VALLEY'S 8.8.19 4C

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By HILLEL ITALIE rush andthe is ver to the no cofriend , trau alcommunity hospital, w organizer st to thDarren am lifelong police, buttcrim- issubold, he is treadinNgewsom’s decision in African Am ble e state.”Parker, here it wased a.

Associated Press they ericans, His carefully on e that Calif thstalwart e diagnose C leader of the California Democratic Party. o o p D er o p r. rn a an ca K p ia se ic w ri o s v te at st o an n i ch te NEW YORK (AP) — Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, Krause ti ly p o“Darren d other min rs across th ing. He is she ex was parents , a veterwho larizing Parker pecreared e politicalalsp orities livkeeping his ts the 1by inariawere n, tells th a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose 1-pmother Continue b ec o ac fo u tr k cu n community activists – particularly his and dear u d in s m (5 to o ar n -k the wild afte d on page e ilmy fairness an ogra m imaginative power in “Beloved,” “Sula” and other works A2 d Kai r M it justicParker friend, – who instilled in him the importance cG re gains stren)gcat to uire visited e th at transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of th if e he seand bDemocratic of being civically engaged obcat on Fth. es itsupporting agai ri freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88. ll issuemember Party politics. As a result, Darren wasn,anhe’active a ticket fodray. ja Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced that Morrison and political director of the Communication Workers died Monday night at Montefiore Medical Center in New of America labor union throughout his 30-year career York after a brief illness. with AT&T; served on the staff of three California State “Toni Morrison passed away peacefully last night surAssembly Speakers; was a founder and past president rounded by family and friends,” Morrison’s family said in of the Antelope Valley Human Relations Commission; a statement through the publisher. “She was an extremely and was a highly respected leader within the Los Angeles devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt who reveled in County Democratic Party, where he most recently served being with her family and friends. The consummate writer as Vice Chair. who treasured the written word, whether her own, her stu“However, Darren Parker’s undeniable impact dents or others, she read voraciously and was most at home is perhaps best demonstrated through his 10-year when writing.” leadership of the California Democratic Party’s African Few authors rose in such rapid, spectacular style. She American Caucus. Under his leadership, the African was nearly 40 when her first novel, “The Bluest Eye,” was American Caucus grew from a small but mighty army of published. By her early 60s, after just six novels, she had 10 members with less than $30 in its coffers, to one of the become the first black woman to receive the Nobel litermost influential groups within the California Democratic ature prize, praised in 1993 by the Swedish academy for Party. her “visionary force” and for delving into “language itself, “Darren Parker was an activist and a fighter. He never a language she wants to liberate” from categories of black shied away from using his voice in support of African and white.

American candidates and our causes. The California FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2013 file photo, author Toni Morrison signs copies of her latest book “Home,” during Morrison helped educate her country and the world Democratic Party was made stronger, more effective, and Google’s online program series, Authors At Google, in New York. The Nobel Prize-winning author has died.

Publisher Alfred A. Knopf says Morrison died Monday, Aug. 5, 2019 at Montefiore Medical Center in New more representative because of his service and sacrifice.

York. She was 88. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) “I join our entire community in mourning Darren Continued on page A3 Parker’s death, and I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Brenda; his mother, Kai; his daughters, Jasmine, Britney, Tiffany, Amber, and Trinity; grandchildren; relatives; and friends. Though we’re heartbroken by his passing, Darren’s indefatigable spirit and legacy will forever live on.”

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Nobel Laureate Passes at 88 Toni Morrison

Sickle Cell Disease Advocate Marie Ojiambo

Teen Expelled and Arrested for Racist Videos Threatening Black People

Marie Ojiambo, who graduated from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York and who specializes in pre-clinical Pharmaceutical Research, is also the founder of the Sickle Strong Initiative—a Kenyan based NGO whose mandate is to raise awareness around sickle cell disease and advocate for better health care opportunities for patients suffering from the disease in Kenya.

By Lauren Poteat NNPA Newswire Washington Correspondent It’s been more than 100 years since sickle cell disease was first discovered in America.

Today, the rare hereditary blood disorder continues to affect millions of people throughout the world.

Sickle cell disease – or SCD – affects approximately 100,000 Americans and occurs among about 1 out of every 365 African-American births, according to medical experts.

Nearly 1 in 13 African American babies are born with the sickle cell trait, which medical experts said means that an individual has inherited the sickle cell gene from one of his or her parents.

During its annual convention, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a trade organization that represents African American-owned newspapers and media companies throughout the U.S., partnered with Pfizer Rare Disease (Pfizer) to host a forum on this rare disease.

“I was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at the age of 1,” said Marie Ojiambo, a consultant for Pfizer, during the forum moderated by NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “And always wanted to be a support system and advocate for research, for other young women, going through the same thing,” Ojiambo said.

“Because of this, I always felt like it was important for me to not only introduce myself by my profession, but also as a sickle cell warrior,” said the Kenyan native.

“When I competed in the Miss Africa USA pageant back in 2014, I made sure that my pageant platform, represented the same personal goals I had for myself and advocated for, sickle cell disease awareness,” she said.

Dr. Chavis emphasized, “The NNPA is grateful to Pfizer for introducing Marie Ojiambo to the Black Press of America. Ms. Ojiambo is an excellent role model for millennials, and in particular for young African and African Continued on page A2

While she champions research and viable medications and solutions, Ojiambo also emphasized the importance of being regularly tested.

Hometown Celebrates Literary Legend’s 75th Birthday Walker’s legacy of activism and storytelling was on full display at the event, which was held at the Georgia Writers Museum and included a day of activities and events to honor Walker’s life and achievements.

Pulitzer Prize Winning novelist Alice Walker.

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor Alice Walker, one of the premiere writers of the 20th Century, was honored in July by her hometown of Eatonton, GA for her 75th Birthday (Alice Walker 75). Hundreds of people flocked from all over the country to Walk-

er’s birthplace to celebrate the birthday of the Pulitzer Prize winning author.

The activist, who was born February 9, 1944 in Eatonton left in 1961 to attend Spelman College, eventually enrolling at Sarah Lawrence College due to controversy surrounding her political activism at Spelman.

Walker’s legacy of activism and storytelling was on full display at the event, which was held at the Georgia Writers Museum and included a day of activities and events to honor Walker’s life and achievements. The event was co-chaired by award-winning author Valerie Boyd, editor of Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, which will be released in 2020 and Lou Benjamin, founder of Eatonton’s Briar Patch Arts Council.

Walker, who lived just outside of town, acknowledged this was the first time she had been to Eatonton and was unaware the Plaza Arts Center existed, which is where many of the festivities were held.

The day kicked off with a screening and discussion of the American Masters Documentary, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth followed by a discussion with the filmmaker Pratibha Parmar and scholar Salamisha Tillet at The Plaza Arts Center.

Celebrants were able to take bus tours of the area and see Walker’s birthplace while fellow authors and poets and friends paid tribute to the game changer, who was clearly touched by the praise, humbly thanking the audience throughout the day of events.

