Local

It’s Kwanzaa Time – WSSNEWSPAPER

LOS ANGELES, CA- The Kwanzaa Heritage Foundation will be hosting their 12th annual block party, Kwanzaa Heritage Festival and candle lighting ceremony from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 28 at Leimert Park Village-Vision Lot, 4300 Deghan Boulevard in Los Angeles. This a free event for the whole family which will feature live music, traditional dancing, a drum circle, an international food court, the Kwanzaa Heritage Marketplace, a health pavilion and a children’s village that includes face painting. This is an event that you don’t want to miss out on, so come down and get educated and have fun while learning about the history of Kwanzaa. For more information, please call 323-789-0580, email Kwanzala7@yahoo.com or visit www.KwanzaaHeritage.org.

Curtis Wright

RIVERSIDE, CA – On Sunday, December 15 the Multicultural Council of the Riverside Museum and the Human Relations Commission will be presenting a special program featuring Historian and Master Musician, Curtis Wright, as he and audiences explore the history of the Banjo. The event will be taking place from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Box at the Fox Entertainment Plaza, 3635 Market Street in Riverside. This is a free community event; however, seating is limited so an early arrival is suggested. This program will assist the community in exploring the origins of the banjo from its roots in Africa and its evolution as a handmade instrument used by African American slaves to its current position in the country, folk, bluegrass and traditional music. Wright has worked as a professional cowboy, educator, and is currently a circuit pastor as well as an in demand musician, having performed with Buck Page and the Riders of the Purple Sage, the Frank Wakefield Band and Jimmy Collier. In addition to the banjo, Wright plays violin, mandolin, harmonica, guitar and the Indian flute. For more information, please call the Riverside Metropolitan Museum at 951-826-5273.

Law Day March Mountain High School.

CORONA, CA- This past Saturday (December 7), the Riverside Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., held a courthouse field trip day for its Kappa Law Day. The fraternity took a group of 30 youth from Moreno Valley’s March Mountain High School to the Corona courtroom of Judge Eric Isaac, member of the alumni fraternity group and a mentor in its Guide Right Program. The Chapter’s Guide Right Program focuses on getting the students to select a field trip that most closely matches their career goals. The Guide Right Program exposes students to mentoring and professional fields that the students will be considering in the next few years. Members of the Chapter are given the assignment to present information about their fields, which include  business, law, medicine, armed services, education, law enforcement and pharmacy.
The field trips allow the students to witness the day-to-day activities involved in the selected career. The Chapter thanks Brother Isaac, Brother Edward Moore, Jr., VADM USN (ret) and Julie Alexander and Jamie Bernard teachers at March Mountain High School. The National Education Association and Kappa Alpha Psi are nationally recognized partners to support Priority Schools.

Razon

It’s ya’ girl telling ya’ WHAT IT DO!
This past weekend I had the honor of working a red carpet event hosted by BmikeroB. The star studded Red Carpet was held for up and coming R&B/Pop Recording Artist Razon.
On Saturday, December 7, in the glamorous city of Hollywood, the red carpet was rolled out for “Razon” in honor of her 19th birthday. With a swanky black and white theme, this private affair was attended by celebrity guests and industry professionals. There were actors, actresses, DJ’s, models, singers, rappers, producers, writers and professional dancers. The location looked fabulous. Her team truly went all out to make it a night to remember. Although the night was freezing, it didn’t stop the birthday girl from looking amazing. Several people came out to wish her a happy birthday and help celebrate.
Under the direction of her manager, Mike Robinson, Razon is currently working on her album and will be featured on the upcoming Willie Jae project, “Its Tha Roc”, the first compilation studio album by StarRoc, which is scheduled to be released this year through Roc Nation/Star Roc/Universal Records.
Razon was accepted and currently attends American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) Performing Arts Conservatory in Los Angeles and New York. This beautiful and talented young lady has a bright future in the making. Don’t sleep on her! Special thanks to Melinor Moore. For additional information regarding Razon, visit her online at www.razonmusic.com or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HHaG6pe2CE.

STREET POSITIVE

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Saturday, November 23, Street Positive Inc., along with several other community organizations, hosted a forum on mental awareness through a series of song, dance, theatrics and spoken word. The purpose of the event was to showcase the reasoning of why mental health is important to the Black community. The event was held at the Steelworkers Auditorium in Fontana. Some of the entertainment for the event included saxophonist Grover who opened the program and played during the intermission and comedian Etta Mae McPherson.

