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Sat, Nov

With planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games underway, the ULI Los Angeles: Urban Marketplace held panel discussions with the topic of increasing tourism in local Black communities.

Mayor Karen Bass recently took a trip to Paris before the 2024 Olympics, and Los Angeles County receives nearly $900 million in federal funding ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.

The Center for Black Power is the meeting place for BLM-LA and partnering organizations which combat police brutality, supports gang interventionists, and teaches children leadership skills.

The business of sports starts at the youth level.  Henry Bell’s book helps young student-athletes navigate their way to college and beyond.

Black alumni from the rival schools get together on a yearly basis for a joint tailgate.

LA Standard's Outstanding Student-Athlete: Rickenbacker played safety at St. John Bosco High School, and his grade-point average is above a 4.0.

The yearly event features a surfing competition, lessons, a yoga class and live music.

Black travelers from around the nation head to Martha’s Vineyard each summer for “Black August.”  USC Black Alumni Association has made this into an annual summer retreat.

Brett C.S. Roberts traveled through the Sahara Desert in the middle of the night to reach Cairo, Egypt.

Travel

South Los Angeles native and Inglewood resident Brett C.S. Roberts published a book that gives tips on how to travel the world on a budget.

The Hawaiian Islands offer perfect year round weather with it’s amazing beaches, beautiful sunsets and spectacular sights.  Maui is one of the most popular destinations.  

New Orleans is a predominately Black city that features amazing live music, art, and food.  Sunday second line parades, jazz lounges, and art studios showcases the city’s culture.   

A trip to Negril, Jamaica led to an emotional experience in the Caribbean Sea.

Local Black hiking organizations are taking advantage of Los Angeles’ outdoor terrain.

Cooper has seen an increase in Black surfers since he took up the activity and he believes that getting over a fear of the ocean would bring more Black people to surfing.

Cooper has seen people make physical and emotional transformations by attending her Saturday morning classes in Inglewood.

“Eldorado Ballroom” curated by Solange Knowles for Saint Heron. Featuring The Works of Julia Perry, Patrice Ruhsen, Mary Lou Williams and Solange Knowles.  Guest Artists include Bilal, Moses Sumney, Liv.e and more.  October 10, 12, and 13. 

The annual music and dance festival features Chicago house, Afrobeats and hip hop. The festival is Saturday, August 17 at the Whittier Narrows at the Meadows in South El Monte.

Located between Don Felipe Drive and Santa Rosalia Drive in Baldwin Hills, this landmark project aims to support the revitalization of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Boulevard Corridor.

From Oakland to Los Angeles, twin sisters Shawneé and Shawnelle Gibbs write and produce comics, television and animated series.

Fluellen was an influential figure in Los Angeles’ Black communities, where he promoted healthy lifestyles.  

Deckard, a successful Black businessman from Texas, moved to Los Angeles in 1922 and quickly drew the ire of the local White residents.  

Getty and the City of Los Angeles have partnered to identify, preserve, and celebrate African American heritage in Los Angeles.

Housing Impact Partners LLC (HIP), a community- centered real estate investment and development platform, has officially launched with a mission to forge strategic partnerships to address the housing challenge. 

The outdoor art exhibit, which celebrates Black culture in Los Angeles, also supports Black-owned businesses and creates jobs for local Black residents.

El Camino counselor Christopher Hurd is a college counselor with a mission to help as many men of color as possible.

With only seven percent of robotic engineers being female, leaders from the Engineer Factory and SoLA Robotics are encouraging high school and middle school girls to enter the STEM field.

SoLA Robotics is a STEM program that teaches coding through competitive robotics teams.

Local Girl Scouts troop partners with local Black-owned businesses to teach girls leadership skills.

This partnership will open the door for other Black, minority, and women owned businesses to work with the museum.

Kim Prince partnered with Gregory Dulan to open the restaurant at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.  

Both vegans and non vegans enjoy the plant-based cuisine at Azla Ethiopian Vegan, which is on Leimert Boulevard, just south of 43rd Street.

Vanessa Punche turned her coffee truck into a Mid City brick and mortar coffee shop on Redondo Boulevard, just south of Pico Boulevard.

Interior designer Tamara Marie creates environments in people’s homes that invoke positive emotions.