An American Marriage novelist Tayari Jones read from

Bobcat Re Maxine Waters After Beincove g Hi Statement the Polon ice Car Death of Darren Parker

the novel Meridian, poet Daniel Black read Walker’s short story “Flowers,” and poet Kamilah Aisha Moon read Walker’s poem, “How Poems are Made.” Journalist and author Evelyn C. White offered remembrances of friendship and activism and classically trained Gospel violinist Melanie R. Hill performed a medley of songs honoring the legend.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the program was when Walker’s daughter Rebecca, read several pieces including “Now That Book Is Finished,” a poem Walker wrote about Rebecca when she was a child. Rebecca’s son Tenzin, 14, performed an original song he composed entitled, “Sun and Steam,” which he played beautifully on the piano. Rebecca Walker’s words, expressions of love and gratitude to her mother and Tenzin’s performance were symbolic of the reconciliation between Walker and her daughter who had been estranged during a difficult period.

Walker’s former husband Melvyn R. Levanthal was also in attendance.

The special birthday celebration ended with Walker taking the stage of The Plaza Arts Center for a candid conversation with Boyd, author of the award-winning biography Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. Walker and Boyd’s tête-à-tête ended with an invitation for all attendees to take the stage and dance with the celebrated author to two of her favorite songs, “Rock Steady,” by Aretha Franklin and “As” by Stevie Wonder, concluding a lovely day of celebration of one of the 20th Century’s greatest writers.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A 16-year-old student has been arrested and expelled from a private Catholic school in South Carolina after posting racist videos that showed him shooting a box he said represents black people.

The videos were made in May, weeks before school let out for the summer and the teen also threatened to shoot up the school in Columbia during the break, Richland County deputies said.

The videos appeared to be sent among some students in May, although school officials didn’t bring them to investigators until July 15, according to a police report obtained by The State newspaper.

In the videos, the teen uses a racial slur and calls himself “a hater of all black men.” He then shoots a black box numerous times that he said represents black people.

The teen was charged with making student threats.

His name was not released because of his age.

Cardinal Newman sent a letter to parents after the newspaper put the story on its website. Diocese of Charleston spokeswoman Maria Aselage said church officials determined the danger to students was minimal since school was out and police were investigating.

The letter said the student was expelled and ordered to stay off school property.

“The next few days may be challenging for Cardinal Newman School, so I ask your prayers for our students, teachers, staff and administration,” Cardinal Newman Principal, Robert Loia wrote in the note sent out Friday night.

Teacher Returns to School from Paid Leave after Class Assignment is Singing KKK Jingle

DOVER, N.H. (AP) – A New Hampshire school district says a teacher will return to full-time teaching about being placed on paid leave after a video surfaced of his students singing a jingle about the Ku Klux Klan.

The Portsmouth Herald reports John Carver will resume teaching Aug. 28, when school starts. Dover School District Superintendent William Harbron says Carver completed a “mentoring and learning program” required for him to come back to the classroom.

Carver was placed on leave in December after the video went viral. It showed two students singing a jingle set to Jingle Bells that included the refrain “KKK, KKK, let’s kill all the blacks.”

Harbron and students said Carver had given an assignment to write a song about a subject in the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War.

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THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER

World & Nation

Jesse Jackson Slams ‘Dangerous’ Trump Rhetoric

Jesse Jackson was in Poland touring Auschwitz-Birkenau to honor Roma victims of the Nazi German genocide. (Courtesy Photo)

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press KRAKOW, Poland (AP) – The Rev. Jesse Jackson has condemned recent outbursts by President Donald Trump targeting lawmakers of color and inner cities as “dangerous, divisive and diversionary” and says he believes they are fueling white nationalist extremism.

In an interview, the longtime civil rights leader called Trump's vilification of African Americans an attempt to divert the nation's attention from its real problems, including Russian election interference, border detentions and a

tax cut benefiting the richest Americans at the expense of the poor.

“The real debate is that a foreign power is expected to be involved in our election next year,” Jackson said, referring to former special counsel Robert Mueller's warning of a repeat of Russian interference in the 2020 elections.

Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King and two-time presidential candidate, spoke to The Associated Press in Poland ahead of a visit Friday to Auschwitz-Birke-

nau to honor Roma victims of the Nazi German genocide. As a leading symbol of a civil rights movement that brought vast progress to African Americans, Jackson was enthusiastically welcomed by young Roma activists and survivors _ members of a community who face entrenched marginalization in Europe.

Now 77 years old and struggling with Parkinson's disease, Jackson no longer has the physical strength of before.

But he maintains a keen interest in politics and on Friday was deeply engaged in his reflections on the Holocaust. After many hours of meetings with survivors, he returned for a private tour of the camp, pressing his guide for more details. He said he had spent two weeks before his trip reading up on the plight of the Roma people and tragedy of a genocide that is barely known in the world.

In personal musings on the sideline of the ceremony, he repeatedly commented on how the systematic killings at Auschwitz-Birkenau were the work of an advanced society and expressed anxieties at the growth of Holocaust denial today. The Nazis killed some 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, in Auschwitz, which is now a museum and memorial site.

On Trump, he said he finds no subtlety at all in the president's attacks on people of color, including recently on four congresswomen and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings. Jackson was informed during lunch of a recent break-in at Cummings' home, shaking his head and commenting that it was probably the fruit of growing racism and resentment that he believes was growing silently in the Obama years.

Trump's “strategy is overt. It is not subtle,” Jackson, the founder of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition, said.

Despite the new challenges, Jackson said he remains true to the principals of peaceful resistance and doesn't want to get dragged into trading insults with Trump or anyone else, believing that maintaining the moral high ground is key to progress. Taking an eye for an eye leaves both sides blind, the Baptist pastor said.

“You can't fight fire with fire and expect to put it out,” he said.

And he still likes to spin the kind of rhyming slogans that he is famous for. Once it was “hope not dope.” Now he likes to say that “it wasn't just WikiLeaks, it's also Trickileaks,” referring to gerrymandering and other ways the black vote is being suppressed in the United States.

Reform Lending to Protect Small Business Owners

Rep. Edolphus Towns is a board member of World Business Lenders. He represented the 10th and 11th congressional districts in New York from 1983-2013. (Courtesy Photo)

Thursday, August 8, 2019

By Rep. Edolphus Towns In my three decades representing parts of New York City in the House of Representatives, expanding economic opportunities for underserved communities was a top priority. That’s why, after I retired from public service, I joined the Board of World Business Lenders, an alternative business lender that provides desperately needed financing for businesses who want to grow or expand, leading to so many ancillary benefits to their local communities.

Unfortunately, not all alternative business lenders are created equal. In an industry that is not regulated, many of them are engaged in predatory practices, preying on the very customers they are committed to serving. Unlike World Business Lenders, which has voluntarily self-regulated by implementing a “best practices” lending program committed to offering fair and transparent loan terms to its borrowers, other alternative business lenders engage in opaque and occasionally destructive behavior that can lead to bankruptcy or worse for their own customers.

