Thursday, December 13, 2012www.lawattstimes.comVol. XXX, No. 1314

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L.A. Watts Times

2 Thursday, December 13, 2012

L.A. Watts TimesWEEKENDER

Published Weekly – Updates

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CIRCULATION AUDITED BYCIRCULATION

VERIFICATION COUNCIL

MOMBASA SQUARE

HOROSCOPES Dec. 13 - 19

ANSWERSFROM

12-6-12

ARIES ~ Mental fog lifts and you aresharp as a tack once again. You’ll be

making decisions about partnerships andjoint finances. A very happy week is instore. Soul Affirmation: My smile is a radi-ant light to those I encounter.

TAURUS ~ Exercise prudence this weekin your handling of personal funds. Let

your mind wander into the future and you’llreceive the happy answer that you are lookingfor. Time shared with a partner this week willbe very enjoyable. Soul Affirmation: Helpingothers is the true measure of my worth.

GEMINI ~ Work with a partner or col-leagues goes exceptionally well this

week. You receive praise for a job well done!Feel free to change your mind regarding apersonal issue. News from a distance arrives.Soul Affirmation: I go inside myself to findpeace and joy this week.

CANCER ~ Pay attention to the details inyour big bright beautiful picture this

week. You’ll handle everything that comes upif you keep your focus sharp. A grand socialevent is in store for the week. SoulAffirmation: I am willing to make changes inmy life.

LEO~Things are going your way in won-derful ways this week. Happy news may

arrive from a distance, and on the home front,a romantic question may be answered.Friends are glad to be with you. All in all, avery pleasant week! Enjoy! Soul Affirmation:Success is mine because I feel successful.

VIRGO ~ Your social life gives bigrewards during the week. However, give

attention to e-mail contacts. Don’t be afraid asyour mental horizon expands into new areas.Soul Affirmation: You are gifted with theability to give.

LIBRA~ Your relationships can receive abig boost from a trip that beckons.

Business is also highlighted. Your strong

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Inside This Edition

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mental energy is sustained through the week.Work it out by talking it out. SoulAffirmation: This week is the week the Lordhas made. I rejoice in it.

SCORPIO ~ Get in touch with those whocan help you achieve your goals. Place the

accent on initiative. Romance, passion andwork are singing in harmony this week andthis week. Soul Affirmation: My love formyself is the most important love for me tohave.

SAGITTARIUS ~ Joy this week comesfrom love. You are especially attractive.

Stage your week so that you spend timearound people you want to attract. It is easyfor you to bring harmony into your relation-ships. Your ability to communicate is greatlyenhanced. Use it to your best advantage. SoulAffirmation: The success of others is theinvestment I make in myself.

CAPRICORN~Are you spending moneywith little or nothing to show for it? This

is because you’re looking for something thatmoney can’t buy. Now is a good time tospend some of your emotional currency, anddon’t be cheap. You’ll create a situation inwhich people will work hard to please you.Soul Affirmation: Friendships are shockabsorbers on the bumpy roads of life.

AQUARIUS ~You may like to go to war,but avoid an argument with a friend; it

will slow down all the wonderful progressyou’ve been making. Your patience will betested this week, stay on task. SoulAffirmation: I smile and trust in the powersbeyond myself.

PISCES ~ Skip it! Don’t sweat the smallstuff, it’ll only bring you down. Don’t run

around inside your own head this week.Focus your awareness outside on somethingbeautiful. Compromise is a key idea thisweek. Soul Affirmation: Jewelry reflects thebeauty of my feelings about myself.

BY JENNIFER BIHMASSISTANT EDITOR

“The recent decision by the U.S.Supreme Court to consider marriageequality takes our nation one step clos-er to realizing the American ideal ofequal protection under the law for allpeople,” said Attorney GeneralKamala Harris, part of a growing num-ber of elected officials and communityleaders lauding the U.S. SupremeCourt’s decision last week to review aCalifornia gay marriage case and thevalidity of Proposition 8.

“For justice to prevail, Proposition8 must be invalidated so that gay andlesbian families are finally treated withequality and dignity.”

Proposition 8, a descendent ofCalifornia’s 2000 Proposition 22, wasthe “California Marriage ProtectionAct,” later titled “Eliminates Rights ofSame Sex Couples to Marry” on theNovember 2008 ballot. The propadded to the “Declaration of Rights”portion of the state’s constitution, pro-viding that “only a marriage between aman and a woman is valid or recog-nized in California.” The ban on gaymarriage went into effect the day afterProp 8 passed and was in direct oppo-sition to the Supreme Court’s earlierruling that it was unconstitutional.

The next year, same sex coupleKristin Perry and Sandra Steir, appliedfor a marriage license in AlamedaCounty, which was denied, as was onefor Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo.The couples filed a suit against stateofficials including then GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger and AttorneyGeneral Jerry Brown. Brown agreedthat the ruling violated the 14thAmendment to the United State’sConstitution and did not participate inthe defense; neither did Schwarz-enegger although he did agree that thecourts should hear the case.

ProtectMarriage.com organizerDennis Hollingsworth a staunch sup-porter of Prop 8, was allowed to step inas a defendant. Now governor, Browncontinues his refusal to defend the law-suit as does Harris who promised asmuch during her campaign for attorneygeneral. Other elected officials are alsoweighing in, looking forward, theysaid, to the ban being overturned.

“I sincerely hope that the SupremeCourt finds Proposition 8 violates the

promise of equal protection guaranteedby the Constitution,” Senator BarbaraBoxer said in a statement releasedshortly after the December 7 decision.

“I believe support for marriageequality keeps growing stronger.”

“Today’s announcement that theSupreme Court will take upHollingsworth v. Perry and the chal-lenges to the Defense of Marriage Actis a reminder that the pathway to jus-tice is long and difficult,” said SpeakerJohn A. Perez, who also released astatement last week.

“I am very confident that theSupreme Court will rule in favor of ourcommunity in Hollingsworth v. Perry,as it is now known, and affirm thatProposition 8 is unconstitutional. Butuntil that outcome is secured, our com-munity must continue to fight for jus-tice on every front, from working tosecure the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to addressing theissues of homelessness among LGBTYouth.”

LGBT activist Jasmyne Cannickagrees. While attitudes about same-sexmarriage are changing—with about 48percent of Americans in favor of it, thecommunity should stay “focused onthe real issues facing all of us—gay,lesbian, and heterosexual--jobs, afford-able housing, education, and access tohealthcare,” she said.

Los Angeles Mayor AntonioVillaraigosa called the SupremeCourt’s decision an ‘opportunity.’

“Today, the U.S. Supreme Courtfaces the opportunity to rectify theinjustices caused by denying gay andlesbian Americans the right to followtheir hearts and marry the person theylove,” he said.

“I am confident that the highestcourt in our land will follow the wis-dom of the 9th Circuit and grant allcouples — regardless of sexual orien-tation — the freedom to marry.”

“We understand that our nation hasto be a nation of laws and that there isone class of people, and the law has toapply equally to all of us regardless ofrace, gender, class or sexual orienta-tion,” Black AIDS Institute ExecutiveDirector Phil Wilson.

“We are hopeful that the SupremeCourt will affirm that Prop 8 is uncon-stitutional.”

The Court is expected to make thefinal decision in June 2013.

Prop. 8 heads to theU.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court – where Prop 8 will be decided.

BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE

Councilwoman Jan Perry receivedunanimous support from her col-leagues for a comprehensive plan formajor development in and around theUniversity of Southern California(USC). The $5.2 billion dollar projectwill be the largest private developmentin South Los Angeles. The projectincludes an approximately $27 milliondollar community benefits packagenegotiated thanks in large part, to theleadership of Councilwoman Perry.