This tour features South Los Angeles’ amazing home gardens.

Local designer Tauska Trusaun-Kennedy specializes in ADUs; building tiny homes and converting garages into living quarters.

Darren Hudson offers curbside service in Westchester every Saturday morning.

YOLA provides children free instruments, intensive music instruction, and opportunities to perform on stages in their communities and around the world.

The Lula Washington Dance Theater hosted Juneteenth: A Classical Music and Dance Festival. 

The Where Art Can Occur Theater Center provides a space for artists of African descent to showcase their work.  The theater company will be placing a bid to become the operator of the Vision Theater in Leimert Park.

The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Leimert Park created a path for Christopher Powe to go to college.  

Afro City Marketplace and My BBB have created a home for several Black merchants.

The Boutique retail store at the Westfield Culver City Mall has over 80 Black-owned brands.

The Black-owned beauty supply store has locations in South Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Compton.

The Inglewood adult boutique specializes in promoting sexual health and well-being while improving communication between partners.

West selects Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah as his vice-presidential running mate.

Right-wing conservative media personalities and the likes of billionaire Elon Musk have questioned the qualifications of Black people, people of color, and women working in the airlines industry.

Reparation presentations are taking place at local community meetings.

Bass’ work with every level of politics and with local community service organizations will bring much needed resources to Black communities in Los Angeles.

The CA hate crime report shows that 51.6 percent of race-based hate crime victims are Black.  

Anti-Black bias was by far the most cited reason for reports related to race and ethnicity.  

Cedars-Sinai, BlackDoctors.org, the California Black Women’s Health Project and the Morehouse School of Medicine participated in a recent discussion that addressed the high rate of pregnancy-related deaths among Black mothers.

RTN Crew’s proposed mural “The Struggle Continues” to replace the group’s 2001 “Our Mighty Contribution.”

Historian and author Alison Rose Jefferson showcases photographs from her book “Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era” at the California African American Museum.

With hate crimes on the rise, LA Commons provides opportunities for people to interact with each other, which builds a sense of belonging and trust among people of different races.

Master printer Von Thomas creates museum quality custom color and black and white prints.  

Lalaind and Hubbard are advocating for women firefighters and giving back to their communities through the Los Angeles city’s Black firefighters association.

From Hollywood red carpets to local community events, Bennett is having a lot of fun as the owner of her own boutique public relations agency.

Descieux, a Southern University graduate, has negotiated labor contracts for some of the top companies in the entertainment industry, and she has enjoyed her time attending star-studded and industry events.

The Charles Communication Group is a public relations agency that spreads their clients message locally and nationally.

Local photographer Karim Saafir discovered remarkable stories of resilience, pride, and dignity as he formed relationships with less fortunate people in Los Angeles.

The South Los Angeles photographer “pulls up” on locals for ten-minute photo sessions.  She also shoots Black cultural events.

George’s work has been on display at Gallery 90220 in South Los Angeles.

Omar McGee is providing his clients with excellent auto services without them having to step foot on a dealership lot.

The owners of The Metaphor Club created this monthly classic car meetup show to support Black-owned businesses.  

Stevo Ward made subtle changes to his Mercedes-Benz CL500. Those changes make his car standout from the crowd. Photos by Jason Lewis

Auto

Stevo Ward is the go-to-guy to make a car a head-turner.

Car salespersons no longer hover around the car lot waiting for customers. They now huddle around a computer to interact with car buyers. Photos by Jason Lewis

Auto

The days of heading down to the dealership and haggling with a salesperson are nearly over.  

A Leimert Park native, Simmons is a sales executive for Microsoft, overseeing a team of technical sellers in a $65 million sales territory.

Los Angeles County’s digital inclusion program’s goal is that everyone is connected to the Internet.

James, a View Park Prep and UCLA grad, used TEC Leimert’s NXT LVL social media incubator program to land a job at XX Artists.

Betts hosts a tech show on KBLA Talk 1580, and she helps locals enter into the field with tech bootcamps hosted by Made in South LA.

Los Angeles native Arthur Lewis was a successful businessman and great family man who witnessed this city’s many changes.

One forever, in wedded bliss.

The Butlers, both buisness owners from Los Angeles, held their wedding in New Orleans.

The couple were married at the Rose Garden in Exposition Park.