A critical tool for these predatory lenders has been the

use of our state’s court system to seize the assets of small businesses whether located in New York or in any other state by employing legal instruments called “confessions of judgement.” These lenders have been requiring their small business borrowers, as a condition of receiving any shortterm loans from them, to sign confessions of judgement that waive borrowers’ legal rights in any dispute with the lenders. Small business borrowers in other states have no right of notice if their assets are seized in New York under confessions of judgement and may not even realize if a New York judgement has been entered against them until their banks have seized their assets.

Alternative business lenders should make every loan transparent for their borrowers by clearly disclosing repayment terms, including interest rates, prepayment charges and by outlining clear payment schedules. Borrowers must be made aware of all fees and costs associated with their loans. Brokers and employees of alternative business lenders should be subject to background checks and continuing

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education requirements. Importantly, alternative business lenders should be required to offer each borrower terms not worse than the most favorable loan product for which he or she qualifies.

Alternative business lenders have nothing to fear from additional regulation. World Business Lenders is a successful company that profits even as we voluntarily abide by these terms, which protect customers. Unfortunately, in the political environment in Washington, it is unlikely that Congress will act to prevent predatory lenders from driving small business owners into bankruptcy. In the absence of leadership in Washington, it is time for Albany to act.

Unity & Diplomacy to Counter War & Climate Change

Second in a series of ethnic media conversations with the 2020 presidential candidates

Tulsi Gabbard. (Courtesy Photo)

By Mark Hedin Ethnic Media Services In a teleconference with members of the ethnic press from across the country on Friday, Aug. 2, Democratic candidate for president Tulsi Gabbard, congresswoman from Hawai’i, introduced herself as a product of the country’s only majority-minority state, then commented that it took her visits to the mainland to reveal the very different ways people of color are sometimes seen and treated in the United States.

It’s very different from the spirit of “Aloha” that prevails in her home state, she said.

“Our current president is dividing our country and undermining core principles of who we are as Americans…” she said. “We are strongest when we stand united.”

Call moderator Jaya Padmanabhan of India Currents asked how she planned “to rise above” such divisiveness and Gabbard responded that the challenge is “staying focused on why we are here” and “understanding what unites us as we continue to fight the good fight.”

Leading off the ethnic media’s questions in the hourlong event, Henrietta Burroughs of East Palo Alto Today referred to the congresswoman’s work on the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees and cited the morning’s news of the U.S. withdrawal from the INF, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed more than 30 years ago by President

Ronald Reagan and his Soviet Union counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev.

“You have supported nuclear disarmament,” Burroughs said to the congresswoman, a military veteran. Did she fear that the failure to renew the treaty would trigger a new arms race, Burroughs asked, and what did she believe must be done to avoid it?

“We need to get back to the negotiating table,” said Gabbard. “These treaties are critical.”

Gabbard also cited the imminent need to renew the START treaty and, she said, immediately abandon any “thinking wrongly that a nuclear war can be won. That’s what’s at stake here. Nuclear proliferation being kicked off

by Trump. The only alternative to diplomacy is war.”

Pilar Marrero of La Opinion followed Burroughs’ question with more foreign policy concerns, asking about the U.S. role in addressing “the massive refugee movement, specifically from Central America and also about “the Venezuelan crisis.”

“This really gets to the core of why it’s necessary to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Gabbard replied, citing “efforts at regime change, whether covert or overt,” and how some of the countries from which people are fleeing – Guatemala and Honduras, for example – “are suffering the consequences of short-sighted and failed policies, even those made with the best of intentions.”

A recent policy mistake, she said, is the current president’s decision last year to withdraw from UNHCR, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN’s refugee agency, which the president said had been too critical of Israel.

Joe Orozco, of Hoopa Tribal Radio, turned the conversation closer to home. Did the congresswoman intend to address shortcomings in the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ management of its federal government trust responsibilities? Specifically absent, Orozco said, is any consideration of the importance of media such as newspapers and radio or of the need to support and sustain these outlets.

Gabbard said she’d made two visits to Standing Rock, North Dakota, where plans to construct a fossil fuel pipeline running through tribal lands in proximity to their water supplies inspired virulent protests in 2016 and 2017.

Hassan Abbas, of Arab American News, asked Gabbard about her “diplomatic strategy for achieving peace in the Middle East and at home.”

Gabbard said it was unlikely that she’d be able to parse the region’s issues in this brief question-and-answer session but reiterated her position that politicians and leaders must sit down with people they may have nothing in common with and “be willing to have those tough conversations.”

But for the United States she said, beyond misguided efforts at regime change, “we have to end this U.S. foreign policy of being the world’s police.”

She grew more specific in speaking of Iran. The current administration says it doesn’t want war with Iran but “every single thing it does points directly toward a path to war, continuing to escalate the crisis.”

Among many mistakes, she said, is “sending and deploying more U.S. troops to the region, “leading up to a war that would be far more devastating than anything we saw with the war in Iraq, and further exacerbate the refugee crisis that exists because of these conflicts and regime-change wars across the Middle East.”

Sing Tao Daily reporter Ke Xu in New York, in the last of the opening questions, asked Gabbard how current trade disputes with China might affect Asian Americans.

“I’m very concerned about escalating tensions” between the United States and China and the “irresponsible trade war,” she said, and characterized the president’s strategies as “unpredictable, shoot-from-the-hip.”

“An economic war can very easily escalate into a hot war,” she warned.

The current dispute has harmed U.S. small businesses, farms and manufacturers, she said, and “they’re all caught in the “counter-productive effect.”

Calling for diplomacy and cooperation rather than conflict, her closing statement lamented the lost potential for good from countries “uniquely positioned to play a leadership role” in combating climate change.

Sickle Cell Strong: Sickle Cell Disease Advocate Marie Ojiambo Continued from page A1

American women, who are interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields of study.

Marie Ojiambo’s outstanding success as a research scientist is truly inspiring as she did not allow the challenges of Sickle Cell Disease to prevent her from achieving her professional career goals.”

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the sickle cell disease trait is most commonly found in places like Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

However, it is not exclusive to one race.

Also, as the Hemoglobin disorders follow the malaria belt around the globe, those who have the trait are relatively protected from malaria.

Although most who carry the sickle cell trait remain healthy, medical statistics show that if two healthy people who carry the trait join to conceive a child, there’s still a one in four chance with every pregnancy that they would have child with active SCD. Ojiambo, who graduated from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York and who specializes in pre-clinical Pharmaceutical Research, is also the founder of the Sickle Strong Initiative—a Kenyan-based NGO whose mandate is to raise awareness around sickle cell disease and advocate for better health care opportunities for patients suffering from the disease in Kenya.

While she champions research and viable medications and solutions, Ojiambo also emphasized the importance of being regularly tested.

“Both of my parents were carriers of the sickle cell trait and so when they came together, I received the disorder,” Ojiambo said.

“It is so important to know your status and to get tested regularly,” Ojiambo continued.

“Take part in clinical trials and work to make sure you have access to primary care physicians and a good hematologist.”