“For many years, the Universityhas been growing without a plan inplace. With today’s vote, we have setforth a clear and inclusive plan fordeveloping South Los Angeles,” saidPerry, who initiated a negotiationprocess that moved the project for-ward and helped create consensusbetween the university and communi-ty advocates.

“I am proud that together we havedeveloped a community benefits pack-age that respects the entire communi-ty. This project will produce thousandsof new jobs for city of Los Angelesresidents and new revenue for thecity’s general fund that will help payfor basic city services.”

The USC specific plan sets out agoal for development in and aroundthe university over the next 20 years.The project includes 2,500,000 sq ft ofacademic and university uses, 350,000sq ft of retail/commercial develop-ment (University Village)—thatincludes a full service grocery store,drug store, cinemas and sit-downrestaurants, 2,135,000 sq ft of studentand faculty housing providing up to5,400 student beds, a 165,000 sq fthotel, and 12.33 acres of public andprivate open space. The project will bebuilt on land currently owned by USC.

The $27 million dollar communitybenefits package was negotiated toensure that the project supported theneeds of the surrounding community.The package includes local hire,apprenticeship programs for area resi-dents, and will create an estimated12,000 new jobs (8,000 permanentand 4,000 construction) over the 20

year life of the development. Jobopportunities are ensured for commu-nity residents (construction and per-manent) through a project labor agree-ment and commitment made in thedevelopment agreement.

“In a community with 18% unem-ployment, the creation of tens of thou-sands of new jobs will have a signifi-cant positive impact in South LosAngeles,” Perry said.

Additionally, the university hascommitted to developing substantialnew student housing to alleviate pres-sure on the surrounding communityand has committed $20 million for thecity’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.Open space that serves the Universityand community will be developed andwill house farmers markets and includeconcerts and community festivals.USC will also improve pedestrian safe-ty along Jefferson Boulevard for bothstudents and community members.

The project represents a $1.1 billionconstruction-related economic impactto the Los Angeles County economy,$2.8 million in one-time revenue to thecity from construction, and $1.7 millionannually in revenue benefits to the cityfrom operations. The project is estimat-ed to contribute $3.8 million in TaxIncrement Revenues through 2030.

Councilwoman Perry leads $billiondevelopment around the USC areaProject to bring $27million in communitybenefits and create12,000 jobs

Thursday, December 13, 2012 3

December 13, 1903Ella Baker was born in Norfolk, Virginia. A civil rights worker who

directed the New York branch of the NAACP, Baker became executivedirector of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1960’sduring student integration of lunch counters in the southern states. She

also played a key role in the formation of the Student NonviolentCoordinating Committee and its voter registration drive in Mississippi.

December 14, 1939Ernie Davis was born. Davis was a star running back at Syracuse

University; first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961; draftedby the Washington Redskins and traded to Cleveland but died the

following year of leukemia before playing a pro game.

BlackFacts.com

Councilmember Jan Perry, university officials, members of the Building Trades, and community members celebrate passage of USC development plan.

BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE

Dentist. Doctor. Surgeon. In acountry where dreams are like wings,a new cadre of students is soaring tobecome the next generation of promis-ing health professionals.

They meet protégés where theyare — on campuses of HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Universities,Hispanic Serving Institutions, and inhigh schools largely based in medical-

ly underserved communities.Earlier this fall, physicians Alden

M. Landry, 31, and Kameron LeighMatthews, 33, launched their ‘get onthe bus’ style Tour for Diversity inMedicine to promote health profes-sions to underrepresented studentsthroughout the country.

A pledge to “give back” has fueledthe passions of the two former medicalstudents, who have translated theircommitment to mentoring into oppor-tunity on wheels. The branded motorbus is literally on a roll, traveling tosometimes unlikely places to reach,teach and inspire.

“We recognize that many of thestudents we reach may not have theresources or inclination to come torecruitment fairs,” confides Matthews,who has earned both JD and MDdegrees. The goal is to reach people intheir comfort zone to explain thatdreams beyond their immediate reachare attainable.

Tour for Diversity (T4D) is a proj-ect of Hip Hop Health, Inc., a nonprof-it organization that Landry launched

to blend social media and health edu-cation to reach and inspire the HipHop generation. The bus tour was thebrainchild of Matthews and Landry,both leaders of the Student NationalMedical Association (SNMA). SNMAis the student branch of the NationalMedical Association, the largest andoldest professional society of AfricanAmerican physicians.

Landry is also a 2000 alumnus ofthe Summer Medical and DentalEducation Program (SMDEP) (for-merly the Minority Medical EducationProgram), a free enrichment programsponsored by the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation. The six-weekacademic initiative provides risingcollege freshman and sophomoresfrom disadvantaged backgrounds witha timely introduction to the rigorouspreparation required to pursue careersin medicine or dentistry. The programoperates at 12 university sites witheach accepting up to 80 students persummer session.

“The program jumpstarted mycommitment to becoming a physicianby showing me what it takes to getinto medical school early – so I couldget on track to realize my dreams,”Landry recalls.

The recruitment drive for SMDEPsummer 2013 participants is now openand will continue to accept applica-tions through March 1, 2013. Formore information, visitwww.smdep.org .

SMDEP 12 site locations include:• Case Western Reserve Univer-

sity (Cleveland, Ohio)• Columbia University (New

York, N.Y.)• Duke University (Durham, N.C.)• Howard University

(Washington, D.C.)• University of California-Los

Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)• UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical

and New Jersey Dental (Newark, N.J.)

4 Thursday, December 13, 2012

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Photograph courtesy of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Physicians Alden M. Landry, MD (left) and Kameron Leigh Matthews, MD,(right) strike a pose with their Tour for Diversity in Medicine bus — on aroll to inspire students and promote health care careers.

BY LAWT NEWS SERVICE

State Tax Notes namedCynthia Bridges, executive direc-tor for the California State Boardof Equalization (BOE), as its 2012Tax Administrator of the Year,BOE Chairman Jerome E. Hortonannounced.

“Ms. Bridges brings an ener-getic and proactive record of suc-cess to the California State Boardof Equalization,” said Horton.

“She is most deserving of thisrecognition for her outstandingaccomplishments.”

State Tax Notes, a publicationof Tax Analysts, is a nationalprovider of state tax news, analy-sis, and commentary. The TaxAdministrator of the Year isawarded to the official who influ-ences administration and collec-tion nationwide. Award recipientsare selected based on interviews,informal polling, and input fromthe State Tax Notes editorial staff.

“I am humbled to be chosenfor this honor,” Bridges said.

“I’m looking forward to con-tinuing my work to meet taxpayerneeds, and enhance voluntarycompliance and operational effec-tiveness here at the BOE.”

Last year, State Tax Noteschose Bridges as one of thenation’s “Top 10 TaxAdministrators,” and the BatonRouge Business Reports namedher as one of the “Most InfluentialWomen in Business” in 2007.

Prior to joining the BOE as

executive director in August 2012,Bridges served as Secretary of theLouisiana Department of Revenue,a position to which she was appoint-ed by three Louisiana Governors.During her 12 years in that role,Bridges helped transform theagency into a recognized leader incustomer service, one of manyaccomplishments during her 30-year career with the LouisianaDepartment of Revenue. Bridges isa Certified PublicAccountant, and agraduate of the Strategic LeadershipProgram at Duke University and theRevenue Management Program atthe Wharton School of ExecutiveEducation in Philadelphia.