(Left to right) Debbie Moore, Silhouette, Ed Moore, Claude Ward, Bob Jenkins, Judge Eric Isaac, Sam Gibbs, PhD, Polemarch, all are Chapter members. Person in the front with basket is a recipient of food and clothes–unnamed. (photo provided by Anthony W. Thomas)

RIVERSIDE, CA- The Brothers of the Riverside Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. for the seventh year co-sponsored the 2013 Thanksgiving Giveaway of the Riverside Fair Housing Council. The Chapter’s Diamond Foundation was able to significantly increase its financial support this year at a time when the number of people served also increased. Rose Mayes, Fair Housing Executive Director, expressed her concern. “We thought we had received only enough funding to reach 100 people so the list of families was closed; however, with the increased funding from sponsors like Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, we reopened the list to serve some 300 people. Additionally, any leftover resources will go to the Community Settlement Association in support of their holiday gift baskets for families in need.”

Dr. Judy White

MORENO VALLEY, CA- Dr. Judy D. White began her tenure as Superintendent for Moreno Valley Unified School District in February 2011 and immediately began connecting with the community, ultimately moving her family to the city. With over 35 years of experience in education she came in with a wealth of ideas and has embedded her heart and soul to the students and families of Moreno Valley.
She has procured several outside grants for literacy, volunteerism and closing the achievement gap. She serves on the Board for National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), Moreno Valley Cultural Arts Commission, ACCESS to the Future, and United Way of the Inland Valleys and serves on the UCR Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Teacher Education.
She was recently awarded the 2013 Woman of the Year for Moreno Valley by the 61st District Assemblyman, José Medina. Some of her other involvements include Optimists, Relay for Life, Music Changing Lives and Fighting for the Family Ministries. She developed a formal Adopt-a-School program to engage the business and faith communities into the school district to support the students.
Dr. White embraces a united effort of “Excellence on Purpose” and has become known as an inspirational advocate for all students. She has made a name for herself in the community for reaching out, embracing change for the better and holding the district accountable for student success.
The Chamber would like to acknowledge all those who were nominated and thank them for their significant contribution to the growth and development of the City of Moreno Valley.

J Anthony Brown

LOS ANGELES, CA- J Anthony Brown and the J Spot Comedy Club will be hosting a Jazz and Comedy Art Exhibit entitled, ‘One Diva and the Dudes’, on December 6 to December 8. The featured artist will be Annie Lee along with Ken Gatewood, Larry Poncho Brown, John Toms, La Shun Beal, Melvin King, Charles Bibbs, Charlie Black, Frank Frazier, Andre Hines, Robert Stevenson and J Anthony Brown. On December 6 there will be a VIP reception and the exhibit will kick off at 6 p.m. An RSVP is required for this night. On December 7 at 4 p.m. there will be a question and answer session with the artists and the exhibit will start at 11 a.m. and go on all day, and on December 8, the exhibit will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please visit www.janthonybrown.com or call 310-801-4503. The J Spot is located at 5581 W. Manchester Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90145.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- For those who love to travel and have the time, then you should be at the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce information meeting where they will be discussing the details for a trip to Russia, cruising Moscow to St. Petersburg. The meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, December 3 at the Chamber office, 546 W. 6th Street, San Bernardino. The trip is scheduled for September 22 to October 4, 2014 and includes round trip airfare from LAX, 13 days, tour guides, cruise ship and port charges and 27 meals. The trip itinerary includes Moscow, Red Square, Volga River, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Blini and Caviar and the Kremlin with Armory Museum. In addition, there will also be local school and family home visits, a Piroshki Tea Party, a visit to the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum, Vodka tasting and a visit to Catherine Palace and Kizhi Island. Those who are interested should attend the meeting where they will be given an information packet. To RSVP call Lupe Castaneda at 909-885-7515 or email sba.chamber@verizon.net.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Women of Color, Inc. will be presenting their 3rd Annual Girls Night Out, “Shopping 4 a Cause” (benefit fundraiser) on Thursday, December 5 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive (Exposition Park) in Los Angeles. This is a night to enjoy with you girls as you guys enjoy cocktails, live entertainment, gourmet foods and much more. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, which includes a gift bag. For more information, please call 310-674-6700 or visit www.woci.org.