Thursday, August 8, 2019

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER A3

Features / Legal Notices

Nobel Laureate Passes at 88 Continued from page A1

about the private lives of the unknown and unwanted.

In her novels, history — black history — was a hidden trove of poetry, tragedy and good old gossip, whether in small-town Ohio in “Sula” or big-city Harlem in “Jazz.”

She regarded race as a social construct, and through language founded the better world her characters suffered to attain, weaving in everything from African literature and slave folklore to the Bible and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“Narrative has never been merely entertainment for me,” she said in her Nobel lecture. “It is, I believe, one of the principal ways in which we absorb knowledge.”

Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for “Beloved,” she was one of the book world’s most regal presences, with her expanse of graying braids; her dark, discerning eyes; and her warm, theatrical voice, which could lower to a mysterious growl or rise to a humorous falsetto. “That handsome and perceptive lady,” James Baldwin called her.

Her admirers ranged from college students and housewives to Barack Obama, who awarded her a Presidential Medal of Honor; Bill Clinton, whom the author called “our first black president”; and Oprah Winfrey, who helped expand Morrison’s readership. Morrison shared those high opinions, repeatedly labeling one of her novels, “Love,” as “perfect” and rejecting the idea that artistic achievement called for quiet modesty.

“Maya Angelou helped me without her knowing it,” Morrison told The Associated Press during a 1998 interview. “When she was writing her first book, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,’ I was an editor at Random House.

She was having such a good time, and she never said, ‘Who me? My little book?’

“I decided that ... winning the (Nobel) prize was fabulous,” Morrison added. “Nobody was going to take that and make it into something else. I felt representational. I felt American. I felt Ohioan. I felt blacker than ever. I felt more woman than ever. I felt all of that, and put all of that together and went out and had a good time.”

Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Lo-

FILE - In this May 29, 2012 file photo President Barack Obama awards author Toni Morrison with a Medal of Freedom, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. The Nobel Prize-winning author has died. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf says Morrison died Monday, Aug. 5, 2019 at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She was 88.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

rain, Ohio, a steel town outside of Cleveland. She attended Howard University, where she spent much of her free time in the theater, and met and married a Jamaican architect,

Harold Morrison, whom she divorced in 1964. They had two children, Harold and Slade.

Even when she was growing up, she believed she was smarter than the white kids and took it for granted she was wiser. She was an honors student and attended Howard because she dreamed of life spent among black intellectuals.

But although she went on to teach there, Howard disappointed her. Campus life seemed closer to a finishing school than to an institution of learning.

Protesters, among them her former student Stokely Carmichael, were demanding equality. Morrison wanted that, too, but wondered what kind.

“I thought they wanted to integrate for nefarious purposes,” she said. “I thought they should demand money in those black schools. That was the problem — the resources, the better equipment, the better teachers, the buildings that were falling apart — not being in some high school next to some white kids.”

In 1964, she became an editor at Random House and one of the few black women in publishing. Over the next 20 years, she would work with emerging fiction authors such as Gayl Jones and Toni Cade Bambara, on a memoir

by Muhammad Ali and books by such activists as Angela Davis and Black Panther Huey Newton. A special project was editing “The Black Book,” a collection of everything from newspaper advertisements to song lyrics that anticipated her immersion in the everyday lives of the past.

By the late ’60s, she was a single mother and determined writer who had been pushed by her future editor, Robert Gottlieb, into deciding whether she’d write or edit.

Seated at her kitchen table, she fleshed out a story based on a childhood memory of a black girl in Lorain who desired blue eyes. She called the novel “The Bluest Eye.” She had no agent and was rejected by several publishers before reaching a deal with Holt, which released the novel in 1969. Sales were modest, but critics liked it and Morrison soon signed up with Gottlieb and Knopf, which became her longtime publisher.

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2019173531 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: GIVE LOVE at 8117 W. Manchester Ave. Ste.226, Playa Del Rey, Ca. 90293 Mailing Address: County: LA REGISTERED OWNERS(S): DENISE MICHELLE WALING, 8117 W. Manchester Ave. Ste.226, Playa Del Rey, Ca. 90293 The business is conducted by: Individual SIGNED: DENISE MICHELLE WALING, Owner The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 01/2019 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: June 20, 2019 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: SOOKMIN CHANG,

PUBLIC NOTICE Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on June 20, 2024 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: July 18, 25, Aug, 1, 8, 2019

prevent wildfires, for the love of the outdoors.

American Airlines Touches Down at Hollywood Park American Airlines Named First Partner of LA Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park and Official Airline of Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams LOS ANGELES – August 6, 2019 – LA Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park (LASED) announced American Airlines as its first partner at a press conference earlier today. American Airlines will be a Founding Partner of LASED, the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.

As a part of the agreement, the airline will be the exclusive naming rights partner of American Airlines Plaza, a 2.5-acre two-level open-air space that serves as a main entrance into the stadium and performance venue.

American Airlines Plaza will also be the main entry point into an adjacent VIP entrance, which opens into a threelevel lobby inside the stadium.

LASED is a 298-acre world-class sports and entertainment destination being built by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. It will feature unparalleled event venues, office, retail and residential spaces, and more than 20 acres of parkland, with LA Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, positioned as the centerpiece of the development. With more than 50 million visitors to Los Angeles in 2018 alone, LASED was not only designed to entertain fans, but also to serve as a community gathering space for Angelenos and for travelers to the LA metropolitan area.

“As we continue Mr. Kroenke’s vision to build the premier destination for sports and entertainment at Hollywood Park, we are proud to partner with an industry-leading business such as American Airlines,” said Jason Gannon, Managing Director, LA Stadium and Entertainment District. “We are both making investments in Los Angeles that will provide fans and customers an elevated experience as they travel, live, work and play.”

“For decades, Los Angeles has been one of American’s most important markets and has played a major role in connecting Southern California to the rest of the world,” said Robert Isom, President, American Airlines. “It is our mission to give our customers the world-class experience they deserve, and we are committed to doing so both at the airport and within the community. It’s an exciting time for the City of Angels and for American Airlines.”

American Airlines Plaza measures 10 stories tall and has a capacity of approximately 15,000 guests. American Airlines Plaza will be open to the public year-round, on event days, as well as non-event days.

The plaza sits between the stadium and performance venue. All three venues fall under the same roof, which is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a lightweight

Now You Can Get The Valley’s News Observer Online!

ognsc.com

and transparent plastic. American Airlines Plaza will have the ability to accommodate its own bespoke programming that will reflect and connect with the cultural passions of the Los Angeles community.

American is the largest carrier at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with more than 200 daily flights to 70 destinations and is the only airline at LAX with nonstop service to five continents. The carrier continues to grow and strengthen its 70-plus year presence at the hub through significant direct and indirect investments in the region, including a $1.6 billion modernization project to fully reimagine LAX Terminals 4 and 5 – American’s largest individual investment at an airport in its 93-year history.