Cynthia Bridges

Dedicated Wheels turn Blackstudents into practicing physiciansSummer program seeks aspiring doctors and dentists across the nation

See DEDICATEDWHEELS, page 11

Person Of The Week | Cynthia BridgesBOE Executive Director named 2012Tax Administrator of the Year

Assemblymember Isadore Hallannounced that he has been admittedto Harvard’s Emerging LeadersAcademy. The Academy will train 70top executives and elected politicalleaders from around world. Hall is oneof only five leaders from the UnitesStates to gain admission and will par-ticipate in the program betweenDecember 9 and December 15. Theclasses will be held at Harvard’sKennedy School of Government inCambridge, Massachusetts.

“I am looking forward to joiningwith leaders from across the globe inparticipating in Harvard’s EmergingLeaders Academy,” said Hall. “As alifelong student, I am always lookingfor ways to improve my leadership andmanagement abilities. I am incrediblyexcited to learn from Harvard’sesteemed faculty and lecturers.”

Hall is a former two-term presi-dent of the Compton Unified SchoolDistrict Board of Trustees. He waselected to the Compton City Councilin 2003 where he served in variousleadership positions including mayorpro tempore. Hall was elected to theCalifornia StateAssembly in 2008 andserved as assistant speaker pro tem-

pore during his first term. He current-ly serves as a member of theAppropriations, Elections andRedistricting and Human ServicesCommittees. He chairs the Assembly

Assemblyman Isadore Hall

Assemblymember IsadoreHall to Attend Harvard’sEmerging Leaders Academy

See ISADORE HALL, page 5

BY JASON LEWISLAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Miller-Lawrence Medical &Dental Society hosted an elegant affairat The Grand in Long Beach for their7th Annual Scholarship andRecognition Dinner. Medical anddental students were awarded $9,000in scholarship money, and Ezra C.Davidson, Jr., M.D. was honored withthe 2012 Trailblazer Award.

Prestigious members of theAfrican-American community were onhand, and congratulations were sentfrom 52nd Assembly District MemberIsadore Hall, 51st District AssemblyMember Steve Bradford, SenatorRoderick D. Wright, and Chairman ofthe Los Angeles County Board ofSupervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Davidson is a Professor Emeritus(past chairman 1971-96), Departmentof Obstetrics and Gynecology, CharlesR. Drew University of Medicine andScience and recent Associate Dean,Primary Care (1997-2007). He is alsoa professor in Obstetrics andGynecology at UCLA. He was chief-of-staff, Department of Obstetrics and

Gynecology, at King/Drew MedicalCenter in Los Angeles (1971-1996).

Davidson received his B.S. cumlaude from Morehouse College, andM.D. from Meharry Medical College.He is a member of Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Inc., and Alpha OmegaAlpha Honor Medical Society.

Davidson has blazed a trail for anumber of African American doctorsto succeed in the medical profession.

As much as it was a night to honorDavidson, it was also a night forawarding scholarships to deservingstudents in the medical and dentalfields. Over the past seven years theMiller-Lawrence Medical and DentalSociety has given out over $70,000 inscholarship money.

Thursday, December 13, 2012 5

LAWT NEWS SERVICE

The campaign of Senator CurrenPrice Jr., recently announced winningthe endorsement of UFCW (UnitedFood and Commercial Workers) Local770 in the race for Los Angeles’ 9thCity Council District. The endorse-ment from UFCW Local 770 is thefirst from a major labor union in therace and gives Price’s surging cam-paign yet another boost of momentum.

UFCW Local 770 represents over30,000 LosAngeles County workers inthe retail food, meat, drug stores, pack-inghouses, food processing plants,pharmacies, laboratories, as well asbarbers and beauticians.

“Curren Price has stood shoulderto shoulder with the working men andwomen of UFCW Local 770 for overtwo decades,” said Rick Icaza, presi-dent of UFCW Local 770. “Workingfamilies trust Curren Price because hehas fought for us, from taking a standagainst Wal-Mart to spearheadinggroundbreaking legislation to expandhealth care coverage. Curren is achampion for working families and weproudly stand with him.”

UFCWLocal 770 is the first majorlabor organization to weigh in the onthe race for LACity Council District 9.The endorsement is a major boost toPrice's broadly supported campaignand helps cement his front-runner sta-tus. Shortly after launching his cam-paign, Price announced endorsementsfrom a number of community leadersincluding, Congresswoman KarenBass, L.A. County Supervisor Mark

Ridley-Thomas, L.A. City CouncilPresident Herb Wesson Jr., and StateSenator Kevin de Leon.

“I am honored and grateful to havethe support for UFCW Local 770,”said Price. “Throughout my career inpublic service, whether as an educator,community leader, or policy maker, Ihave worked to advance the core prin-ciple that a good job, a fair wage,affordable quality healthcare, and theopportunity of a quality education canempower our communities to succeed.Those are values I share with the menand women of UFCW and they arevalues I will continue to fight for dayin and day out on the City Council.”

Said Ridley Thomas, “He is a pro-gressive candidate, a viable candidate,and I am delighted that he is labor’scandidate.”

“Senator Curren Price’s campaigncontinues to roll,” Wesson said.

“The UFCWunion recognizes thatCurren is a great advocate for workingpeople. His strong voice is needed onthe City Council.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles,California, Price attended Morning-side High School in Inglewood andearned a scholarship to StanfordUniversity where he graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree in politicalscience. He studied law at SantaClara University and graduated in1976 with a Juris Doctor degree. Healso holds lifetime CommunityCollege Teaching credential. Prior toserving the California Legislature,Senator Price was a small businessowner.

Senator Curren Price, the candidate for the Great Ninth

Sen. Curren PriceGets Major LaborUnion Endorsement

Miller-Lawrence Medical & Dental Society honorsa medical icon with 2012 Trailblazers Award

Photo by Jason Lewis

Ezra C. Davidson was honored withthe 2012 Trailblazer Award.

Dr. Ezra C. Davidson washonored, and $9,000 ofscholarship money wasawarded to medical anddental students.

See TRAILBLAZERS, page 8

Committee on Government Organ-ization.

The youngest of six children, Hallwas born and raised in the city ofCompton. He holds a bachelor’sdegree in Business Administration, a

master’s degree in Management andLeadership from the University ofSouthern California, a master’s inPublic Administration from NationalUniversity and a Ph.D. from NextDimension Bible College.

ISADORE HALLContinued from page 4

BY SHANNEN HILL SENTINEL INTERN

A Los Angeles man was killedwhile walking in Manhattan onMonday.

The shooting occurred around 2p.m. outside of St. Thomas ChoirSchool, a small boarding school foryoung boys. The shooter came behindBrandon Woodward, 31, and shot himwith a silver semi-automatic pistol.The shooter then jumped into a get-away car and sped off, leaving the vic-tim in a pool of blood.

Woodard had received a bache-lor’s degree in business administrationand was a law student at LoyolaMarymount University. He was alsothe father of a 4-year-old girl.

“This is a shock,” Woodard’sfather J Lincoln Woodard told theDaily News. “He was a very good son,loving.”

Woodard was staying at the 6Columbus Hotel a block away fromthe shooting. The area, near CentralPark, is so secure that some of the wit-nesses didn’t even suspect that theevent was a shooting.

“I’m thinking it was a tire pop-ping,” said Security Guard JoseVillafane.

Even though Woodard seemed tohave his life on a positive track, he hadmany altercations with the law,including charges for cocaine posses-sion and a hit-and-run. In 2009 he wasarrested for stealing bottles of wine and was facing an assault and battery

charge from June 2012.The motive behind the shooting is

unknown, but police continue toinvestigate.

“There are no words to expressour shock in the face of this horren-dous tragedy,” Woodard’s family saidin a statement released this week.

