

Buffalo Solider Uniform

Schoolhouse Flag- This old flag only has 48 stars on it.

The students getting a lesson from a docent on the history of the Buffalo Soliders.

Angela Coggs

By Angela M. Coggs

On Saturday, October 15, 2016 over 350,000 residents converged on Crenshaw Boulevard for Los Angeles’ largest street festival and the largest gathering of African American Businesses in the country- Taste of Soul. Bakewell Media hosted the 11^th Annual Taste of Soul Food and Family Festival 2016 from 10:00am to 7:00pm in Los Angeles, California. The event took place on Crenshaw Blvd. between Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Rodeo.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Isadore Hall III, and Taste of Soul Founder Danny Bakewell

This year’s festival themed: “It’s A Family Affair” has become the 11th in what is now known as a destination event for all of not only the city of Los Angeles but Los Angeles County and surrounding communities. It was attended by over 350,000 men, women, students, children, celebrities and dignitaries from all over Southern California and across the United States, including a few residents from Riverside County.

“I had a great time. Everyone was so cool,” said LaToya Jones, teacher in the Riverside Unified School District for the past 15 years. This was her second time attending the Taste of Soul with her husband David. “I ABSOLUTELY loved Jazmine Sullivan’s performance. She is a true beauty with an incomparable voice and humble heart. The KJLH DJ had the crowd moving. The food was scrumptious. I can’t wait until next year.”

The event was a success. Free concerts took place on three major stages (KJLH, The Wave, and McDonalds). This year’s TOS was bigger and better than ever. With radio partners KJLH and 94.7 The Wave pulling together first class entertainment. KJLH featured contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. Hosted by KJLH radio personality DJ Mal-Ski. This year, KJLH 102.3 radio station celebrated TOS’s eleventh anniversary by bringing back some local talent and artists such as MAJOR, Guordan Banks, 112, Mike “Mike Philly” Phillips, and Jazmine Sullivan. The KJLH music stage was sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.

94.7 The WAVE, whose music stage is sponsored by Budweiser this year, has been a media partner and radio sponsor with the Taste of Soul Festival since 2008.This year, the radio station took music lovers back to some of the greatest hits from artists including Chosen Recovery Gospel Group, On Tour, Tom Browne, Troop and War.

Mike Philly

The gospel stage which in year two was only a small stage in front of the Sentinel offices, has now has grown to feature The McDonalds Gospel Fest on the Brenda Marsh Mitchell Gospel Stage. The 2016 Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour at Taste of Soul featured every genre within the gospel music industry: contemporary, traditional, inspirational, instrumental, hip-hop, and comedy. Hosted by syndicated radio personality Lonnie Hunter, attendees experienced

Jazmine Sullivan- Incomparable Vocalist

renowned gospel artists Donald Lawrence, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark-Sheard, Charles Jenkins, Jonathan McReynolds, Canton Jones, and Doug Williams. Also, acclaimed comedian, Small Fire provided entertainment for the entire family and community to enjoy.

There were various food and non-food vendors in attendance. Some of the notable food vendors included (African) Cocoa & Pitta Catering and Rafikiz Foodz, (American) Da Mudd Duck and Dipping Chicken, (BBQ) Big Mama’s Succulent & Savory BBQ, Bludso’s BBQ, Dulan’s, Gettch Grubb On, Not Your Mama’s Kitchen and Shabazz Good Food, (Creole & Jamaican) L.A. Jerk Shack and Smhokin Pot, and (Desserts & Treats) Sharon’s Heavenly Cobblers, Coco’s Lip Smacking Cupcakes, and Fun Time Kettle Corn.

There was plenty of love and no incidents were reported. This event has grown from having 35,000 in 2005 people in attendance during the first year to have over 350,000 in 2016. Over 350,000 African Americans gathered in the Black Community to celebrate, to share in a day of unity, love and togetherness.

Last year, Kamala Harris, currently California Attorney General now running for the United States Senate, attended the Taste of Soul in 2015. “It’s one of the most enjoyable things I do all year. Where else can you have all of the community turn out, family… it’s about love of community, supporting our local businesses. It is really one of the most important events in all of Los Angeles.”

It’s been called Los Angeles’s largest street festival for good reason. Thousands of attendees arrive every year to indulge in the “soulful.” From soul food to soul music, it’s hard not to have a great time. It’s a local gem that will be back again next year and the people are already looking forward to it.