“Strong partnerships with LASED, the Chargers and the Rams demonstrate American’s commitment to investing in our business and in the Los Angeles community. This stadium, and the events that will be held here, will bring people throughout the region and from around the world together. Connecting people is our business and we couldn’t be more thrilled for the bright future of this city, our airline and the 7,300 team members who call Los Angeles home,” said Suzanne Boda, Senior Vice President-Los Angeles, American Airlines.

“Building the best stadium in the world brings with it the opportunity to partner with the best companies in the world,” said A.G. Spanos, President of Business Operations, Los Angeles Chargers. “While both the Chargers and American Airlines seek to be best-in-class at what we do, what truly makes this partnership a perfect fit is our organizations’ commitment to the community.

With these shared values as the foundation of this new partnership, we look forward to big things both in 2020 and for years to come.”

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with American Airlines and travel with them to Hollywood Park,” said Kevin Demoff, COO, Los Angeles Rams.

“From building playgrounds and rewarding fans with trips to games to flying the team to Super Bowl LIII, American Airlines and the Rams have made quite a team. We are looking forward to continuing to work together to inspire Angelenos to shine bright and reach new heights.”

American Airlines will become the official airline of both the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams and have prominent branding during Rams and Chargers game days. American has been the official airline of the Los Angeles Rams since their homecoming in 2016.

The Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District was represented by Legends Global Partnerships in securing this historic partnership with American Airlines.

American Airlines Plaza. (Photo Credit: LA Stadium and Entertainment District)

Chevrolet 1st Ever Mid-Engine Corvette 2020 Stingray is the fastest, most powerful entry Corvette Chevrolet revealed the 2020 Corvette Stingray, the first-ever mid-engine Corvette. The entry 2020 Stingray continues that tradition as a no-compromise value proposition, as it will start under $60,000. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray goes into production at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly in late 2019. Additional pricing and packaging information will be shared closer to launch.

The new mid-engine layout gives the 2020 Corvette Stingray:

Former astronauts Dr. Mae Jemison and Capt. Scott Kelly address the gathering before the introduction of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Tustin, California. The 2020 Stingray, the brand s first-ever production mid-engine Corvette, features a new 6.2L Small Block V-8 LT2 engine producing 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when equipped with performance exhaust.

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray goes into production in late 2019 and will start under $60,000.

(Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

• Better weight distribution, with the rear weight bias enhancing performance in a straight line and on the track.

• Better responsiveness and sense of control due to driver positioning closer to the front axle, almost on top of the front wheels.

• The fastest 0-60 time of any entry Corvette ever — less three seconds when equipped with Z51 Performance

Package.

• A race car-like view of the road due to lower positioning of the hood, instrument panel and steering wheel.

• Dual trunks for a total of 12.6 cubic feet of cargo volume, ideal for luggage or two sets of golf clubs

Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter introduces the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Tustin, California. The 2020 Stingray, the brand s first-ever production mid-engine Corvette, features a new 6.2L Small Block V-8 LT2 engine producing 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when equipped with performance exhaust. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray goes into production in late 2019 and will start under $60,000. (Photo by Dan MacMedan for Chevrolet)

A4

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER

Sports

Kownacki defeats Arreola by Unanimous Decision on Saturday Night. (Photo Credit: TrappPhotos.TGB)

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Kownacki connects with a strong right jab on Areola in Brooklyn. (Photo Credit: TrappPhotos.TGB)

Kownacki Defeats Arreola In A Slugfest

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York- In what’s quickly become the central home for boxing on the East Coast, Barclays Center hosted yet another stellar PBC on FOX fight card for fight fans to enjoy. This fight card featured some competitive matchups before getting to the Interim WBA World and WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Championship. This was on top of what promised to a slugfest between Heavyweight Brooklyn raised Adam Kownacki and East Los Angeles bred Chris Arreola headlining fight.

The live telecast began with a 10 round Super Welterweight bout which pitted Brownsville NY native Curtis Stevens against hard-hitting Lagos, Nigeria native Wale Omotoso. Though fan favorite Stevens had the crowd on his side, Omotoso dominated the early rounds of this fight by knocking down Stevens twice in the first two rounds. Stevens came out strong in the 3rd round however Omotoso dropped him again before the refs eventually stopped the fight; scoring a TKO for Omotoso.

In the following fight, Marcus Browne took on Jean Pascal for the Interim WBA World and WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Championship. This fight was dominated in the early rounds by Staten Island, NY native Browne. As Browne and Pascal threw simultaneous punches, Quebec, CAN. born Pascal landed a straight right flush Browne’s chin and sent him to the canvas in the 4th round. Marcus got up quickly from the canvas in disbelief.

Browne rebounded well from the early knockdown to reasserted his dominance over Pascal in the 5th and 6th rounds. However, Pascal caught Browne with another straight right while his hands were down just enough, to expose his chin and Pascal dropped him again in the 7th round. In the following round, the two men collided heads which result in Browne receiving a deep gash above his eye.

After the accidental head butt ruling by the referee, the fight went to the scorecards. This was a weird fight to score in the sense that I saw one fighter clearly in control of the fight but gave up the lead by being knocked down a few times officially. Because the fight went to the cards the judges had Pascal leading on their scorecards 75-74, earning him the new WBA and WBC Silver World Champion belt.

The Hometown kid was the headliner on Saturday

night in Brooklyn, this quote is a look into his mindset as he goes into this fight, “This is a new experience for me being the headliner, but in the ring it doesn’t matter. It’s just two guys fighting each other. We both love to fight. I can’t wait to get it over with and punch him in the face.”

Before the fight, Chris Arreola shows his understanding of who Kownacki is, “He’s a volume puncher. He just keeps coming and he’s smiling at you the whole time. At the end of the day, I’m going to put a frown on his face Saturday.

My prediction is that the fans are going to get their money’s worth. You better record this one, because you’re going to watch it again and again. I’m going to come out with my hand raised.”

As expected, the headline fight between Heavyweight sluggers Adam Kownacki and Chris Arreola did not disappoint. Because each of these men is known to be offensive boxers, this fight wasn’t expected to go the full 12 rounds. But just as expected Knowacki showed he does not move backward and Chris Arreola proved why he’s been classified as one of the toughest heavyweights around.

These guys came out and stood toe to toe and exchanged punches as if they were flyweights. So much so, they beat the previous record of 650, by combining to land 667 punches. By throwing 2,172 punches they also surpassed the previous total of 1,730 according to Compubox stats. Brooklyn native Kownacki won each round convincingly, as he landed over 46% of his power punches. Because of Arreola’s competitive spirit, many boxing remained intrigued by the fight, as he responded to with some quality shots of his own. However, landing only 28% of his Power Punches Arreola did do enough to slow down or back up Kownacki.

In his post-fight press conference, Arreola showed Kownacki some respect by saying, “Adam is relentless, He just keeps coming. I know I got him with some good punches and he got me with some good ones. I was more than ready to go all 12, but Adam came in and won the fight.”

Once he was named the winner by Unanimous Decision Adam Kownacki had this to say in the post-

fight, “Chris is an Aztec warrior, He’s a great fighter. I knew it would be a tough fight and I prepared for it. The CompuBox numbers prove it was a great fight.” About his future Kownacki said, “I just have to keep training hard, getting better and sharpening my skills,” said Kownacki.