“Brandon was a Los Angelesnative. He attended Campbell HallHigh School, graduated from LoyolaMarymount University and waspresently enrolled in West LosAngeles Law School. He was a kind,gentle, and generous young man,beloved by friends, family and hiscommunity. He enjoyed spending timewith his four year old daughter,Kirsten and was a devoted father andson. We eagerly await justice forBrandon. Our family requests solaceand privacy at this difficult time.”

A Murder in Manhattanwith L.A. connection

Brandon Woodard, the victim

Photo by Jason Lewis

Scholarship recipients with Krystal M. Neely, M.D. (l) and Clifford A.Hancock, M.D. (r).

The murder scene

FEATURE L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER6 Thursday, December 13, 2012

By Kam Williams | LAWT Contributing Writer

Rise of the Guardians is Peter Ramsey’s firstfeature film after directing the hit DreamWorks An-imation Halloween special, “Monsters vs. Aliens:Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space.” This projectfollowed the feature film, “Monsters vs. Aliens”on which Ramsey served as Head of Story. Whileat DreamWorks Animation, Ramsey also served asa story artist on “Shrek the Third,” and as a story-board artist on “Shark Tale.”

Before joining DreamWorks Animation in 2004,Ramsey’s talent as a storyboard artist was on dis-play while working on a notable number of liveaction feature films, including “Adaptation,” “Mi-nority Report,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” “CastAway”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “FightClub,” “Godzilla,” “Men in Black,” “IndependenceDay,” “Batman Forever,” “Far and Away,” “Back-draft,” and “Predator 2” amongst others.

Ramsey’s directing skills were also honed ear-ly, as he served as Second Unit Director on live ac-tion feature films including “Godzilla,” “Tank Girl,”“Higher Learning,”and “Poetic Justice.”A lifelong resident ofLos Angeles, Califor-nia, Peter grew-up inCrenshaw, and gradu-ated from PalisadesHigh School before at-tending UCLA.

Here, he talksabout his life and ca-reer, and about be-ing the first African-American to direct afull-length, animatedfeature.

LAWT: Hi Peter,thanks for the inter-view. I’m honored tohave this opportunityto speak with you.

Peter Ramsey:Oh, the pleasure’s allmine, Kam. The plea-

work with so many great people.LAWT: So, what was your academic background?

Did you study art?PR: I’m pretty much self-taught. I took a couple of

art classes in high school, and I entered college withthe intention of majoring in art. But I was a little tooyoung when I started at UCLA at 17, and I wasn’t readyfor the concept of art that was being taught there. Iwas intimidated by Art History, and didn’t get it. All Iwas interested in was drawing. I wish I had been ableto hang tough, but I dropped out after a couple years.Of course, I did learn a bunch of that stu later on.

LAWT: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier was wonder-ing whether the film is faithful to the book series it’sbased upon.

PR: An interesting thing about the movie and thebooks is that they were both being developed at thesame time. The books’ author, Bill Joyce, in his talkswith the studio, said, “It would be really cool, if I coulddo a series of books about the origins of these char-acters, how they came to be and their backs storieswhile you guys were simultaneously developing amovie about the first time they all came together.” So,

they’re all the same charac-ters and they share the samemythology, but the movieand the books are pretty dif-ferent.

LAWT: Patricia also asks:What message do youwant children totake away fromyour movie?

PR: The main mes-sage of the film is that youhave the power to createmagic through your imagina-tion and to bring it into theworld, whether that’s in theform of the Guardian charac-ters who represent a lot of

things we need, or whether it’s just anybody creatingsomething. That is the best way to fight fear. That’sprobably the central idea of the movie.

LAWT: Why did you tweak these familiar charac-ters, like giving Santa a Russian accent and making himlook a little di erent from what we’ve come to expect?

sure’s all mine.LAWT: I really enjoyed Rise of the Guardians. Let

me start by asking you what it meant to make historyas the first African-American hired by a big studio to di-rect a full-length, animated feature?

PR: I thought about it a little bit when I first got thejob, but then rapidly got lost in the work. It wasn’t untillater, when my mom and dad read that fact about mein the newspaper, and I saw how it a ected them, thatit came back to me. Since I talk to a lot of groups atschools, one good thing is that kids can look at me andhave direct knowledge of someone who’s doing some-thing they might be dreaming of doing themselves.

LAWT: How did you get the gig? Judging from yourbio, it seems like you’ve been a storyboard artist mostof your career until now.

PR: Right. I got into film as a storyboard artist, butmy dream was always to be a director. The way I wasable to get into the industry was through drawing. As astoryboard artist, you basically pre-visualize the wholefilm through drawing. So, I spent a lot of my career do-ing that with many di erent directors. That was reallyfilm school for me, my training ground, because I got to

THE FIRST BLACKMAN TO DIRECT AFULL-LENGTHANIMATED FEATURE

PETER RAMSEY THE “RISE OF THE GUARDIANS” INTERVIEW

ABOVE: Peter Ramsey andDreamworks Animation CEO,Jeffrey Katzenberg, mingle withChris Rock, star of ‘Madagascar3: Europe’s Most Wanted,’ atCinemaCon 2012 in April.

www.lawattstimes.com Thursday, December 13, 2012 7

PR: The basic idea behind the books was to suggestthat you grew up with a made-up version of all thesecharacters, as if there’s a secret world alongside ourworld, and we’ve never known the whole truth aboutit. What you see in the movie and the books is the realtruth about what these guys are. And it’s pretty cool,more like a Lord of the Rings kind of epic, fantasy worldthey all operate in as opposed to the cute, flu y imageyou get from greeting cards. That was the central ideaof the books. We thought that was pretty interestingand a really fresh way to get people to take anotherlook at these characters.

LAWT: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: Where weresome “Guardians” when the hunters shot Bambi’smother? I can still hear the shot ring out all those manyyears ago. How much trauma-less support can anima-tion/fable o er young children without some need of adegree of reality check?

PR: Wow! I’m not sure what to do with that ques-tion. I can’t answer for Bambi. We have a mom in ourmovie. Some form of reality check? Yeah, I don’t knowwhat to do with that one.

LAWT: Film student Jamaal Green asks: What isyour favorite film, and is there a filmmaker whose workinspired you to make the move to becoming a director?

PR: Omigosh, I literally have too many favorite mov-ies to name them all. But I can throw a few out there:Kurosawa… Coppola… David Lean… I’m a huge fan ofAng Lee. And there are tons of French films I love. LikeI said, way too many to mention.

LAWT: The Tasha Smith question: Areyou ever afraid?

PR: Of course! Are you kidding?[LOL] But you have to realize thatfear is something that livesin your mind, just like allthe positive thingsthat residet h e r e .T h e

key isto tryto find abalance ora way for thepositive to atleast cancel outwhat the fear istelling you. Most ofthe time, fear is takingsomething that soundsvery rational and blowingit out of proportion, and

l e t -t i n gy o u rm i n drun awaywith it.

L A W T :Will your nextfilm be live-actionor animated?

PR: I don’tknow. So much de-pends on how thisone is received andhow well it does?I’d love to makeanother animatedfilm, because I feellike I’m really justbeginning to learn how to use all these tools.It’s a real experience working in a big studiosystem. It’s like learning how to command abattleship.

LAWT: The Columbus Shortquestion: Are you happy?

PR: I’m very happy with thework and the spirit mycrew broughtto the

mov-ie. I

couldn’t beprouder of them.

LAWT: The Teri Em-erson question: When was

the last time you had a goodlaugh?

