Councilmember Gray to thank supporters at celebration

By Kenneth Miller, Publisher

Newly minted Inglewood City Councilmember Gloria Gray, the first Black woman to be elected in District 1, will host a ‘Campaign Team Celebration’ on Saturday April 8th from 4p.m. to 8p.m. at The Whipp

By Francis Taylor, Executive Editor

“For

Farewell George W. Dotson Departing District 1 Council Member

A standing ovation by the Mayor, Council Members and the public culminated an impressive display of appreciation and accolades, on the occasion of his final city council meeting, for the Honorable George W. Dotson, the City of Inglewood’s 1st District Council Member. Dotson has served on the council for nine years and in addition to his distinguished service as a council member, Dotson has been an Inglewood resident for over 50 years and during that time has been an entrepreneur, chairperson of the Inglewood Planning Commission, and a dedicated husband and family member.

Mayor James T. Butts read a commendation, signed by the council members, highlighting many of Dotson’s accomplishments during his tenure, that Member Eloy Morales described as the most productive eight years of the City of Inglewood’s history. Mayor Butts, also indicated that Dotson was a part of changed the lives of Inglewood residents now and forever as he highlighted the many economic and business developments that the city has garnered in the last few years. From the re-opening of the Forum and the development of the world class SOFI Stadium and the soon to be completed INTUIT Dome; to the arrival of the Girl Scouts Headquarters, the development of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the renovation of the city’s parks and recreation facilities, to name only a few, Dotson will always be remembered as a member of the ‘council team,’ that delivered these and many other developments to the City of Inglewood.

The commendation, read in its entirety by Mayor Butts, cited the dedication Dotson delivered to the City of Inglewood and suggested that his character, integrity and optimism will serve as an example to others as they pursue opportunities in the city. On behalf of the council, the commendation thanked Dotson for his many years of exemplary service, as a council member and as a private citizen.

Before Dotson had the last word, expressing his thanks to God, his wife of 61 years, and the city staff and commissioners for their support of his work on the council, each council member offered their personal comments on their relationship with Dotson and their thanks and appreciation for his contributions to the council team.

Dotson acknowledged that it was teamwork that made all of the great things happen in the City of Inglewood and he thanked everyone for their kind words and, as he usually did after his council comments in the past, wished everyone a very good rest of your day!

By Anuoluwapo Bamiro, Columnist

Welcome back to “What’s Up with Anuolu” This month is National Poetry Month. As a poet myself I feel like this month is very important to me to highlight both poetry and other amazing poetry around the city. This week I will talk about how I got started with poetry and how I fell in love with it. I will also end the column this week with a short poem of mine that is a reminder to keep going and stay patient.

The first introduction to poetry I remember was an assignment in middle school we had to memorize a poem. The poem that was given to me was “Still I Rise”. I would go home and study the poem, watch videos of her reading it, and repeatedly write it down. I digested the poem so much and just dived into Maya Angelou’s catalog. After that, I remember my teacher that year making poetry the focus of English and me spending that time writing as much poetry as I could. It was the first moment I remember falling in love with it and understanding that it is a beautiful language that has many forms. When I entered high school, I was so worried about trying to be normal instead of nurturing my gift. So, I didn’t pick poetry back up until