“We’ll see what the future holds. Hopefully next year I’ll get the title shot.”

There’s no question that Kownacki is a tough boxer, the only question I may have is about his punching power?

He clearly is relentless and brings the fight to any opponent.

Let’s see how he fair against a harder hitter than Arreola.

Such as Joshua, Fury, Ruiz or Wilder. What are your thoughts on Kownacki and his ranking in the Heavyweight division? Share your feedback by commenting in the comment section of this article on www.whatsgoodinsports. com or by following me on Twitter at “whatgoodnsport” for immediate engagement. Additionally, subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans” Podcast which is available for you on Apple and Google Podcasts including Spotify, TunedIn, and iHeart Radio. We certainly appreciate you for making our voice your choice!

Rams Defense Has Edge Heading in to 2019 Season

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The Los Angeles Rams Defense put on a pretty good show as they had many sound plays against the L.A. Chargers in a combined practice last weekend on the Campus of UC Irvine.

The Rams Defense came out lively and full of spunk verses the Phillip Rivers lead Chargers offense. All-Pro

Charges (97) Joey Bosa gets ready for action during practice. (Earl Heath/Los Angeles News Observer Photo)

Aaron Donald and Donte Fowler had big surges at the line of scrimmage chasing around three different quarterbacks throughout the practice.

“I have a ways to go but I feel like I am ready to get after it right now,” said Fowler. The 5th year linebacker looks in great shape.

The Defensive backs did their part also. Darius

Williams picked –off back-up QB Tyrod Taylor. Donte Deyon of Rialto picked off Cardale Jones and Crenshaw’s Dominique Hatfield also had in interception.

On the offensive side the Rams had some dropped passes and at times Geoff didn’t seem sharp. He did however put together a good drive during the two-minute drill towards the end of scrimmaging. That made things look good finishing up practice.

The Rams will hold joint practices at the Raiders in Napa next week.

These type of practices are important in that it is the most work starters will get against competition before the season starts.

Head coach Sean McVay made it be known that no rams starters will play in the pre-season game against the Raiders, Cowboys, Bronco’s or Texans.

Ram DB’s (22) Marcus Peters, (21) Aquib Talib and (32) Eric Weddle talk Defense during last weekend’s joint practice vs. Chargers. (Earl Heath/Los Angeles News Observer Photo)

Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips (R) during practice. (Earl Heath/Los Angeles News Observer Photo)

Thursday, August 8, 2019

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER A5

Entertainment

Stories from the Stage Makes the Case Bingeworthy TV:

Storyteller Morris Irby, the first black baseball player at Tennessee Tech University discusses the cost of being a trailblazer. (Photo: Stories from the Stage)

Stories from the Stage is a collaboration of WORLD Channel, WGBH Events and Massmouth, showcasing the communal art form of storytelling. The series reflects WORLD Channel’s commitment to bringing fresh and compelling voices to public media audiences on all platforms, while reflecting the diversity of modern America and the global community.

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor It is summertime and many people are “bingeing” or “catching up” on their favorite television shows they haven’t had time to watch when they actually premiered or aired.

While there are the usual suspects on HBO, Showtime, Bravo, Netflix and Starz, viewers should consider binge watching Stories from the Stage, the WORLD Channel original series that features ordinary people telling extraordinary stories, which returned with a national 24-hour binge-a-thon of episodes in June. The public television series features masterful storytellers from every walk of life, highlighting our differences and shared sense of humanity.

The latest season of Stories from the Stage includes the premiere of Rocky Top Remembers, an episode featuring stories about Morris Irby, the first black baseball player at Tennessee Tech University who learns the cost of being a trailblazer. “Rocky Top” refers to a place in Tennessee that is rocky and tough to plant, yet is fertile ground for great storytelling. Storytellers Harrison Young and Sandy Lewis are also featured on this episode, weaving tells of pecking orders in family and following in Dad’s footsteps, which isn’t always about the workplace or football field.

Viewers can also check out the episode, Game On!, featuring former Olympian and current USA Adaptive Water Ski Team member Nick Fairall discussing the leap that forever altered his Olympic dreams and his life. Each show is hosted by award-winning humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard.

With more than 40 episodes, the Stories from the

Stage gives viewers a chance to catch up on the series dedicated to bringing real stories — whether humorous or poignant, commonplace or astonishing — to American homes. Each 30-minute episode spotlights a trio of raconteurs — some experienced, some novices — sharing short anecdotes related to the episode’s unifying theme. Love, loss, family, food, immigration and celebrations are among the topics explored in episodes including “Lost & Found,” “Welcome to the Neighborhood,” “It’s All Relative” and “Holidays: The Good, The Bad.” Although each story is unique, audiences everywhere are able to connect and relate with storytellers from a mosaic of backgrounds, ages, cultures and abilities.

Stories from the Stage is a collaboration of WORLD Channel, WGBH Events and Massmouth, showcasing the communal art form of storytelling. The series reflects WORLD Channel’s commitment to bringing fresh and compelling voices to public media audiences on all platforms, while reflecting the diversity of modern America and the global community.

“Personal stories rich in human experience and emotion can create understanding, empathy and appreciation for people very different from us,” said Liz Cheng, General Manager for WORLD Channel and co-executive producer of the series. “With Stories from the Stage we hope to prove how much we all have in common and inspire community dialogue about our differences.” Stories from the Stage is co-executive-produced by Cheng and Patricia Alvarado Núñez.

Trailer for Upcoming Harriet Tubman Movie Sails Over Ten Million Views in Five Days

“Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, “Harriet” tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history,” a write-up by Focus Features read.

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor A movie preview for the upcoming biopic featuring the life of legendary abolitionist Harriet Tubman, entitled “Harriet,” was viewed by over ten million people in five days from July 21 to July 26 on Facebook. Another social media post of the same movie trailer on YouTube received over four million views. The movie will be released on November 1.

The film stars British actress Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman and Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn and Leslie Odom.

“Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, “Harriet” tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes.

Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history,” a write-up by Focus Features read.

The world premiere for “Harriet” will take place at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019.

Originally Viola Davis was set to star in and produce a film on Tubman but the development of the current film

by Focus began in May 2016. In February 2017, Cynthia Erivo was cast as Harriet Tubman and Seith Mann, who is African American, was selected as the director using a screenplay by Gregory Allen Howard.

Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in March 1822 and died on March 10, 1913. She was an abolitionist, activist and a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. Tubman escaped slavery and traveled thirteen missions to rescue over 300 enslaved people, many family and friends. Tubman used a network of antislavery activists and safe houses to bring people to freedom. The vast network would become known as the Underground Railroad.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @ LVBurke

Film Review:

The world premiere for “Harriet” will take place at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. (Photo: YouTube)

Brian Banks

Brian Banks’ story is a cautionary tale in an era when a false accusation can ruin a career. It shows that harm that can be done when well-intentioned advocates believe an accuser before hearing all the facts. Also, Banks’ predicament clearly indicates why parents should be in the room when their offspring are negotiating plea deals with public defenders. For a multitude of reasons, Banks’ experience should be shared.