PR: Today! I’ve been laughing a lotlately. [LOL] This is my first time direct-

ing, and it’s been quite a roller coaster ride.LAWT: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

PR: Playing the video game Halo 4.LAWT: The bookworm Troy Johnson question:

What was the last book you read?PR: What I’m reading is a new book by Robert

Greene called “Mastery.”

L A W T :When you look in

the mirror, what do you see?PR: I see a guy who always

feels like he’s a beginner. Sometimes it’sa good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing, but I

can’t shake that image of myself.LAWT: I can’t recall who said it, but that

makes me think of the saying, “The greatest free-dom is the freedom to begin again.”

PR: Very true. I think there’s a Zen sayingabout a beginner’s mind.

LAWT: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What isyour earliest childhood memory?

PR: My earliest childhood memory is very ab-stract. I must have been about 3 years old. It’sjust me in the backyard looking at a flower. I haveanother one from when I was just a little bit olderof my parents taking me to see Snow White at adrive-in theater.

LAWT: Thanks again for the time, Peter, andbest of luck with the film.

PR: Thanks so much. I really appreciate it,Kam.

ImageSource: Official trailer for“Rise of the Guardians”

BY RACHEL COHEN THEASSOCIATED PRESS

Jovan Belcher was rememberedWednesday for the accomplishments ofa life that ended so suddenly and vio-lently.

Several hundred mourners gatheredfor the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker’sfuneral near his hometown on LongIsland. The 25-year-old Belcher shotand killed his girlfriend on Dec. 1, thendrove to the Chiefs practice facility andcommitted suicide in front of team offi-cials.

At Upper Room Christian Churchon Wednesday, relatives wore black -and red, the Chiefs’ color. Pastor DawnMixon shared that Belcher’s mother,Cheryl Shepherd, described him as a“humble, kind young man.” He had asoft spot for children and loved car-toons.

“We may not understand the rea-sons why we are here or understandwhat caused this tragedy,” Mixon said.

At a celebration of Belcher’s life,there were hints of the way it ended. Aphoto slide show played on a largescreen above the stage, with imagesfrom Belcher’s childhood through hisfootball careers at nearbyWest BabylonHigh School and the University ofMaine.

Then appeared the words “In lovingmemory of” Belcher and KasandraPerkins, the mother of his 3-month-olddaughter. After a series of pictures ofPerkins and baby Zoey came the mes-sage, “Keep this little girl in yourprayers.”

“The legacy we pass on to her willbe good,” said his uncle, Davin Miles.

Next to an open casket were col-lages of photos and mementos fromBelcher’s playing career. An array offlowers spelled out W.B. for his highschool.

Chiefs players and staff attended amemorial service for Belcher in KansasCity last week.

On a Saturday morning, the daybefore the team’s game against theCarolina Panthers, Belcher shot the 22-year-old Perkins multiple times at their

home. Police said Belcher and Perkinspreviously had been arguing.

Belcher then drove to ArrowheadStadium, where he thanked coachRomeo Crennel and general managerScott Pioli for all they’d done for him.As police arrived, Belcher slippedbehind a car and put the gun to his head.

His path to becoming an NFLstarter had been an unlikely one.

Belcher did not play in college foot-ball’s top division, and he wasn’t draft-ed. But he made the Chiefs, becoming afull-time starter in 2010.

Bishop Stephanie Green describedBelcher as “a man who did some awe-some things — while other young menhis age were out hustling, slinging anddoing other things, he chose an educa-tion.”

BY HOWARD FENDRICHASSOCIATED PRESS

Accusing the NFL players’ unionof “trying to back out” of an August2011 agreement to start checking forhuman growth hormone, a congress-man worried aloudWednesday that theleague will head into next season with-out a test for the banned drug.

“Hopefully as we move down theline, players will see how incrediblyridiculous it looks for them not to ...straighten this thing out,” said Rep.Elijah Cummings of Maryland, theHouse Oversight and GovernmentReform Committee’s ranking Demo-crat. “We’re now getting ready to gointo a third season, and it does not lookvery good.”

The panel held a hearing to exam-ine the science behind the testing, andheard from experts that it is reliable.

“No test is perfect ... but there has-n’t been a single false positive,” U.S.Anti-Doping Agency Chief ScienceOfficer Larry Bowers testified.

While the latest, 10-year laborcontract paved the way for HGH test-ing in professional football once cer-tain parameters were set, the NFLPlayers Association wants a new studybefore it will agree to the validity of atest used by Olympic sports and MajorLeague Baseball. The sides haven’tbeen able to agree on a scientist to helpresolve that impasse.

HGH is a banned substance that ishard to detect and used by athletes forwhat are believed to be a variety ofbenefits, whether real or only per-ceived — such as increasing speed orimproving vision. Among the healthproblems connected to HGH are dia-betes, cardiac dysfunction and arthritis.

“They say they need more time... before doing what they agreed todo. To me, it seems obvious thePlayers Association is simply run-ning out the clock,” Cummings said.“Although they agreed to HGH test-ing, they are now trying to back outof the contract.”

Cummings and committee chair-man Darrell Issa, a California Repub-lican, both said additional hearings areexpected.

“It is our hope (to) move these par-ties closer together,” Issa said.

“This isn’t the players” who areobjecting to the test, Issa said after thehearing. “This is lawyers making astatement. Players want to know thatthe rules are the rules for everybody. ...We’re not seeing a vast amount ofplayers stand up. We’re seeing a fewlawyers stand up on an unfoundedtechnicality.”

The NFLand union were not invit-ed to testify at the hearing, but repre-sentatives of both attendedWednesday’s session.

Asked about Cummings’ com-ments, NFLPA spokesman GeorgeAtallah said after the hearing: “Irespect his opinion. We have a con-tract, and the contract says both sideshave to agree to protocols to move for-ward.”

Atallah said the union was“absolutely not” trying to back out ofthe agreement on HGH.

NFL senior vice presidentAdolpho Birch, who oversees theleague’s drug program, called theunion’s insistence on a populationstudy to determine whether currentHGH tests are appropriate for NFLplayers a delay tactic.

“As a league, we need to look at itin terms of competitive integrity, interms of being consistent with the NFLhaving a leadership position in theworld of performance-enhancingdrugs,” Birch said. “And frankly, Ithink this delay in implementing thisprogram has put our leadership posi-tion at risk.”

Even once scientific issues areresolved, there will be other matters theleague and union need to figure out,including who administers the test andwhat the appeals process will be.

“First, I applaud the NFLand play-ers for taking a bold and decisive posi-tion on HGH in their 10-year agree-ment. Now let’s get on with it,” onewitness, Pro Football Hall of FamerDick Butkus, told the committeeWednesday. “The HGH testing processis proven to be reliable. It’s time tosend a clear message that performance-enhancing drugs have no place insports, especially the NFL.”

Lawmaker: NFLplayers ‘trying toback out’ on HGH

Mourners gather at funeralfor Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Mourners hug after leaving the church where Jovan Belcher’s funeral was held in Dix Hills, N.Y., Wed., Dec. 12, 2012.

8 Thursday, December 13, 2012

Josh Brent has beenplaced on thereserve/non-football ill-ness list by the DallasCowboys, a move thatends his season butallows the defensivetackle to remain with theteam.

The move Wednes-day came a day after amemorial service forpractice squad playerJerry Brown, Brent’sclose friend who waskilled in a car accidentwhen police say Brentwas driving drunk.Brent is facing chargesrelated to the accidentSaturday morning.

Cowboys executivevice president StephenJones says the teamwants to be able to stayin contact with Brent,and for the player to stayin contact with team-mates. Jones says thosethings are important.

Dallas signed defen-sive tackle BrianSchaefering, who wasreleased by Clevelandbefore this season.

