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MONROVIAWEEKLY
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17 - JANUARY 23, 2019
Since 1996
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: BUDDHIST TZU CHI FOUNDATION AND DR. KING’S LEGACY IN MONROVIA
Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
A
s we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on what should have been his 90th birthday this past Tuesday, one is reminded of the startling parallel a Buddhist organization has with Dr. King’s powerful and profound work, struggles and philosophy. Dr. King’s work as a Baptist minister and civil rights activist captured the hearts of people who believe in fighting injustice. For generations people have followed his remarkable lead of non-violence, peaceful protests and civil disobedience.
On Oct. 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. That same year, Dharma Master Cheng Yen was also nominated for the Nobel Prize. Our story actually begins in 1999, when Ralph Walker became a local ambassador for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and spearheaded a remarkable event honoring Dr. King on his birthday, Jan. 15, 1999. In studying the Tzu Chi’s core beliefs along with a deep rooted knowledge and love for Dr. King, Walker asked Monrovia Weekly a remarkably poignant question on the actual birthday SEE TZU CHI FOUNDATION PAGE 10 The founders of the Tzu Chi Foundation. - Courtesy photo
VOL. 23, NO. 3
Monrovia Hopes to ‘Prevent and Combat Homelessness’ Susan MOTANDER motander@yahoo.com
Last year, the City of Monrovia undertook a four-month study of the issue of homelessness and its impact on the city’s park and Old Town area. In this study the city held several community meetings as well as those with a vested interest in the issue including: Foothill Unity Center, the county’s Homeless Services Authority, the local ministerial association and the interfaith community to name a few. As a result, the Monrovia City Council adopted a final plan to combat homelessness at its July 17 meeting. This plan consists of six goals to deal with the issue. The city has put information about the plan on its website at cityofmonrovia.org/homelessness. The city’s complete plan is 19 pages long and details the ways in which the city and its partners will work on the six-goal project. To access this plan go to afore mentioned website and click on “complete plan to prevent and combat homelessness.” There is also a kit on what individuals can do to assist the homeless. -The first goal is to be persistent in contacting the homeless in the community. Members of the city’s Community Active Policing (CAP) Team have received special training to share information about resources available locally. The CAP Team makes not just one contact, but repeated contacts with SEE HOMELESNESS PAGE 11
Travelling Down History With ‘The Green Book’ Susie LING & Roy NAKANO GUEST CONTRIBUTOR The movie “Green Book” recently won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. The real “Green Book,” however, was a project of Victor H. Green, a postal worker in Harlem. Like Martin Luther King did years later, Victor Green pursued a dream, but for the travelling African-American motorists. The first “Green Book” in 1936 listed service stations, restaurants, lodging, and barber shops in New York that would welcome an African-American clientele. This was a great service for newcomers to the city in an era when racial segregation was common across the nation. Mr. Green expanded his
listings yearly. He explains in the 25-cent 1940 “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” ”The white traveler for years has had no difficulty in getting accommodations, but with the Negro it has been different. Before the advent of Negro Travel Guides, he has had to depend on word of mouth and then sometimes accommodations weren’t available.” By the 1963-64 edition, the title evolved to “The Travelers’ Green Book, for vacation without aggravation.” Perhaps after Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the nation had turned a page and the need for “The Green Book” lessened. The last SEE THE GREEN BOOK PAGE 9
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Keeping the Peace
Guitarist Diana Rein Plays Arcadia Blues Club - Jan. 19
at Ambrose Cafe
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During the height of segregation, you could pick up a Green Book at an Esso gas station. – Courtesy photo / Smithsonian Collection
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