Lark Galloway-Gilliam, South LA health activist, dies at 61

December 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Lark Galloway-Gilliam | re-code LA

Lark Galloway-Gilliam | re:code LA

Lark Galloway-Gilliam, the founder of activist organization Community Health Councils who pushed for quality health and healthcare in South L.A., has died. She was 61. Among many accomplishments, the native Angeleno helped create an ordinance limiting fast food eateries, recruited grocery stores featuring nutritious options, led the charge against a toxic oil field and brought health education to underserved groups.

An obituary in the Los Angeles touches on the impact of her legacy, cultivated since founding her nonprofit in the wake of the 1992 L.A. Riots:

“As the founder of Community Health Councils, Galloway-Gilliam worked with lawmakers, corporate executives and residents to tackle institutional problems that have plagued South L.A. Along the way, she helped cultivate the next generation of activists by hosting workshops to teach residents how to protect their community.”

[Read more…]

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Q&A: Daniel Miller on ‘Finding Marlowe’ in South LA

December 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment


An undated family photo at Samuel B. Marlowe's grave in Inglewood. | latimes.com screenshot

Samuel B. Marlowe (top left) appears in an undated family photo placed at his grave in Inglewood. | screenshot from latimes.com

The two most famous detectives of classic noir literature – Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe — just may have been inspired by the first Black private investigator licensed west of the Mississippi River – Samuel B. Marlowe. That’s according to a former Hollywood executive who brought Marlowe’s story to Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller. In “Finding Marlowe” published last month, Miller attempts to trace just how much this Black private eye living in South Los Angeles in the mid-20th century shadowed lives throughout Hollywood.  [Read more…]

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Ferguson protest marches through South LA

December 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Ferguson protesters reach the site where Ezell Ford was killed last August. | Daina Beth Solomon

Ferguson protesters reach the site where Ezell Ford was killed last August. | Daina Beth Solomon

Protests continued to unfold around the country on Monday, a week after the Grand Jury in Ferguson decided not to indict the officer who killed Michael Brown last summer.

In Los Angeles, the action was in South L.A., where a group of 30 clustered at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division waving signs that declared, “Ferguson is everywhere.”

Then some protestors took to a bullhorn to tell stories of just how the events of Ferguson are linked to their own lives in Los Angeles – particularly the cases of Ezell Ford and Omar Abrego, both killed by officers from Newton Division last August. [Read more…]

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Century Liquor becomes Century Market, bringing freshness to South LA

December 1, 2014 By 13 Comments


Residents gather around the fresh produce samples at Century Market grand opening. | Jordyn Holman

Residents gather around the fresh produce samples at Century Market grand opening. | Jordyn Holman

A store stayed true to its new title of “Market” instead of “Liquor” by introducing fresh food options after years of pressure from the community. And with that, the number of stores offering fresh food options in South Los Angeles increased yet again.

Century Market is the most recent liquor store in the area to commit to stocking its venue with fresh produce. The store located at Western and 39th streets opened in its new incarnation last weekend, debuting shelves with fresh fruits and other healthy food options.

See also: South L.A. corner stores turn full-service

“We now have something that’s local for folks,” said Ansley Jean-Jacques, who helped press for the transformation along with activist organization Community Coalition. “They can now buy their eggs right here on 39th and Western.” [Read more…]

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Healthcare fair comes to South LA

November 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Volunteer Carmen Abalos enjoyed a healthy snack during a break.

Volunteer Carmen Abalos enjoyed a healthy snack during a break.

Los Angeles Trade-Tech College was abuzz with crowds, booths, colorful displays, food, and games being played under large white tents last Saturday afternoon. In one corner, children bounced in an air-filled castle, taking occasional breaks to drink bottled water and eat fruit cups. The adults moved from table to table, chatting, carrying reusable shopping bags filled with paperwork and hand sanitizer.

In spite of the carnival-like atmosphere, the event’s purpose was serious: to provide hundreds of L.A.’s lowest income families with healthcare before the day’s end. [Read more…]

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Timeline: South LA protests of the Ferguson decision

November 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment


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LA PRESS CLUB AWARD WINNER: The godfather of LA’s Black comedy scene is plotting his comeback

November 23, 2014 By 1 Comment


 

Michael Williams is battling a series of
personal traumas to bring African-American comedy back to L.A.