AP Photo/LM Otero

Dallas Cowboys football player Josh Brent,center, with a bandaged hand, leaves withunknown persons after a memorial service forpractice squad member Jerry Brown at OakCliff Bible Fellowship, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012,in Dallas. Brown died in a suspected drunken-driving accident on Saturday. Brent was thedriver and is charged with intoxicationmanslaughter.

Dallas’ Brent on reserve/non-football illness list

This year’s scholarship recipi-ents were Ciara M. Brinney, St.Francis Career College (nursing stu-dent); Natalie G. Buck, University ofCalifornia Los Angeles (nursing stu-dent); Courtney M. Clayton,University of Southern CaliforniaOstrow School of Dentistry (DentalStudent); Maita S. Kuvhenguhwa,Charles Drew University/DavidGeffen School of Medicine at UCLA(medical student); Lvuoma N.Onyeador, University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (psychology doctoralstudent); and Brent A. Tucker,Meharry Medical College School ofDentistry (dental student).

The Miller-Lawrence Medical &Dental Society is a group of healthcare providers in Compton, SouthLos Angeles and the South Bay.Their membership is comprised ofphysicians and dentists in primarycare specialties, as well as all othermedical and surgical sub-specialties,and providers in academic medicine,military medicine, medical adminis-tration and allied health.

Their members serve a dispro-portionately high number of under-served patients who are AfricanAmerican and other minorities, andthey practice primarily in urbanareas.

TRAILBLAZERSContinued from page 5

AN APATOW PRODUCTION A JUDD APATOW FILM “THIS IS40”LESLIEMANNPAUL RUDD JOHN LITHGOW MEGAN FOX AND ALBERT BROOKS

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTSMUSICBYJON BRION

JUDD APATOWBASED ON CHARACTERS

CREATED BY JUDD APATOWWRITTEN ANDDIRECTED BY

JUDD APATOWPRODUCED

BYBARRY MENDELCLAYTON TOWNSEND

A UNIVERSAL PICTURE© 2012 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ONCAPITOL RECORDS

‘‘Honest andhilarious.’’Drew McWeeny,‘‘Judd Apatow’s best film yet!

’’Scott Foundas,

STARTS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Thursday, December 13, 2012 9

Nick Cannon and The Simmons Sisterscelebrate roller skating for a cause

BY: NICOLE WILLIAMS

LAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The annual winter holiday party called “Skate& Donate” hosted by Nick Cannon and Angela andVanessa Simmons rolled in on the evening ofSaturday, December 8. It was held at the MoonlightRollerway in Glendale and was sponsored by PastryShoes and N’Credible. Celebrities and their guestsbrought gifts to donate to Toys For Tots as theyfilled up the large box with treasures another lessfortunate will get to enjoy.

A variety of celebs attended the event likeactors Carlos Knight, China Anne McClain, KevinFrazier, Laura Govan, Naturi Naughton, RavenGoodwin, and artists E.B. Wright, Estelle andRachel Crow. The Pastry Ambassadors, AngelaSimmons, Vanessa Simmons, Mz Bratt, AlliSimpson and Jessica Jarrell were all in attendance as somesported their Pastry shoes.

“We think it’s very important to give back. We did itlast year for the first time and it got a really good turn outso we decided why not do it again,” Angela said.

“Toys for Tots is a really good organization and defi-nitely one to contribute to during this time of the holidayseason and just spreading Christmas joy so everyone can behappy,” Vanessa added.

The Pastry founders, who say they started the businessto give women more of a variety of tennis shoes to choosefrom, continue to work on new designs and ideas andadvise to look out for their new shoes.

Meanwhile, Cannon, founder of event co sponsorN’Credible, says giving back is what drives Skate &Donate every year.

“It’s all about the young people so we give the toys to

the less fortunate,” Cannon explained.“I remember receiving toys from Toys For Tots, so it’s

kind of cool to actually be able to pay them in return for alltheir good deeds.”

Actor/producer Miguel Nunez, executive producer forCannon’s upcoming film, “School Dance” also showed up.

“Nick always likes to give back, so I support him ineverything he does,” Nunez said.

Cannon wrote and directed the movie, set for a 2013 release.Everyone spent the rest of their night jamming out to

music provided by NCredible’s DJ Cam as they put on theirskates and hit the roller rink. There were also those who choseto stay on the sideline and enjoy some chips and salsa provid-ed by Chipotle than brave the roller skating rink runway.

Either way, laughs were going around the roller rink aspeople held each other’s hands for not only support acrossthe rink, but support for a good cause.

Photos by Troy Tieuel for LAWT

Nick Cannonwith The Simmons

Sisters

LauraGovan

Estelle

Mz Bratt

Miguel Nunez

Naturi NaughtonNick Cannon skateswith a participant

VanessaSimmons andAngela Simmons

E.B.Wright

ASSEMBLYMEMBER ISADORE HALL, III“YEAR-END CELEBRATION”: JoinAssemblymemberIsadore Hall as he hon-ors Champions andPioneers in theCommunity. Come outto say goodbye to the52nd AssemblyDistrict, and hello tothe new 64th AssemblyDistrict. WHEN:6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.WHERE: WLCAC,10950 S. Central Ave.,Los Angeles 90059.Refreshments will beserved. For more infor-mation or to RSVP callthe District Office at (310) 223-1201.

ON GOINGNOW – 1/6/13

GLIDINGTHROUGH THEHILLS:BeverlyHills Conference &Visitors Bureau andthe City of BeverlyHills celebrate theholidays with thecity’s first ever full-scale, public ice rinklocated in the GoldenTriangle.WHERE:Positioned in front ofthe iconic Beverly Hills City Hall building onCrescent Drive between North and South SantaMonica Boulevards. The ice skating rink will oper-ate seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Skate admission and rentalis $15 (adult) and $11 (children under 12) per hoursession (session times vary, visit lovebeverly-hills.com for schedule). Bottled water, gloves andsocks will be available for purchase and the rink willinclude viewing areas for those who wish to watchthe skaters and lockers for personal belongings.

NOW – 3/ 7/13THE LOS ANGELES URBAN LEAGUE PRES-ENTS: “The 90 That Built L.A.,” an exhibit at theMuseum ofAfricanAmericanArt. This multi-lay-ered exhibit chronicles and celebrates the League’s90 plus year milestone of serving the city of LosAngeles, in addition to honoring 90 champions forchange and equality, past and present. The exhibitwill include personal artifacts from honorees; a ret-rospect of the social, economic, political and civicchallenges and triumphs for LosAngeles residentsof color and the League’s leadership and unwaver-ing commitment to the community. WHEN:Museum hours are Thursday -Sunday: 12:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. Monday –Wednesday the exhibit willbe closed. Admission is FREE! Where: MuseumofAfricanAmericanArt 3650W. Martin LutherKing Jr. Blvd. LosAngeles, CA 90008 (Located onthe 3rd floor of Macy’s at the Baldwin HillsCrenshaw Mall). For more information call (323)294-7071 or visit www.theleague90.com. Formore information on the Museum ofAfricanAmericanArt, visit www.maaala.org.

TO MAKE A CALENDARSUBMISSION: Include event name, date(s),time, location, contact/RSVP information andadmission price, if any. Use BRIEF paragraphformat (no lists, line breaks, or all caps). All cal-endar submissions are space-permitting and maybe edited for brevity. Send submissions, alongwith any images, to brandon@lasentinel.netwith the subject heading “LAWT CommunityEvents.” Please include text in the body of youremail, not in an attachment.