Aldis Hodge stars in the Brian Banks biofilm. (Photo: YouTube)

By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic In this #MeToo age, a biofilm about a wrongfully convicted high school football player, who was accused, tried and imprisoned for rape, is timely.

The real Brian Banks, the subject of this movie, lived through an ordeal that was tragic, inspiring and often profound, something is lost in this one-dimensional retelling of his life experiences. Something turns his extraordinary story of resilience into a decent but ordinary made-for-TVlike movie.

In 2002, Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton, Hidden Figures) is a junior at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California and a linebacker football player. He has verbally committed to attending USC based on his football prowess. The future looks bright for him and his single mom Leomia (Sherri Shepherd). One day at school, Banks runs into coed Kinnesha Rice (Xosha Roquemore), and they decide to hook up in a secluded school building where kids go to make out and get down.

While in their secret place, Brian has a change of heart, leaves Kinnesha behind and she is forced to explain to a security guard why she is in a notorious spot. Flustered, the student fabricates a story about being raped. Her lie leads to Banks’ arrest, a too-hasty plea deal, trial, imprisonment, a tough parole and a sex offender label that haunts him.

Banks can’t live, work or be near places that children gather—including schools, parks and malls. He’s lost any academic or professional football opportunities. Unless his conviction is overturned, his future is bleak and he’s hit a wall.

That’s a galvanizing setup. Sympathetic protagonist, wrongly accused, innocent and determined yet filled with self-doubt. He’s the David. A California judicial system that rarely—if ever—overturns cases against convicts is the Goliath. Audiences like to watch a “good fight” against injustice. Bring it on.

Screenwriter Doug Atchison (Akeelah and the Bee) fit all the characters and pieces of Banks jumbled life into an easy-to-decipher script. Maybe too easy. Son, mom, accuser, mentors. The California Innocence Project (CIP) is also in the mix. It’s a non-profit that helps wrongfully convicted prisoners and is headed by Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear).

Other supporting characters (new girlfriend, skeptical prosecutor, accuser’s stubborn mom) augment the cast. But the focus is on Banks—his sorrow, integrity, courageousness and perseverance.

Given a story that sells itself, and a quest that provides innate momentum, you’d think filmmaker Tom Shadyac (The Nutty Professor) would have an easy time directing a film that’s powered by its own natural thrust. Yet, his plodding direction slows things down. The footage (Ricardo Diaz, cinematographer) is bland, lacks style and eye-catching composition.

Shadyac fails to get the cast’s emotions to rise to a level of desperation that piques attention. Everything seems average. Smart, intuitive directors (e.g. Sidney Lumet “Q & A,”) find ways to lift urban dramas off the page and turn them into compelling films that are more than the sum of their parts. Not the case here.

Can’t blame the editing (Greg Hayden, Zoolander), art direction (Starlet Jacobs), production design (Teresa Mastropierro) or costumes (Amanda Ford) for the general malaise. The tech credits are just decent enough to make this film semi-engaging for 99 minutes. The ensemble cast is proficient, but none stand out, except the lead.

Big question: “Why is Aldis Hodge in a so-so movie like this?” His deft interpretation of the character, the raw emotion he displays and the solid screen persona he creates crown his performance. He saves the film. At this point in his career, Hodges should be starring in far bigger projects than this. He should be one of the Avengers, vying for parts Denzel Washington has aged out of and up for roles that lead to Oscars. He’s that good.

Brian Banks’ story is a cautionary tale in an era when a false accusation can ruin a career. It shows that harm that can be done when well-intentioned advocates believe an accuser before hearing all the facts. Also, Banks’ predicament clearly indicates why parents should be in the room when their offspring are negotiating plea deals with public defenders. For a multitude of reasons, Banks’ experience should be shared.

The Brian Banks film, within the confines of its madefor-TV-movie-of-the-week approach, is not as three-dimensional as Banks real-life story. It lacks the artistry of an indie film, the dramatic chops of a cable film (HBO) and the repeat-viewing power necessary for a streaming movie (Netflix).

If this well-meant film has a saving grace, besides its message of resilience, its Hodges’ powerful performance.

He’s an Oscar-caliber actor in need of an Oscar-caliber film.

A6

THE VALLEY’S NEWS OBSERVER

Local

Thursday, August 8, 2019

S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi Women’s African Drum Group. (Courtesy Photo)

5th Annual

Maestro The Vocalinist. (Courtesy Photo)

Sutro Avenue Summer Soirée & Jazz Festival

By Ricky Richardson Los Angeles- A cultural gem in Historic Leimert Park has reached a major milestone. I’m referring to the Sutro Avenue Summer Soirée & Jazz Festival, celebrating its 5th Anniversary, Saturday, August 3, 2019, from 12noon-7:00PM. The festival took place on Sutro Avenue between 42nd Street and 43rd Street.

The Summer Soirée & Jazz Festival had something for everyone to enjoy and be engaged. The event featured a DJ, eclectic array of food tucks, inter-active kids’ zone, Community Resources Zone, Health & Wellness Zone, Jazz Lounge and (Hosted) Wine Lounge, Photo booth, Prize Drawings and much more.

I can honestly say this was my first time attending this very popular community event. I was very impressed by the layout, ambiance, atmosphere and attendance (diverse crowd). The Sutro Avenue Summer Soirée & Jazz Festival has been added to my most attend annual events.

This well respected and highly anticipated event of Summer plays a vital part in promoting family, community and the arts.

Event Producer Diane Robertson in partnership with Dwight Trible and The World Stage assembled a stellar line-up of top notched musicians to entertain the crowd of jazz aficionados and music lovers. The World Stage is an educational and performance art space in Leimert Park. www.worldstage.org The Jazz Lounge Emcee was the ever-popular Radio Personality LeRoy Downs, aka The Jazzcat.

The festival officially got under way with a thunderous set by S.H.I.N.E Mawusi Women’s African Drumming Group led by Rene Fisher Mims. The group

played rhythms representing West Africa. They opened their set with an Opening Prayer Chant that summoned the spirit of our Ancestors.

The program continued with the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center (FPCAC) Jazz Band.

This awesome group of talented young musicians have performed statewide as well as globally with some famous artists. The band is under the tutelage of Fernando Pullum who consistently fronts a band of dedicated musicians committed to keeping the jazz flames alive.

They performed a set of tunes that they jazzed up with their masterful arrangements. They performed “Are You Chicken,” followed by “Squiggly.” Sister Linda Saunders, Executive Director, Marcus Garvey School, joined the band to sing “Someday We’ll All Be Free” by the late great Donny Hathaway. Next up was a funky, swinging version of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, and concluded with “Cold Sweat” to get the crowd on the dance floor.