Michael Williams (front row, right) with comedians, including Jamie Foxx (far left) | Courtesy Michael Williams

Michael Williams (front row, right) with comedians, including Jamie Foxx (far left) | Courtesy Michael Williams

Editor’s Note: This piece is a finalist WINNER for the 2014 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards granted by the Los Angeles Press Club! Check out our updated piece with audio from Michael Williams and his fellow comedy cohort.

On any given Thursday night in the late 1980s, Michael Williams would watch from the wings as up-and-coming Black comics, including Jaime Foxx, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac and Chris Tucker, performed at the comedy club he founded in South Los Angeles.

The Comedy Act Theater was one among the first comedy clubs in the country to cater to the Black community and was the launch pad for many successful Black comedians.

For 12 years, comedy fans packed the house. The first night, 200 people crammed into a room that could accommodate only 160. Within a few weeks, the place regularly sold out — a streak that lasted five years. Williams opened outposts in Atlanta and Chicago.

Williams, who had worked for six years as a stage manager and event producer, started the club after being frustrated by the way L.A.’s comedy scene failed to speak to Black patrons like himself. [Read more…]

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100 South LA sidewalks fixed, 400 more to go

November 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment


video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Video courtesy of Annenberg TV News

Councilman Bernard Parks and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative broke ground on the city’s 100th sidewalk repair yesterday as part of a project to improve South L.A.’s District Eight, calling on repairman to tear out the old pavement with shovels and drills.

The initiative’s executive director Veronica Hahni said the partnership had succeeded at “improving the quality of life for South Los Angeles residents by removing invasive tree roots and replacing these uplifted sidewalks.”

The repair also marked an important milestone for 84-year-old South L.A. resident Geneva James, who has lived at the corner of St. Andrews Place and 48th Street for more than 40 years, according to the L.A. Times. For many of those years, the broken-up, uneven sidewalk impeded her ability to leave the house, James’ grandson said at the event.

“I am glad I live to see it,” James said. “I will be able to come out and worry about not falling.” [Read more…]

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South LA applies for Promise Zone grant

November 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By JT Arowosaye

The proposed Promise Zone for South L.A. shaded in light blue. The current Promise Zone is shaded in gray. | Photo: Courtesy Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

The proposed Promise Zone for South L.A. shaded in light blue. The current Promise Zone is shaded in gray. | Photo: Courtesy Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

A coalition led by a South Los Angeles college submitted a key application Thursday for the “Promise Zone” initiative that would give South L.A.  priority in federal funding for anti-poverty programs.

“This project brings together everybody with a very common purpose which is … the economic revitalization of this area through increased opportunities,” said Leticia Barajas, Vice President of the L.A. Trade-Technical College.

The program, created by President Obama in 2013, named five Los Angeles neighborhoods as “promise zones” in 2014. South L.A. was left out, to the disappointment of the Los Angeles City Council and community members.

The coalition hopes to become a designated area for federal help because the poverty rate in the region is close to 50 percent and the unemployment rate is 12 percent.

The college-led coalition formed a group called the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z). The SLATE-Z group would invest in transit centers, educational programs, businesses, and South L.A. redevelopment. The City Council and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the area, support the application.

Originally published on Annenberg TV News.

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Lynwood hosts solemn commemoration for Veterans Day

November 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Charles Wood and Daniel Hamilton in front of Lynwood City Hall | Jiawei Wang

Charles Wood and Daniel Hamilton in front of Lynwood City Hall | Jiawei Wang

Veterans and family members joined the City of Lynwood officials to celebrate Veterans Day in front of the Lynwood City Hall on Nov 11.

The event started with flag salute. The veterans wore formal military attire as they stood in front of the city hall and sang the national anthem in overcast weather.

Veteran Charles Wood talks about his service in Vietnam in an audio slideshow below. 

Later, family members and veterans shared their experiences of military service. Most of the veterans had been involved in U.S. operations in Iraq, the Persian Gulf or Afghanistan. [Read more…]

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