10 Thursday, December 13, 2012

SouthWilmingtonAvenue LosAngeles, CA90059. The hol-iday celebrationwill feature clas-sic holiday car-ols and musicalperformances,and refresh-ments will beserved. Formore informa-tion contactLisa Richardsonat (213) 361-

6980 or lrichardson@bos.lacounty.gov.

12/15

SLAUSON HOLIDAY STROLL: Join friends andneighbors, old and new, for a festive afternoon onthe avenue. Enjoy live holiday music, tasty treatsand special surprises! While you are at it, get yourholiday shopping done at the unique shops on thecorridor. And, as you mingle, provide your ideasfor the brand identity design concept. The eventis hosted by LACOMMONS. WHEN: 1:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. WHERE: The Fun starts at: CJ’sElegance 4446 West Slauson Avenue LosAngeles, CA 90043. This activity is the third in aseries of creative events being facilitated in part-nership with the Slauson Avenue Branding

12/14

BEST BUY GIVEAWAY: The holiday season isin full swing, and to help customers check itemsoff their shopping lists quickly and easily BestBuy is offering an exciting incentive to maxi-mize lunch breaks around the country. The first200 customers to visit participating Best Buyswill receive a mystery gift card valued between$10-$250 and enjoy a free lunch from one ofthe city’s most popular food truck, Nonna’sKitchen. The first 200 customers will receivevouchers inside the store, and the participatingfood truck will be parked outside. WHEN:11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. WHERE: 11301 WPico Blvd., West Los Angeles 90064-1703. Forthose who can’t take the time to leave the officeduring lunch, Best Buy is there to help makeshopping even more convenient with free ship-ping on everything on BestBuy.com, same-dayin-store pickup and an extended return andexchange policy for the holidays. FollowNonna’s Kitchen on Twitter: @NonnasKitchenetto read more about this exciting day.

SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS TOHOST TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY: For thefourth consecutive year, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas invites constituents of the SecondSupervisorial District to join him in celebratingthe holiday season and light the Tree of Hope.WHEN: 5:30 p.m. WHERE: On the front lawnof the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-ServiceAmbulatory Care Center in Willowbrook -12021

Taskforce to re-envision the corridor. This eventis a project of the L.A. County Arts CommissionCivic Art Program in collaboration with theOffice of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Formore information or to get involved, please con-tact Erin Stennis at estennis@bos.lacounty.gov,or (213) 741-9292.

EXPO CENTER’S WINTER FESTIVAL: Comecelebrate the holiday season with FREE activitiesfor the whole family! Games, a snow village,pictures with Santa, cookie making, arts andcrafts, holiday treats, and more. All kids willreceive a holiday gift! WHEN: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00p.m. WHERE: EXPO Center is located at 3980Bill Robertson Lane, (commonly known asMenlo Ave.), Los Angeles. For more informa-tion call (213) 763-0114.

KWANZAA CELEBRATION ANDCHILDREN’S KWANZAA KARAMU:Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, communityand culture created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in1966. Enjoy Kwanzaa customs through art,music, stories and other activities. Free andopen to the public. WHEN: 1:00 p.m.Refreshments will be served. The event is freeand open to the public. Co-sponsored by theBlack Resource Center and Friends of ACBilbrew Library. WHERE: AC BilbrewLibrary, 150 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles90061. For more information please call (310)538-3350. For ADA accommodation, such as asign language interpreter or materials in analternate format, call 562-940-8462 (voice) or562-940-8477 (TTY), M-Th, 8-5, at least sixdays prior to event.

2ND ANNUAL GIRLS NIGHT OUT -SHOPPING 4 A CAUSE: Women of Color,Inc. are proud to announce the 2nd AnnualGirls Night Out - Shopping 4 A Cause BenefitFundraiser. Sip, Shop and celebrate with thegirls. WHEN: 5:00p.m. – 10:00p.m. WHERE:The Woman’sClub ofHollywoodlocated at1749 N.LaBreaAvenue,Hollywood,CA 90046.Special guest ofthe evening isPat Prescott(94.7 TheWave). Therewill be a specialperformance byharpist “King David” and jazz saxophonistAntonio Jackson. Must be 21 and older toattend. Tickets will be available at the door.For more information call (310) 674-6700,email womenofcoleorinc@gmail.com or visitwww.blackbeautyshop.org. Proceeds to benefitthe Black BeautyShop Health FoundationPrograms.

12/19

FREE FORECLOSURE INVESTINGWORKSHOP: California Foreclosure Institutepresents a free two-hour workshop forinvestors and realtors on how to get startedfinding and buying foreclosure properties.WHEN: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., at NorwalkPublic Library, 12350 Imperial Highway,Norwalk, CA 90650. Guest speaker will beLloyd Segal, author of “Foreclosure Investing.”The workshop is complimentary, but reserva-tions are required. To register, please visitwww.ForeclosureWorkshop.net or call 310-379-0101.

SupervisorMark Ridley-Thomas

PatPrescott

AssemblymemberIsadore Hall

e v e n t LISTINGS 12 / 2012happening this monthL . A . W a t t s T i m e s C a l e n d a r , C o m p i l e d b y B r a n d o n I . B r o o k s , C o - M a n a g i n g E d i t o r

BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX

NNPA COLUMNIST

By now, it’s old news thatKasandra Perkins was murdered byKansas City Chiefs football playerJovan Belcher, who was her boyfriendand the father of her daughter. By nowwe’ve read about how great a team-mate Belcher was, how dedicated to hisgirlfriend and daughter. We’ve read hishardscrabble story of moving from theUniversity of Maine, hardly a footballpowerhouse, to a coveted slot in theNFL. Belcher has been humanized,even enshrined, as his friends havetalked about him not having a violentbone in his body.

What about Kasandra? It has beendisturbing that the news focused most-ly on Jovan (yes, I know, he was thefamous one), with a focus on Kasandraonly later in the week. Her friends saidthey did not want her life to be over-shadowed by the sympathetic coverageof Jovan.

While Jovan Belcher was clearly atroubled man, the bottom line is thatJovan Belcher murdered KasandraPerkins. Not just shot her, he mur-dered her. And then he killed himself.Yes, this is a tragedy, but it is also amurder, so let’s not use euphemisms,let’s just call it what it is. The newsreports that Belcher was angrybecause Kasandra Perkins went to aconcert and came home at about onein the morning. But another reportsays that he was parked outside someother woman’s house in the middle ofthe night. Go figure.

What do we know about KasandraPerkins? The 22-year-old woman fromTexas aspired to be a teacher and wasstudying at a local community college.She had a 3-month-old child, Zoey.She made friends easily and workedwith other wives and girlfriends ofChiefs players. She enjoyed going outwith friends. There is probably lotsmore to her story, but it has been scant-ily reported.

Nobody knows what goes on in arelationship except those who are in it.So it is also disturbing to see Belcher’sfriends take to the media to describethe relationship as troubled and to sug-gest that Kasandra is at fault for herown murder. According to some, sheprovoked her own murder by stayingout late at night. Guess what?Belcher’s mother was caring for theirinfant. Sounds like a control issue tome.

Too often, men beat and even killwomen when they step outside theirsphere of control. Women are beatenor killed because they didn’t cook din-ner, because they raised their voice,because they chose to spend time withfriends or family, because, because.This violence does not know race, classor gender, though different groups havedifferent levels of violence. While 1.5million women experience domesticviolence annually, African Americanwomen are 35 percent more likely thanWhite women to be battered.

Without mentioning names, theKansas City Chiefs called for amoment of silence for victims ofdomestic violence during the game thatJovan Belcher did not play. With foot-ball as the focus, they did not have thegrace to mention Kasandra Perkins byname. It would have made a differ-ence if they had. Despite the fact thatBelcher was a member of the KC team,there is a villain and a victim in thisincident.