Maestro The Vocalinist (Violin/Vocals), songwriter, composes music influenced by his world travels, he seamlessly creates sounds incorporating a variety of genres. Maestro The Vocalinist entertained and engaged the audience with the following tunes “Nature Boy,” “Summertime,” “Best Part,” “Vivir Mi Vida” sang flawlessly in Spanish. He concluded his set with an original tune “Isis Clasis” with audience members harmonizing along with the band. Maestro The Vocalinist was accompanied onstage with Gerald “Pacman” Dixon on keyboards and Bam Bam on drums.

DJ MERC80 manned the ones and twos to spin eclectic sounds in between acts to the delight of an appreciative audience.

Congresswomen Dianne Watson dropped by to enjoy the festivities and to show her support of the wonderful work that Diane Robertson is doing in the community.

Karen A. Clark is an incredible actress, singer, songwriter, producer, public speaker and marketer. She made a return engagement to the festival. Her captivating performance consisted of tunes from her latest CD The Karen A. Clark Project is available iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, CD Baby and most digital outlets. Her first CD A Corporate Affair is available by special order. You probably were fortunate to have seen her critically acclaimed show “Love Stories-Tales of an African Queen” and one women theatrical show “The Women.” Her set featured the tunes “Passing Through My Ghetto,” “Never Die,” “Summertime,” “I’m Determined,” and “Crazy” about her experience in the dating scene.

Percussionist Derf Reklaw is world renown multiinstrumentalist, composer, lecturer and educator. His tight band-Derf Reklaw Da Cuz Mo, consisted of Michael Alvidrez-bass, Reggie Clark-drums/percussions, Jae Jei Kabassa-percussions, and Robert Turner-piano. The crowd and I went on a musical journey through West Africa and the United States with their excellent arrangement of jazz standards. The highlight of their set featured “Salute to the Band Box” by Gigi Gryce and a Latin tinge “Havana Moon” by Chuck Berry.

Lynne Fiddmont is an in-demand studio and touring singer who is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She landed her first gig with the Jazz Crusaders after graduating from College. It doesn’t get

any better than that. Lynne Fiddmont thrilled the crowd with her vocal stylings and phrasing on the following tunes “Good Time Party,” “All The Way,” “It’s a Holiday,” “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me,” God Bless The Child,” “Flying Easy,” “Night and Day,” and concluded her set with “Groovy People.”

The Myron McKinley Trio is a powerhouse group comprising multi-hyphenates Myron McKinley-keyboards, Ian Martin-bass and Shawn Horton-drums. Their highoctane set featured original and some classic popular tunes “Can’t Hide Love,” “Labyrinth,” “Native Lament,” “Party for Jackie,” and “Incantation.

The festival concluded on a rousing note with Father/ Son duo Pete Escovedo-percussions and Peter Michael Escovedo-percussions. The legendary Pete Escovedo is an artist who broke down the barriers between Smooth jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz and contemporary music. Peter Michael Escovedo III is a two-time Emmy-nominated Producer and Musical Director. The band produced brilliant sparks of musical magic from Pete Escovedo’s extensive catalog of hits to close out the 5th Annual Sutro Avenue Summer Soiree & Jazz Festival. The band consisted of Pete Escovedotimbales/congas, Peter Michael Escovedo-drums, Nando Raio-bass, Justo Almario-sax, Joey Navarro-keyboards, Michael Angel-guitar.

The event was made possible by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs and with the support of Community Partner. The event was made possible by the generous contributions from the office of Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr.

Rep. Maxine Waters on Capital One Data Breach “This data breach shows that it’s not just big technology companies and credit reporting agencies like Equifax that are vulnerable to hacking and data breaches – big banks are vulnerable targets as well. As this is not the first incident in which Capital One’s customer data was exposed, we need to understand what bank regulators have been doing to ensure that this bank, and other banks, have strong cybersecurity policies and practices…”

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement on a data breach which exposed account information of over 100 million Capital One customers.

“This data breach shows that it’s not just big technology companies and credit reporting agencies like Equifax that are vulnerable to hacking and data breaches – big banks are vulnerable targets as well. As this is not the first incident in which Capital One’s customer data was exposed, we need to understand what bank regulators have been doing to ensure that this bank, and other banks, have strong cybersecurity policies and practices. We must also understand what bank regulators are doing to ensure strong oversight of third-party technology providers that banks work with.

“As we learn more about this incident, I plan to work with my colleagues and take action in the Financial Services Committee on legislation to improve oversight of the cybersecurity of financial institutions.

“This massive data breach also underscores how important it is that the consumer credit reporting bills that the Financial Services Committee recently passed become law so that any consumer affected by a data breach is not further harmed. Among other things, the bills the Committee passed ensure that consumers can get a free copy of their credit score, provide better tools for victims of fraud, and make it easier for consumers to get errors on their reports corrected.”

On July 11 and July 16, the Financial Services Committee passed a series of consumer credit reporting bills, including: H.R. 3642, the “Improving Credit Reporting for All Consumers Act,” introduced by Representative Alma Adams (D-NC) Rep. Adams’ bill addresses burdens consumers

experience when removing errors from their consumer reports, including by providing a new right to appeal the results of initial reviews about the accuracy or completeness of disputed items on the report. The bill empowers consumers by clarifying injunctive relief is available to ensure reporting errors are actually fixed when a consumer is harmed.

H.R. 3618, the “Free Credit Scores for Consumers Act of 2019,” introduced by Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH) Rep. Beatty’s bill directs the nationwide CRAs to give consumers free copies of their credit scores that are used by creditors in making credit decisions, as determined by the Consumer Bureau, or if not practicable, educational credit scores whenever consumers obtain their free annual consumer reports. A consumer can get their free credit score once a year, and they can get a free credit score if they have reason to believe that their file contains inaccurate information due to fraud.

H.R. 3622, the “Restoring Unfairly Impaired Credit and Protecting Consumers Act,” introduced by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) Rep. Tlaib’s bill would, among other things, establish the right to free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services if a consumer is a victim of identity theft, fraud, or a related crime, or harmed by the unauthorized disclosure of the consumer’s financial or personally identifiable information.

H.R. 3614, the “Restricting Use of Credit Checks for Employment Decisions Act,” introduced by Representative Al Lawson (D-FL) Rep. Lawson’s bill would generally prohibit employers from using credit reports for employment decisions, except when a credit report is required by local, state, or Federal law or for a national security clearance.

H.R. 3621, the “Student Borrower Credit

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee

Improvement Act,” introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) Rep. Pressley’s bill would remove adverse credit file information relating to defaulted or delinquent private education loans for borrowers who demonstrate a history of timely loan repayments for these loans. The bill would require repayment plans be affordable and reasonable, and permits reasonable interruptions in the consecutive repayment periods for those facing unique and extenuating life events, such as service members who are receiving imminent danger or other special pay duty when deployed.

H.R. 3629, the “Clarity in Credit Score Formation Act of 2019,” introduced by Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) Rep. Lynch’s bill would clarify oversight of the development of credit scoring models by directing the Consumer Bureau to set standards for validating the accuracy and predictive value of credit scoring models. The bill would also require the Consumer Bureau to study the impact of having more non-traditional data on consumer reports and the use of alternative data in credit scoring models.

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