This type of violence is such anepidemic that the Violence AgainstWomen Act (VAWA) was passed in1994. The act established an office inthe Department of Justice works to pre-vent violence, and allocated $1.6 bil-lion to work on violence againstwomen issues, including strengtheningexisting state laws and raising aware-ness of this issue. Now the law is upfor reauthorization, and someRepublicans are holding it up becausethey do not agree with protections forNative American women, immigrantwomen, and people in same-sex cou-ples. We know that VAWA is effective.Since its passage, intimate partner vio-lence has dropped by about 60 percent,but it didn’t save Kasandra Perkins. Ifnothing else, her brutal murder remindsus why this act is so important.

Jovan Belcher had a temper, drankheavily, and had at least eight guns.Some say he had suffered multiplehead injuries playing football. That’sno excuse for a murder so brutal that heshot Kasandra nine times. And the sto-ries about his supposed nonviolence iscontradicted by some of his collegebehavior, including punching through awindow when he was frustrated by agirlfriend who did not want to see him.This man was a serious candidate foranger management!

Kasandra Perkins isn’t the onlywoman who has been murdered by ahusband or boyfriend. According tothe Department of Justice, threewomen are killed by spouses or part-ners every day. I don’t want to hearabout the tragedy of football playerJovan Belcher. I want to mournKasandra and the many women likeher. And in her name, and in the nameof others, we must all fight to get theViolenceAgainst WomenAct renewed.

Julianne Malveaux is a Wash-ington, D.C.-based economist andwriter. She is President Emerita ofBennett College for Women inGreensboro, N.C.

BY BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUSSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE

NORTH DALLAS GAZETTE

There is a missing componentto the national discussion concern-ing how to strengthen and rebuildthe American economy. It is truethat high unemployment, a weaknational infrastructure, the need forstronger public education, the con-centration of wealth and the deficitare all challenges to the nation’seconomy but being left out of thediscussion is the continued eco-nomic marginalization of racial andethnic minorities.

The American economy hasalways been strongest when it’skept the middle class within reachfor mostAmericans. But with whitehouseholds holding nearly 20 timesthe wealth of black or Latino house-holds, and with rising disparities inunemployment, poverty, andincome, the future of the middleclass has never looked more uncer-tain. As the country rapidlybecomes majority-minority thenation’s economic well-being isincreasingly tied to overcomingracial economic inequality.

The economic challenges thatpeople of color face is reflected inthe recently released NAACPOpportunity and Diversity ReportCard which analyzes the hotel andlodging industry. Mediocre gradesamong the five leading hotels weexamined — Hyatt, Starwood,Wyndham, Marriott and Hilton—reveal the widespread lack ofinvestment in minority suppliers,the over representation of peopleof color in the lowest paying entrylevel positions, the under represen-tation in the more highly paidcareer track positions and finally alack of commitment to collectingbasic diversity data that could beused to strengthen inclusionefforts.

Our report shows that black-owned businesses, which comprise7% of all businesses in the U.S.,make up only 0.9% of all vendorsreceipts — a troubling red flag thatsignals how far corporate Americahas to go in their supplier diversityoutreach. And while people ofcolor are 36% of the population,only 13% of the governing bodiesin the hotel and lodging industryconsists of people of color.

One of the most disconcertingfindings of our report card is that allof the top 5 hotel and lodging cor-porations do not collect diversitydata from their franchise properties.This means for four out of five ofthese leading corporations no datais collected for the majority of theirindividual hotels. This is unaccept-able

The NAACP is calling for thesecorporations to collect the diversitydata already mandated by the gov-ernment through EEO1 reports. Weare also asking for planners ofmajor events to request EEO1reports from any individual hotelthey are considering for their eventso they can make diversity andinclusion part of their assessmentas to which hotel is worthy of theirbusiness. The National Coalition ofBlackMeeting Planners has alreadyvoiced support for this action andwe will be working with our com-munity and civil rights partners aswell as local bureaus of tourism tomake widespread the use of EEO1data as an important and widelyused factor for determining whichhotels qualify to hold major events.

The EEO1 survey is a primarymeans that the Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission uses toadvance its mission derived fromthe 1964 Civil RightsAct. Title VIIof the 1964 Civil Rights Actfocused on prohibiting racial dis-crimination in employment andalmost 60 years later we still findgreat racial and ethnic disparities inbusiness and its workforce. TheOpportunity and Diversity ReportCard and our call to action forgreater use of EEO1 data should notbe seen as just a “civil rights” mat-ter but should be understood as ameans of dealing with one of thegreatest threats facing theAmericaneconomy over the next thirty years,racial economic inequality. We atthe NAACP have always seenracial inequality as a grave threat tothe country and in the next fewdecades if serious action isn’t takento bridge this divide the entirenation will see the economic resultsof this inequality.

Opportunity anddiversity oneindustry at a time

What about Kasandra Perkins?

Julianne Malveaux

opinionThursday, December 13, 2012 11

GOVERNMENT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles invites proposals from qualified firms interested in the following opportunities:

RFP 7568 Banking Services(Issue 12/10/2012; Due 1/22/2013)To provide banking services

RFP 7570 ERP Upgrade Strategy(Issue 12/17/2012; Due 1/22/2013)To provide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) upgrade strategy

Copies of the RFP’s may be obtained via www.hacla.org/ps or call (213) 252-5405.12/13, 12/20/12CNS-2418439#WATTS TIMES

• University of Louisville (Louis-ville, Ky.)

• University of Nebraska (Omaha,Neb.)

• University of Virginia (Char-lottesville, Va.)

• University of Washington(Seattle, Wash.)

• University of Texas-Houston(Houston, Texas)

• Yale University (New Haven,Conn.)

Insufficient financial resourcescoupled with an uncertainty on how toprepare for a medical future are twomajor barriers for prospective stu-dents. SMDEP helps to fill gaps andinspire success by working to increasediversity in the health care workforce.

“Diverse perspectives reflected inour dental and medical professions arenecessary for a better patient experi-ence,” explains SMDEP NationalProgram Officer Norma Poll-Hunter,PhD, co-deputy director for theAssociation of American MedicalColleges (AAMC). “SMDEP bringstalent that’s not traditionally repre-sented in our medical and dentalschool applicant pools.”

Landry, an emergency medicinephysician at Beth Israel DeaconessMedical Center in Boston, agrees.“Without a more diverse workforce,

the current health disparities will per-sist, if not worsen.”

Current trends in the health careworkforce point to the need for sus-tained recruitment to yield a morediverse pool of candidates in medicaland dental schools. While minoritiesrepresent 26 percent of the U.S. popu-lation, less than 6 percent of AmericanIndians, Blacks and Hispanics collec-tively are physicians or dentists,according to the Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges.

The Tour for Diversity fall out-reach (September 24-29, 2012) includ-ed six universities between Atlantaand Dearborn, Mich. The next tour inFebruary 2013 will take them to sever-al Texas college campuses. Landry,Matthews and other physician mentorsshare personal insights and advice onwhat prospective candidates canexpect to help debunk fears of “I’mnot smart enough.”

“Our purpose is to emphasize tostudents the importance of early expo-sure, advising and mentorship,” saysMatthews.

For more on Tour for Diversity inMedicine, visit http://tour4diversity.org/. You can read updates on theirVoices of Diversity blog at http://tour4diversity.org/category/blog/. Jointhem on Facebook and Twitter.

DEDICATED WHEELSContinued from page 4

Benjamin Todd Jealous

12 Thursday, December 13, 2012